NHL Buzz: MacKinnon out for Avalanche with upper-body injury

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Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon did not play for the Avalanche against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday because of an upper-body injury.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said the injury could have resulted from MacKinnon's fight with Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba in the third period.of a 3-2 overtime loss Sunday.
"He's out. Gone back to Denver for evaluation," Bednar said. "He'll land in Denver and then he'll start seeing our docs."
Bednar said there was no timeline for MacKinnon's return.
"I haven't talked to Nate yet, it was a pretty quick turnaround for him," Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. "Hopefully it's not something super serious, but at the end of the day, when you lose a key guy on our team like that, that's not going to be easy to fill the role."
MacKinnon has been limited to 51 games this season because of injuries. He has scored 70 points (22 goals, 48 assists) and was fourth on the Avalanche in scoring and first in points per game (1.37).
"Everyone's got to step up," Colorado forward Logan O'Connor said. "He obviously plays a huge part in our offense and team leadership and everything, but everyone's got to contribute that way, and he'd want it that way as well. Just move forward and try to go on from there." -- Aaron Vickers

New York Rangers

Ryan Strome did not play for the Rangers at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday because of a lower-body injury.
The forward left after the first period of a 5-4 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
"Like I said, the trainer tells me day to day," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said Tuesday. "So possible for tomorrow [at the Detroit Red Wings], I guess. But I don't know. One at a time."
Strome scored 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 62 games this season. -- Wes Crosby

Dallas Stars

Miro Heiskanen will return for the Stars against the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, BSSC, BSSD, BSSW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The defenseman missed 11 games with mononucleosis. The Stars were 6-5-0 without him.
"I'm ready to play again," Heiskanen said Tuesday. "The first couple of weeks I couldn't really do a lot. ... It is what it is and now I'm back."
Heiskanen scored 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) in 52 games and led the Stars in ice time per game (24:46).
"We're going to watch his minutes very closely, we certainly don't want to have a setback," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said. "It won't be 25 (minutes), but if it's a regular shift or some power-play time, then that works for us."

New York Islanders

Ilya Sorokin did not travel with the Islanders for their game at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
The goalie sustained an upper-body injury Sunday during a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"He's feeling better. He didn't make the trip and we'll see how he is tomorrow," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said Tuesday. "We'll be back at the facility. It's a day off, but we'll get him back there and we'll get him reassessed. He's feeling fine. We'll probably get him on the ice. If he's not, he'll stay [at the facility] and get better."
Sorokin was 22-14-7 with a 2.30 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and six shutouts in 43 games.
Goalie Cory Schneider was recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions and was the backup to Semyon Varlamov.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Zach Werenski did not play for the Blue Jackets against the New York Islanders because of an upper-body injury.
The defenseman left during the first period of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday following a collision with Wild defenseman Jake Middleton.
Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen and assistant Steve McCarthy were placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol Tuesday. Associate Pascal Vincent coached against the Islanders.

Philadelphia Flyers

Carter Hart did not play for the Flyers at the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Flyers coach Mike Yeo said the goalie has a nagging injury. Felix Sandstrom, who has played one NHL game, was an emergency recall from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.
Martin Jones started against the Wild, and Sandstrom was the backup.
"[Hart] probably could have backed up tonight, but it really didn't make a lot of sense for him to back up," Yeo said. "He's just got a little bit of a nagging injury that I think if we give him a couple of extra days here, it should feel a lot better coming up this weekend."
Forward Noah Cates made his NHL debut for Philadelphia. The Stillwater, Minnesota, native signed a two-year, entry-level contract on Sunday after his NCAA season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth ended. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick (No. 137) in the 2017 NHL Draft.
"Obviously a lot of excitement," Cates said. "A ton of people coming. Just trying to play my game. Not really think about it. But also try to enjoy it and take it all in, then when the puck drops just play my game and get ready for my first NHL game." -- Jessi Pierce

Calgary Flames

Sean Monahan returned to the lineup for the Flames at the Colorado Avalanche.
The forward was a healthy scratch the past two games. He replaced Ryan Carpenter.
"I feel good," Monahan said. "I'm excited to get back in. I'm looking forward to it. Obviously you don't want to be scratched. You want to be in the lineup helping the team. Put in the work, and I'm excited to get back in tonight."
Monahan scored 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 63 games and was a Calgary-worst minus-16, playing primarily on the fourth line.
"I see someone who wants to play and wants to be part of it, but someone who is also really supportive of his team and knows that the best way they can help their team is by taking advantage of extra time, extra time to practice or time if you aren't in the lineup to improve your own skill set to be able to help the team," Flames assistant Cail MacLean said.
"That's what I see from him. That time presented itself and he didn't spend any time doing anything but. He got right to work, and as a result I think that's going to bode well for him." -- Aaron Vickers

San Jose Sharks

Kevin Labanc could play for the Sharks next week after he returned to practice Monday, coach Bob Boughner told the Mercury News.
The forward hasn't played since having surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in late December. Labanc scored six points (three goals, three assists) in 21 games.
"He looked good," Boughner said in remarks published Monday. "You can tell he's fresh. He had some pop in his legs. His conditioning is pretty solid at this point. That's all he had been doing, so that's a good thing. A positive sign."
Jonathan Dahlen skated Sunday and could return soon. The rookie forward has missed three games after he was hit in the face by a puck in the third period of a 4-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on March 20. He scored 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 52 games.