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Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Eichel will be a game-time decision for the Golden Knights against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSOH).
The center has missed 19 games with a knee injury he sustained in a 2-1 overtime win against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 11. He took part in his first full contact practice Friday.
“It’s been a while,” Eichel said after the morning skate. “It's never fun sitting out and watching. Unfortunately, it seems I’ve been in this situation quite a bit. You just miss playing, being around the guys in the locker room. I'm excited. It seems like it’s pretty close.
“It's frustrating. You never want to miss time and for myself, who’s been down this road before, it’s even more frustrating. You want to try and be in the lineup as much as possible, and missing extended periods of time is never fun.”
Eichel rejoined the team Tuesday in a noncontact jersey and was back in a regular sweater at the morning skate in Boston prior to a 5-4 loss Thursday. He did not play in a 7-2 loss at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
He is third on the Golden Knights with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 42 games this season.
Vegas is 9-8-2 without Eichel, and has lost seven of its past nine games (2-6-1).
“He'll be a game time decision, but he's trending well,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I suspect he'll play tonight, but we’ll make that call.
“There's going to be some rust, of course, but we expect that. You can shake that off at some point and the mental part of it just being back in the room with his teammates, we could use that. … Jack's got a lot of energy. He’s a vocal guy on the bench and in the room, and we miss a bit of that.” -- Craig Merz
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ilya Lyubushkin is expected to play for the Maple Leafs when they host the Boston Bruins on Monday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, NESN).
The defenseman left a 4-3 shootout win against the New York Rangers on Saturday after taking a hard hit along the boards by Matt Rempe late in the second period and did not return.
"I feel good," Lyubushkin said. "I feel normal. … I think I [felt] normal yesterday."
Lyubushkin, who said he was unable to return Saturday because he was in concussion protocol, was paired with Morgan Rielly at the morning skate.
"He was feeling good after the game the other night, feeling good again yesterday, feeling good again today," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "All the protocols he was unable to get through on Saturday, he was able to get through yesterday and today as well. If he continues to respond well after this skate here today, he will be good to go. As it turned out, a lot of the discomfort he was feeling was coming from some neck and shoulder issues that were causing some discomfort in the head, but we got that settled down."
Lyubushkin had four hits in 12:12 of ice time against the Rangers in his Toronto debut after being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in a three-team trade Thursday. -- Dave McCarthy
Columbus Blue Jackets
Kent Johnson will be out the rest of the season for the Blue Jackets because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
The forward, who is expected to have surgery later this week, sustained the injury during a 4-1 loss at the Rangers on Feb. 28. Johnson, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 42 games this season after he had 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 79 games as a rookie in 2022-23.
Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is day to day with an upper-body injury after making 26 saves in a 5-2 win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Daniil Tarasov is expected to start against the Golden Knights on Monday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSOH), with Jet Greaves backing him up.
Greaves was recalled on emergency basis from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Sunday. He played in a 5-2 win against the St. Louis Blues at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 8, when he set a Blue Jackets record for saves by a goalie in his first NHL win (41).
