NHL Buzz: Drouin out for Canadiens against Islanders

Welcome to the NHL Buzz. Throughout the 2021-22 season, NHL.com will have you covered with the latest news.

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Montreal Canadiens

Jonathan Drouin did not play for the Canadiens against the New York Islanders at Bell Centre on Thursday (TSN2, RDS, MSG+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The forward took part in the morning skate, but Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme said he's not 100 percent after being hit in the head by the puck Tuesday.
"We're not taking any chances with something like this, so he won't be in the lineup," Ducharme said.
Drouin was hit by a shot during a 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings. The 26-year-old was taken to hospital and tests confirmed he does not have a concussion. He was second on the Canadiens with seven points (two goals, five assists) in 11 games, behind forward Nick Suzuki (eight points; one goal, seven assists).
"There's no concussion but still he got a puck to the head," Ducharme said. We want to make sure it's not a concussion and so on. It's not like an elbow or a shoulder or something like that, so we want to be careful." -- Sean Farrell

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New Jersey Devils

Dougie Hamilton is not expected in the lineup when the Devils visit the Los Angeles Kings on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).
The defenseman has a lower-body injury. He missed practice Thursday after not playing the final two periods of a 4-0 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
"Dougie is doing good but I do not expect him to play," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. "He is day to day."
Hamilton agreed to a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Devils on July 28. His six points (two goals, four assists) this season are tied with forwards Andreas Johnsson and Pavel Zacha for first on New Jersey.
The Devils recalled forward Alexander Holtz from Utica of the American Hockey League on Thursday and he could make his NHL debut against the Kings. The 19-year-old, chosen with the No. 7 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has scored four goals in five AHL games this season. -- Mike G. Morreale

Nashville Predators

Filip Forsberg is week to week with an upper-body injury.
The forward missed a 5-2 loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, one day after he was injured in 3-2 overtime win at the Calgary Flames.
The Predators' four-game winning streak ended Wednesday. They visit the Vancouver Canucks for the third of a six-game road trip on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSSO, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
Nashville defenseman Mark Borowiecki (upper body) is day to day and did not play against Edmonton.

Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar did not play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday because of an upper-body injury.
The defenseman is day to day. He has scored six points (two goals, four assists) in eight games and leads the Avalanche in average ice time per game (25:00).
Forward Mikko Rantanen (lower body) missed his third straight game, and forward Andre Burakovsky (lower body) is out after he left in the second period of a 4-1 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
Forward Kiefer Sherwood was recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.

Edmonton Oilers

Mike Smith could return to the lineup for the Oilers when they host the New York Rangers on Friday.
The goalie has been sidelined with a lower-body injury.
"He's skating right now, he won't play tonight, but he's real close," Oilers coach Dave Tippett said Wednesday. "We're hoping he'll be an option for Friday."
Smith is 2-0-0 with a 3.08 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in three games (two starts) this season.
Backup Mikko Koskinen has started six straight games. He's 6-1-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .934 save percentage.

Arizona Coyotes

Scott Wedgewood
was claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.
The 29-year-old goalie is 0-2-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average and .880 save percentage in three games (two starts) this season. He's 10-20-9 with a 3.08 GAA, .900 save percentage and four shutouts in 43 games (38 shutouts) for the Devils and Coyotes. Wedgewood played for Arizona in 2017-18.
Goalie Carter Hutton sustained a lower-body injury Oct. 25 and was expected to be out 2-4 weeks. Karel Vejmelka started six of the next seven games with Ivan Prosvetov backing up.
The Coyotes have lost 10 in a row (0-9-1) to start the season and visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).