NHL Hockey Player News

van Riemsdyk was hurt early in Game 2 and is out long-term with a shoulder issue. van Riemsdyk will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury but head coach Rod Brind’Amour doesn’t expect to see van Riemsdyk back anytime soon.

Maenalanen suffered a hand injury in Game 2 and will undergo surgery, which will keep him sidelined for up to two weeks. Patrick Brown is expected to be a permanent replacement for Maenalanen while he is out. Maenalanen could be back in Round 3 if the Hurricanes are able to get by the Islanders.

Mrazek was forced to leave Game 2 with a lower-body injury and is not expected to be available for Game 3 in Carolina. Mrazek has been excellent for the Hurricanes during their postseason run, so this could be a big loss, but Curtis McElhinney instilled some confidence during the regular season. Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to be recalled from Charlotte (AHL) and serve as the backup in Game 3. The Hurricanes are expected to give a more detailed timeline on Mrazek’s return in the coming days.

Martinook played in Game 6 and 7 but is obviously still banged up and gutting it out, as he remains to be listed as a game-time decision for Game 1 against the Islanders.

Svechnikov’s status remains up in the air as the Hurricanes head into Game 1 of round two against the Islanders. Svechnikov is listed as a game-time decision and would likely replace Patrick Brown or Saku Maenalanen and skate on the second line with Jordan Staal and Justin Williams if he ends up playing.

Brassard missed the final three games of the first round with an illness but is expected to replace Gabriel Bourque for Game 1 against the Sharks. Brassard did not record a point in two games in round one and had just four goals in 20 games after being acquired by the Avalanche.

Girard suffered an upper-body injury in Game 2 in Calgary and missed the next three games. With Girard returning to the lineup, the Avalanche are expected to go with 11 forwards and seven defenseman but it remains unclear whether Girard or Cale Makar will quarterback the second power-play unit—they alternated in Thursday’s practice.

Karlsson missed Thursday’s practice and his status for Game 1 is unclear. Michael Haley skated on the fourth line in practice, but isn’t expected to play, so he Karlsson will likely skate there in Game 1. Karlsson had no points, four shots and a mins-2 rating in seven games during round one.

Donskoi was on the ice in a non-contact jersey prior to Thursday’s practice but did not stay on for the team session. That suggests that Lukas Radil will remain in the Sharks lineup and Donskoi will sit for the second straight game.

Pavelski, who was hurt in Game 7 vs. the Golden Knights, is expected to miss Game 1 vs. the Avalanche with what is believed to be a concussion. When asked if Pavelski had a concussion, head coach Pete DeBoer said: “I’m not going to get into specifics. I just told you he’s feeling the effects of it. You guys can put two and two together, I think.” Gustav Nyquist is expected to move up to the top line and Timo Meier is expected to be on the top power-play while Pavelski is out.

Lehner stopped 32 of 33 shots in the Islanders 3-1 win in Pittsburgh to complete the sweep in Game 4. The Islanders have been off for 10 days but will resume action on Friday vs. a Hurricanes team that went to seven games vs. Washington. Lehner was the best goalie in the first round, stopping 130 of the 136 shots (.956 SV%) that he faced. He did not face the Hurricanes once this season.