Kulikov will replace Jon Merrill on the Wild blueline after sitting out on Thursday. Kulikov has scored four goals with 15 assists (19 points) in 60 games this season.

Kulikov will replace Jon Merrill on the Wild blueline after sitting out on Thursday. Kulikov has scored four goals with 15 assists (19 points) in 60 games this season.




Eller missed three games while in COVID-19 protocol but is set to play Sunday vs. the Stars. Eller has scored just one goal with one assist (two points) in his last 13 games.

Moving Ekblad to LTIR opens up $7.5M in cap relief ahead of Monday's trade deadline. Ekblad will miss the rest of the regular season but should be ready to go for the first round of the playoffs. Losing Ekblad will hurt down the stretch but they are expected to use the cap-space to add Robert Hagg from Buffalo and could add more before the deadline.

Ekblad left Thursday's game and was unable to put any weight on his right leg, so overall this is positive news. Head coach Andrew Brunette said that they will know more once the swelling goes down. Ben Chiarot will meet the Panthers in Montreal and will likely make his debut, replacing Ekblad in the lineup. Mackenzie Weegar is expected to take his spot on PP1.

Ekblad could not put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off of the ice in the first period of Friday's game in Anaheim. Given Ekblad's long history of serious injuries, there was cause for concern. Head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters post-games that there was no structural damage and it was "positive news tonight and we'll go from there." All-in-all, it sounds like Ekblad avoided another serious injury and won't be sidelined long-term.



It's unclear when Bjornfot picked up an injury but he will not play Tuesday vs. the Avalanche. The injuries continue to pile up for the Kings, who will replace Bjornfot with Christian Wolanin.

Eller will likely miss 2-to-3 games this week after being added to the COVID-19 protocol list for the second time this season. With Eller out, look for Daniel Sprong to draw back into the Capitals lineup on Tuesday.



Lundell will miss his second straight game with a lower-body injury but the Panthers are hopeful that he will be able to travel to California for a seven-game road trip that starts on Sunday.





