Welcome to the NHL Buzz. The 2022-23 regular season is underway, and NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.
Washington Capitals
TJ Oshie could play for the Capitals when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday (7:30 pm ET; TNT, SN NOW).
The forward has missed the past 11 games with a lower-body injury he sustained at the Nashville Predators on Oct. 29.
“I feel good,” Oshie said after the Capitals morning skate. “I feel like it’s been a long time, but I’ve been working hard, and the trainers have been taking care of me. I don’t think we’ve made any decisions yet, but we’ve been preparing as if I’ m able to go tonight and we’ll see what the trainers say, and the coaches say after this.”
Oshie skated at right wing Wednesday morning on a line with Sonny Milano and Yevgeny Kuznetsov and worked in is his usual spot on the first power-play unit. However, coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t ready to say that Oshie will play against the Flyers.
“We’re still working through it in the room,” Laviolette said. “He’s close, so we’re working through it.”
Defenseman Dmitry Orlov was also a full participant in the morning skate but will miss his eighth straight game with a lower-body injury. Center Nicklas Backstrom, who is working his way back from offseason hip resurfacing surgery, also skated wearing a non-contact jersey. It was Backstrom’s second time participating in a morning skate. He has yet to skate in a full practice.
Forwards Tom Wilson (torn anterior cruciate ligament) and Beck Malenstyn (finger surgery) skated on their own earlier Wednesday. –Tom Gullitti
Chicago Blackhawks
Seth Jones will return for the Blackhawks when they play the Dallas Stars (8:30 pm ET; BSSWX, NBCSCH+, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The defenseman has missed 10 games since injuring his right thumb in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabers on Oct. 29. He has four assists in eight games this season.
“That’s the plan as of now,” Jones said Tuesday. “I’ve been getting an X-ray once a week, so the doc liked what he saw. It’s been three-and-a-half weeks. There’s a reason we said 3-4 (weeks), so we’re kind of right on schedule.”
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Jones could be eased into the lineup.
“I think at the beginning, we’ll see how he’s going,” Richardson said. “But he’s a good athlete, he’s in great shape. But we want to get him a little kick off some of that rust early and get him back in. I think it’s smart to start him maybe on the second power-play unit, let him feel his way into the game and maybe even watch the first unit a little bit a few times and get himself back up to speed on that.” — Tracey Myers
Minnesota Wild
Forward Jordan Greenway will return for the Wild against the Winnipeg Jets (7 pm ET; SNW, BSN, BSWIX, ESPN+, SN NOW).
Greenway has missed the past six games with a shoulder injury and has missed 16 games this season with variations of an upper-body injury. He has no points and is minus-2 in two games.
“It gets a little frustrating being in and out, so we really wanted to make sure that wasn’t going to be the case going forward and maybe take a little extra time if needed,” Greenway said. “So that’s kind of where we’ve been.”
Greenway’s season debut was delayed while he recovered from offseason surgery. He suffered a separate injury in that debut, a 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 20.
Greenway returned and suffered another setback in a 1-0 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 8
“I’d probably be lying if I said I didn’t think about (the injuries) in the first shift or two,” Greenway said. “But you know, I’m pretty confident going back into things. … I probably won’t come out and hit as many people as I can in the first. But you know, mentally I’m not worried. I’ve had enough practices, I’ve had enough contact, I’ve had enough everything that I’ll be good.” — Jessie Pierce
St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Tarasenko is expected to return for the Blues against the Buffalo Sabers (7 pm ET; MSG-B, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward missed two games because of an illness. He has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 16 games this season.
Defensemen Robert Bortuzzo and Torey Krug are also expected to return for St. Louis
Bortuzzo has missed seven games and has not played since Nov. 8 because of an upper-body injury. He has no points in 10 games this season. Krug was unavailable for a 3-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday because of an upper-body injury sustained during warmups. He did not practice Tuesday.
Defenseman Tyler Tucker was assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League. He had no points in four games since he was recalled.
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