Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Eakins has entered NHL COVID-19 protocol and won’t coach against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, BSW, BSSUN, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
Assistant Mike Strothers will coach for Anaheim (19-16-7), which has lost four games in a row, including two straight shutouts. Anaheim has not scored in its past 1:33:54.
Eakins is in his third season as coach of the Ducks.
Minnesota Wild
Joel Eriksson Ek will return to the lineup for the Wild against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday ((8:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, NBCSCH+, BSN, BSWI+, NHL LIVE).
The forward missed five games because of injury and COVID-19 protocol.
“We’re looking forward to having Ek back,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “He’s a big part of our hockey club, clearly. He does so many things really well and plays in all situations.”
Eriksson Ek will center a line with Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. He has scored 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) in 30 games.
“It’s good for me and [Greenway] to get Ekker back,” Foligno said. “We’re looking forward to taking off where we left off.” — Bruce Miles
Buffalo Sabres
Jack Quinn will be out because of a lower-body injury, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said.
Quinn was injured in the first period of a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday in which he scored his first NHL goal and first assist and will have an MRI to determine how long he’ll be out. He had 18 goals and 17 assists in 24 games with Rochester of the American Hockey League before being recalled Tuesday.
“It’s a bummer,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “He played through it two periods, which probably is a good sign, as far as you hope that the significance is a range there. You’re really waiting to see how significant the injury is there over the next few days. And the fact that he played through it, there’s hope it might not be as bad as it could be.”
Defenseman Will Butcher will also be out with an upper-body injury sustained against the Stars. He was scheduled to have a CT scan to determine the severity of the injury.
Defenseman Jacob Bryson returned to practice after missing three games with a lower-body injury and could be in the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG-B, NBCSP, NHL LIVE).
Craig Anderson practiced with the team for the first time since the goalie sustained an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 against the San Jose Sharks.
“A lot of it right now is seeing pucks, getting the rhythm back,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m comfortable in that situation before I say I’m ready to go.” — Heather Engel
Chicago Blackhawks
Seth Jones and Dylan Strome are expected to play against the Minnesota Wild on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, NBCSCH+, BSN, BSWI+, NHL LIVE).
Jones, a defenseman, missed four games in NHL COVID-19 protocol. Strome, a forward, missed three games.
Jones said he had no symptoms while he was out.
“I did some skating, a little conditioning, trying to get my lungs back, but my legs feel pretty good,” Jones said Thursday. “It’s just really getting the feel back, getting hands back. My puck play feels good in practice right now, but I’ll definitely be keeping my shifts short tomorrow.” — Tracey Myers
Vancouver Canucks
J.T. Miller and Thatcher Demko will not play against the Florida Panthers on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, BSFL, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) after the forward and goalie were placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
Miller leads the Canucks with 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) in 39 games. Forwards Conor Garland and Bo Horvat are also in protocol.
“We have not had the same lineup twice since I’ve been here, so it’s nothing new,” said coach Bruce Boudreau, who replaced Travis Green on Dec. 5. “Now you’ve got three of your top four scorers out, but to me, if you play a really good game and play the right way, and you get good goaltending, then you got a chance to win.”
Backup goalie Jaroslav Halak is also in protocol, leaving Spencer Martin and rookie Michael Dipietro as the possible starter.
Demko is 17-14-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and one shutout. He was chosen to represent the Canucks in the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5.
“He’s been as good as any goaltender in the league and that’s the most important position,” Boudreau said. “So hopefully you can find lightning in a bottle with one of the other guys for short periods of time, but they’re not Thatcher Demko.”
Miller and Demko also are likely to be unavailable to play against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Travis Hamonic (lower body) could be out until after the All-Star break (Feb. 6), Boudreau said. The defenseman hasn’t played since Dec. 8. — Kevin Woodley
St. Louis Blues
Pavel Buchnevich was removed from NHL COVID-19 protocol and will return for the Blues at the Seattle Kraken on Friday (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, BSMW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE).
The forward scored 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 34 games, tied with forward Vladimir Tarasenko for second on the Blues. Buchnevich, who missed two games, practiced Wednesday, skating with usual linemates Tarasenko and Ivan Barbashev.
“I think he’s good to go,” Blues coach Craig Berube said Wednesday. “I thought he looked fine. We’ll get another practice in tomorrow, which will be good. I thought he did a good job today.”
Tarasenko and forwards Brayden Schenn and David Perron, and defenseman Colton Parayko were removed from COVID-19 protocol Monday and played in a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators.
Defenseman Scott Perunovich (undisclosed) remains day to day but skated prior to practice Wednesday. — Lou Korac
Vegas Golden Knights
Mark Stone was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol Thursday and the forward did not play in a 4-3 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Defenseman Nicolas Hague also was placed in protocol and was unavailable.
It is unknown how long Stone will be sidelined. He was selected to play in the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas. He scored 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 23 games and played four games since returning from an upper-body injury.
Forward Max Pacioretty was on the ice for the morning skate and could return from wrist surgery he had Dec. 30 to play during a four-game road trip that begins Monday, coach Peter DeBoer said. Defenseman Alec Martinez also will travel and could return from an upper-body injury and protocol.