On the Toronto Maple Leafs …
Mark Masters: Coach Mike Babcock said yesterday morning that Mitch Marner was the best on the ice at their morning skate, but is frustrated with the fact that he was not able to dress last night against the Canadiens.
Kristen Shilton: Babcock: “Gotta give our trainers credit, both Mitch and I were bribing them but they held strong.”
Leafs PR: Forward Tyler Bozak missed last night’s game with an upper-body injury.
Kristen Shilton: Bozak had a cut on his hand that got infected. He should be good to go for their road trip to California.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: Messages left for Joffrey Lupul are no longer returned. An agent who has represented him at times hasn’t heard from him in months. His NHL career is likely over. He has a year left on his deal, a $5.2 million cap hit, and a $3.7 million salary. The Maple Leafs appear to have bought his silence.
On the Washington Capitals …
Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid Atlantic: The Capitals were without defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik, and forward T.J. Oshie. Niskanen and Orpik have lower-body injuries and Oskie has an upper-body injury. All three will join the team on the second part of their road trip which gets underway on Tuesday.
“We didn’t want to rush anything,” Trotz said. “We didn’t know on Brooks really until this afternoon.”
Trotz added: “We said, ‘Let’s not rush anything. We’re in a good spot. Let’s get everyone healthy.’”
On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times: Forward Jonathan Drouin returned to practice yesterday. Drouin had been out with the flu
On the Pittsburgh Penguins …
Dave Molinari: Defenseman Justin Schultz return after missing time with a concussion.
On the St. Louis Blues …
Tom Timmerman: While playing in the AHL, Ivan Barbashev suffered an upper-body injury.
On the Vancouver Canucks …
Vancouver Canucks: Defenseman Luca Sbisa left last night’s game with a stomach flu.
Iain MacIntyre: Coach Willie Desjardins said that Troy Stecher and Chris Tanev have graduated from their five-day quarantines, but isn’t sure if they will get clearance to play on Tuesday.
