Craig Morgan: The Arizona Coyotes have put defenseman Conor Timmins, goaltender Carter Hutton, and forward Ryan Dzingel on the IR.
Peter Baugh: Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen missed last night’s game.
- Peter Baugh: Rantanen was bothered by something at their morning skate. He had left before they did their power play drills.
CBJ Public Relations: Columbus Blue Jackets have activated forward Max Domi from the IR and forward Justin Danforth has been assigned to the AHL.
Brian Compton: New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov said that he’s feeling 100 percent and ready to go.
Vince Z. Mercogliano: The New York Rangers have put Ryan Reaves on the IR, so he’ll be out for at least seven days. When they are ready to activate forward Kaapo Kakko from the IR, they won’t need to reassign anyone to the AHL.
- Vince Z. Mercogliano: Kakko yesterday: “I’m ready to play.”
- Vince Z. Mercogliano: Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said they are hopeful that Kakko can play tonight.
Bruce Garrioch: Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson will return from his ankle injury on Friday.
Pens Inside Scoop: (thread) Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on Sidney Crosby: “The timeline on how we deal with Sid I think we’ll keep internally. That’s something where we make decisions with our medical staff on a daily basis at this point. We’re at that stage where Sid is really getting closer and closer.”
“We consult with our medical staff throughout the course of each day and first thing in the morning after an overnight, and we get feedback from those guys. A lot of it, quite honestly, is based on Sid’s feedback as well on where he’s at.”
“We’re trying to make sure we put Sid in the best possible position to be successful, and so we make those decisions daily.”
Tarik El-Bashir: Washington Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said that forward Nicklas Backstrom (hip) has skated “a few times” in full gear. There is no timetable on when he takes the next step and joins the teams for practice in a no-contact jersey.
- Tom Gulitti: Laviolette added that Backstrom could travel with the team on their road trip next week to be around the team. He’s not eligible to come off the LTIR until November 6th.
- Tarik El-Bashir: Laviolette on Backstrom: “We’re gonna do what’s best for him. If he’s ready on the 10th game, then that’s great. If he’s not ready ’till 12 games, then it’ll be 12 games. If it’s 15, it’s 15. So whatever his progression takes, we’re not gonna rush that.”