Crouse (upper-body) is on the ice for warmups; expected to play Saturday.
Utah Mammoth News
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Kerfoot has served his two game suspension and will play on Saturday.
Kerfoot was suspended forces hit on Erik Johnson last Saturday but will replace Jason Spezza on the third line on Saturday. Kerfoot has be relatively quiet offensively for Toronto, scoring five goals with three assists (eight points) in 22 games this season.
Crouse (upper-body) will be a game-time decision on Saturday.
Crouse has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury but will be a game-time decision against the Sharks. Crouse has five goals and three assists in 23 games this season.
Suspension
The NHL has suspended Alexander Kerfoot for boarding Erik Johnson on Saturday.
Kerfoot hit his former teammate from behind in Saturday's game and has been suspended for the last two games of the Maple Leafs road-trip. With Kerfoot out, Dmytro Timashov will likely draw back into the lineup on Wednesday.
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Hayton will be back in the Coyotes lineup on Thursday.
Hayton has been a healthy scratch for the last six games but will replace Michael Grabner in the lineup on Thursday. Hayton has one goal and three assists in nine games so far this season.
Send Down
The Capitals have sent Vitek Vanecek to Hershey (AHL).
Vanecek came up to serve as Braden Holtby's backup for a couple of games but will be replaced by Ilya Samsonov in New York. The 23-year-old returns to Hershey, where he has gone 4-2-2 with a 2.65 GAA and .894 SV% in eight games.
The Capitals have recalled Vitek Vanecek from Hershey (AHL).
This is a salary cap related move. The Capitals need a forward because Nic Dowd and Carl Hagelin are out, so Vanecek comes up and the higher-paid Ilya Samsonov heads to the AHL for the game. The move opened up enough cap space for Travis Boyd to be called up. Samsonov will likely swap spots with Vanecek next week.
Kerfoot underwent surgery to repair dental fractures and is out indefinitely.
Kerfoot's injury originally occurred on November 5th vs.the Kings but played through it as long as he could. Kerfoot ultimately elected to undergo surgery and will miss some time. Jason Spezza is expected to replace him as the Maple Leafs' third-line centre and will also see the PP2 time while Kerfoot is sidelined.
Connauton will make his Avalanche debut on Thursday.
Connauton, who has collected three assists in 11 AHL games this season and 76 points (27G / 49A) in 310 career NHL games will replace Mark Barberio on the Colorado blueline on Thursday.
The Capitals have recalled Liam O'Brien from Hershey (AHL).
Both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nic Dowd are dealing with injuries and questionable for Friday's game, so O'Brien comes up and could make his season debut vs. Buffalo. The 25-year-old centre has just two points (1G / 1A) in 17 career NHL games and has registered three goals in his first nine AHL games this season.
Schmidt (lower-body) will return to the Golden Knights lineup on Thursday.
Schmidt has been out since the season opener but will be back in the lineup vs. the Canadiens. Head coach Gerard Gallant did not disclose his D-pairs but Schmidt will likely be heavily utilized in his return. Schmidt had 30 points (9G / 21A) in 61 games last year.
The Avalanche have sent Kevin Connauton to Colorado (AHL).
Connauton did not appear in a game with the Avalanche during his call-up. With Ian Cole back from offseason hip surgery, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defenseman. He heads back to the Eagles, where he had no points, two PIMS and a minus-4 rating in two games.
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Hayton will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday.
Cole (hip) will make his season debut on Monday.
Cole has missed the first four games of the regular season but will replace Mark Barberio in the lineup on Monday. Cole had 15 points (2G / 13A) in 71 games last season.
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Hayton will make his NHL debut on Thursday.
Hayton sat as a healthy scratch during the first two games of the season, but the No.5 pick in 2018 will play Thursday vs. the Golden Knights. Hayton, who had 66 points (26G / 40A) in 39 OHL games last year, is expected to skate on a line with Christian Dvorak and Nick Schmaltz.
Cole (hip) has been cleared to play but remains questionable for Thursday’s game.
Cole skated on the third pair at Wednesday’s practice and has officially been cleared to play. However, head coach Jared Bednar said they haven’t made a decision on whether or not he will play vs. the Bruins.
The Penguins have recalled Andrew Agozzino from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) on an emergency basis.
Agozzino led the Colorado Eagles (AHL) with 60 points (26G / 34A) in 56 games last season and signed with the Penguins this summer. He was held pointless in his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut but has been recalled because both Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad are out for Tuesday’s game. The 28-year-old winger has five points (1G / 4A) in 21 career NHL games.
Crouse is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Crouse missed Monday’s practice with an upper-body injury which makes him questionable heading into Thursday’s game vs. the Golden Knights. With Crouse hurt, Barrett Hayton will likely make his NHL debut this week.
Cole (hip) was cleared for contact on Monday.
Cole is on injured reserve as he recovers from offseason hip surgery but he is nearing his season debut. Cole was on the ice for Monday’s practice and was cleared for contact. Look for Cole to potentially be inserted into the Avalanche lineup at some point this week.
Schmidt is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Schmidt was hurt in the first period of the season opener and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury. With Schmidt sidelined, Nicolas Hague will draw into the Golden Knights lineup and make his NHL debut on Friday.