There was news both good and bad at the Tampa Bay Lightning's morning skate Tuesday.

First, the good: Nikita Kucherov, who exited Sunday's win over the Columbus Blue Jackets after being on the receiving end of a Dalton Prout sucker punch, took full reps on the first line and power play.

Valtteri Filppula, however, didn't share in such a positive outlook. The ancillary top-nine forward, who also left versus the Blue Jackets, was not on the ice, and coach Jon Cooper told reporters afterward that there's a good chance he misses the remaining three games on the road trip.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to make the start Tuesday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, his fourth against the last-place club this season.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It sounds as though William Nylander will be with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the rest of the season.

The 19-year-old's played eight games with the big club since his recall from the AHL, and the club will burn the first year of his entry-level contract should he hit the 10-game mark Thursday against the Florida Panthers.

While the ultimate decision doesn't rest with Mike Babcock, the head coach expects Nylander will remain up with the Maple Leafs for their final 14 games, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Connor Brown's one of the Maple Leafs' prized prospects yet to get the call to the NHL. He impressed with 61 points in his rookie season in the AHL last year and has 24 points in 28 games with the Toronto Marlies in 2015-16. Toronto has one regular AHL call-up remaining, so it's possible Brown could yet make his NHL debut.

Nylander said he hasn't been told one way or another whether he'll be reporting to the Air Canada Centre on Thursday or the Ricoh Coliseum, a short drive away.

"We'll have to see what they decide," he said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Nylander has two goals in eight games, averaging 16 minutes of ice time. He has a 53.89 percent Corsi For rating, according to War On Ice.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Olli Maatta's summer is going to look a little different than that of his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates.

The 21-year-old defenseman will execute the military obligation he has to his native Finland when Pittsburgh's season comes to a conclusion, Finnish reporter and PHWA member Juha Hiitela reports.

If the Penguins do not make the playoffs, his service will begin April 18, per Hiitela.

In peacemaking Finland, those able are required to serve their country in a military capacity before turning 28 - displaced professional athletes included.

Hiitela notes that Aleksander Barkov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Teuvo Teravainen, and Kasperi Kapanen are among Finnish-born NHL players who still have an outstanding obligation to their country.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday versus the Montreal Canadiens, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports.

O'Reilly skated with Evander Kane and Nicolas Deslauriers at practice Monday, indicating that he's prepared to return after missing nearly a month with a foot injury.

His return will give the Sabres two scoring lines, but also break up one of the hottest units in the NHL. Kane, Jack Eichel, and Sam Reinhart combined for eight goals and 20 points across the last seven games.

Without O'Reilly, Buffalo won just four times in 11 contests.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

From winning a second Stanley Cup to being traded to a retooling franchise and then signing a lucrative long-term extension, it's been a tumultuous last 12 months for Brandon Saad.

The Columbus Blue Jackets goal-scorer, though, doesn't require prompting to help him place the ups and downs of his professional journey into proper perspective.

Saad recently opened up about his family successfully liberating their relatives from war-torn Syria in an exclusive for The Guardian.

"It's definitely an eye-opener with them coming over and getting adjusted to the lifestyle and the new language and things like that," he revealed to Mathias Ask. "It definitely puts things in perspective for you."

Saad, who says that family members both in Syria and those now settled in the Pittsburgh area are safe and free of conflict, has been fortunate to be able to help ease their transition.

"You try to help out as much as you can. My dad has worked hard to be successful so he can help them as well. But any way I can help I'm always here for them," he said. "They know that. I've gotten pretty close with them over the short period of time."

And of course, his professional hockey player status has engendered new fans of the sport, and Saad himself.

"It's pretty funny to interact and kind of see them see things for the first time," he said. "They've definitely all taken an interest in it because of me."

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.