Los Angeles Kings left winger Warren Foegele is set to make his return from injury in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Foegele has been out of the lineup for about two weeks, suffering an upper-body injury in the early stages of the Kings’ matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 26.
He only played 1:29 before he headed off the ice with what looked like a shoulder or arm injury. Foegele was hit by Blackhawks center Nick Foligno and was pushed into the boards in an awkward position. He wasn’t able to continue the game.
About a week later, after the Kings’ left winger wasn’t able to finish the game, he was placed on injured reserve as of Nov. 1. That meant he wouldn’t be able to suit up for Los Angeles for at least seven days after that.
Los Angeles Kings Winger Will Not Play Against The Sharks And Will ‘Miss Some Time’The Los Angeles Kings will be without Warren Foegele against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night and could miss games later in the week, too.Now, with the Kings’ game against the Penguins on Sunday, that would account for the seven-day waiting period, making Foegele eligible to return to the lineup.
After a couple of weeks of recovering, Foegele said he’s “feeling really good.” Reports say he could be slotting in on the fourth line on the left wing of center Alex Turcotte and right winger Corey Perry.
This will be the second and last time Los Angeles will face Pittsburgh this season. The last time they met each other was at Crypto.com Arena, which saw the Pens take the contest 4-2.
In that outing, Foegele opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. In 10 appearances, the 29-year-old has one goal, a minus-one rating and is averaging 13:22 of ice time.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Dennis Hildeby is set to make his Toronto Maple Leafs season debut soon.
One day after the Maple Leafs placed goaltender Cayden Primeau on waivers, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube confirmed that Hildeby would back up Anthony Stolarz, who will make his 12th start of the season against when the club hosts the Boston Bruins.
With Joseph Woll joining the Toronto Marlies on a conditioning stint, it didn't make sense to have Hildeby stay down with the Marlies serving as the backup. And after seeing three games of Cayden Primeau in net, it appears the Leafs saw enough of what they needed to see by placing the goaltender on waivers on Friday.
Maple Leafs Sign Dennis Hildeby To 3-Year Deal—Is He Their Third Goalie This Season?The Toronto Maple Leafs put pen to paper on a new contract for prospect goaltender Dennis Hildeby. The 24-year-old signed a new<a href="https://x.com/MapleLeafs/status/1962893796904952129"> three-year dea</a>l that carries an average annual value of $841,667 at the NHL level.
The 26-year-old Primeau went 2-1-0 in three starts with a .838 save percentage in his three starts with the Leafs.
Hildeby has been called up once this season, backing up in Primeau's 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 25.
'I Got Notice And Liked It Instantly': Why Dennis Hildeby Signed Unique Three-Year Contract With Maple LeafsDennis Hildeby is excited for the upcoming season after signing <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-sign-dennis-hildeby-to-3-year-deal-is-he-their-third-goalie-this-season">a rather unique three-year, $2.53 million extension</a> with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 24-year-old Hildeby is 2-2-1 this season with an .890 save percentage with the Marlies. He posted a .920 save percentage in three pre-season games with the Leafs in training camp.
While not confirming it, all signs point to Hildeby likely getting the nod when the Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 9 at Scotiabank Arena. Given the slate of games on back-to-back nights, it's highly unlikely the Leafs would entertain the thought of starting Stolarz on consecutive days.
Latest stories:
Maple Leafs' Chris Tanev Skates For First Time Since Leaving Game Against Flyers On Stretcher
How William Nylander Has Gotten Off To The Best Start Of A Season In His NHL Career With Maple Leafs
The Avalanche called up forward Daniil Gushchin from the AHL on Saturday, a move made as Gavin Brindley continues his recovery from a concussion. With Brindley out and listed as day-to-day, Colorado is left with just 11 healthy forwards.
Gushchin was a familiar face throughout training camp in the preseason. He showed impressive skating, offensive awareness, and some underrated snap behind his wrist shot. The 23-year-old Russia native has made an impact at the AHL level this season, producing a point per game with nine goals and two assists over 11 games.
Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) on XDanil Gushchin's ninth goal of the season. He is tied for the AHL-lead in goals. 🚨
The @ColoradoEagles are 6-0-0 when they score on the power play.Brindley Still Not Ready
Before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning—which the Avalanche won 3-2—Gavin Brindley told The Hockey News, while entering the elevator, that he had cleared concussion protocol and would be available to play the following weekend. Nonetheless, the team appears to be erring on the side of caution, a prudent approach under the circumstances. Brindley sustained the concussion after colliding with Ivan Barbashev while battling for a loose puck. Though Barbashev, known for delivering punishing hits, attempted to avoid contact, Brindley struck his shoulder head-on.
Gushchin’s Opportunity
In parts of three seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Gushchin appeared in 18 NHL games, posting two goals and three assists while averaging around 13 minutes of ice time. Now as a member of the Avalanche, this is a prime opportunity for Gushchin to show off his improvements to the coaching staff and perhaps earn himself a permanent spot in the future. But with how deep this team is right now, it might be a while before that happens.
Avalanche vs. Oilers
Avalanche vs. Oilers goes down at 8 p.m. local time from Rogers Place and will be televised on ESPN. Don’t miss the action.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Saturday night, primetime hockey against a Canadian team—truly, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Tonight, the Colorado Avalanche will go toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers as they square off at Rogers Place.
Patrik Czepiec (@CzepiecPatrik) on XSoudě dle oslavy, Martin Nečas 🇨🇿 se s Nathanem MacKinnonem už docela kamarádí 👐
Vítězný gól Čecha na 5:4 proti Oilers 🚨
Zvíře Nathan 1+3 👀Colorado Avalanche
MacKenzie Blackwood, who made his season debut last Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, is the presumed starter for the game. Earlier in the week, Jared Bednar acknowledged that the netminder was still working through some rust but noted that a full week of practice should help him regain his timing and sharpness.
“He missed most of training camp; he’s been working kind of on his own and lacking team practice time at this point, so that’s why I think this week will be very good for him, practice yesterday; he got some work in today, we’re practicing again tomorrow and Friday, so it’s the most practices we’ve had all year, so I think that will help him get sort of used to game situations and he’ll be ready to go for the weekend," Bednar stated on Tuesday.
The Avs held an optional skate Wednesday and a full practice Friday before heading north, giving Blackwood ample opportunity to settle in. If he showed enough progress, he should get the start; if questions remain, Bednar may opt for a split with Scott Wedgewood as Colorado navigates a back-to-back that concludes Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks. They've already played one back-to-back this season, dropping both in overtime to the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, respectively, leaving them 0-0-2 on the season.
As reported Friday, Samuel Girard did not travel with the team as he continues to manage an upper-body injury. However, according to the Family Sports Center schedule, an Avs injured skate is set from 3:05 to 4:05 p.m. Participants could include Girard, Joel Kiviranta—who has just resumed skating following a lower-body injury—and Logan O’Connor.
The Avalanche met the Oilers three times last season, dropping two of those contests, though each loss came under very different circumstances. In the first matchup, on November 30, Alexandar Georgiev was still in goal, while the second, on January 16, featured Mikko Rantanen on the roster. Their lone victory came in the third meeting, following the Rantanen trade that brought Martin Necas and Jack Drury over from the Carolina Hurricanes. While the Avs now have Blackwood and Wedgewood, the Oilers, in the meanwhile, haven’t made any changes in net with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard manning the pipes, and some of their more solid defensive pieces from last season are no longer with the club.
Nathan MacKinnon leads the team in goals (10) and points (20), while his 10 assists rank second to Cale Makar’s 14 for the team high.
On a positive note regarding injuries, Gavin Brindley informed The Hockey News—in the elevator just before puck drop for the Lightning–Avalanche matchup—that he had cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play this weekend. Brindley had missed time following a collision with Ivan Barbashev during the October 31 game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 21-year-old Brindley suffered a concussion, but his symptoms were relatively minor.
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton enters this contest with a 6-5-3 record, a mark that falls short of the dominance the franchise has historically exhibited. The team remains heavily top-loaded, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl accounting for a combined 14 goals and 21 assists—38 points in total—so far this season. Yet, the potency of these two superstars cannot be understated; they remain capable of striking at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, the Avalanche, despite boasting the NHL’s best record, have shown a vulnerability to conceding quick goals, whether due to defensive lapses or loose pucks. In a matchup of this caliber, anything can happen.
Who’s Deeper?
There is little doubt that the Avalanche boast greater depth. Edmonton has only three players with at least 12 points this season. We already know about McDavid and Draisaitl, but the third is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. In contrast, Colorado can count five players in that category: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Victor Olofsson, and Artturi Lehkonen.
Ultimately, the outcome may hinge less on star power than on execution and the ability to minimize mistakes.
Showtime
Avalanche vs. Oilers goes down at 8 p.m. local time and will be televised on ESPN. Don’t miss the action.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.