A veteran Boston Bruins forward was involved in a scary moment Saturday night.

David Backes departed the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after it appeared Yanni Gourde's skate cut his leg in the Lightning crease in the first period.

That was confirmed in the second intermission, when the Bruins revealed Backes sustained a laceration above his right knee that required several stitches. The club added that Backes was resting and wouldn't return to the game.

As the video shows, Backes immediately went off to the dressing room and wasn't putting any weight on his right leg.

He was not on the Bruins bench to begin the second period, according to CSNNE's Joe Haggerty.

Bruins defenseman Torey Krug seemed very concerned about his teammate when asked about the incident by Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub shortly thereafter.

"Scary, man," Krug said, according to Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe. "Any time you see a cut like (that) and a lot of blood, it's a scary thing."

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A veteran Boston Bruins forward was involved in a scary moment Saturday night.

David Backes departed the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after it appeared Yanni Gourde's skate cut his leg in the Lightning crease in the first period.

That was confirmed in the second intermission, when the Bruins revealed Backes sustained a laceration above his right knee that required several stitches. The club added that Backes was resting and wouldn't return to the game.

As the video shows, Backes immediately went off to the dressing room and wasn't putting any weight on his right leg.

He was not on the Bruins bench to begin the second period, according to CSNNE's Joe Haggerty.

Bruins defenseman Torey Krug seemed very concerned about his teammate when asked about the incident by Boston radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub shortly thereafter.

"Scary, man," Krug said, according to Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe. "Any time you see a cut like (that) and a lot of blood, it's a scary thing."

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With his team's playoff hopes fading, New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight is willing to try anything.

That includes planning to deploy franchise center John Tavares as a winger during Sunday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, putting him on the left side of a unit comprised of Mathew Barzal (center) and Jordan Eberle (right wing).

It's not permanent, Weight qualified, but rather an attempt to put his best offensive players on the ice at the same time.

"It doesn’t mean he’s going to play wing and it doesn’t mean he’s not a centerman," Weight said, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. "It’s an experiment. Moving forward it gives them (Tavares and Barzal) some experience together. I’m excited to see it."

Tavares has played center since being drafted by the Islanders and will be entering the offseason set to enter unrestricted free agency, having likely missed the playoffs once again.

For his part, however, Tavares appears open to the experiment.

"It’s not my natural position but I’ve played it before and I just try to have a lot of versatility with my game to begin with," Tavares said. "Mentally, I’ll prepare myself a little bit on what to expect and there are certain things that come with playing (wing)."

Tavares added, "Your career only lasts so long. You want to enjoy every second of it, every challenge no matter how tough it’s going."

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The Carolina Hurricanes are apparently pressing the pause button on their pursuit of a new general manager.

Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is putting the GM search on hold for now, Sportsnet's John Shannon reports.

"Tom hasn't had the time he needs to do face-to-face interviews and feels that waiting will pay off," a Carolina source told Shannon on Saturday.

The club will wait until the offseason, when a wider field of candidates may emerge, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported earlier in the day.

Several candidates have withdrawn from consideration for the vacant position over the last week, including Los Angeles Kings assistant GM Mike Futa, Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton, and New Jersey Devils AGM Tom Fitzgerald.

The Hurricanes made it clear upon stripping former GM Ron Francis of that title and appointing him president of hockey operations that the new GM will report directly to Dundon.

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Roberto Luongo was taking responsibility for a loss to the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday.

Despite entering a save-of-the-year candidate in the second period, the Florida Panthers goalie was highly critical of his play later in the game, saying the winner off the stick of defenseman Adam Larsson is one that should have been stopped.

"It's just a bad goal, I don't know what happened exactly," he said via Fox Sports Florida. "It went underneath my glove and between my pants. It's a bad goal, no excuse for it. That shouldn't go in ever."

Here's a look at the play in question:

Luongo reiterated the goal was his fault, adding, "Needless to say I don't feel too good about myself after tonight, and feel like I cost the team a win here."

As a result of the loss, the Panthers failed to make up ground in the wild-card race, and with only 13 games remaining, time is running out to make up the difference.

For the season, Luongo has posted a record of 14-8-2 with a .926 save percentage, and his performance since returning from an early-season injury is a major reason why Florida has any chance at all of grabbing a playoff spot.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov's injury will keep him out of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Washington Capitals forward is listed as day to day with what the club would only call an upper-body ailment.

He left Friday's win over the New York Islanders late in the second period after taking a Thomas Hickey slash and then crashing into the boards. He left the ice holding his arm and didn't return. Hickey was given a slashing minor.

Kuznetsov ranks second among Capitals skaters with 71 points in 71 games this season. He leads the club with 50 assists.

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will undergo back surgery and is expected to be out eight weeks, head coach Paul Maurice said, according to Jets TV's Jamie Thomas.

It is apparently the same injury he had last season when he missed 35 games with the Buffalo Sabres, per TSN's Sara Orlesky.

Kulikov, who signed three-year, $13-million contract with the Jets this offseason, had 11 points in 62 games this season.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev will play Saturday against the San Jose Sharks after missing the last 17 games due to a leg injury, the player confirmed.

Tanev, known more for his defensive abilities than his offensive prowess, has two goals and 11 points in 38 games this season. He hasn't scored Oct. 12, which is ironic because the Canucks have gone over a week without a goal.

While it's unlikely Tanev helps the team bust out of their offensive funk, he will no doubt provide stability to a blue line that will need it against a Sharks team coming off a seven-goal performance Friday against the Flames.

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Ilya Kovalchuk wants to return to the NHL this summer and play for "several more years," he told Russia's state sports channel Match TV, according to CBC.

The 34-year-old added that if he doesn't return to the NHL to try and win a Stanley Cup, "I won't forgive myself for it when I get older."

For now, Kovalchuk's top priority is winning another Gagarin Cup with his KHL club, SKA St. Petersburg, but will "examine offers" from the NHL this summer.

He added that he wants to join the prestigious Triple Gold Club as a player to win an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and a Stanley Cup. He won gold with the OAR at PyeongChang 2018, has two World Championship gold medals, but a Stanley Cup ring still eludes him.

Kovalchuk, who last played in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils in 2012-13, has 816 points in 816 career NHL games.

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Toronto Maple Leafs phenom Auston Matthews will miss his ninth straight game Saturday with a shoulder injury, but head coach Mike Babcock said he "looks like he's getting close" to returning, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

With Matthews, Leo Komarov (lower-body injury), Nikita Zaitsev (illness), and Frederik Andersen (upper-body injury) all sidelined, the Leafs will be a bit shorthanded when they take on the Montreal Canadiens.

The Maple Leafs sit five points behind the Boston Bruins (with two more games played) for second place in the Atlantic Division, but are 14 points ahead of the Florida Panthers. With the third spot in the division all but secured, there's been no reason to rush Matthews back into the lineup.

The Leafs have gone 4-2-2 in their most recent stretch without Matthews. Despite playing in just 53 of the team's 71 games, he still ranks second on the team with 28 goals and third with 50 points.

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