Arizona Coyotes netminder Darcy Kuemper departed Thursday's contest against the Minnesota Wild after suffering an apparent injury late in the third period.

The 29-year-old puck-stopper kicked out his right pad to make what seemed to be a routine save, but he looked to be in pain afterward and had to be assisted off the ice.

Kuemper has been sensational between the pipes this season for an ascendant Coyotes club. Entering Thursday's action, he led all netminders (minimum 15 starts) in both goals-against average (1.97) and save percentage (.935).

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Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel won't get the chance to extend his point streak to 18 games.

The 23-year-old pivot won't play in Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an upper-body injury, the team announced.

His absence will officially end his point streak at 17 contests, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

Eichel leads the Sabres in both goals (24) and points (50) through 35 games this season, and his 16 goals and 31 points during his streak were both league highs over that span. His run is tied for the second-longest point streak in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault's 18-game stretch in 1971-72.

Forward Conor Sheary will draw into the lineup in Eichel's absence.

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Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel won't get the chance to extend his point streak to 18 games.

The 23-year-old pivot won't play in Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers due to an upper-body injury, the team announced.

His absence will officially end his point streak at 17 contests, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

Eichel leads the Sabres in both goals (24) and points (50) through 35 games this season, and his 16 goals and 31 points during his streak were both league highs over that span. His run is tied for the second-longest point streak in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault's 18-game stretch in 1971-72.

Forward Conor Sheary will draw into the lineup in Eichel's absence.

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The Minnesota Wild will have No. 1 goalie Devan Dubnyk back between the pipes Thursday night versus the Arizona Coyotes after the netminder missed 15 games, according to Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune.

Dubnyk has been away from the Wild for the past month to be with his wife, who suddenly fell ill in November. He's occasionally practiced with the team but hasn't traveled or appeared in a game since a Nov. 16 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Minnesota's undergone a massive turnaround in Dubnyk's absence, collecting 21 points in 15 contests - the second-highest total league-wide over that span. As a result, the Wild currently sit three points out of a playoff spot despite a dreadful start to the campaign.

Dubnyk, 33, has been nowhere near his best this season, posting an .893 save percentage in 14 games.

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Barry Trotz has a bone to pick with Peter Laviolette.

The New York Islanders bench boss wasn't happy when the Nashville Predators head coach sent out his top power-play unit late in the third period on Tuesday while winning 8-3.

"I’ll see Peter maybe in the summer and we’ll discuss that a little bit," Trotz told Newsday's Andrew Gross on Thursday. "I wasn’t a big fan of that. It’s 8-3 and you’re putting your guys blasting pucks and you’re putting guys at risk. That’s fine. Everybody has their own way of doing it. I probably wouldn’t have done it that way.

"It tells me a lot about him."

Handed a two-man advantage with less than four minutes left in the game, Laviolette summoned Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Matt Duchene - arguably Nashville's top five players. It could've been a time for Laviolette to reward some bottom-six players with rare power-play time, but he opted not to.

The Predators currently rank 26th in the NHL with the man advantage after finishing dead last a year ago, so it's possible Laviolette was trying to build the confidence of his top unit.

Oddly enough, Laviolette replaced Trotz in Nashville in 2014 when the latter was fired after a 16-year run.

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Arizona Coyotes forward Taylor Hall is embracing his warm welcome to the desert.

Hall, traded to Arizona by the New Jersey Devils on Monday, appreciated the city of Glendale's enthusiasm when told about billboards already in place to herald his arrival.

"That's awesome," Hall said, according to NHL.com's Alex Kinkopf. "That's one of the great things about what's going on here is that there seems to be a buzz building."

The Coyotes haven't made the playoffs since 2012, but the team sits atop the Pacific Division entering Wednesday's action and appears all-in on cementing its status as a contender.

"It's everything that I could've wanted with a midseason trade, to be honest," Hall said.

The 28-year-old has made the postseason just once in nine NHL campaigns, and he admitted Arizona's current position makes it an optimal fit.

"Not every day can you jump that many spots in the standings," he said. "I'm joining a group that's playing well, and I don't want to speak for anyone else, but hopefully, there's another level that we can get to while holding the top spot that we have in the standings."

Hall assisted on the winning goal in his Coyotes debut Tuesday, helping his new club capture its 20th victory of the season.

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