NHL: Jack Hughes week-to-week, Cale Makar out 2 games, and more
The Daily Goal Horn
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New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes will sit out Thursday’s game against the visiting Seattle Kraken and is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, coach Lindy Ruff announced.
Hughes collected two goals and an assist in New Jersey’s 5-4 overtime victory versus the Vancouver Canucks on Monday. He did not finish practice on Wednesday due to the injury.
Jack Hughes week-to-week
“Jack is going to be week-to-week with an upper-body injury,” Ruff said Thursday morning. “He’s a young guy, that will help him. I think it’s going to be on the shorter end of it.”
Hughes, 21, boasts club-best totals in goals (35) and points (67). His 32 assists trail only defenseman Dougie Hamilton for the team lead.
He has 175 points (79 goals, 96 assists) in 216 career games since being selected by the Devils with the top overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Cale Makar out 2 games
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will sit out the final two games of the team’s road trip due to a head injury, coach Jared Bednar announced Thursday.
Makar, 24, will miss Thursday’s Stanley Cup Final rematch against the host Tampa Bay Lightning and Saturday’s clash versus the Florida Panthers.
The reigning Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient, Makar was injured after he was hit by Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jeff Carter during the third period of the Avalanche’s 2-1 overtime loss on Tuesday.
“Pretty blindside,” Makar said of the hit. “The ref said apparently we ran into each other, but I don’t know how that’s possible. He was coming down the ice.”
Makar has 45 points (13 goals, 32 assists) in 45 games this season.
He has 225 points (61 goals, 164 assists) in 223 career games since being selected by the Avalanche with the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Rasmus Andersson struck by car
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson was released from a Detroit-area hospital after being struck by a car Wednesday evening.
The team said he had a “full battery of tests” before his release.
“Andersson is doing well, and he will remain with the team. He is listed as day-to-day,” the Flames said Thursday morning.
The Flames recalled blueliner Dennis Gilbert from their AHL club, the Calgary Wranglers, to suit up against the Red Wings in Andersson’s place.
The Flames were in Detroit, a day ahead of Thursday night’s game with the Red Wings. On an off night, Andersson, 26, was riding a scooter to dinner at approximately 6 p.m. local time when a vehicle struck him, the Flames said.
“He won’t play (Thursday night) and we’ll take this real slow,” Flames GM Brad Treliving said. “Not anything that we’re overly concerned about. But he got hit, so we’re going to see how things go over the next 24 hours and go from there.”
Andersson has seven goals and 34 points in 51 games this season. His 27 assists rank second on the team behind Elias Lindholm’s 31.
The Flames selected the Swede in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft. In 349 career games, he has 146 points (23 goals, 123 assists).
Aleksander Barkov out Thursday
The Florida Panthers ruled out their captain, Aleksander Barkov, for Thursday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
Barkov was injured in Monday night’s 7-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning after blocking a shot, then exited the game.
The forward is tied for second in points on the Panthers, tallying 47 (14 goals, 33 assists) in 43 games.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice also announced that Sergei Bobrovsky will be in net against the Sharks.
Leafs extend Conor Timmins
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced a two-year extension Thursday for defenseman Conor Timmins.
The average annual value of the contract is $1.1 million.
Timmins, 24, has one goal and 11 assists in 18 games with the Maple Leafs this season.
The Ontario native has 19 points in 59 games with the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Maple Leafs.
–Field Level Media