Ice Chips: Matheson to make season debut vs. Flyers

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Montreal Canadiens

Defenceman Mike Matheson will make his season debut on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Matheson, 28, has missed the Canadiens' first 17 games of the season due to a strained abdominal muscle.

The 6-foot-2 defenceman had 11 goals and 31 points in 74 games last season.

The Canadiens used these lines during Saturday's morning skate prior to their game against the Flyers:

Caufield - Suzuki - Dach

Hoffman - Dvorak - Gallagher

Dadonov - Monahan - Anderson

Pezzetta - Evans - Slafkovsky

Guhle - Savard

Matheson - Edmundson

Xhakaj - Kovacevic

Harris - Wideman

Allen

Montembeault

Washington Capitals

Forwards T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom practiced in non-contact jerseys with the Capitals on Saturday morning, according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post.

Backstrom, 34, practiced for the first time since having hip resurfacing surgery in June and is not expected to practice tomorrow.

The 6-foot-1 centre only played in 47 games last season and recorded six goals and 25 points.

Oshie, 35, has missed the Capitals' last 10 games with a lower-body injury. He is still considered to be out indefinitely but could return to practice tomorrow.

The 6-foot winger has two goals and five points in nine games this season.

The Capitals used these lines during Saturday's morning skate prior to their game against the Colorado Avalanche, according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic.

Ovechkin - Strome - Sheary

Protas - Kuznetsov - Milano

Mantha - Eller- Aube-Kubel

Johansson - Dowd - Hathaway

Gustafsson - Carlsson

Fehervary - Jensen

Irwin - van Riemsdyk

Kuemper

Philadelphia Flyers

Forward Travis Konecny will not play on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens due to an upper-body injury, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

Konecny, 25, was injured in the second period of Thursday's 4-1 loss against the Boston Bruins and was sent back to Philadelphia for further evaluation.

The 5-foot-10 forward has seven goals and 19 points in 17 games this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs are expected to use these lines against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, according to TSN's Mark Masters:

Bunting - Matthews - Nylander

Kerfoot - Tavares - Marner

Aston-Reese - Kampf - Malgin

Engvall - Holmberg - Jarnkrok

Rielly - Benn

Giordano - Holl

Sandin - Liljegren

Murray

Kallgren

Minnesota Wild

Forward Nic Petan will make his Wild debut on Saturday, according to Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports.

Forward Jordan Greenway isn't ready to come back from his upper-body injury and rookie Marco Rossi is a healthy scratch on Saturday.

Petan, 27, played last season with the Vancouver Canucks and had two assists in 18 games.

Winnipeg Jets

Defenceman Dylan DeMelo is suffereing from an upper-body injury and will not play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, according to head coach Rick Bowness.

DeMelo, 29, missed Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks with the same ailment and skated on his own on Saturday.

The Jets used these lines during Saturday's morning skate prior to their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to TSN's John Lu:

Connor - Scheifele - Gagner

Perfetti - Dubois - Wheeler

Jonsson-Fjallby - Lowry - Maenalanen

Toninato - Gustafsson -Eyssimont

Morrissey - Pionk

Dillon - Schmidt

Samberg - Capobianco

Hellebuyck

Rittich

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres used these lines during Saturday's morning skate prior to their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to team reporter Jourdon LaBarber:

Skinner - Thompson - Tuch

Quinn - Cozens - Peterka

Krebs - Mittelstadt - Olofsson

Asplund - Sheahan - Hinostroza

Power - Dahlin

Samuelsson - Jokiharju

Bryson - Lyubushkin

Pilut - Fitzgerald

Calgary Flames

The Flames are expected to use these lines for their game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday:

Ruzicka - Lindholm - Toffoli

Lucic - Kadri - Mangiapane

Huberdeau - Backlund - Lewis

Coleman - Dube - Ritchie

Hanifin - Andersson

Zadorov - Weegar

Gilbert - Tanev

Markstrom

Vladar

Dallas Stars

Goaltender Scott Wedgewood told reporters that he will back up Jake Oettinger against the New York Islanders on Saturday after being stretchered off the ice on Thursday.

Wedgewood, 30, suffered a scary looking upper-body injury during the Stars' 6-4 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

The 6-foot-2 goaltender has a 4-3-1 record this season with a .904 save percentage and 3.23 goals-against average.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are expected to use these lines for Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times:

Athanasiou - Domi - Kane

Kurashev - Toews -Raddysh

Entwistle - Dickinson - Lafferty

Blackwell - Khaira - Reese Johnson

Tinordi - Murphy

Jack Johnson - McCabe

Roos - Mitchell

Mrazek

Florida Panthers

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov will return to the lineup on Saturday against the Calgary Flames after a one-game absence.

Barkov, 27, missed Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Dallas Stars with a non-COVID related illness.

The 6-foot-3 centre has four goals and 14 points in 16 games this season.