Ice Chips: Pacioretty participates in first full practice with Capitals
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Washington Capitals
Capitals forward Max Pacioretty participated in his first full practice of the 2023-24 campaign in a non-contact jersey, according to Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network.
Pacioretty, 35, is expected to join the Capitals for current four-game road trip but it is unlikely he will play before the Christmas break, according to head coach Spencer Carbery.
The 6-foot-2 tore his right Achilles tendon as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights and had surgery in August of 2022 to repair it after being dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Paciorrety played five games with the Hurricanes before tearing his Achilles again in January.
The Capitals signed Pacioretty to a one-year, $2 million deal in the off-season.
Drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 draft, Pacioretty has 326 goals and 645 points in 855 career games split between the Canadiens, Golden Knights, and Hurricanes.
Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens forward Tanner Pearson will be out four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced on Wednesday.
Pearson, 31, left Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres after the first period after sustaining an apparent hand injury.
The 6-foot-1 forward has four goals and eight points in 27 games this year.
Montreal has recalled forward Emil Heineman from the AHL's Laval Rocket in a corresponding move.
Heineman has a goal and four points in seven games in the AHL this season.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators assigned forward Jiri Smejkal to the AHL's Belleville Senators and recalled defenceman Jacob Larsson.
Larsson has two goals and four points in 18 games with Bellville this season.
New York Islanders
Islanders defenceman Scott Mayfield is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the team announced on Wednesday.
Mayfield, 31, last appeared in the Islanders 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday and had 22:41 of ice time.
The 6-foot-5 right-shot defenceman has four assists in 20 games this season.
New York has recalled defenceman Grant Hutton from the AHL's Bridgeport Islanders in a corresponding move.
The Islanders have activated defenceman Sebastian Aho from their injured list on Wednesday.
Aho, 27, missed the Islanders' last eight games with an upper-body injury.
The 5-foot-10 defenceman has four assists in 19 games this season.
New Jersey Devils
Devils forward Erik Haula is expected to return to the lineup when his team takes on the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, according to head coach Lindy Ruff.
Haula, 32, missed the Devils 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday due to an upper-body injury.
The 5-foot-11 forward has seven goals and 13 points in 21 games this season.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins placed defenceman Jakub Zboril on waivers on Wednesday.
Zboril, 26, appeared in 19 games with the AHL's Providence Bruins this season and has seven assists.
The 6-foot defenceman was drafted 13th overall by the Bruins in the 2015 draft and had a goal and four points in 22 games last season.
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres forward Alex Tuch, defenceman Mattias Samuelsson, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will all return to the lineup when the Sabres take on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Tuch, 27, missed the team's last four games with a lower-body injury sustained during the team's 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Dec. 3.
The 6-foot-4 winger has eight goals and 17 points in 22 games this season.
Samuelsson, 23, missed the Sabres' 5-2 win of the the Arizona Coyotes on Monday with an undisclosed injury.
The 6-foot-4 left-shot defenceman has a goal and three points in 25 games this season.
Luukkonen, 24, has been out of the lineup since Dec. 3 with an illness.
The 6-foot-5 netminders has a 4-1-3 record with a .906 save percentage and 3.88 goals-against average this season.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks place Matt Benning on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Benning, 29, has missed the team's last four games with a lower-body injury and head coach David Quinn says he is considered to be out indefinite for now.
The 6-foot-1 defenceman has two assists in 14 games this season.
Los Angeles Kings
Kings defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Gavrikov, 28, left Sunday's 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers after 6:36 of ice time due to a lower-body injury.
The 6-foot-3 defenceman signed a two-year, $11.75 million deal with the Kings in the off-season after acquiring him from the Columbus Blue Jackets at last year's trade deadline.
Gavrikov has three goals and nine points in 25 games this season.