Forumine

It’s only a couple weeks into the season , yet when the Vancouver Canucks meet the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena, one of the main story lines for both clubs will revolve around injuries.The Penguins (2-1-1) lost one of their top two-way defensemen when Justin Schultz had surgery Sunday for a broken lower left leg. He was hurt Saturday when he apparently got his skate stuck in a rut on the ice while falling and is expected to miss four months.“It’s a huge loss for us, especially what he brings, the role he plays in tons of aspects of our team,” fellow Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said Monday. “He stabilizes the whole (defensive) corps.”Article continues below ...The Penguins still appeared to be looking at potential defensive pairings beyond the top tandem of Letang and Brian Dumoulin.“We have capable NHL defensemen, so I’m confident that we can put guys in that I know can help us win games,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “(Schultz) is not an easy guy to replace. He’s a very good player and has been very good for us for a long time. So it’s a tough loss from our standpoint, but certainly we’ve got to be prepared with the guys that we have.”Schultz has four assists in four games this season. Last season, he had four goals, 27 points in 63 games.It seems likely that Juuso Riikola will find a regular spot on the Penguins defense for the foreseeable future.Pittsburgh’s other injury news is more positive for them. No. 1 goaltender Matt Murray, who got a concussion Oct. 8 in practice, could start against Vancouver. He served as Casey DeSmith’s backup Saturday in a 4-3 shootout against the Canadiens.“It’s hard to know with injuries like that, but it’s no fun to have those injuries, either, so I was happy with how quickly it resolved,” said Murray, who has had three concussions during his NHL career, two this calendar year.“We are excited that he is healthy,” Sullivan said. “It’s great for our team. It’s great for Matt. It’s certainly encouraging that it didn’t linger or last for a significant amount of time.”Vancouver (3-2) Frederik Andersen Jersey , which practiced Monday in Pittsburgh, will be without promising rookie Elias Pettersson and veteran Jay Beagle.Pettersson has a concussion after taking a hit Saturday from Florida’s Mike Matheson, who was suspended for two games by the NHL department of player safety.“He’s doing better,” Canucks coach Travis Green said Monday. “Better yesterday. Better today again.”Pettersson has five goals, eight points, leading Vancouver in both categories. He is expected to miss at least the next two games.“It’s tough to see an injury like that … (to) a player like that, who’s if not our best player, one of the best players in the league right now in my opinion,” Canucks forward Bo Horvat told NHL.com.Beagle is expected to miss six weeks because of a broken forearm he sustained blocking a shot.Green noted that Beagle’s injury has been overshadowed by Pettersson’s injury and the Matheson hit. Beagle has one assist.“It got lost in this a little bit,” Green said. “He’s also a big part of the group.”Vancouver recalled forward Adam Gaudette from Utica of the American Hockey League.The Penguins recalled forward Derek Grant from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while returning goaltender Tristan Jarry, who had been on an emergency recall. Pittsburgh has not yet replaced Schultz on the roster. BOSTON — Rick Middleton’s name is all over the Boston Bruins‘ record books.It hasn’t been enough to send the man they call ‘Nifty’ into the Hall of Fame — but it is enough to get his No. 16 raised to the TD Garden rafters prior to Thursday night’s game against the New York Islanders.Acquired from the New York Rangers in exchange for Ken Hodge — the latter reunited with Phil Esposito in New York, Middleton is third in goals (402), even strength goals (275), and shooting percentage (20.0), fourth in points (898) goals created (357.2), and goals for on ice (1,319), fifth in power play goals (102), sixth in assists (496) and game winning goals (52) Womens Jake Gardiner Jersey , tied for sixth in hat tricks), seventh in shots (2,007), eighth in games played (881) and goals per game (0.46) and 10th in plus-minus (plus-220).Article continues below ...Oh, and he’s the team’s all-time leader with 25 short-handed goals.“Loved ‘Nifty,’ even though I was a defenseman,” said current Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “Crafty. One-on-one. Played in traffic. I liked watching him and Barry Pederson feed off each other.”Cassidy’s banged-up team (13-7-4) comes home for a two-game homestand after a split of a Montreal/Toronto trip — and still looking for more production.The Bruins, top heavy with the Patrice Bergeron line doing much of the scoring, is now without Bergeron, who suffered an upper body injury that will cost him a month. General manager Don Sweeney admitted Monday he is searching for a possible trade for offense — and the Bruins recalled Ryan Donato from Providence, where he had nine points in 10 games since his demotion.The defense, missing as many as six regulars at one point, has lost Kevan Miller again, this time for at least five weeks with larynx damage suffered when he took a puck to the throat in Toronto.“He plays his heart out. That’s two blocked shots that have put him out,” said Cassidy. “We’ll miss him.”Brandon Carlo, who has been out since Nov. 10 with a shoulder/collarbone injury, returned to practice Wednesday and expects to play either Thursday or Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Charlie McAvoy (concussion) has been skating but took a day off Wednesday — a move not considered a setback.The Islanders (12-9-2) will “re-open” their old home, the Nassau Coliseum, Saturday night. First, they have the Bruins and are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals in Brooklyn Monday night.The Bruins swept three games from the Isles last season.“We’re headed in the right direction,” coach Barry Trotz. “We’re trending in the right direction from a total hockey standpoint, from the people running it, such as Lou (GM Lamoriello), and the infrastructure behind that.”Hard-working forward Casey Cizikas, who has missed the last six games with a lower body injury, was removed from IR and will be back for Thursday night’s game.“He brings a lot of intangibles,” said Trotz, whose new team lost to his old team — the defending Stanley Cup champions — Monday night, in a game played after Trotz received his championship ring.The Bruins have alternated Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask since Rask returned from a three-day personal absence, leaving Rask in line for Thursday. He is an impressive 12-5-0 with a 2.22 goals-against average and .930 save percentages lifetime against the Islanders.Halak, who spent his last four seasons playing for the Islanders, was 7-1-1 with a 1.53 GAA and .950 save percentage against New York before going there.Thomas Greiss has played three straight and seven of the last eight games in goal for New York. He is 8-4-1 on the season and is 2-3-0 with a 1.63 GAA and .950 save percentage lifetime against the Bruins.Robin Lehner, who has struggled this season with his new team (4-5-1), is just 4-11-3 with a 2.71 GAA and .922 save percentage all-time against Boston.