We’re heading into the final week without live hockey.
Let that sink in for a minute.
As we dig into Week 2 of the NHL’s return-to-play training camps, here’s a look at what’s going on around the league:
Domi hits the ice
Week 2 of training camp started off with a welcome sight in Montreal, as Max Domi made his Phase 3 debut:
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 20, 2020
Domi and the Canadiens announced back on July 12 that they were delaying the decision about whether or not he’d participate in the Canadien’s return to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a Type 1 Diabetic, he’s considered to be at a higher risk for complications, and thus took some extra time to assess the risk factors involved with joining the team for Phase 3 and beyond.
This is his first time skating with the team since March. He centred the fourth line with Alex Belzile and Laurent Dauphin to start.
Crosby still out
The Pittsburgh Penguins were without their captain at camp once again on Monday.
Crosby was with the team on Saturday, but left during the second period of that day’s team scrimmage.
He was also absent Sunday. Per league rules, the reason for his absence has not been disclosed.
Keefe not concerned about Hyman’s absence
Monday is a day off for the Maple Leafs after a busy weekend that saw head coach Sheldon Keefe flex a little muscle with a thriller of a first line (Tavares. Matthews. Marner. GO!).
The off-day will be beneficial for forward Zach Hyman, who was ruled unfit to play for both Saturday and Sunday’s practices, but skated separate from the big group both days.
Bruins’ roster keeps rotating
The Boston Bruins were without several players over the weekend, with guys like Charlie Coyle, Tuukka Rask, Torey Krug and David Krejci among nine notably absent on Saturday.
All four were back on Monday, with Coyle getting an early start.
Defenceman Charlie McAvoy wasn’t on the ice Monday — his first time missing camp action.
David Pastrnak, currently in quarantine, remained out for Monday’s skate and practice.
Makar missing from Avalanche practice
A story to watch in Colorado: Rookie sensation Cale Makar has now missed two consecutive practices with the Avalanche. The Calder front-runner left Saturday’s skate and was not in attendance on Sunday.
Price reveals his game plan vs. Penguins
How do you a solve a problem like Crosby and Malkin? Carey Price is going to have to be at the top of his game.
This might work, too:
Broberg’s here to stay
Every training camp brings a surprise, and Philip Broberg has been just that for Edmonton this summer. Initially brought over from Sweden just for the experience of playing among NHLers at camp, the big defenceman suddenly looks like he could be staying awhile.
“He looks to me like a player right now that you can put on left D, right D, right wing, left wing, centre,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “He’s a young player that’s trying to come in and make an impression, and he’s certainly doing that.”
Mark Spector dives into how the 19-year-old defender has made such big impression in such a small amount of time in Edmonton.
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Playoff Pettersson is ready
We’re just a few weeks away from seeing this in a real NHL game:
Is it August yet?
Johnny and Monny, together again (again!)
After a week of speculation around the player groupings at Calgary Flames camp, linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan were reunited over the weekend. Suddenly, all was right in the hockey world again.
That remained the case Monday, with the duo paired with Elias Lindholm for some instant chemistry.
“We’ve had a lot of chemistry throughout the past two years playing together,” Gaudreau said Sunday, via NHL.com. “I wasn’t worried about that at all. It stunk not being on the ice with them for that first week. I missed them, but it was good to be back with them today and tonight. I thought we had a good first day.”
Prior to the camp change-up, Gaudreau was skating in a small group that also included Milan Lucic, Sam Bennett and Noah Hanifin.
Blue Jackets bring Anderson back, but will he play?
The Columbus Blue Jackets welcomed forward Josh Anderson back to the ice over the weekend, though not back to full practice yet. For now, he’s been hitting the ice for solo sessions with coaches before the rest of the club skates as a group.
As Blue Jackets reporter Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote on Monday, the team has given “no indications” that he’s expected to see game action against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Rather than remain in Canada and meet the team in Toronto’s hub city bubble, the Burlington native returned to Columbus to participate in Phase 3 (albeit on a limited basis) while he continues to rehab his shoulder following surgery in March.
Had player and team opted to keep Anderson in Canada and meet in the bubble, it would’ve meant an additional eleven days of quarantine (seven before entering the bubble, plus four once inside) for the winger.
“That means 11 days with no skating, and I don’t think that’s the best possible way for him to join the team, so this is the course of action we took,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen said, via Portzline.
When Anderson underwent shoulder surgery in March, his recovery timeline was set at four to six months. Game 1 against the Maple Leafs, scheduled for Aug. 2, will mark five months. Definitely an intriguing situation to watch.
So while he’s not ready to play just yet, Columbus is putting him in position to be able to jump right in once he’s ready.
Bubble-bound players soaking up family time
The Blues are off today, but… with two-year-old triplets, captain Alex Pietrangelo is never really off. While many players already had to leave families behind as they set off for training camps, a number of players who permanently reside in their team city have spoken about how they’re still soaking up lots of family time before they’re bubble-bound. As The Athletic‘s Jeremy Rutherford wrote, Pietrangelo is doing just that before departing for Edmonton:
