Hughes will miss 6th straight game for Canucks; Moser back for Lightning

Buzz Pulock Mayfield NYI back in lineup

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New York Islanders

Defensemen Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield will return from injury against the Dallas Stars on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET, Victory+, MSGSN).

Pulock, who missed seven games with an upper-body injury, has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) and is plus-7 in 48 games while averaging 21:55 of ice time. He will be paired with Scott Perunovich.

“It’s tough when you’re missing time,” Pulock said. “Fortunately for me, the two-week break was huge. So, it feels good the last few days to be back with the team and back getting ready to play.”

Mayfield (lower body), who will be paired with Adam Pelech, was out four games. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) and is plus-14 in 50 games while averaging 17:33.

Defenseman Mike Reilly, who underwent a heart procedure Nov. 19 and is out indefinitely, participated in the morning skate. He has not been cleared for contact.

“Things are going well, that’s all I’m going to say,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “He hasn’t really practiced with the team. If we had a regular practice, he probably would not be on the ice, but because it was an option, he went on the ice. I’m sure we’ll know more, but he’s progressing very well.”

Defenseman Noah Dobson, who has missed the past nine games, was a full participant for a second straight day and is eligible to be activated from long-term injured reserve Monday. — Stefen Rosner

Vancouver Canucks

Quinn Hughes will miss his sixth straight game with an undisclosed injury at the Utah Hockey Club on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; Utah16, SNP).

The Canucks defenseman returned to practice this past week in a noncontact jersey Tuesday and a regular jersey Wednesday. He leads Vancouver with 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 47 games while averaging 25:18 of ice time.

Vancouver (26-19-11) won three straight and six of eight (6-1-1) before the 4 Nations break despite missing Hughes for the final four games. The Canucks lost 3-1 at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Elias Pettersson, who played for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, was in the lineup Saturday after being a game-time decision. He had one shot on goal in 15:59.

Tampa Bay Lightning

J.J. Moser returned against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday after missing 28 games with a lower-body injury.

The defenseman has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and is plus-13 in 27 games this season. He was paired with Victor Hedman during practices this week.

“The plan is to play,” Moser said. “It’s going to be about nine-and-a-half weeks from game to game. That’s a fair amount of time. It’s been an interesting process, just adapting to not being able to play with your teammates during the middle of the season.”

It’s the first time the 24-year-old missed an extended period of time in his NHL career. He played 80 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season and all 82 in 2022-23.

“I think the most important thing right now leading into the postseason is to get in a groove,” Moser said. “Postseason is all about who is in the best form, who has momentum, and building from there.” — Corey Long

Calgary Flames

Connor Zary and Kevin Bahl could each return from injury against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSCA).

“We shall see,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “They’re both still on [injured reserve], but we’re expecting to take them off later today.”

Zary has missed 15 games because of a lower-body injury the forward sustained in a 3-2 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 7. He has 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 40 games this season.

“I definitely feel good to kind of get back at it and get with the group and be skating over the last week and feeling it out again and getting ready to go,” said Zary, who would return on a line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. “Obviously I’m really excited to get that going and get with the guys and move in that direction.”

Bahl has missed eight games because of an upper-body injury the defenseman sustained Jan. 25. He has 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 47 games and is third on the team in ice time per game (21:18). He would return to the Flames’ top defense pair alongside Rasmus Andersson.

“They’re important pieces to our team,” Huska said. “We’ve talked a lot about Connor, since he’s been out really. His game was starting to really come on the offensive side of things. He was controlling the play a lot and creating a lot of dangerous opportunities for our group. He’s got a presence, right?

“You can say the same thing about Kevin on the back end. Presence is a funny word when you’re his size, but he does a lot of things to solidify the six (defensemen), for sure. We’re excited to have them back when they’re ready.” — Aaron Vickers

Utah Hockey Club

Logan Cooley is a game-time decision against the Canucks on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; Utah16, SNP).

The 20-year-old forward has missed seven games with a lower-body injury. Cooley returned to practice in a noncontact jersey Tuesday and has been day to day since. He is tied for second on the team in points (43) and is third in both goals (15) and assists (28).

Utah (24-24-9) is 3-3-1 without Cooley, including a 5-3 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Juuso Valimaki was placed on waivers Sunday. The 26-year-old defenseman has five points (two goals, three assists) in 43 games and represented Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off. — Matt Komma

San Jose Sharks

Alexander Wennberg and Nico Sturm will each return against the Flames on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; SNW, NBCSCA).

Wennberg missed four games because of an upper-body injury; he has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 52 games. He is expected to center the Sharks’ second line with Fabian Zetterlund and Will Smith.

Sturm, who was activated from injured reserve Friday, missed eight games because of a lower-body injury. He has 11 points (five goals, six assists) 41 games and will center the third line between Collin Graf and Luke Kunin.

“It’s important, right? Especially the position they play,” coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “In this league, you need centers. Sturm has obviously established himself as a really good center. He was playing, I think, his best hockey of his career before he got hurt, one of our most consistent forwards.

“Wennberg brings us a level of hockey IQ that is really high and has a skill level that he can make plays. He plays with pace. He’s really, really effective for us. He’s a leader in a sense where he can help his linemates. We’re very fortunate to get both those guys back tonight.” — Aaron Vickers

Florida Panthers

Matthew Tkachuk did not play in a 2-1 loss to the Kraken on Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

The forward was injured while playing for the U.S. at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not have a timeline on Tkachuk’s potential return.

“He is going to get looked at Sunday and Monday,” Maurice said Saturday. “We’re going to have our people get their hands on him, and then we’ll have a real clear plan after that. … We’re going to let it settle down the next few days, get iced down, and then he’ll get looked at.”

Tkachuk sat out the final 12:36 of the third period against Canada on Feb. 15, didn’t play against Sweden on Monday and was limited to 6:47 of ice time in the 3-2 overtime loss to Canada in the championship game Thursday. He did not play in the third period or overtime.

Tkachuk has 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 games this season. — George Richards