Demko could return in 2nd round for Canucks; Chytil misses Game 4 for Rangers with illness

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Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoff Buzz. With the postseason underway, NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.

Boston Bruins

Brad Marchand is day to day for the Bruins with an upper-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, SN, TVAS),

The forward did not practice Saturday after he was injured in a 6-2 loss in Game 3 on Friday.

Marchand took a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett at 3:38 of the first period and was slow to get back to the bench. He played the rest of the first and second period, but did not return for the third.

“My eyes weren’t on the exact play [in real time], but having seen it, there’s a history there,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday. “Bennett: Good, hard player, but there’s clearly evidence of what went on. People can say it wasn’t intentional. We have our view of it.”

Marchand has two assists in the best-of-7 series, which the Bruins trail 2-1. He leads them with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games this postseason.

Forward Danton Heinen could return for Game 4 after missing the past five games with an undisclosed injury. Heinen practiced in full Saturday, and Montgomery said it was the “best he’s looked.” — Joe Pohoryles

Vancouver Canucks

Thatcher Demko could return at some point during the Western Conference Second Round against the Edmonton Oilers.

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said Sunday the goalie was making progress in his recovery from an injury sustained late during the opener of Vancouver’s six-game series victory against the Nashville Predators in the first round April 21.

“You always hope,” Tocchet said when asked if he “hopes or expects” Demko back against the Oilers. “The expect, I mean, things change day to day, but there has been improvement. … From my experience, it’s a slow process and all of a sudden, two, three days later [it becomes], ‘Oh man, I really feel good.’ I don’t know where it’s at in that sense. It has improved, but to what percentage? I don’t know.”

It’s been two weeks since Demko’s injury, and he remains week to week, but the finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie skated in Nashville ahead of a series-clinching Game 6 win. He skated again in Vancouver on Monday.

Demko was 35-14-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and five shutouts despite missing five weeks late in the regular season with a knee injury. Tocchet said after Game 1 against Nashville it was not related to the previous knee injury.

Goalie Arturs Silovs has started every game for the Canucks since Game 4 of the first round and made 27 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers in Game 2 on Friday.

Game 3 is at Edmonton on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SN1, TBS, truTV, MAX) — Kevin Woodley

New York Rangers

Filip Chytil did not play in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at PNC Arena on Saturday.

The forward was a game-time decision after he didn’t participate in the Rangers’ morning skate because of an illness.

Chytil played in a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 on Thursday, playing for the first time since Nov. 2, when he sustained an upper-body injury in a 2-1 win against the Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.

New York coach Peter Laviolette did not answer directly when asked if Chytil’s illness is related to symptoms that had kept him out of the lineup for more than six months.

The Rangers have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 5 is at New York on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).

“He felt great yesterday,” Laviolette said. “He went to the team meal and woke up this morning and didn’t feel well.”

With Chytil out of the lineup Saturday, Jonny Brodzinski made his 2024 playoff debut. He had no shots and was 2-for-2 on face-offs in 8:49 of ice time after being a healthy scratch for the first seven games.

Chytil skated on the third line with Kaapo Kakko and Alex Wennberg on Thursday, getting 12:02 of ice time on 17 shifts with one shot on goal and five shot attempts.

Chytil didn’t participate in an optional skate Friday that was attended only by the players who did not play in Game 3.

“Obviously, we want to see him in the lineup, but we don’t know yet so that’s more speculation than anything,” Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. — Dan Rosen

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