The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without centre Evgeni Malkin and forward Carl Hagelin when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions open their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night in Washington.
Coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that Malkin and Hagelin will be scratched from the lineup because of injuries.
Malkin, who led the Penguins in goals (46) and points (98) during the regular season, missed Game 6 of Pittsburgh's opening-round win over Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. The Russian star was injured when he got tangled with Flyers forward Jori Lehtera in Game 5. Sullivan says Malkin will travel with the team, which leaves open the possibility he could be available for Game 2.
Hagelin, who scored twice in the first round, is dealing with an upper-body injury after colliding with Philadelphia's Claude Giroux in Game 6. He won't travel with the team.
Riley Sheahan filled in for Malkin on Pittsburgh's second line in Game 6. Dominik Simon took Hagelin's spot on a line with Sheahan and Phil Kessel in practice on Wednesday.
Jack Adams Award finalists announced
Colorado's Jared Bednar, Boston's Bruce Cassidy and Vegas's Gerard Gallant were named the finalists for the Jack Adams Award on Wednesday, given annually to the coach voted best in the NHL.
Bednar coached the Avalanche to one of the best single-season turnarounds in NHL history. Colorado (43-30-9) earned 95 points, a 47-point increase from when they finished last in the standings in 2016-17, and clinched a Stanley Cup playoff berth for the first time since 2013-14.
Cassidy coached the Bruins (50-20-12, 112 points) to a fourth-place finish in the NHL standings and their fourth-highest point total in 40 years. Boston was 22-12-7 on the road, third in the NHL behind the Nashville Predators (25-9-7) and Tampa Bay Lightning (25-13-3), and its 13-game road point streak (11-0-2) from Dec. 13-Feb. 11 was the fifth-longest in its history.
Gallant coached the Golden Knights to a historic season for a first-year team. Vegas (51-24-7, 109 points) was the first modern-era expansion club from any of the four North American professional sports leagues to start from scratch and win its division.
Habs' Shaw has left knee surgery
Right winger Andrew Shaw underwent surgery on his left knee and will need at least six months to recover, the Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday.
Shaw suffered a knee injury and a concussion on March 13 against the Dallas Stars.
Shaw, 26, missed 31 games with injuries this season, his second in Montreal. He had 10 goals and 10 assists in 51 games.
Flyers' Neuvirth, Provorov deal with injuries
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth will have arthroscopic surgery on both hips this off-season, he told reporters Wednesday.
Neuvirth, 30, said he wasn't fully healthy during the Flyers' first-round series loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Meanwhile, defenceman Ivan Provorov revealed he played with a Grade 3 left shoulder separation in Game 6, losing feeling in his arm at times during the third period. The injury typically requires a six- to eight-week recovery and he should be fully healthy before the start of training camp.
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