Hamilton was on the ice again for Monday's practice and head coach Rod Brind'Amour said he is "hopeful" that Hamilton will be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday. It would be his first game since January 16th. He had 40 points (14G / 26A) in 47 regular-season games before breaking his leg vs. Columbus.
Hamilton, who missed the Hurricanes' three-game sweep of the Rangers, practiced for the first time since July 22nd. Carolina likely won't play for a week, so Hamilton will have plenty of time to get back up to speed before Round 1. In practice Hamilton skated alongside Jaccob Slavin on the Hurricanes' top defensive pair. He was also the lone defenseman on the team's first power-play unit.
Hamilton was set to return from a broken leg before he suffered a new injury in Training Camp 2.0. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour ruled him out for Game 1 vs. the Rangers on Saturday but said he's getting better and would not rule out a potential return during the five-game series.
Hamilton reportedly suffered a new injury, unrelated to the broken leg which forced him to miss the final two and half months of the regular season. Sara Civ of The Athletic reported that Hamilton's absence is "in the realm of weeks not months." This is untimely news as the Hurricanes enter the hub city bubble and get set to face the Rangers on Saturday. Carolina was 11-7-3 (11th in the NHL) after Hamilton was hurt in mid-January.
Dugan was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft and has agreed to turn pro after just two seasons at Providence College. Dugan was a Hobey Baker Finalist in 2020 after leading the nation with 52 points (10G / 42A) in just 34 games. The 22-year-old paced the league in assists, points-per-game (1.53), power-play points (22) and even-strength points (30). He'll likely start the 2021 season in the AHL but the Golden Knights have to be very pleased with Dugan's rapid progression since being drafted three years ago.
Allen stopped all 29 shots that he faced in the Blues shutout win in Chicago on Sunday. Allen has won three in a row while posting a 1.30 GAA, .949 SV% and one shutout. Allen has gone 8-4-3 with a 2.12 GAA, .930 SV% and two shutouts on the road this year.
Tatar was originally labelled as day-to-day with an upper-body injury that he suffered on March 3rd but announced that he's out indefinitely on Tuesday. The most recent timetable could end Tatar's 2020 season.
Bjugstad recently returned to the Penguins lineup after a 46-game absence following core muscle surgery. Three games in, Bjugstad is back on the sideline, out week-to-week with a lower-body issue.
Pesce will obviously miss the rest of the 2020 season, including playoffs, and turn his focus to getting ready for training camp 2021. The Hurricanes will have to try and navigate through the playoffs without two of their top-3 defensemen but they added Brady Skjei at the deadline to help ease the loss of Pesce.
Bjugstad underwent core-muscle surgery in mid-November and missed the last 46 games. Bjugstad, who has one goal in 10 games this season, is expected to skate on the third line with Jared McCann and Patric Hornqvist.
Tatar suffered an upper-body injury early in Tuesday's game against the Islanders and is not expected to play in Tampa Bay. Artturi Lehkonen moved up to the top line after Tatar got hurt and Lukas Vejdemo was recalled from the AHL to take his spot in the lineup.
Cholowski played in the last three games with the Red Wings, playing just 12:00 TOI last night vs. the Avalanche. With the Red Wings off until Friday, Cholowski goes back to Grand Rapids, where he has 12 points (3G / 9A) in 27 games.
