NHL Injuries

Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares will miss at least two weeks with a fractured finger he suffered during Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Per Toronto's media relations, Tavares will be reassessed by the medical staff in two weeks to determine his status. 

After spending nine years with the New York Islanders, the 28-year-old signed a seven-year contract with the Maple Leafs in July 2018. He made his NHL debut at the age of 19 and has tallied at least 54 points in nine of his first 10 seasons, including a career-high 88 last season. 

Toronto has high expectations for 2019-20 after racking up 100 points last year. Its 2018-19 campaign came to an abrupt end, losing in seven games to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

Through eight games this season, Tavares is tied for second on the team with three goals and ranks fourth with seven points 

Injuries have never been a big problem for Tavares, who has only missed more than five games in a season once when he tore his MCL during the 2014 Winter Olympics. He will be forced to miss at least six games, based on the two-week timetable. 

With the Canadian star on the shelf, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock will rely on Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to lead the offense. 

If the Boston Bruins are going to sweep the Carolina Hurricanes out of the Eastern Conference Finals, they'll have to do it without captain Zdeno Chara.

The team announced ahead of Thursday night's Game 4 that the 42-year-old defenseman will not be active and is listed as day to day. While Boston didn't specify why Chara has been sidelined, he took a shot off of his ankle during Game 1 that caused him to temporarily leave the ice. 

Chara returned to Game 1 in the second period and has logged 66:28 in playing time during the series. 

Boston will also be without right winger Chris Wagner in Game 4, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed while meeting with reporters Wednesday.

Wagner took a puck to his right forearm while blocking a shot from Justin Faulk in the third period of Game 3 Tuesday night, as the Bruins were trying to hang on to their 2-1 lead. 

"You never want to see injuries like that," Boston center Charlie Coyle said after the Bruins' Game 3 win, according to Boston.com's Nicole Yang. "That's a testament to him and what he's willing to give to this team. To block a shot like that, that gets us fired up. It's the little things. They add up. That's a big loss for us."

In Wagner's place will be Noel Acciari, who has been recovering from an upper-body injury sustained during Game 4 of the Bruins' second-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Acciari will look to seamlessly slide back into a fourth line that has provided to be a vital reinforcement for the Bruins throughout this postseason.

"They're very similar," Cassidy told Yang. "We don't lose much. That's no disrespect to Chris. That’s maybe a compliment to Noel. That’s just what he brings. That line should keep on motoring."

However, the 28-year-old John Moore has very large skates to fill while starting for Chara. The captain had appeared in 98 consecutive Stanley Cup playoff games for the Bruins, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. This season is Moore's first with the Bruins, and he has played in four of their postseason games but posted a minus-four rating.

Chara last missed a postseason game in 2011, the same year the Bruins last hoisted the Cup.

During this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, Chara has played in 16 games and contributed one goal, two assists and a plus-11 rating.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is "day to day" with an upper-body injury, per head coach Mike Sullivan. 

"He will not play [Friday night] or this weekend," Sullivan said. "We are hopeful that this is a short-term thing and he’ll be back in our lineup soon.” 

The 32-year-old has established himself as one of the NHL's most dynamic offensive threats for more than a decade. His 930 points from his 2006-07 debut campaign through last season ranked third in the league over that span behind only the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pens teammate Sidney Crosby.

Injuries are one of the few things that have held Malkin back at times throughout his career. After missing just four games over his first three seasons, he's reached the 75-game plateau just twice over the past nine years. He did appear in 78 contests last season, though.

All told, the Penguins have adapted to playing without Malkin in the past, and they should have enough high-end scoring talent to make up for any type of short-term absence. An extended stint on injured reserve would be tougher to overcome for the Stanley Cup hopefuls.