New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider will not return to Saturday's contest against the Detroit Red Wings after suffering an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Kreider went to the locker room in the second period after taking an inadvertent knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad.

The 28-year-old winger is considered one of the most coveted pending unrestricted free agents ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

Kreider was playing excellent hockey entering Saturday's tilt, notching six goals and nine points over his last nine contests. He ranks third on the Rangers in both goals (18) and hits (91) while averaging 17:42 of ice time per game this season.

The Massachusetts native took part in his first career All-Star Weekend in January after replacing teammate Artemi Panarin at the event.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov exited Saturday's 4-0 loss against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury.

The 24-year-old center did not return to the game after getting tangled up with Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber near the midway mark of the second period.

Following the contest, head coach Joel Quenneville said the team doesn't think Barkov's injury is serious and will have more on his status on Sunday, according to FloridaPanthers.com reporter Jameson Olive.

Losing Barkov for an extended period would be a significant loss for a Panthers team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The 6-foot-3 Finn ranks second on the club with 54 points while averaging 19:58 of ice time per game, which leads all Florida forwards.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been sent down to Laval for the first time in his career.

The Montreal Canadiens have assigned the 19-year-old forward to their AHL affiliate, the club announced Saturday.

More to come.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.