Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice announced Tuesday, per NHL.com's Jameson Olive.

Maurice added that while he doesn't expect Verhaeghe to miss any playoff games, he might not be able to return before they start.

The Panthers clinched their spot in the postseason on Thursday but are in a battle with the Boston Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Florida is currently two points back of the reigning President's Trophy winners.

Verhaeghe exited early in the third period of the Panthers' 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday and was unable to return to the contest.

During his final shift, he was pushed into the boards by rearguard Simon Benoit in the Leafs' zone, and the two went on to engage in a netfront battle.

Verhaeghe ranks second on the Panthers with 33 goals and fourth on the team with 71 points in 75 outings this season.

The 28-year-old was a key cog for Florida during its run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring. He totaled seven goals - including four game-winners to tie Matthew Tkachuk for the team lead - and 17 points in 21 games.

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St. Louis Blues top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud will return to the University of Minnesota for the 2024-25 campaign, the winger announced Tuesday.

"It was a tough ending to this season, and I feel like we have some unfinished business to accomplish," he wrote in a statement posted to the program's X account. "I am committed to this team and excited for the opportunity next year with the Gophers."

The Blues selected Snuggerud 23rd overall at the 2022 NHL Draft. He just completed his sophomore season with the Golden Gophers, notching 21 goals and 34 points in 39 games.

The 19-year-old was named a finalist for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award in 2022-23 after a strong rookie campaign in which he registered 50 points in 40 outings.

Minnesota's season ended with a 6-3 loss to Boston University in the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship tournament on Saturday.

There was speculation that St. Louis hoped it could get Snuggerud signed and into the Blues' lineup for Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators.

St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said the organization "fully supports" Snuggerud's decision to return to Minnesota.

"We look forward to watching his continued development towards becoming a solid contributor for the St. Louis Blues in the future by playing a lead role for the Golden Gophers against top college competition next year," the executive said in a statement.

Last year, Logan Cooley committed to return to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season in 2022-23, but he ended up changing his mind two months later, signing a three-year, entry-level deal with the Arizona Coyotes.

Snuggerud said his decision to stay was inspired by current Minnesota Wild rookie standout Brock Faber. The two were teammates on the Golden Gophers in 2022-23.

"I watched Brock Faber come back for his junior year, and I feel like I can take the same path as Brock to the NHL and help the Gophers win a national championship," he said.

Snuggerud has represented the United States at the past two World Junior Championships, helping the team win bronze in 2023 and gold at this year's tournament.

The Blues are in the playoff hunt with seven games remaining on their schedule. They're currently three points behind Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, though the Kings have one game in hand.

"They're the team that drafted me, and I'm excited to see if they can make this playoff run," Snuggerud told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I have so much respect for the staff there and everyone that has helped me through this. (Armstrong) especially, he's such a great person, and he has my best interests in mind.

"I'm so happy to see the Blues succeed."

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On the road again! Canucks are in Vegas to start a 3 game roadie this week, so Matt and Blake preview the possible first round showdown, including the lineup changes. Also, can the PP build off what happened versus Anaheim and can Dakota Joshua keep this up?

Jeff Paterson stops by from Rink Wide: Vancouver with his take on the Canucks form of late and whether there’s reason to be confident just on defence alone. Jeff gives us his lineup permutations, and possible goaltending assignments for the week too. Then, it’s John Shannon stopping by for his thoughts on the battle for top spot in the Pacific and the hard changing Oilers. John uses his years in the league office and tv to guess which day the Canucks might start their first round series, and comments on the reports that some NHL games might move to Amazon for next season. 

That plus some news on the Whitecaps and C’s, and football odds and ends too! Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is on the verge of returning to the lineup Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe stopped short of saying Rielly would suit up against their Atlantic Division rivals but revealed Tuesday that the blue-liner will be an option.

"Morgan will be available for us," Keefe said.

Rielly was cautiously optimistic about his status.

"I feel good," he said. "I think it's just kind of day by day right now. So we'll see tomorrow, but I feel good."

The blue-liner has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury.

Rielly leads all Maple Leafs skaters with 23:49 of ice time per game. He averages more than two minutes of playing time over second-ranked TJ Brodie (21:48) and is a fixture on Toronto's top pairing.

The 30-year-old's defensive deficiencies are well-documented, but he's having another strong offensive season with seven goals and 44 assists in 65 games. The NHL suspended Rielly in February for five contests for cross-checking Ridly Greig in the head after the Ottawa Senators forward scored an empty-netter with a slap shot from close range.

Mitch Marner, another key Maple Leafs player sidelined with an injury, likely won't return as soon as Rielly. Marner has missed the last 11 games with an ankle ailment.

"I haven't had a chance to discuss with (Marner) here yet since he's come off the ice, but I think with him, we're just going to feel it out and talk to him and likely make it more of a target for the weekend," Keefe said.

The Maple Leafs have Thursday and Friday off from game action before facing the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Toronto has eight games remaining on its regular-season schedule and sits third in the Atlantic at 43-22-9.

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Jarmo Kekalainen believes he'd be much improved if given another opportunity to be an NHL executive.

"I'd be a lot better general manager the second time around," Kekalainen told NHL.com's Jon Lane. "I'm also realizing that I'm not ready to retire, so I'm staying active. I've (scouted) some games to make sure that I stay current with the other prospects coming into the NHL, which is a lot of NHL hockey, college hockey, major junior, (AHL), so I'm definitely full of energy and ready for the next challenge as well."

The Columbus Blue Jackets fired Kekalainen on Feb. 15, almost exactly 11 years after they hired him on Feb. 13, 2013. He became the first European GM in NHL history, and the club went 410-362-97 in 869 regular-season games during his tenure.

The Jackets made the playoffs five times in that span, including in 2019 when they swept the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round to win a series for the first time since joining the league in 2000-01. They reached the postseason in four straight years from 2017-2020, though they were bounced in the first round in the other three.

But Columbus struggled mightily in recent years, finishing no higher than sixth in the Metropolitan Division in the last three seasons and missing the playoffs in each of them. The Blue Jackets sat last in the Eastern Conference when they fired Kekalainen, who explained this week that he tried not to fixate on his future amid all the losing.

"You try to put it aside," he said. "When things go bad for an extended period it might creep up a little bit, but you just try to concentrate on your job and do the best you can, and other people make the decisions on your tenure."

The 57-year-old started his NHL executive career as director of player personnel with the Ottawa Senators in 1999, moving on to the St. Louis Blues as assistant GM and director of amateur scouting in 2002. When the Blues hired Doug Armstrong as GM over Kekalainen, the Finn returned to his homeland to occupy that position with Jokerit. He remained there until the Blue Jackets came calling in 2013.

"I've heard a saying that in this business, it's not a matter of if (you'll get fired), it's a matter of when," Kekalainen said. "It happened for the first time to me now, getting fired, so that's obviously not something that I wanted to experience.

"Now that I've gone through it, it's part of the business and I'm very appreciative of all the opportunities that I got here. The ownership is unbelievable and supportive and let you do your job. I've worked with John Davidson in two different organizations, with the Blues and then the Blue Jackets. He's a great man and I've enjoyed working with him."

Davidson was part of the Blue Jackets front office staff that hired Kekalainen 11 years ago. After returning to the club in 2021, he was also part of the group that let Kekalainen go in February.

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Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

We started the week strong, cashing two of three player props on Monday night.

We'll look to build on a solid foundation with three more plays for Tuesday's fruitful card.

Alex Ovechkin: Over 3.5 shots

The Capitals are holding onto a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. They'll need their captain to carry a heavy load to get the team over the finish line.

We're already seeing that from Ovechkin, as he's logged 20 minutes or more in four of the past five games. Washington hasn't played since Saturday, so he's well-rested and likely heading toward another healthy chunk of ice time.

Ovechkin has fared very well coming off of two days' rest this season. He's gone over his total in seven of the past 11 games in such situations, falling only one shot shy in three of the four deficits. He's getting the job done - or at least knocking on the door - each time out.

When logging 20 minutes this season, Ovechkin's success rate is slightly under 60% - and I expect him to clear that time on ice bar in this one.

It's also worth noting that Ovechkin is a Sabres killer. He's averaged 1.4 points, 5.4 shots and well over 10 attempts over his last seven games against Buffalo.

The Sabres aren't strong defensively, have taken plenty of penalties of late (which bodes well for a power play marksman like Ovechkin), and the Capitals are desperate for every point. Ovechkin should get a lot of ice and be heavily involved offensively.

Odds: -102 (playable to -125)

David Pastrnak: Over 4.5 shots

Pastrnak is in a bit of a shooting rut, recording four shots or fewer in five consecutive games.

Although the Predators are competent in their own end, they mark a great opportunity for Pastrnak to get back on track.

The Preds play extremely high-event hockey: They rank second in five-on-five pace over the past 10 games. The Bruins sit 32nd over the same span, so the Predators should be able to drag more out of them - which would benefit Pastrnak. More shots flying in both directions means more opportunity for the Bruins' best shot generator.

Pastrnak took full advantage in a contest against Nashville earlier this season, firing six shots on 10 attempts despite only 17 minutes of ice.

He's logged at least 20 minutes in five straight games and is coming off multiple days of rest, so he should get a full workload in a pace-up spot. Look for him to capitalize on it.

Odds: -106 (playable to -125)

Jack Eichel: Over 3.5 shots

I generally prefer to avoid targeting shooters against the defensively sound Canucks. Eichel is worth the exception.

He's recorded at least four shots in 13 of his past 16 games, averaging more than five per game in that span. He collected three shots each time he fell short, meaning there was always an opportunity for him to get the job done.

Eichel has consistently gone over the number, no matter how difficult the matchup. He registered four shots against the Jets, seven against the Predators, four against the Bruins, four against the Avalanche, and six against these same Canucks during this hot streak.

The Golden Knights are jockeying for home ice in the Pacific Division - with a win tonight, they'd only be three points behind the Oilers - so Eichel will see all the ice he can handle. He's proven capable of making the most of it, no matter the opponent.

Odds: -125 (playable to -140)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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