NHL Buzz: Rust placed on injured reserve by Penguins

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Pittsburgh Penguins

Bryan Rust was placed on injured reserve by the Penguins on Sunday.
The forward sustained a lower-body injury during warmups before Pittsburgh's 1-0 win at the New York Islanders on Friday. Rust has scored nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 12 games this season.
The Penguins recalled forward
Drew O'Connor
from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. O'Connor has scored five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 games for Pittsburgh this season.

Washington Capitals

Lars Eller returned to the lineup when the Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Sunday. The forward missed six games after testing positive for COVID-19.
Coach Peter Laviolette made the announcement before the game.
Eller tested positive before a 3-2 overtime loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 16 and said he had symptoms that felt like "a mild flu or a cold for about three days." He had to quarantine for 10 days in Anaheim, California before returning to Washington on Wednesday.
Eller had two hits and blocked one shot in 15:48 of ice time after he skated for the third straight day Saturday. -- Tom Gulitti

St. Louis Blues

James Neal was placed on long-term injured reserve. The forward missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury and practiced Wednesday but left early after aggravating an injury.
Neal scored four points (two goals, two assists) in 17 games this season, his first with the Blues.
Forward
Dakota Joshua
was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League and played 10:52 in a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. He has no points in seven games with the Blues this season.

Philadelphia Flyers

Nate Thompson likely sustained a dislocated shoulder, Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. The forward fell into the boards during the third period of a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Friday.
"Nate had an MRI this morning and I haven't checked [the results]," Vigneault said Saturday. "From what I saw yesterday after the game his shoulder was dislocated. I'm not expecting positive news."
Thompson is the fourth Flyers center out with an injury. Kevin Hayes is week to week after reinjuring his surgically repaired abdominal muscles against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 16; Patrick Brown is out indefinitely because of a thumb injury sustained against the Flames; and Derick Brassard is expected to be out at least another week because of a lower-body injury sustained at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
Philadelphia, which has lost five straight games (0-3-2), plays at the New Jersey Devils on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, NBCSP, NHL LIVE).
"We're going through a rough patch," Vigneault said. "… Hopefully in the near future, we have a few players that can come back and help us out." -- Adam Kimelman

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Los Angeles Kings

Drew Doughty could return to the lineup for the Kings "over the next few days," coach Todd McLellan said.
The defenseman skated in a full-contact jersey Wednesday for the first time since injuring his knee Oct. 22. Doughty, who resumed skating in a no-contact jersey Nov. 19, was injured after taking a knee-to-knee hit from defenseman Jani Hakanpää during a 3-2 overtime loss at the Dallas Stars.
Doughty was expected to be out eight weeks and to need six weeks to resume skating. Nov. 19 marked four weeks since the injury.
The Kings defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Saturday and host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
"When you haven't played in a long time and you have a lower-body injury, you start thinking about groins and hip flexors, and you don't want to set him further back because it creates another injury," McLellan said Friday. "As he works his way through that, he works his way into full practice, which is what we saw today. Over the next few days, he should be ready to play."
At the time of the injury, Doughty was second on Los Angeles with seven points (one goal, six assists) in four games and first in average ice time per game (22:37). -- Dan Greenspan