Rookie winger Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch against the Panthers Friday night, but coach Alain Vigneault issued an endorsement before the game.
Asked if the 21-year-old Russian could be sent to AHL Hartford to play, as he was for a game last month, Vigneault insisted that he would be back in the lineup.
“At this point, I would say no (to Hartford), we’ve used up a recall (teams are only allowed four),” Vigneault said. ”He’s not playing tonight, but he is going to play; he’s had some good games lately, it’s just that inconsistency with a few plays that we need him to be a little bit better, but he is going to play, there’s a lot of hockey left.