Nikita Tolopilo flew back to Vancouver to be with his wife, who is in labour.
After a day off, the Vancouver Canucks hit the ice for practice ahead of their matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings and have their eyes focused on ending their current four-game road trip on a high note. Of note, Nikita Tolopilo and Conor Garland were absent while Jiří Patera and Nils Höglander had joined the group.
Starting with Tolopilo, he has flown back to Vancouver to be with his wife, who is currently in labour. The 25-year-old played the first two games of this road trip, posting a 1-1-0 record. With Tolopilo flying home, the Canucks have called up Jiří Patera under emergency conditions.
Moving over to injuries, Garland was not on the ice as he recovers from an upper-body injury. At the time of writing, his exact injury is unknown. Garland missed Saturday's overtime loss and is projected to be out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Avalanche.
Lastly, Höglander joined the group for the first time this season. The 24-year-old has missed the entire campaign after undergoing lower-body surgery during the pre-season. Höglander was seen in a non-contact jersey on Monday and will need a little more time before making his season debut.
Vancouver wraps up their four-game road trip on Tuesday in Colorado. The Canucks and Avalanche have already played once this season, with Colorado picking up a 5-4 overtime victory. Game time from Ball Arena is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT.
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