Nashville Predators place Tommy Novak on injured reserve; Ryan McDonagh no closer to return
Nashville Predators center Tommy Novak went from a maintenance day Monday to injured reserve Tuesday morning, ahead of the team's game against the Anaheim Ducks at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m., ESPN+).
The team's second-leading goal scorer was absent from practice Monday for what Predators coach Andrew Brunette termed a maintenance day.
Turns out Novak has an upper-body injury, though it's unclear where it is and when it occurred. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
How ever long it is, the news isn't great for the Predators, who have lost three in a row and five of their last six.
Novak notched two assists and played 17 minutes, 27 seconds in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. He has six goals and six assists this season.
"He's been really good for us, very creative," Brunette said.
The Predators recalled defenseman Spencer Stastney, 23, from the Milwaukee Admirals to take Novak's roster spot. Stastney appeared in eight games for the Predators last season.
Novak's absence almost coincides with fellow center Cody Glass' return. Glass missed nearly a month with lower-body injury. He played Saturday for the first time since Oct. 19.
"It's a great opportunity for him to fill in that role and play the way he's capable of playing," Brunette said.
In other news, Brunette said defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury, remains day-to-day but that his progress has been "static."
"It hasn't really improved," Brunette said. 'We're hoping soon but we just can't seem to get any traction on getting better."
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators place Tommy Novak on IR; Ryan McDonagh no closer to return
