Hurricanes' Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Logs helper in return

Kotkaniemi notched an assist and three hits in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens.

Kotkaniemi missed four games due to an undisclosed injury. With the Hurricanes resting many of their top players, including their whole top line, Kotkaniemi received 17:16 of ice time Wednesday, his third-highest total of the season. That should remove any doubts about his health heading into the postseason, though it wouldn't be surprising for him to rest Thursday versus the Senators just to be safe. Overall, the Finn has 32 points, 109 shots on net, 66 hits, 50 PIM and a plus-9 rating over 77 contests.