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National Hockey League roundup

[April 04, 2017] April 3 (The Sports Xchange) - Forward Bryan Bickell, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last November, was recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 31-year-old Bickell is expected to play when the Hurricanes visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. It will be the first NHL game for the veteran forward since Oct. 30 against Philadelphia.

"It's going to be emotional," Bickell told NHL.com. "After getting diagnosed and that first month not knowing if I was ever going to play hockey again, it was tough to do every-day stuff and stuff like that. But to see the progress from where I was to where I am now is definitely special."

Bicknell experienced numbness and dizziness during a practice session with Carolina on Nov. 8 and was diagnosed with MS three days later following an MRI exam.

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Montreal Canadiens All-Star defenseman Shea Weber will miss at least the next two games due to a lower-body injury, the team announced.

Weber flew home Monday for further evaluation and will sit out road games against the Florida Panthers on Monday and Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

Weber has appeared in all 78 games in his first season with Montreal. The star blue-liner has 17 goals and 25 assists, surpassing 40 points for the eighth time in his last nine seasons.

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will miss the rest of the season to return to Sweden after the death of his mother, the team announced.

His mother passed away after a long battle with cancer.

"This has been a very difficult year for me personally," Ekman-Larsson said in a statement. "I'd like to thank the Coyotes organization and all of my teammates for their incredible support."

The 25-year-old Ekman-Larsson has 39 points (12 goals, 27 assists) and 48 penalty minutes in 79 games this season. He is a four-time All Star.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout was suspended two games by the NHL for his actions in Saturday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Prout was penalized for interference against defenseman Radko Gudas in the second period. The 27-year-old Prout was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct.

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Prout, who is a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, will miss Tuesday's return match against visiting Philadelphia as well as a home game versus Pittsburgh on Thursday.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled forward Sonny Milano from the American Hockey League's Cleveland Monsters.

Milano was expected to join the Blue Jackets in Pittsburgh ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Penguins.

Milano, 20, has 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 59 games with Cleveland this season.

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The Winnipeg Jets recalled forwards Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Connor and Roslovic were selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2015 NHL draft.

Connor started the season with the Jets and had a goal and three assists in 19 games.

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The Buffalo Sabres recalled first-round forward Alexander Nylander from the Rochester Americans of the AHL.

Nylander, 19, was selected by the Sabres with the eighth overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft and joins the team for the first time this season.

The Minnesota Wild reassigned goaltender Alex Stalock to the Iowa Wild of the AHL.

Stalock, 29, was recalled by Minnesota on March 29 and went 1-1-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in two starts.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning reassigned forward Joel Vermin to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.

Vermin, 25, has skated in 17 games with the Lightning this season, recording three assists. (Editing by Gene Cherry)

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