Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon won't be disciplined for slashing a linesman on Monday against the Boston Bruins, the NHL announced Tuesday.MacKinnon's stick appeared to make contact with linesman Michel Cormier's shin while attempting to slash an opposing player.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after missing the last 17 games with a broken jaw."I'm looking forward to him being back in the lineup," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "I'm counting on him being in. I've had a conversation with him, he said he's ready to go and we're ready to put him back in."Hamilton is expected to wear a full face shield in his return."At the start I couldn't have any pressure on it so I had to find something that had the pressure off it, but I couldn't play with that mask. I think it's at the point now where my jaw is solid and I'm able to put a pad on my chin and use that mask," Hamilton said.The 28-year-old has recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 30 games this season. It's his first campaign with the Devils after signing a seven-year, $63-million contract as a free agent in the offseason.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the best players mentioned in trade deadline rumors may not become available after all.Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill said he hopes to sign pending unrestricted free-agent forward Joe Pavelski to an extension."That's what I hope," Nill told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I want to see where Joe is at. We got to look at our cap situation, too. And I think he'll have some questions he'll want answered. We'll have some questions. But my mindset is that we want to bring him back. He's been a great fit for us. He's a big part of our community and our team."We'll sit down and discuss that."Pavelski is in the final season of a three-year, $21-million contract he signed as a UFA with Dallas in 2019. The 37-year-old continues to age like a fine wine, leading the Stars with 53 points in 49 games this season.The Stars sit fifth in the Central Division and ninth in the Western Conference in points percentage. Their play over the next month will likely determine Nill's approach at the March 21 trade deadline."We just had our meetings and we went through all those scenarios," Nill said. "We're prepared for that. We've walked through all those scenarios. It might come down to that last week where we have to make some tough calls."In addition to Pavelski, Dallas' notable pending UFAs include defenseman John Klingberg, forward Alexander Radulov, and goaltender Braden Holtby.The Stars project to have roughly $28 million in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly, with restricted free agents Denis Gurianov and Jake Oettinger due for raises.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have six games on the docket Tuesday, which means there are plenty of player props to comb through.Let's take a closer look at two of my favorites.Jordan Eberle over 2.5 shots (+105)On the surface, the Islanders are not a team you would perceive to be a good prop target for shots against. But perception tells a different story than reality.At five-on-five, they have given up 60.33 shot attempts per 60 minutes over their last 10 road dates. That's one of the NHL's worst rates, slotting them 27th in that span. They give up plenty of volume when they can't control the matchups.Also working in Eberle's favor: The Islanders struggle to defend against right-wingers. Only five teams concede more shots per game to the position.Eberle's raw shot volume is also higher at home and - if you're into narratives - there's the revenge factor for Eberle. The Kraken forward has faced the Islanders once already but, in a season that's otherwise lost, a matchup against the team that exposed him in the expansion draft could provide a little extra motivation.Aaron Ekblad over 2.5 shots (-148)Aaron Ekblad, like his Panthers as a whole, is particularly lethal when playing on home soil.Ekblad has averaged 3.3 shots on goal per game in Florida this season, which has allowed him to go over the number 19 times in 25 tries. That's a remarkable 76% hit rate.What's even more impressive is Ekblad started the season somewhat slowly, hitting in four of his first seven at home. Since then, he has registered at least three shots in 15 of 18, which is a ridiculous 83.33% hit rate.The Predators are a solid team but definitely not one we have to avoid, especially when away from home. Nashville ranks 27th in shot suppression at five-on-five over its last 10 road dates.Ekblad should have no problem taking advantage of this matchup.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We're coming off a successful week of betting, going 7-1 with our best bets.We'll look to pick up where we left off as we start anew on Tuesday. Let's get down to business.Maple Leafs (-230) @ Blue Jackets (+190)The Toronto Maple Leafs lost by three goals to one of the worst teams in hockey on Monday. And, you know what? I'm going right back to them against the Columbus Blue Jackets.You don't need me to tell you Toronto is one of the best offensive teams in the NHL. They have a ton of firepower and, statistically speaking, they're one of the league's best at generating chances. If skill players get opportunities in bulk, they're going to score.I expect the Maple Leafs to get a ton of them against the Blue Jackets. Over the last 10 games, Columbus ranks 28th in high-danger chances against and 31st in expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.Giving up that kind of volume is a risky proposition no matter who is between the pipes. It just so happens J.F. Berube is expected to get the nod in this one.The 36-year-old journeyman netminder has consistently posted sub .900 save percentages in the AHL over the last few years. Expecting him to slow the Maple Leafs - who should be chomping at the bit to redeem themselves after Monday's disastrous showing - is unrealistic, to say the least.I like the Maple Leafs to score early and often in this one.Bet: Leafs -1.5 (+105)Sharks (+125) @ Ducks (-150)The wheels are coming off the San Jose Sharks. They've won just once over the last eight games and their underlying metrics in that span have been downright miserable - especially defensively.At five-on-five, they've conceded more than 69 shot attempts per 60 minutes. They have also given up 3.48 expected goals against and 16.13 high-danger chances against per 60 minutes. They rank dead last in the NHL - well behind even the Arizona Coyotes - in each of those categories.For perspective, the Anaheim Ducks have allowed 55.21 attempts, 2.67 expected goals, and 11.20 high-danger chances per 60 over the same span. They haven't exactly been stout and yet their defensive metrics are several tiers above San Jose's.I expect the Ducks will be able to control the run of play in this game. They should generate more quality opportunities and, based on the projected goaltending matchup (James Reimer vs. John Gibson), I feel better about the Ducks getting the saves they need.Back Anaheim to take care of business against the slumping Sharks.Bet: Ducks (-150)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Martin St. Louis has noticed his club exuding an important trait lately."Confidence. I think to be successful as a team in this league, and as an individual, I think you need some swagger, and I think we're building a lot of swagger right now," St. Louis told Sportsnet's Eric Engels after a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night."Swagger is not cockiness or arrogance; it's just believing in yourself and feeling good about yourself," the bench boss clarified. "And I think we have that."The Canadiens jumped out to a 5-0 lead against the Maple Leafs before cruising to their third consecutive victory and their second in as many days. Montreal is 3-3-0 since firing Dominique Ducharme and replacing him with St. Louis on Feb. 9.The Habs, who remain the NHL's worst team by both points and point percentage, have begun to turn things around since the coaching change.Cole Caufield, Jeff Petry, and Josh Anderson have all come alive offensively. Caufield, the preseason Calder Trophy favorite who struggled mightily for most of the campaign, has scored five goals in the six games under his new head coach.Petry, the typically steady defenseman who's in the midst of a disappointing campaign, has produced two goals and three assists in the last four contests. Anderson, who the Canadiens signed to a hefty contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Max Domi, has collected three goals and an assist in the last two games, including two markers and a helper Monday.Montreal has the 30th-ranked expected goals for percentage at five-on-five in the NHL this season, but it's been the 23rd-best team in that regard since St. Louis took over, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Habs sit 29th in scoring chances for percentage, but they're 22nd during the new coach's tenure.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs made their second trade with each other in three days, as the Coyotes agreed to send goaltender Carter Hutton to the Leafs for future considerations Monday night.The Maple Leafs plan to loan Hutton back to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners - the Coyotes' affiliate - but he'll remain in Toronto's system, reports PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan.The plan is for Hutton to practice with the Roadrunners as he rehabs his injured ankle, and he'll continue living in Arizona. The veteran reportedly agreed to the deal on the condition that he wouldn't be separated from his family.Hutton cleared waivers earlier Monday, making him eligible to be assigned to the AHL. He hasn't played since Oct. 25.The 36-year-old posted an atrocious .741 save percentage in three games with Arizona this season. While that's a small sample size, he's been the worst netminder in the NHL in terms of goals saved above expected per 60 minutes among those who've played at least two games in 2021-22, according to MoneyPuck.Toronto's No. 1 and 2 goalies at the NHL level are Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek, respectively. Mrazek hasn't been great this season, but he's signed through 2023-24 at a $3.8-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. Hutton is a pending unrestricted free agent.The Maple Leafs dealt forward Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick to the Coyotes for defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Ryan Dzingel on Saturday. Toronto waived Dzingel on Sunday, and the San Jose Sharks claimed him one day later.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday marks exactly one month until the NHL trade deadline.Based on the current standings divide - clear haves and have-nots - and the latest buzz from the rumor mill, the leadup to March 21 should be thrilling.The first domino to fall was forward Tyler Toffoli being sent from Montreal to Calgary last week. The Flames got ahead of the curve. Who's next? And where could some notable names ultimately end up?Here are the best fits for trade season's most high-profile players:Claude Giroux Len Redkoles / Getty ImagesGiroux, the 34-year-old captain and leading scorer for the Philadelphia Flyers, is the crown jewel of trade season. However, due to a couple of factors, the list of teams seriously in the running for Giroux shouldn't be long.First of all, Giroux has a full no-move clause in his contract, meaning he and his agent - not the Flyers - are setting the tone for trade negotiations. Secondly, since the pending unrestricted free agent makes $8.275 million against the cap, salary retention by the Flyers and/or a third team appears necessary, as every contender is at or close to the $81.5-million upper limit.Giroux's no longer in his prime but still quite productive with 38 points in 46 games. He's a two-way forward who can line up at center or wing and provide some value on special teams. His leadership qualities are a cherry on top.The Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers are reportedly among the interested teams. And while the high-octane Avs certainly aren't desperate for firepower up front - Giroux or otherwise - there's absolutely no better landing spot than Colorado for a veteran chasing his first Stanley Cup.General manager Joe Sakic is unsurprisingly all-in on the 36-9-4 Avs, and he has enough good but expendable NHLers, prospects, and draft picks at his disposal to pull off a trade of this magnitude. In other words, if Sakic can find a way to make the money work, acquiring Giroux shouldn't be terribly difficult. Michael Martin / Getty ImagesPlan B for clubs on the hunt for a high-impact rental forward? San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl - though his situation is complicated as well.Hertl, who's recorded 40 points in 49 games, has a modified no-trade clause centered around a three-team "trade list," according to CapFriendly. That could shrink the market significantly. Also, there's a non-zero chance he re-signs with the Sharks before the deadline. That said, Hertl's name is in the rumor mill, and the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins are two obvious fits.Phil Kessel's stock may have dropped over the past few months, but he remains another name to watch. The rebuilding Arizona Coyotes are highly motivated to flip their pending UFAs, and Kessel has a track record of playoff success. His destination will likely depend on the fates of Giroux and Hertl.The wild card is Joe Pavelski. If his Dallas Stars opt to sell - which, given the team's rollercoaster season, is probably a 50/50 bet - there'll be no shortage of interest in Pavelski. The point-per-game contributor is well-respected, wildly competitive, and clutch in the playoffs.J.T. Miller Jeff Vinnick / Getty ImagesThe high amount of turnover in NHL front offices (six new GMs or interim GMs over the past calendar year) seems to have led to a more robust market than usual for notable forwards under team control beyond the current season.For instance, the Vancouver Canucks' revamped front office is still getting its sea legs, yet changes to the roster are undoubtedly coming. The question is, when does the wheeling and dealing start? As soon as possible? Before or at the draft?Miller, whose cap hit is a palatable $5.25 million this year and next, has been tied to the New York Rangers, his former club, for a while. The speedy and versatile forward would also look fantastic on a pace-pushing contender, like the Avs, Panthers, or Carolina Hurricanes. Or perhaps Miller stays put, and management instead ships out Brock Boeser (pending restricted free agent in the rumor mill) and/or Conor Garland (current deal runs through 2025-26).Montreal's Artturi Lehkonen, Arizona's Lawson Crouse, and Detroit's Filip Zadina are three other RFA forwards believed to be on the trade block.Lehkonen and his $2.3-million AAV counts as the most desirable for contending clubs. A defensively minded winger on pace for career highs in assists and points, Lehkonen could provide a tidy upgrade in the bottom-six.John Klingberg Glenn James / Getty ImagesKlingberg, a pending UFA, is the biggest name on the defensemen market.The puck-moving Swede asked for a trade out of Dallas earlier this season, and his agent has been in contact with interested teams. Ultimately, though, the Stars hold all of the power, and, similar to the Pavelski situation, there's no guarantee Klingberg gets moved because Dallas is pushing for a playoff spot.Klingberg hasn't done himself or the Stars any favors this season, playing poorly under the spotlight. Nevertheless, he's a skillful top-four D-man attached to a decent AAV of $4.25 million. The Hurricanes are a logical fit. Carolina doesn't have the cap space right now, so it'll require Dallas or a third team to eat 50% of Klingberg's salary before trade talks can really intensify.Backups for those who strike out on Klingberg include Seattle's Mark Giordano, Montreal's Ben Chiarot, and Philadelphia's Justin Braun. Over the weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin for blue-line depth, but they've also, at some point or another, been linked to all three names listed above. Braun, a cheap and trusty righty, would be a smart pickup for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, who should continue improving his squad.Jakob Chychrun Ronald Martinez / Getty ImagesThe huge gap between the NHL's very best and very worst teams seems to have opened the door for a few deadline deals involving non-rental D-men.Despite being only 23 years old, Chychrun is in his sixth NHL season and has all of the tools to be a team's No. 1 guy on the back end. He showed as much last year, leading all defensemen in goals with 18 in 56 games while keeping the talent-deprived Coyotes afloat in other areas of the ice. He's a bonafide stud.Chychrun has taken a step back this season - much like every Coyote, to be fair - but the combination of his ceiling and friendly contract ($4.6-million AAV for three years after 2021-22) should attract offers from 90% of the league. Not unlike the situation with Miller and the Canucks, however, there's no rush to trade Chychrun. The Coyotes could even wait until the offseason.Montreal's Jeff Petry ($6.25 million through 2024-25) and the New York Islanders' Scott Mayfield ($1.45 million through 2022-23) are other notables with term on their deals. Petry's season has been disastrous, and his AAV would be a tough pill to swallow for a contender. So teams shopping for a D-man (Carolina, Toronto, Boston, Florida, St. Louis) will likely target the sturdy Mayfield.Marc-Andre Fleury Chase Agnello-Dean / Getty ImagesIt's rare for a starting goalie to be moved at the deadline, but the circumstances might be just right for a swap involving the 37-year-old Fleury.The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is motivated to chase a fourth Cup in what could be his final NHL season. And if the Chicago Blackhawks and/or a basement dweller like Seattle, Arizona, or Buffalo can retain a portion of Fleury's expiring contract ($7-million AAV), there's a deal to be made.The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Washington Capitals - all of whom are currently in a playoff spot - need help in goal. In Vegas, a recent injury to Robin Lehner led to speculation of a potential Fleury-Vegas reunion, though GM Kelly McCrimmon shot down the rumor. That's not to say Fleury won't end up back in Golden Knights threads; if Lehner is out long term, and Fleury can mend his relationship with management, why not?Meanwhile, Edmonton could theoretically keep their current goaltending tandem intact, but it simply can't afford to throw away another year with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Fleury would give the Oilers a better chance at a deep playoff run than Mike Smith. They need his stability.Detroit's Thomas Greiss, Dallas' Braden Holtby, Columbus' Joonas Korpisalo, and Vancouver's Jaroslav Halak round out the group of intriguing UFA goalies.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks claimed winger Ryan Dzingel off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.Toronto acquired Dzingel and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday in exchange for winger Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick.Dzingel has recorded four goals and three assists in 26 games while averaging 13:07 per contest with the Coyotes this season. He potted 23 and 26 goals in 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively, but has since lost his offensive touch.The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $1.1 million, per CapFriendly.San Jose has been searching for answers in its top-six forward group all season. Second-line center Logan Couture is currently flanked by Matt Nieto and Rudolfs Balcers. The two wingers have combined for just 10 goals this campaign.The Sharks placed forward Lane Pederson on waivers Monday to make room for Dzingel on the active roster. Pederson, 24, has tallied a pair of assists in 26 games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We saw the rarest of occasions Sunday, and it didn't cause the hockey world to go blind. You've heard of the dangers of looking directly at a solar eclipse, but thankfully, you didn't need a reflective apparatus to witness the "loser eclipse" - the Coyotes (13-37 on the moneyline) and the Canadiens (10-40) both won a hockey game on the same day.On Friday, we discussed the concept of a No Bet List and how Arizona and Montreal showed red flags before the season started. These should keep us away from them - no matter how much value their preseason priors suggest they had with inflated moneyline prices throughout the campaign.But when do we consider removing teams from a No Bet List?Bets on Arizona and Montreal will likely continue to show value this season solely because of the astronomical moneyline payouts that sportsbooks assign. The Canadiens have won two straight but required overtime and the shootout. With 10 straight losses prior to that, we're not ready to remove them from the list just yet.The Coyotes are 3-4 in February and boast moneyline wins of +430 (at Colorado), +190 (at Seattle), and +225 (vs. Dallas). Even blind-betting the team every game this month would earn back roughly +4.5 units. Better yet, according to our guide, only three of its defeats were deemed valuable bets at the time, which would save that bettor a loss along the way.While Montreal always shows as a bet - even though we've known since the start of the season that it's not - Arizona's had games that fell within our fair price range. When that happens, we have a stable enough rating on a team to trust a moneyline bet that shows as valuable.Before we bring the Coyotes back into the fold, however, we need to remember that it's less about whether you should make the bet and more about knowing what you're getting into when you do.The recipeBefore the campaign, we provided a three-chapter series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.Two months ago, I posted my 2021-22 season ratings that use the metrics I deem important to predict future success. Since we've gotten through the All-Star break and COVID-19-related roster inconsistencies are fewer and further between, we'll increase the ratio between current season metrics and priors to a 70-30 split.With our ratings weighted to this season's on-ice product, we can put more emphasis on team metrics without going all-in on what's happened in a still relatively small sample size.The cheat sheetThe following includes my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I would need to bet either side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team that's more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. On games that I have projected will be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make it a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% for without travel.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETFeb. 21COL@BOS-128/+128COL -123/BOS +151CAR@PHI+116/-115CAR +136/PHI -111WPG@CGY+133/-133WPG +157/CGY -128TOR@MTL-204/+204TOR -195/MTL +246SEA@VAN+134/-134SEA +158/VAN -129Feb. 22STL@PHI+109/+129STL -105/PHI +129TOR@CBJ+109/+129TOR -105/CBJ +129MIN@OTT-142/+142MIN -137/OTT +168NSH@FLA+171/-171NSH +204/FLA -164SJS@ANA+104/-104SJS +123/ANA +100NYI@SEA+131/-131NYI -126/SEA +155Feb. 23WPG@DAL+150/-150WPG +178/DAL -144EDM@TB+112/-112EDM +131/TB -107BUF@MTL+123/-123BUF +144/MTL -118COL@DET-146/+146COL -140/DET +172LAK@ARI-129/+129LAK -124/ARI +152Feb. 24CBJ@FLA+203/-203CBJ +245/FLA -194MIN@TOR+108/-108MIN +126/TOR -103WSH@NYR+102/-102WSH +113/NYR +108NJD@PIT+134/-134NJD +158/PIT -129DAL@NSH+103/-103DAL +114/NSH +107CGY@VAN+100/+100CGY +110/VAN +110BOS@SEA-120/+120BOS -115/SEA +141NYI@SJS-104/+104NYI +106/SJS +115Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jean-Francois Berube started his first NHL game in nearly four years against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.The goaltender got the nod because the Blue Jackets suddenly have three injured netminders. Elvis Merzlikins got hurt in Saturday's practice, while Joonas Korpisalo and Daniil Tarasov were already dealing with ailments of their own.Berube last suited up in the NHL as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks on April 6, 2018. He played 34 contests with the Blackhawks and New York Islanders over three seasons beginning in 2015-16.The 30-year-old has played with four AHL clubs since his previous NHL appearance. He's 4-9-4 with an .891 save percentage across 27 games with the Cleveland Monsters - Columbus' affiliate - in 2021-22. Berube is in his second stint with the Monsters after playing 43 contests with them in 2018-19.Berube isn't the only goalie returning to the NHL on Sunday after a lengthy absence. Andrew Hammond also made his first start in the league since 2018 for the Montreal Canadiens against the Islanders.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Finland beat the Russian Olympic Committee 2-1 on Sunday to win gold and cap Olympic men's hockey in Beijing. These five takeaways from the tournament have implications for the NHL.Fedotov couldn't foil the FinnsFinland's win was historic, but Ivan Fedotov's future is the top NHL story for either finalist. The Russian goalie stopped 29 pucks to keep the gold-medal game close, only for Ville Pokka's prayer from distance and Hannes Bjorninen's netfront tip to beat him and prove the difference.That two shots eluded Fedotov made Sunday his second-worst game in Beijing. The Czech Republic shelled him for six goals after he'd shut out Switzerland and Denmark back-to-back. Fedotov rebounded in knockout play and held the Danes and Sweden to a goal apiece, stoning Sweden's last five attempts in the shootout that sent the Russians to the final. Sergei Bobylev / TASS / Getty ImagesGoalies ruled this tournament. Patrik Rybar's heroic .966 save percentage led Slovakia to the bronze medal. Harri Sateri (.962, 16 saves in the final) backstopped the Finns to their first gold medal in 18 Olympic appearances. Fedotov's save percentage wound up at .943.The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Fedotov in the seventh round in 2015, and they retain his rights as he reportedly eyes a move out of the KHL. The Flyers and Fedotov's agent have initiated contract talks, a source told Philly Hockey Now's Sam Carchidi. If he were to back up Carter Hart next season, he'd become the NHL's tallest goalie ever at 6-foot-8, one inch clear of Mikko Koskinen and Ben Bishop.Finland staged a masterclass Sunday on how to hold a third-period lead. The Finns generated more solid chances in the frame than the Russians had shots (three). They spoiled Fedotov's marvelous week, and they're the champs because of it. Sergei Bobylev / TASS / Getty ImagesSlafkovsky boosted his draft stockEarly in the tournament, Slovakia looked doomed to bow out long before the medal games. The Slovaks let in a combined nine goals against Finland and Sweden in the first four periods of the preliminary round. The only player who showed up was younger than everyone: 17-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky scored Slovakia's three goals against those Nordic powers.Rybar, the third goalie on the Slovak depth chart, drew into action and was close to unbeatable in wins over Latvia, Germany, the United States, and the Swedes. Slafkovsky found the net four times in those games as Slovakia won bronze, the country's first Olympic hockey medal. The kid was the tournament's MVP and its breakout star. Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesSlafkovsky is fast and deft with the puck at 6-foot-3, and his offensive outburst was no fluke. He scored all seven of his goals at even strength, four of them on pinpoint wristers. One was a snapshot that he roofed. On another, he was the first to pounce on a rebound by the crease.There's no recent precedent for what he achieved in Beijing. Before the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Ed Olczyk third overall in 1984, he put up eight Olympic points for the U.S. in Yugoslavia. Rasmus Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in 2018, played fewer than eight minutes for Sweden at the PyeongChang Games. The Canadian equivalent of Slafkovsky's star turn would have been Shane Wright, 2022's top draft prospect, lighting up the event as Claude Julien's most reliable forward.Slafkovsky generally ranks between fourth and eighth in prominent 2022 prospect rankings. Scouts that TSN's Bob McKenzie polled in January slotted him fifth behind Wright, Logan Cooley, Joakim Kemell, and Matthew Savoie. For someone who's barely scored in Finland's top-tier Liiga this season (Slafkovsky has four points in 21 games), producing in Beijing is exactly what he needed to do to maximize his stock.North American youngsters delivered DeFodi Images / Getty ImagesNone of them took over like Slafkovsky, but Canada and the United States' young guns showed what makes them esteemed prospects: Owen Power's puck poise, Mason McTavish's shot, Matty Beniers' dependability in all zones and situations. Jake Sanderson set up dangerous rush chances in his lone Olympic game before getting hurt. No Canadian forward was as creative and slippery off the cycle as Kent Johnson.Regrettably, Julien benched Johnson for much of the third period when Canada lost to Sweden. David Quinn never turned to Beniers as Rybar blanked the U.S. in the quarterfinal shootout. Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty ImagesJack McBain's turnover cost Canada against Sweden, but the prospects generally deserved trust. U.S. forwards Sean Farrell and Brendan Brisson combined to score five goals in Beijing. Brisson and Matt Knies both recorded 13 shots. Defenseman Brock Faber played 24:45 a night. U.S. goalie Drew Commesso, who's eligible to play this summer at the rescheduled world juniors, stopped 53 of the 55 shots he faced against China and Germany.What's next for this cohort? McTavish has already impressed in a nine-game NHL audition. Power and Sanderson are locks to leave college in the next month or two; Beniers and Johnson might be ready to join them in the NHL next season. One dark horse who could make a pro impact soon is Nick Abruzzese, the 22-year-old Harvard captain and 2019 fourth-round draft pick who distributed three primary assists in Beijing.Ho-Sang teased his skillJosh Ho-Sang's career flagged from 2019-21 when he played a mere 31 games between the minors and Sweden. But he found stability with the Toronto Marlies this season, played well enough on an AHL deal to make Canada's Olympic team, and entered the event on the top line. Lintao Zhang / Getty ImagesDid Julien give him a fair shake? Two games in, Ho-Sang's only point was an assist on Mat Robinson's fluke goal, and McBain replaced him on Eric Staal's right wing. Ho-Sang didn't play more than 9:24 the rest of the tournament, even though he recorded a sweet helper against China - his speed on the rush opened a passing lane to Eric O'Dell - and seemed to be the one Canadian in the quarterfinals who could carry the puck into Sweden's zone.After PyeongChang 2018, Cody Goloubef was the only Canadian Olympian who returned for a time to the NHL. It'd be a stretch to say Ho-Sang was a game away from earning his own contract, but the what-if is tantalizing. In place of breaking out in the medal round, his play for the Marlies is what will prompt any NHL interest he receives.NHLers were sorely missed Brian Babineau / NHL / Getty ImagesPyeongChang's Olympic tournament had three attributes that this one lacked: memorable knockout matchups, an underdog finalist, and a twist that distinguished it from past Games.Germany came within an overtime goal of winning gold in 2018. In Beijing, the semis and final were defensive slogs that featured seven goals total. Plus, NHL players staying home wasn't novel anymore.The Europe-based veterans who headlined most rosters put in respectable efforts, but it's the matchup of elite talent that confers magnitude and produces magic. When CNN likened the U.S. beating Canada to the Miracle on Ice, the comparison was silly because the American college kids hadn't toppled any great opponent. Eddie Pasquale has strong KHL stats, but he's not Vladislav Tretiak. Claus Andersen / Getty ImagesNHLers emphasize that the Olympics matter to them. Come 2026, the NHL shouldn't need to reschedule scores of games to February, which would free these players to compete for the first time: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews, Leon Draisaitl, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Jonathan Huberdeau, Artemi Panarin, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Juuse Saros, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Cale Makar, Adam Fox, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Jack Eichel.The list goes on. Watch out for Power, Beniers, and Slafkovsky, too: They'll have a shot to become Olympic vets.Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens netminder Andrew Hammond is looking forward to making his first start in the NHL since 2018 after interim head coach Martin St. Louis confirmed the 34-year-old will take the crease against the New York Islanders on Sunday."I'm through-the-roof excited. Last year was difficult at times, but I think it gave me a good opportunity to get ready for this moment. So when I do play, I feel like I'll be ready," Hammond said during his media availability Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded winger Nick Ritchie and a conditional draft pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, both teams announced Saturday.Arizona will have its choice of the Leafs' third-round pick in 2023 or their second-round selection in 2025.Ritchie hasn't suited up for the Maple Leafs since Jan. 12 and was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate earlier this month. The 26-year-old was never able to take off in Toronto despite seeing playing time on its top line alongside Auston Matthews. The 2014 10th overall pick registered just two goals and seven assists in 33 contests this season.He has one season left on a two-year pact that carries an annual cap hit of $2.5 million.Lyubushkin was listed as a healthy scratch prior to the Coyotes' clash against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. The 27-year-old put up nine assists in 46 games for Arizona this season while averaging 18 minutes a contest. Lyubushkin has a cap hit of $1.35 million and can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 208 pounds, the right-shot defensive blue-liner has racked up 94 hits and 60 blocked shots in 2021-22. He's spent his entire 180-game career in Arizona.Dzingel, 29, has four goals and three assists in 26 contests in a part-time role with the Coyotes this campaign. The versatile center can add depth to the Maple Leafs' forward corps. Dzingel can also become an unrestricted free agent after playing out the remainder of this season on a $1.1-million cap hit.There was no salary retained on either side of the deal, but the Leafs will need to send a player to the AHL on Sunday to be cap compliant, according to TSN's Chris Johnston.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi will miss approximately the next four weeks with a lower-body injury, head coach Jay Woodcroft said Friday.Puljujarvi was hurt during a 7-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.The 23-year-old tied the game 7:26 into the second period with his 12th goal of the season before exiting just over three minutes later.Puljujarvi was in the midst of a career campaign in his fifth year with Edmonton. The winger produced 16 assists to go along with his dozen markers through 46 games. He's already set a new personal best in the NHL with 28 points this season, and he's three goals shy of tying his career-high in that regard.The Oilers' fourth overall pick in 2016 has frequently skated alongside Connor McDavid on the team's top line in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Adam Brooks' second stint in Toronto was a short one.The Winnipeg Jets claimed the forward off waivers from the Maple Leafs on Friday.It's the fourth time this season Brooks has been picked up off waivers. The Leafs had just claimed him Wednesday from the Vegas Golden Knights, who claimed him in November from the Montreal Canadiens, who claimed him in October from the Leafs.Brooks, 25, has registered six goals and five assists in 29 career NHL games.The Winnipeg native will provide the Jets with depth up front as they deal with injuries. Interim coach Dave Lowry said both Andrew Copp and Cole Perfetti are at least day-to-day with upper-body ailments, while Nikolaj Ehlers isn't close to returning from an MCL sprain, per team reporter Mitchell Clinton.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The concept of "never again" is usually a bad idea in sports betting - adding a team to the No Bet List should either be your first or last resort.Banishing a club from your card should be a last choice because every side has value at a certain price. In point spread-centric sports, it's a lot easier to keep teams off the No Bet List since those awful squads aren't required to win or even keep the game close. In moneyline-centric sports like hockey, it doesn't matter if a team is +800 if they never win.However, the better usage of the No Bet List is as a first resort. You see something that makes you steer clear from a side as early as possible and dare them to prove you wrong by winning without letting them shrink your bankroll.One silver lining about this tumultuous NHL season - during which lineups have become exponentially jumbled in ways we've never quite seen before - is that the clubs you'd want to steer clear of were obvious before the campaign started.The Arizona Coyotes made it clear early they were not going to be competitive this season. The Montreal Canadiens didn't intend to be bad this year, but with the key veterans from their run to the Stanley Cup Final missing before the first puck even dropped, the signs for a down campaign were certainly there. In handicapping-speak, both sides' "priors" wouldn't be trustworthy.Now that teams are crossing the 50-game mark on their schedules, and we've moved to a 60-40 split with weight towards this season's metrics, our ratings are catching up to how bad both squads are. The other 30 clubs are fair game, though, whether it's finding value with the Stars (+220) at the Avalanche or the Oilers (-220) as a better-than-fair favorite at home over the Ducks. Even the Coyotes have won two of their last five, and the Canadiens (+250) scored a dramatic upset win on Thursday.The recipeBefore the campaign, we provided a three-chapter series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.Two months ago, I posted my 2021-22 campaign ratings that use the metrics I deem important to predict future success. Considering the forced and longer-than-usual break the NHL had over the holidays, we'll use an even 50-50 split between those ratings and the pre-season priors via the regular-season point-total markets.The cheat sheetThe following includes my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I would need to bet either side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team that's more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. On games that I have projected will be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make it a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% for without travel.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETFeb. 18NSH@CAR+122/-122NSH +144/CAR -117FLA@MIN-111/+111FLA -106/MIN +130DAL@CHI-108/+108DAL +102/CHI +119LAK@VGK+147/-147LAK +175/VGK -141Feb. 19COL@BUF-165/+165COL -158/BUF +196EDM@WPG-118/+118EDM -113/WPG +139BOS@OTT-131/+131BOS -126/OTT +155STL@TOR+141/-141STL +167/TOR -135LAK@ARI-128/+128LAK -122/ARI +150ANA@VAN+168/-168ANA +201/VAN -161SEA@CGY+141/-141SEA +167/CGY -136Feb. 20CAR@PIT+122/-122CAR +144/PIT -117MTL@NYI+169/-169MTL +201/NYI -162FLA@CHI-138/+138FLA -132/CHI +162NYR@OTT-121/+121NYR -117/OTT +143BUF@CBJ+145/-145BUF +172/CBJ -139DAL@ARI-135/+135DAL -130/ARI +160VGK@SJS-119/+119VGK -114/SJS +140MIN@EDM+111/-111MIN +122/EDM +100Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there’s a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens are bringing in another Tampa Bay Lightning icon less than two weeks after naming Martin St. Louis head coach.Vincent Lecavalier is the club's new special advisor to hockey operations, while Nick Bobrov will serve as co-director of amateur scouting along with Martin Lapointe, who already occupied that role in addition to director of player personnel.Lecavalier excelled over a 17-year playing career spent primarily with the Lightning. The Quebec-born forward notched 421 goals and 528 assists over 1,212 games, helping Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup in 2004. Lecavalier won the "Rocket" Richard Trophy three years later after posting a career-high 52 goals in 2006-07.The 41-year-old hung up his skates in 2016, and the Lightning retired his number in 2018. Lecavalier remains Tampa Bay's all-time leader in games played, ranks second in both goals and assists, and sits third in points in franchise history. He captained the team from 2008-13 after doing so in 2000-01 and sharing the "C" in the previous campaign.Lecavalier and St. Louis were Lightning teammates for 12 seasons. The newer member of the Canadiens was a longtime client of Kent Hughes, the ex-agent who Montreal recently hired as general manager.Bobrov was the New York Rangers' director of European scouting from 2015-21 and served the same role with the Boston Bruins from 2001-06. Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton worked with Bobrov in both of the latter's previous stops. Montreal hired Gorton in November on the same day as former GM Marc Bergevin's firing.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What a week it's been for best bets. We've put together three consecutive 2-0 nights, which we'll look to build on as we head into the weekend.Let's get right to the plays.Predators (+145) @ Hurricanes (-175)

Well, that was anticlimactic.Jack Eichel may have flashed his elite skating and playmaking abilities Wednesday in a 17-minute debut for the Vegas Golden Knights, but overall, his performance was underwhelming. The former Buffalo Sabres star center recorded one shot on goal, won eight of 19 draws, took two penalties, and was on the ice for one of Colorado's goals in a 2-0 loss.Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters postgame that it was a "great first step" for Eichel, who's jumping onto a moving train following a nearly year-long layoff. DeBoer's not wrong, Eichel will be fine in time. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesOf course, the more interesting part of Eichel's debut was the manner in which he was activated off long-term injured reserve (LTIR). Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday that captain and presumed Eichel linemate Mark Stone and his $9.5-million salary-cap hit would be placed on LTIR, freeing more than enough space to fit Eichel's $10 million.Stone, who missed time earlier this season, is dealing with a nagging back problem. Yet the convenient timing of his move to LTIR raised more than a few conspiratorial eyebrows across the hockey world. Similar to Patrick Kane and Nikita Kucherov in 2015 and 2021, respectively, Stone could potentially be reinserted into the lineup for the first game of the playoffs, where teams can exceed the limit because there's no postseason salary cap.(It's also possible Stone returns prior to the playoffs, which would force Vegas to shed salary ahead of the March 21 trade deadline. McCrimmon has said Stone's recovery timeline is currently "impossible to predict.") Jeff Bottari / Getty ImagesI poked around a bit this week to see if rival team executives were irked by what appears on the surface to be another convenient LTIR situation.The consensus view from a few conversations: The 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks, 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning, and (perhaps) the 2021-22 Golden Knights aren't doing anything egregious. LTIR rules, which were agreed upon by the NHL and NHLPA in collective bargaining, allow this kind of maneuvering given the player is, in fact, injured. Clubs are just finding a competitive advantage within the CBA's scope."I know the league is making sure teams aren't abusing their LTIR - and I don't think anyone's abusing it, to be clear - but it's a loophole and teams are jumping through it," one executive said. "It sort of is what it is.""Someday it might be us," the exec said, laughing."Look," a second executive said, "if the Leafs traded for a really good player and Auston Matthews got hurt and they shut him down for three months and brought him back for the playoffs, so be it. There's a level playing field here."If anyone has an issue with what's going on, fingers should be pointing at the NHL and the players' union, not the teams. Besides, if enough influential people started voicing their displeasure behind the scenes, the league could theoretically rewrite the LTIR rules to punish a team for exploiting this loophole by, say, not allowing the injured player to compete in the first game or two of the playoffs."They can definitely amend it with the players' consent," the first exec noted. "I've always thought a good solution is to just put in some kind of penalty."Or, as the second exec pointed out, let teams continue to do the LTIR dance as is. There's no guarantee it'll work out, anyway. Vegas, for instance, is not only without its No. 1 winger for an extended period but is also unable to test out a line of Eichel-Stone-Max Pacioretty until, potentially, the playoffs."Yeah, you're benefiting from the salary cap, and so on and so forth, but you're also hurting your team," the second exec said.Wild's quiet dominance David Berding / Getty ImagesSix teams currently boast a points percentage of .700 or higher, and five of them (Colorado, Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Toronto) are generating plenty of buzz as legitimate Stanley Cup front-runners.Minnesota - the other .700 team - has been, from my observations, mainly labeled a fringe contender. It's a bit unfair, although the disconnect may be as simple as this: The Wild's biggest strength is their depth, and depth isn't sexy.Kirill Kaprizov is the Wild's lone star attraction, with the crafty Russian winger tied for seventh in league scoring with 59 points in 44 contests. Yet, since another 11 Wild skaters have points-per-game rates of 0.50 or higher, Minnesota owns the third-best offense as measured by goals per game (3.8).Dean Evason's team comes at the opposition in waves."We want to be an aggressive team, a team that's attacking at all times and on the right side of the puck at all times," captain Jared Spurgeon said in an interview earlier this week. "Having that depth definitely helps keep us fresh. Guys can go over the boards feeling like they're really able to attack, attack." Bruce Kluckhohn / Getty ImagesSix players have already reached double digits in goals - Kaprizov (22), Ryan Hartman (19), Marcus Foligno (17), Joel Eriksson Ek (15), Mats Zuccarello (15), and Kevin Fiala (14). Matt Boldy has dealt with multiple injuries in his rookie season but is close to joining the list; in 14 games, the rangy winger has pitched in seven goals (including a hat trick Monday) and seven assists."He's pretty special," Spurgeon said of Boldy. "Just the way he can shield the puck from opponents and the vision he has on the ice - not just passing-wise and how he can create for his linemates, but he also has a great shot.""For being 20 years old, Bolds is so mature and so calm and cool with the puck," the blue-liner added. "He's very confident in his skill set, but at the same time, he's just out there having fun, making plays. He's been awesome."The depth extends to other areas. Ice time is split fairly evenly between the top two defensive pairings, and between the pipes, starter Cam Talbot (29 starts) is sharing the workload with the promising Kaapo Kahkonen (16).Amazingly, the Wild have had only one extended losing streak all season, dropping five straight games from Dec. 11 to Jan. 1, despite playing in a competitive Central Division."We have a mature group, and we know what we need to fix. So the next night we try to get back to our game," said Spurgeon, the longest-tenured Wild player. "It's the maturity of the group and the depth that we have at all positions."You can say that again.3 stunning Habs stats Minas Panagiotakis / Getty ImagesThe Montreal Canadiens have earned 25 points in 49 games for a .255 points percentage, the lowest rate since the salary cap was introduced in 2005-06.The Habs' results thus far have been worse than the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings (.275) and 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche (.293). They're even well behind this year's so-obviously tanking Arizona Coyotes (.292). Trades made ahead of the March 21 deadline (like Tyler Toffoli earlier this week) will do nothing to help the on-ice product in Montreal.Extreme winning/losing tends to bring out stunning stats. Here's a few:The Canadiens have lost by three or more goals 23 times. In 2022 alone, they've lost 14 of their 16 games - eight of them by three or more goals, including blowouts of 8-2, 7-2, and 7-1. Sad and demoralizing.Montreal is the only team without a player in the top 100 in scoring. Nick Suzuki is tied for 126th (28 points). Toffoli, who's now with Calgary, is tied for 142nd (27). Jonathan Drouin and Artturi Lehkonen are both tied for 227th (20).The Habs have a five-on-five expected goals against per 60 minutes rate of 2.81. In other words, not only are they losing often, and by a lot, but they're also getting destroyed territorially. Since shot-based metrics started being tracked in 2007-08, only the 2010-11 Islanders (2.84) and 2012-13 Hurricanes (2.82) have recorded worse five-on-five xGA/60 rates, according to Evolving Hockey.Parting thoughtsOld guard: What a week for dudes over 30. Drew Doughty, 32, played in his 1,000th game. Sidney Crosby, 34, became the 46th player in NHL history to reach 500 goals. Alex Ovechkin, 36, scored his 30th and 31st of the season to stay in the hunt for the "Rocket" Richard and Hart trophies. And Jaromir Jagr, who turned 50 on Tuesday, laced up in Czechia's top pro league.

Thursday was yet another winning day for our props. While Nick Suzuki didn't get the job done, Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane did, pushing our record this week to 6-2.We'll look to continue our success as we comb through the best values for Friday's four-game slate.Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+105)Another day, another Aleksander Barkov shot prop. He's been absolutely lethal of late, recording at least four shots in eight of his last nine games. Barkov has hit against the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, so it's not like he's just beating up on bad teams.His recent success should carry into Friday. The Minnesota Wild are a strong team, but they're not bulletproof, especially when it comes to preventing shots. They sit 21st in shots against over the last 10 games.What adds to Barkov's appeal is how badly Minnesota has struggled to limit opposing centers' shots. Only five teams have given up more per game to the position.I'm happy to take my chances with Barkov at plus money.Joel Eriksson Ek over 2.5 shots (-125)Joel Eriksson Ek is a machine on home ice. He's registered 39 shots over his last 10 games in Minnesota and gone over the number (2.5) in eight of his last nine. But Eriksson Ek isn't just grinding out wins; he's picking them up with room to spare. He's registered four shots or more in seven of the last nine and averaged 4.4 per game over the last five.The Florida Panthers, like Minnesota, are a strong squad, but they also give up plenty of volume to opposing centers. Only seven teams concede more shots per game against centers.Given Florida's struggles with the position and Eriksson Ek's insane volume on home ice, this line feels too soft.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin believes Toronto's future is bright despite a slew of early exits in the postseason."The playoff success is going to come. Let these players mature and also lose a couple times in the playoffs," the Hall of Famer said on Sportsnet's "The FAN Morning Show" Thursday. "They'll learn how to be successful and start winning in the postseason as well."The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since 2004, when Sundin still played for the club. The squad ousted the Ottawa Senators in a seven-game series that year before being eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinals.Toronto has gotten chances to break the cold spell as of late, but the team has failed to make it past the first round in its last six postseason appearances. The Leafs didn't even touch the opening round in the 2020 playoff bubble after the Columbus Blue Jackets eliminated them in the qualifying round.Sundin, who captained the Leafs from 1997-2008, understands the harsh spotlight of playing in Toronto and the pressure fans put on players to succeed, but he isn’t pushing the panic button on the team."I wouldn't trade the core of the Toronto Maple Leafs for any other core around the league," he said. "The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have chances to win a championship in the next 10 years, 15 years by (continuing to) keep building and keep improving."He added, "I'm very, very optimistic of what management of the Toronto Maple Leafs has done to build this young core of great players."Sundin also noted the Maple Leafs' depth has a certain championship pedigree."It's fantastic to see Auston (Matthews) and Mitch Marner and (John) Tavares and (William) Nylander," he said. "Toronto has what all great franchises that have won championships in the past (had). There's a great balance in the roster."Sundin is still the franchise's all-time leading scorer with 420 goals in 981 games, but the 51-year-old said he's rooting for Matthews to break his record "as soon as possible." The reigning Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner has 231 goals in 377 career contests.The Maple Leafs currently sit in third place in the throes of a strong Atlantic Division with a 31-12-3 record.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Women's hockey will be in great shape when the Olympic final, for the first time ever, excludes both Canada and the United States. Until then, they'll keep playing instant classics.Canada withstood the United States' furious third-period charge to win the gold medal in Beijing on Thursday, the country's fifth in seven tries. Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice in the 3-2 victory to prolong an immaculate streak: The Canadian captain has sniped the golden goal in every Olympic title game she's won. Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 38 American shots, and Canada mobbed her when the buzzer sounded at 1:23 a.m. ET.Amanda Kessel's power-play goal with 12.5 seconds left almost sparked an epic American comeback, but the U.S. couldn't surmount the three-goal lead that Poulin's line built early. Sarah Nurse opened the scoring and, on a second-period rush, assisted Poulin's dexterous finish from a sharp angle. That was Nurse's 18th point of the tournament, eclipsing Hayley Wickenheiser's Olympic record (17) that Poulin matched on the same play.This Canadian team scored at will in China. It might be the best that's ever graced Olympic ice, avenging the Americans' golden shootout win from 2018 at the end of a chaotic quadrennial. Sergei Bobylev / TASS / Getty ImagesDuring the four-year cycle that led into Beijing, Canada's women's pro league folded, and members of both national teams left the top U.S. league in response. They formed the traveling Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, which holds weekend showcase tournaments when COVID-19 permits. They want to see a new league created that, most crucially, would pay players a living wage.As the national teams geared up for Beijing, they kept playing barn burners. Canada beat the U.S. 3-2 in overtime in the 2021 world championship final, and at the end of six Olympic tuneup games this past fall, Canada led by a combined score of 13-11. Desbiens made 51 saves in their first Olympic encounter last week, a 4-2 Canadian win.That was either squad's only close game until Thursday. Between Group A play and the knockout stage, Canada outshot opponents that weren't the U.S. 284-80 and outscored them 50-6. The Americans outscored non-Canadian teams 26-4. Programs that used to challenge them couldn't keep up. Elsa / Getty Images Elsa / Getty ImagesOne culprit was Finland, which suffered worse defeats than expected en route to winning the bronze medal. Canada thumped the Finns 11-1 after star goalie Noora Raty was omitted from the roster, reportedly because Finland's coaches thought she shouldn't start and wouldn't be a suitable backup. That decision wrongfooted Finland, while Sweden, the Olympic silver medallist in 2006, slumped to an all-time worst eighth-place finish.That neck of the standings produced some happier stories. China entered the Olympics ranked 20th in the world but stunned Denmark and Japan on home ice. In the Czech Republic's Olympic debut, it beat China and Sweden and held the U.S. to four quarterfinal goals, riding Klara Peslarova and her sublime .945 save percentage. Almost every game in Group B, the tournament's second tier, was decided by one or two goals.Dismayed by Group A's imbalance, Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno wrote that the Olympics should drop women's hockey. People around the sport mounted a counterargument: To make the sport more competitive, invest in it, don't kneecap it. Responding to DiManno in the Star, PWHPA consultant Jayna Hefford and women's hockey builder Allyson Fox called for more national federations to fund their teams adequately, like Canada and the U.S. do. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesThe conversation calls for historical context. The 2022 Olympics were the seventh Games to feature women's hockey. Back in 1952, the seventh Olympic men's tournament featured these lopsided scores:

When Eric Staal and Josh Ho-Sang left the AHL to play for Canada at these Olympics, people wondered if NHL contracts would await them on their return. Most Olympic teams entered the tournament with a guy or three in this position - the veteran minor leaguer or overseas pro who has the remote chance to impress a GM.Other Olympians know where their careers are trending. This year, the U.S. and Canada combined to send 18 NHL prospects to Beijing. Eight of them are teenagers.Both countries lost in the quarterfinals, but these players mostly shone en route. Prospects led the U.S. in scoring (Sean Farrell), shots on net (Brendan Brisson and Matthew Knies), and ice time (Brock Faber among defensemen, Matty Beniers up front). Owen Power logged major minutes for Canada. Kent Johnson racked up five points.Brock Faber. Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty ImagesMason McTavish (center). DeFodi Images / Getty ImagesThis used to be a hockey tradition: standout college and junior players, plus Europeans of the same age, foreshadowing at the Olympics that they'd produce in the NHL. That stopped when established NHLers overran the tournament, but PyeongChang 2018 revived the trend.Canada's youngest 2018 Olympian was 25 years old, but college recruits Ryan Donato and Troy Terry brightened the U.S. team's seventh-place performance. Donato scored five goals in as many contests, while Terry dished four assists in two knockout games alone. Donato debuted in the NHL the next month, while Terry's torrid offensive start to this season earned him an All-Star nod.Troy Terry in 2018. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesThe European Olympians who leaped to the NHL range from Miro Heiskanen and Rasmus Dahlin (All-Star defensemen) to Eeli Tolvanen and Dominik Kubalik (complementary forwards) to the young core of the 2018 gold-medal Russian team. Vladislav Gavrikov played 23:17 in the final; Artem Zub assisted on the last-minute, game-tying marker; Kirill Kaprizov's fifth goal in PyeongChang clinched gold in overtime, and now he's top 10 in NHL scoring.Their rise to prominence mirrored what happened in 1994, back when the NHL had never gone to the Games.Slovakian prospect Zigmund Palffy led all scorers at those Olympics with 10 points, while his 19-year-old teammate, Miroslav Satan, bagged nine goals. Finland's great young trio - Jere Lehtinen, Saku Koivu, and Sami Kapanen - left for the NHL in 1995. Peter Forsberg was 20 when he popularized his namesake shootout move in the Olympic final. Soon-to-be NHL goalie Tommy Salo stoned Paul Kariya's next attempt to win Sweden the gold.Kariya, a college superstar and Canada's top Olympic scorer at 19 years old, shook off the loss and, like Forsberg, eclipsed 100 points as an NHL sophomore in 1995-96. Some of his '94 teammates and American opponents, including Adrian Aucoin, Todd Marchant, and Brian Rolston, stuck in the NHL for almost 20 seasons.1992's precocious Olympians hailed from all over. Finland's Teemu Selanne sniped 76 goals as a rookie in '93. Canada's Eric Lindros won the Hart Trophy in '95. The U.S.' Keith Tkachuk became a 500-goal scorer. Czech forward Robert Lang and Poland's Mariusz Czerkawski became NHL All-Stars. The Unified Team won gold, then sent to the NHL a slew of under-22 standouts: Alexei Kovalev, Alexei Zhamnov, Alexei Zhitnik, Sergei Zubov, Dmitri Yushkevich, and Darius Kasparaitis.Eric Lindros in 1992. Graig Abel / Getty Images The 1988 Olympics teed up the NHL debuts of Brian Leetch, Kevin Stevens, Mike Richter, Dominik Hasek, Alex Mogilny, Teppo Numminen, and Jyrki Lumme. Budding stars in 1984 included Pat Lafontaine (the U.S.' top scorer as an 18-year-old), Chris Chelios, Russ Courtnall, Kevin Dineen, and Tomas Sandstrom. Three Canadian or U.S. Olympians - Kirk Muller, Ed Olczyk, and Al Iafrate - were drafted at Nos. 2-4 in '84 behind Mario Lemieux.1980 is remembered for the Miracle on Ice, but Lake Placid's Olympics doubled as a stepping stone to the NHL for:

Thanks to the Panthers and Flames, we had another 2-0 night with our best bets.Let's dive into tonight's plays as we look to make it three perfect days in a row.Blue Jackets (+130) @ Blackhawks (-140)This game has fireworks written all over it. The Blackhawks and Blue Jackets are among the worst defensive teams in the league, whether you measure by shots, chances, or goals against. They've been disastrous of late as well.Over the last 10 games, Chicago has allowed shot attempts at the highest rate in the NHL. Columbus isn't far behind, slotting 29th in that time.Unsurprisingly, that insane shot volume has led to plenty of goals. The Blue Jackets have conceded 41 goals over the last 10, while the Blackhawks have allowed 37. Both rank bottom-six over that span.Based on the goaltending matchup in this game, I'd expect the goals to continue flowing.Elvis Merzlikins has been a disaster in 2022, owning an .891 save percentage since the calendar flipped.On the other side, Arvid Soderblom will start for Chicago. He's a decent prospect but has struggled in limited NHL time, posting an .881 save percentage through his first couple of appearances. I don't see him holding up with the workload the Blackhawks put on their netminders.I expect both teams to score their fair share in this one.Bet: Over 6 (-120)Capitals (-190) @ Flyers (+155)The Flyers are a complete disaster, winning just two of their last 10 games. And quite frankly, those results are deserved.In part due to key injuries, they can't generate a lick of offense. They're averaging just 48.72 shot attempts per 60 at five-on-five over the last 10 games, good for 29th in the NHL. It's not like they're choosing quality over quantity, either, as they sit 27th in chances per 60. Philadelphia isn't generating shots or chances at a high clip.The Flyers' defense also isn't good, and their goaltending is even worse when Martin Jones is between the pipes, which happens to be the case tonight. He has conceded at least three goals in seven of his last eight starts and owns an .890 save percentage since mid-November.Although the Capitals have dealt with plenty of injuries and spun their wheels a little bit of late, they're still a good team - as they showed last time out in Nashville.Look for them to pick up another win inside 60 minutes.Bet: Capitals in regulation (-120)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Shot props have been very good to us this campaign. With Alex Pietrangelo and Aleksander Barkov hitting on Wednesday night, our record sits at 4-1 this week.We'll aim to keep the good times going with three plays for tonight's slate.Dylan Larkin over 2.5 shots (-134)Dylan Larkin is the Detroit Red Wings' most consistent shot generator, leading the team in both attempts and shots on goal this season - and by wide margins. If we zoom in and focus on the last 10 games, he still finds himself on top. Simply put, Larkin's taking a lot of shots.Tonight Larkin finds himself in a sneaky good spot against the New York Rangers. While the Rangers are a good squad, they give up a lot of shot volume, especially to centers. Believe it or not, only the Montreal Canadiens concede more shots to the position on a per game basis.Larkin should have plenty of looks at the net in this contest.Nick Suzuki over 2.5 shots (+110)It's no secret Martin St. Louis would rather have Habs players make their own reads with the puck than take away their creativity and box them into a system, which figures to benefit skilled players like Nick Suzuki. The early returns suggest as much, with Suzuki piling up 11 shots on goal and seven scoring chances through three games.The St. Louis Blues allow more shots to the center position than all but Montreal and New York, so Suzuki finds himself in a strong spot to keep the shot volume trending upwards.Patrick Kane over 3.5 shots (+105)Patrick Kane lives for home games. The winger has averaged a whopping 4.1 shots on goal per game in Chicago for the Blackhawks this campaign, including 4.6 over his last five. Kane is a legitimate threat to hit four shots every single night regardless of matchup, and he just so happens to have a very good one tonight.The Columbus Blue Jackets bleed shots more than most other clubs, and their numbers are progressively getting worse. The Blue Jackets have allowed 35.58 shots per 60 minutes over the last 10 games at five-on-five - only the Canadiens have conceded more. Columbus is also bottom-eight in suppressing shots on the penalty kill over that span. Be it at five-on-five or on the power play, Kane should routinely find himself in good positions to shoot.Priced at less than a coin flip, I love backing Kane at home in this spot.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The IIHF is rescheduling two canceled marquee international hockey events.The 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship, which was canceled in December in the middle of the round robin due to COVID-19, will be played in mid-August in Alberta, IIHF president Luc Tardif said Thursday.It'll be a new competition, so any results from games played in December will be forgotten. Countries will be allowed to select new rosters, and the age requirements will be the same as in the original tournament."We are talking with all participants and are negotiating on details," Tardif said. "It will be after the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It will be a hockey festival, and the teams are excited to do it."The 2022 U18 Women's World Championship, which was scheduled to take place in Sweden in January, was also canceled due to COVID-19. It'll be played in June somewhere "north of the USA," Tardif said.Discussions with potential hosts are ongoing. The cities and dates will be announced later once confirmed with the hosts and participating nations, Tardif added. Sweden will instead host the 2023 tournament.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada is golden once again.The Canadian women defeated their Team USA rivals 3-2 in Thursday's gold medal clash. This marks the fifth time in the last six Olympics that Canada has taken home the gold, losing to the Americans last time around in 2018.Canada appeared to open the scoring early in the first period but the goal was called back after a coach's challenge determined the play offside. Minutes later, Sarah Nurse got Canada on the board. Marie-Phillip Poulin added another tally to give the Canadians a 2-0 edge at the end of the first.Poulin picked things up where she left off in the second, burying a tough rebound to put Canada up 3-0. With an assist on the goal, Nurse broke Hayley Wickenheiser's Olympic single-tournament record with her 18th point in Beijing. Hilary Knight finally got the Americans on the board with a shorthanded goal late in the second.The third didn't provide much until the dying seconds when the Americans managed to score a power-play marker to pull within one. It ended up being too little too late as Canada hung on for the win.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks are interested in Toronto Raptors vice president of basketball operations and player development Teresa Resch for the team's vacant general manager position, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The Blackhawks indicated they would look outside the hockey world for options when they started searching for a new GM. The club recently confirmed that it interviewed Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg.Resch was one of Raptors president Masai Ujiri's first hires when he joined the organization in 2013. She previously worked in the NBA's head office.The Blackhawks have already interviewed several candidates for the GM position, including interim GM Kyle Davidson, Peter Chiarelli, Mathieu Darche, Scott Mellanby, and Eric Tulsky.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Adam Brooks is back with the Toronto Maple Leafs.The Leafs claimed the 25-year-old forward off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, according to CapFriendly.It marks the third time this season Brooks has been claimed off waivers. The Montreal Canadiens initially claimed him from Toronto at the start of the season. Vegas then scooped him up from Montreal in November.Brooks has registered two goals and one assist in 11 games this season split between the Habs and Knights. He tallied four goals and four helpers in 18 contests in a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs during the previous two campaigns.Toronto selected Brooks in the fourth round of the 2016 draft.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Marc-Andre Fleury's immediate future is a significant storyline ahead of the NHL trade deadline, but he shed some light on his long-term thinking Wednesday."I don't have that much left. So (I'll) enjoy this season and hopefully next season again and then after that, we'll see," the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender said, according to NBC Sports Chicago's Charlie Roumeliotis.The 37-year-old pending unrestricted free agent would be one of the biggest names available if he consents to being dealt ahead of the frenzy on March 21. Fleury made it clear Wednesday he hasn't decided on his plans in that regard, but he added he'd prefer to play for a contender if it comes to that.

Team Canada is going home.Sweden narrowly defeated the Canadians 2-0 in the men's hockey quarterfinals Wednesday. Lucas Wallmark scored the late game-winner off a Team Canada turnover before Sweden added an empty-netter.Wallmark intercepted a drop pass Canadian forward Jack McBain attempted at his own blue line midway through the third period. The Swede then fired a shot that deflected off defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon's stick and over goaltender Matt Tomkins' shoulder.Anton Lander added the empty-net goal for insurance.Lars Johansson wasn't tested much between the pipes for the Swedes, but he was stellar when called upon, stopping all 20 shots he faced in the victory.Tre Kronor will face the Russian Olympic Committee in the semifinals.It will be an all-European final four, as Team USA was eliminated earlier Wednesday in a stunning shootout upset against Team Slovakia. The Slovaks will face Finland in the other semifinal.Canada hasn't won a gold medal in a men's Olympic hockey tournament that didn't feature NHLers since the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Norway. This also marks the first time since Turin 2006 that Canada won't come home with a medal of any kind.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The best bets were good to us on Tuesday night. The Blues picked up a multi-goal regulation win against the Senators, while the Stars and Avalanche gave us a relatively sweat-free under, combining for five goals in a game with a 6.5 total.We'll aim for another 2-0 night with our best bets.Panthers (-105) @ Hurricanes (-115)This game is going to be incredible. By all accounts, we're looking at two of the best teams in the NHL. The Panthers and Hurricanes are tied for second in wins (32) and sit among the league leaders in several key underlying metrics.There isn't much separating the two, but I have to give the edge to Florida.At five-on-five, no team has controlled a larger share of the shot attempts or goals than the Panthers. They rank a tad lower (third) in expected goals, but they remain slightly ahead of the Hurricanes in that category as well.Florida should hold at least a slight advantage during five-on-five play. While the top half of the two sides should essentially cancel each other out, I like the Panthers' depth a little more.Florida also figures to have an edge in terms of team discipline. Only the Predators have spent more time killing penalties than the Hurricanes this season.Carolina is an elite team on the penalty kill, but you're playing with fire if you give a team like Florida plenty of power-play opportunities.This should be a back-and-forth affair, and when all is said and done, I expect the Panthers to leave the ice with two points.Bet: Panthers (-105)Ducks (+170) @ Flames (-205)Remember a few weeks ago when the Flames were treading water in the standings? Their underlying process remained remarkably strong and suggested a big breakout was coming. Well, it's here!The Flames have won nine of their last 10 games and are full value for it. They have controlled nearly 61% of the shot attempts and 64% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five. Unsurprisingly, both totals rank first in the NHL by several percentage points.Even in a back-to-back situation, I expect them to heavily dictate play against the Ducks. Anaheim ranks 25th in shot share and 27th in high-danger chance share over the last 10 games.There's always the possibility that John Gibson steals a game. He's played great this season, stopping 10.4 more goals than expected. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the same can be said of Calgary's netminder.The Flames rested Jacob Markstrom on Tuesday night so he'd be available for this divisional clash. As well as Gibson has performed, Markstrom looks even better in terms of goals saved above expectation (+11.4). He might well cancel Gibson out.That's bad news for Anaheim, considering all the edges this Calgary team has elsewhere. The Flames should be able to take care of business inside 60 minutes.Bet: Flames in regulation (-135)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tuesday was a solid night for shot props. Our picks went 2-1, with Jordan Kyrou falling one short of giving us a perfect 3-0 showing.We'll look to build on yesterday's success as we go through the best way to approach tonight's four-game slate.Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+110)Barkov is scorching hot. He's tied for 10th in shot attempts over the last eight games, which unsurprisingly has led to significant shot volume. Barkov has recorded at least four shots on goal in seven of the last eight games. He's firing on all cylinders - literally.While the Hurricanes are a solid shot-suppression team, Barkov appeals to me tonight for a couple of reasons. He tends to see significant workloads (22+ minutes) in close games against quality opponents. For example, he played more than 23 the last time these two met. That's a plus.So, too, is the fact he's skating on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau. The latter is a pass-first player who tends to defer to his linemates to shoot. That shows in Barkov's numbers. Barkov averages more than 17 shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play with Huberdeau. By comparison, that number is just over 11 when Sam Reinhart is on the top line.I think this is a sneaky good spot for Barkov, and I'm happy to back him at plus money.Alex Pietrangelo over 2.5 shots (-112)The Avalanche are a solid defensive team, but they aren't without flaws. They struggle with limiting the involvement of opposing defenders, ranking bottom-10 in shots allowed per game to defensemen.That's good news for Pietrangelo. The veteran blue-liner leads the Golden Knights in shot attempts by nine over the last 10 games. He's generating a lot of shots, and if history is any indication, I expect that to continue tonight.Pietrangelo has at least three shots on goal in nine of the last 10 games against Colorado, falling just one short in the lone exception.With Pietrangelo shooting a lot and the Avalanche struggling to limit shot volume versus defensemen, I expect another active night from him.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators signed defenseman Mark Borowiecki to a one-year, $900,000 extension, the team announced Tuesday.The 32-year-old has skated in 39 games this season, managing two assists while racking up a league-high 103 penalty minutes. He also ranks sixth among all defensemen with 134 hits.The Predators inked Borowiecki to a two-year, $4-million contract as a free agent in 2020. Since the beginning of the 2014-15 season, he ranks third in the NHL in penalty minutes (720), fifth in hits (1,693), and seventh in blocked shots per 60 minutes (6.44).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon poured cold water on the spicy rumor that his team is interested in reuniting with Marc-Andre Fleury."There is absolutely no credence to that rumor at all," McCrimmon told David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review Journal on Tuesday. "I wouldn’t normally speak (officially) on such things, but there will be so much racket about this, it’s important to let people know that’s not going to happen."Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported earlier Tuesday that Vegas had expressed interest in bringing Fleury back into the fold.The report of a potential reunion stemmed from an injury to Vegas' current starting goaltender, Robin Lehner. The team stated that Lehner is dealing with an upper-body injury, but sources told Seravalli that it's a torn labrum in his shoulder and it will eventually require surgery. It's unclear if Lehner can finish the season.Fleury, the former face of the Golden Knights franchise, spent four seasons in Vegas before he was traded to the Blackhawks this past offseason as a cap dump.The 37-year-old veteran is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $7 million. His deal also contains a 10-team no-trade list, per CapFriendly. The Golden Knights are up against the cap, but they could potentially afford Fleury if Lehner's $5-million cap hit is placed on long-term injured reserve.Fleury was reportedly shocked and disappointed by the trade and was initially not interested in playing for Chicago because he didn't want to move his family to an unfamiliar city. He also apparently found out about the trade on Twitter. He eventually decided to join the Blackhawks after taking time to mull his future.The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has posted a stellar .910 save percentage in 36 games this season for a Blackhawks team that sits 14th in the Western Conference standings.Seravalli also reported that Vegas has expressed interest in New York Rangers backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev.The Washington Capitals reportedly looked into acquiring Fleury last month.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers appear interested in bringing back J.T. Miller for a second tour of duty in the Big Apple.New York is among several teams to inquire about the Vancouver Canucks forward, sources told The Athletic's Arthur Staple.Miller, a 2011 first-round pick by the Rangers, spent the first six seasons of his career in New York before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018, along with Ryan McDonagh, in exchange for Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, Vladislav Namestnikov, and a pair of draft picks.The versatile forward, capable of playing both center and wing, has enjoyed the best stretch of his career with the Canucks, who acquired him in 2019. He's averaged 29 goals and 52 assists per 82 games in Vancouver and leads the team with 48 points in 47 contests this season.Miller wouldn't just be a rental, either, as he's signed through next season with a $5.25-million cap hit before becoming an unrestricted free agent, per CapFriendly.The Canucks, who currently sit 13th in the Western Conference in points percentage, are widely expected to be sellers at this year's trade deadline.New York's likeliest trade chip for an impact player is defenseman Nils Lundkvist, sources told Staple. The 2018 first-rounder has been surpassed by Braden Schneider on the right side of the team's blue-line depth chart. Lundkvist has recorded four points in 25 games during his rookie campaign.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators will be without their workhorse defenseman on Tuesday.Thomas Chabot won't play against the St. Louis Blues, head coach D.J. Smith announced Tuesday. Smith said Chabot is still sore from the hit he took from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Sunday.Chabot took two more shifts in the game but didn't play in the final eight minutes of Ottawa's 4-1 win.Smith added that he's hopeful Chabot will be back soon.The 25-year-old leads all NHL skaters in average time on ice (26:51) and has registered three goals and 21 assists in 45 games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a mouth-watering slate to work with tonight, as 18 of the league's 32 sides are in action.Let's waste no time and dive right into our best bets.Stars (+220) @ Avalanche (-270)The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars played in a low-scoring affair just a few days ago. I expect more of the same in tonight's rematch.Colorado receives credit for being an offensive powerhouse - understandably so - but the team's no slouch in the defensive zone. The Avalanche are quite adept at limiting shots and chances.At five-on-five, Colorado ranks fourth in the NHL in scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes over the last 10 games. The franchise also ranks fourth in expected goals against, suggesting this is still a top-end team at limiting dangerous opportunities after weighing the shots and chances conceded.While the Stars lag a little behind the Avalanche in those key defensive metrics, their numbers are impressive on their own. Dallas sits tied for sixth in scoring chances allowed at five-on-five while also slotting top-10 in expected goals against. The Stars don't give up a ton of quality.The previous meeting between the two sides featured just four goals, which is nothing new. Games are generally very uneventful when this pair squares off.Don't believe me? Eight straight contests have gone under the number dating back to 2019, with five combined goals serving as the high.With the kind of firepower Colorado possesses - and the elite top line Dallas can ice - there's always potential for action. However, with the total at 6.5, there is room for this contest to feature plenty of offense and still go under the number.Bet: Under 6.5 (-110)Blues (-205) @ Senators (+170)The Ottawa Senators are not a good squad at the best of times - and these most certainly are not the best of times.Already dealing with the absences of two top-line forwards in Drake Batherson and Josh Norris, Ottawa will now also be without No. 1 defenseman Thomas Chabot. He plays nearly 27 minutes per game for the Sens, and at five-on-five, he's +11 for a team that is -8 in that game state. It's hard to put into words just how valuable he is.I think Ottawa, which allows five-on-five shots at a higher rate than every side in the league, will have a tough time slowing down the St. Louis Blues without Chabot.Scoring might be an issue without Norris and Batherson, too, especially if Ville Husso gets the nod in goal for St. Louis.Husso has legitimately performed at a top-flight level this season. He owns a ridiculous .941 save percentage through 16 appearances, and he leads the NHL in goals saved above expected on a per-game basis.The Blues appear to have clear edges up front, on defense, and in goal. St. Louis should be able to take care of business inside 60 minutes.Bet: Blues in regulation (-135)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have an appetizing nine-game slate to work with, which means there is plenty of value to comb through in the player prop market.Let's break down a few of my favorite shot totals.Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shots (-112)Most star offensive players generate more shots on home soil, where they generally benefit from last change and softer matchups. Mathew Barzal has served as an exception to the rule.He is averaging just 2.1 shots per game at home this season and has gone over 2.5 shots just six times in 20 tries (30%). By comparison, Barzal has generated 2.9 shots per game on the road while hitting his total in 11 of 19 tries (58%) - including eight of the last 11.Barzal is consistently generating high volume on the road and I don't see that changing against the Buffalo Sabres. Put simply, they are a defensive disaster, giving up shots and chances in bulk regardless of the opponent.In fact, no team has conceded more shots on goal than the Sabres (372) over the last 10 games. Look for Barzal to have another productive shooting night.Craig Smith over 2.5 shots (-125)Craig Smith's workload has increased since Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were removed from the lineup.He piled up 11 shots through just three games while going over his shot total in each contest, and he's put together successful nights against Eastern Conference contenders like the Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins.While the New York Rangers are a strong team overall - they have a lethal power play and Igor Shesterkin is arguably the game's best goaltender right now - they do have flaws. For example, they give up a ton of shot volume. Only Ottawa has conceded shot attempts at a higher clip this season.Smith is a shoot-first player seeing more ice time in an advantageous matchup. With Bergeron and Marchand still out of the lineup, I expect he'll take advantage.Jordan Kyrou over 2.5 shots (-139)Jordan Kyrou is the man right now. He leads the St. Louis Blues in shot attempts, shots on goal, and scoring chances over the last 10 games. That has translated to success on the prop market, as he's gone over 2.5 shots on six of the last nine games.I like Kyrou's chances of making it seven in 10 on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. They are a feisty, competitive team, but they can only do so much with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson out of the lineup. The Senators just can't control the puck or prevent shots as well without two of their best players.That shows in the numbers: Ottawa sits 27th in shots against per 60 at five-on-five over the last 10 games.Both sides have consistently played fast-paced, high-event games. There should be plenty of shots to go around, and I expect Kyrou will get his fair share.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tyler Toffoli is heading back out West.The Montreal Canadiens traded the 29-year-old winger to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 fifth-rounder, prospect Emil Heineman, and forward Tyler Pitlick, both teams announced Monday.The 2022 first-round selection is top-10 protected, so if it doesn't convey, the Canadiens will get a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 fourth-round pick.Toffoli was a bright spot for a struggling Montreal team this season with nine goals and 17 assists in 37 games. He led all Canadiens skaters with 44 points in 2020-21 and was a key player during their Stanley Cup Final run."(Toffoli's) a proven scorer in this league. He can touch every part of the game - five-on-five, power play, penalty kill - and with the pedigree that he has, I think he's going to be a great addition to our team," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika."The players have done their job," Treliving added. "It was time for me to do mine, and part of that is giving them some help."Treliving noted that Toffoli would arrive in Calgary by Monday night, but it's up to Flames head coach Darryl Sutter to decide whether Toffoli plays during Calgary's back-to-back set against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks that begins Tuesday.The Ontario native has two campaigns remaining on his deal, which carries a $4.25-million cap hit. He signed the four-year pact with the Habs in 2020 as a free agent.Toffoli has spent the bulk of his career on the West Coast. He played his first seven-plus NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings after they selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft. Toffoli then played the rest of the 2019-20 campaign with Vancouver after being traded to the Canucks.Not only will the sniper shore up the Flames' scoring depth, but he also has experience playing for Sutter. The pair won a Stanley Cup together in 2014 when Sutter coached the Kings.At least one of Toffoli's teammates from his time in L.A. is excited to reunite with him in Calgary. Flames bruiser Milan Lucic, who played with Toffoli on the Kings during the 2015-16 season, expressed his enthusiasm on social media.

It was early March 2021 and, technically, Roman Josi had the day off work.His phone buzzed late in the afternoon, and on the other end of the line was Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes. Given the state of the team, Josi knew the call wouldn't be brief, so he stepped into his backyard, dogs in tow."Things have to change with the team, with you. What can I do to help?" Hynes asked Josi, triggering a nearly hour-long "man-to-man" conversation. John Russell / Getty ImagesAt the time, Nashville had accumulated only 10 wins through two months of the delayed and shortened 2020-21 NHL season. An upcoming eight-game road trip had the potential to derail all hope for a playoff berth.Hynes didn't lecture his captain, and Josi didn't defer to his coach. It was an honest, civil discussion about how the leader of the players and the leader of the coaches would fix the issues underpinning inconsistent play."It was a turning point record-wise, and also a turning point culturally," Hynes said. "It was a conversation that helped us get to a place and level that was going to give us the best chance to be successful."After going 4-3-1 on the trip, the Predators posted a .729 points percentage over their final 24 games to secure the last playoff spot in a temporarily rejigged Central Division. Through 48 games this year, Nashville sits third in the Central. The group has bought into a hard-nosed style of play, Juuse Saros is providing Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending, and Josi has returned to peak form.Ultimately, the Predators go as Josi goes, and the native of Bern, Switzerland, is the first to admit last season was a down year by his standards. The past four months, though, he's been playing arguably the best hockey of his 11-year career.But why the stumble in 2020-21? And how did Josi get his mojo back? Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesJosi and Mattias Ekholm are the Predators' longest-tenured players. Wide-eyed rookies in 2011-12, they've since grown into key roles on Nashville's blue line, inked multiple long-term contract extensions, and become husbands and fathers.Along the way, Josi has adopted a modern approach to his health and wellness, while Ekholm has remained "old school" in his methods."It's funny to see how different you can be in those regards," Ekholm said with a laugh.Josi, described as curious and conscientious by those close to him, has a full menu of holistic practices, starting with mindfulness meditation."It's good for your brain to calm down sometimes. I feel like it helps me in life but also in hockey - to be more calm out there," Josi said, noting that a mental skills coach working for the Predators a few years ago encouraged him to try meditation. He's found 5-10 minutes a day can help ease his mind."I told myself I wanted to give it a try, give it a shot, and not just do it for two or three days and then give up," Josi said. "I stuck with it. It took some time, but after a while, I felt some benefits. Now, it's just a part of my routine."Josi regularly invites chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists into his home for treatment. Sometimes he'll stop by the local cryotherapy clinic on his drive back from the rink. In the offseason, when he can maintain a steadier daily schedule, he likes to track his nutrition, hydration, and sleep.This appetite for mental and physical health optimization is virtually limitless for Josi, who underwent tests at a Chicago neurology clinic this past offseason to better understand how his brain processes the action on the ice."Roman's always (hungry) for more information, trying to stay ahead of the curve," said Judd Moldaver, Josi's agent and an executive vice-president at Wasserman Hockey. "And he's really, really disciplined." John Russell / Getty ImagesThe NHL calendar is usually predictable: training camp in early fall, regular season from fall to early spring, and playoffs from spring to early summer.For the Predators and several other teams, the first offseason of the COVID-19 pandemic ran from August 2020 to January 2021. That meant Josi didn't compete in a meaningful hockey game for 160 days and instead did nothing but train throughout the fall. With his head down but his rhythm out of sync, Josi overextended himself in the gym and at the rink ahead of camp."It was almost like you started skating so early, and then the season got delayed, season got delayed, season got delayed," he recalled. "I put in so much time and energy into it all that I almost lost a bit of that balance of getting enough rest and also training hard."Ian Mack, Josi's personal sports scientist and trainer and the founder of Tomahawk Science, said the uncertainty of the situation complicated matters."That offseason was so funky for so many people," Mack said. "It was a long offseason, but that was also only in hindsight, right? We didn't know it was long in the middle of it. We were like, 'Alright, we need to keep guys ready to play because they might be at camp next Monday.'"Mack noted the skating motion, if repeated too often over a short period, can be "so detrimental" to a player's hips - especially for someone like Josi, who's in his 30s and relies heavily on his elite skating ability. "It was a struggle for a lot of guys," Mack said of the 2020-21 season. "The injury rate was pretty high."Josi missed seven games due to injury and didn't always look his dynamic self when healthy. He was out of sorts on the mental side, as well. After winning the Norris Trophy in 2019-20, his internal expectations went into overdrive."You go into that next season comparing everything to last season. You want to take your game to the next level, and you put a lot of pressure on yourself. I just felt like I didn't meet my own expectations," Josi said. He added that he couldn't break out of that mental spiral for a while, leading to a subpar product on the ice.Hynes didn't fault Josi for the regression. Everything Josi had done in the offseason was in the spirit of bettering himself and, by extension, the team. He hadn't acted recklessly; he simply lost perspective for a stretch."Usually, when you win that type of an award, you had a tremendous year, and a lot of times, everything you did worked out well. Everything you shot went in the net or a lot of the passes you made wound up as productive points," Hynes said. "And then you come in next year, and you're expecting the same. You're expecting to be at that level, and sometimes you just can't get there." John Russell / Getty ImagesVisualization is part of Josi's mental work. Another component is goal-setting. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Josi slapped Post-it notes on various surfaces in his home. They read "NT" - for "Norris Trophy."This past fall, the Post-its were gone, and the annual goals were less specific."Focus on the day-to-day instead of focusing on results," Josi said of his mindset for this season. "Results are good. I need to have goals. But you have to enjoy the whole process, enjoy the everyday. That's the emphasis this year."Josi - who's helped shape the mold for the modern defenseman - is once again contending for the Norris. The field is stacked, with Victor Hedman, Adam Fox, Cale Makar, and Aaron Ekblad all building legitimate cases. Among NHL blue-liners, Josi is tied for first in primary points (32), tied for second in total points (47), and ranks second in goals (13). He's scored or assisted on 32% of the Predators' 149 goals, a better rate than all Norris front-runners except Fox.Josi logs a team-high 25:04 of ice time per game and, quite frankly, is Nashville's catalyst in every sense of the word. He's hugely influential in all three zones, the connective tissue between his five teammates on the ice. He's the rare player who enters the broadcast's frame of play seemingly out of nowhere, turning a two-on-two into a three-on-two on offense and a one-on-two into a two-on-two on defense. His world-class instincts and skating allow him to manage the game, with the flow of a shift often running directly through him."When he's at his best, he's never standing still," Ekholm said. "It doesn't matter if he's in his own end, if he's at the blue line offensively, if he's in the neutral zone - he's constantly moving and changing directions all the time." Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesHynes, who took over as coach in January 2020, has noticed the return of Josi's power and explosiveness this season, as well as an improvement in his decision-making. He trusts Josi more than ever because the no-panic defenseman will backcheck as doggedly as he rushes the puck."It's freedom with responsibility. That's what it is," Hynes said.He continued: "He understands that maybe the rush game isn't there every night. There aren't a lot of gaps, not a lot of free ice today, so how else can he generate it? It might be from offensive-zone play, where he's more active in the (offensive) zone. That's where we think his game is continuing to grow because he's picking his spots better and creating offense in different ways."While Saros may be the Predators' most valuable player this season, Josi is undoubtedly the franchise's most important player of the recent past, present, and future. Last year's funk was never going to throw the veteran off course."He's incredibly talented, works hard, but his mentality seems to be very Teflon. Things kind of slide off of him. Things don't seem to affect him," said retired NHL forward Colin Wilson, a teammate of Josi's from 2011-17."Game in and game out, he has that consistency. You knew what kind of game you were getting with him, and even though you knew, he would also elevate it. That's why he's been so valuable in Nashville all of these years." John Russell / Getty ImagesBack in 2012, Josi escaped to Miami over the All-Star break with countrymen Nino Niederreiter and Mark Streit. The lasting memory from that weekend getaway? Josi accidentally wrecked a hotel-room TV after watching Swiss icon Roger Federer lose to rival Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open semifinal."Roman would never do something to hurt somebody or something. He's always cool," Streit said, chuckling. "But when Roger's playing, he's so emotional. He gets so upset. It was literally a plastic cap from a water bottle. He threw it at the TV. The screen went out, and we couldn't put it back on."A decade later, Josi is fresh off his fourth All-Star appearance and 59 points clear of Streit for most points by a Swiss-born NHLer. Nobody can compete with Federer, but Josi is a "top-three, top-five" Swiss sports celebrity, according to Niederreiter. "Everybody knows where he plays and what he does and how good he is," the Carolina Hurricanes forward said.Nowadays, Josi is as synonymous with Nashville as he is with Switzerland. He's laid down roots in Tennessee with his wife, Ellie. Their son, Luca, turned 1 this past weekend, and they're expecting a baby girl in July. And while high-end defensemen Ryan Suter, Seth Jones, Shea Weber, P.K. Subban, and Ryan Ellis have come and gone, Josi has continued to don a Predators jersey. He's already the team's all-time assist leader, and he's outlasted another face of the franchise in recently retired goalie Pekka Rinne."The torch got passed. He's picked it up and ran with it seamlessly," former teammate and current Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson said of Josi. "I don't know what sums it up best other than to say that he is the Nashville Predators franchise right now." John Russell / Getty ImagesBehind the scenes, Watson said, Josi is as invested as any captain in the league. When Watson was battling substance abuse issues earlier in his career, Josi assumed the role of sounding board and "go-between" for management."Whenever you needed it, he was there to talk," Watson said. "He was always concerned with how I was doing and if he could do anything."Speaking more generally about Josi, Waston added: "There's just so many day-to-day dealings with not just big things but also little things. Are we skating today? What time are the meetings? Do the guys need a break? Do we need to lean on the guys harder? All of those things. There's a responsibility that comes along with wearing the 'C' and being that face of the franchise. It takes a special person to be able to handle all of those things and maintain their level of performance as well, and Jos has been able to do that."As Josi and those close to him now know, even the most talented, most meticulous athletes can lose their mojo and must find a way back to normalcy."Even though he's a 31-year-old guy who's accomplished so much in the league, he's still growing," Hynes said. "He's still growing on the ice, and he's still growing off the ice. The best is still to come for Roman."John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Many mocked the Arizona Coyotes when news broke of the vagabond franchise sharing a 5,000-seat rink with Arizona State for at least the next three seasons, but the club is confident the idea is crazy enough to work."All I can say to those players who have concerns is: I understand it. Because they’re hearing from the outside that, 'This is a college arena,' and 'It's so small,' and 'Do these guys really have a plan?' I can tell you, this is a plan, we have it, and we’re willing to put our capital behind it," Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports."This is a brand-new facility. This isn't putting lipstick on a pig. This is a state-of-the-art, brand-new facility. We are putting in over $25 million to make it to NHL standard."Morgan provided an idea of how the rink, which is still under construction, will look Monday:

It took one week after the All-Star break to make bettors feel better about the NHL. With COVID-19 testing relaxed, rosters have become more reliable on a nightly basis. That's created more valuable bets on underdogs and favorites alike, but it's the big 'dogs that have made the last week the most interesting.Following our moneyline guide last week would have given you a 9-11 record with the 20 teams that showed value. Though that's not a winning record on the scoreboard, the betting account is all that matters. With wins on the Blue Jackets (+210 at Capitals), Senators (+200 vs. Hurricanes), Devils (+220 at Blues), and Canucks (+175 vs. Maple Leafs), our underdog payouts more than made up for the sub-.500 record, pushing us over five units into the black.The recipeBefore the season, we provided a three-chapter series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and how to use that information to create your own moneylines.When the NHL halted play around Christmas, we shared my 2021-22 season ratings, which use the metrics I deem important to predict future success. In light of all the lineup inconsistency across the league this season, we held firm for the next six weeks, using a 50-50 split between those ratings and the preseason priors via the regular-season point-total markets.Since the NHL adjusted its COVID-19 testing policies after the All-Star Game, we've moved to a 60-40 split. We're slowly putting more emphasis on team metrics for this season without going all-in on what's happened, given how many teams have played games with severely mismatched roster strength. With the regular-season calendar stretched until the end of April, we'll maintain that ratio for now.The cheat sheetThe following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I would need to bet either side. I only need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. For games I project to be closer to a coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough for a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for a team on the second leg of a back-to-back without travel.With more than half of the regular season's games in the books, we'll provide this guide twice per week to highlight where the value lies in NHL moneylines. Here's a weeknight look at games played Monday-Thursday this week:DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETFeb. 14DET@MIN+165/-165DET +197/MIN -159TOR@SEA-130/+130TOR -125/SEA +153CHI@WPG+122/-122CHI +144/WPG -117EDM@SJS-125/+125EDM -120/SJS +147Feb. 15BOS@NYR+101/-101BOS +111/NYR +110STL@OTT-110/+110STL -105/OTT +129NYI@BUF-120/+120NYI -115/BUF +141TBL@NJD-117/+117TBL -112/NJD +138PHI@PIT+160/-160PHI +190/PIT -153WSH@NSH-109/+109WSH +102/NSH +120DAL@COL+146/-146DAL +173/COL -140CBJ@CGY+154/-154CBJ +183/CGY -148EDM@LAK+121/-121EDM +142/LAK -116Feb. 16MIN@WPG-118/+118MIN -114/WPG +139FLA@CAR-117/+117FLA -112/CAR +137ANA@CGY+154/-154ANA +182/CGY -147COL@VGK+124/-124COL +146/VGK -119Feb. 17STL@MTL-127/+127STL -122/MTL +150OTT@BUF+132/-132OTT +155/BUF -126PIT@TOR+124/-124PIT +146/TOR -119WSH@PHI-117/+117WSH -113/PHI +138DET@NYR+146/-146DET +173/NYR -140BOS@NYI+101/-101BOS +111/NYI -110SEA@WPG+114/-114SEA +134/WPG -109CBJ@CHI+124/-124CBJ +146/CHI -119ANA@EDM+230/-230ANA +280/EDM -219VAN@SJS+108/-108VAN +120/SJS +102Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The wait for Jack Eichel's Vegas Golden Knights debut is almost over.Eichel will play Wednesday when the Golden Knights take on the Colorado Avalanche, general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced Monday.In a corresponding move, Vegas placed captain Mark Stone on long term injured reserve. Stone has been battling a recurring back injury and was held out of the lineup last Wednesday against the Calgary Flames.McCrimmon said Stone has seen six specialists about the lingering issue, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti."Our number one priority is Mark Stone’s health. It’s clearly not in a place where it needs to be for him to be successful," McCrimmon said."It’s not in a place it needs to be for our team. He’s our captain. The man wears his heart on his sleeve every time he puts on our uniform."McCrimmon added that Eichel has been "well worth" the wait.Eichel's season debut comes just over three months since Vegas acquired the superstar center in a blockbuster deal with the Buffalo Sabres. The 25-year-old hasn't played in an NHL game since last March. He missed the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign due to a herniated disc in his neck.After a contentious breakup with the Sabres, the Golden Knights gave Eichel the go-ahead to receive his preferred surgery to address the issue. He underwent artificial disk replacement surgery shortly after Vegas acquired him and he's spent the last few months covering from the procedure.Eichel slotted in as the Knights' No. 1 center on Monday, just one week after he participated in a full-contact practice for the first time. He'd been skating with his new Vegas teammates since Jan. 11, but the Knights previously held him out of contact drills.

This is the 10th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2021-22 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.In this edition, we highlight one player from each of the league's 32 clubs who need to be better in the unofficial second half.1. Colorado Avalanche (34-8-4)Previous rank: 1stColorado doesn't need to change a thing, but for the sake of this exercise, we'll spotlight Tyson Jost, who's posted a modest 13 points across 46 games. Surely the Avalanche had higher expectations when drafting the 23-year-old 10th overall in 2016.2. Florida Panthers (32-10-5)Previous rank: 2ndSpencer Knight was a popular Calder Trophy pick, but he's recorded a .898 save percentage this season. If he can perform better down the stretch, it'll allow the Panthers to manage Sergei Bobrovsky's workload ahead of the playoffs.3. Tampa Bay Lightning (31-11-6)Previous rank: 4thYou have little to worry about if your backup goalie is the biggest issue as a team. Still, the Lightning likely want to see more than a .902 save percentage from Brian Elliott in his spot starts down the stretch.4. Minnesota Wild (29-11-3)Previous rank: 6thJordan Greenway signed a three-year, $9-million extension in January but only has four goals this season. If he gets going, Minnesota's attack might become unstoppable.5. Carolina Hurricanes (32-11-3) Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 3rdThe Hurricanes have a reputation as a strong defensive team, but they've posted the ninth-worst expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five this campaign. The "shutdown" pairing of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce both rank near the bottom of the league in xGA/60, so we're going with both players.6. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-11-8)Previous rank: 5thEntering the 2021-22 campaign, the Penguins voiced their belief in goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith. Jarry has rebounded from last season's frightful playoff performance, but he'll need more support from his running mate. DeSmith has managed four wins in 11 appearances so far and has scraped by with a .901 save percentage.7. Toronto Maple Leafs (30-12-3)Previous rank: 7thTime is undefeated, and it seems to have caught up to 32-year-old defenseman Jake Muzzin this campaign. The Leafs fail to control over 50% of the shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger goals with the veteran on the ice in all situations. Toronto needs more from Muzzin down the stretch.8. Calgary Flames (26-13-6)Previous rank: 13thSean Monahan is just 27 years old, but instead of being in the prime of his career, he seems to be a shell of his former self. The three-time 30-goal scorer has been demoted to a bottom-six role and has just seven goals in 45 games. The Flames would benefit greatly if he regained his offensive touch.9. New York Rangers (30-13-4)Previous rank: 8thWe'll bend the rules here and pick two players: Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. Both highly-touted youngsters have massively disappointed early in their careers, and the Rangers could use the secondary scoring.10. Vegas Golden Knights (28-17-3) Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 11thRobin Lehner's .907 save percentage would mark his worst since 2014-15 when he was with the Ottawa Senators. With Marc-Andre Fleury gone, there's no fallback option. Lehner needs to be "the guy" for Vegas to have another deep playoff run.11. Boston Bruins (27-16-3)Previous rank: 9thInjuries have significantly set back Nick Foligno over the past year, but he's still managed to play 29 games this season. The veteran forward has only one goal and six assists in those appearances.12. St. Louis Blues (27-14-5)Previous rank: 10thVille Husso has been a vision for the Blues this campaign, and his surprise emergence softens the fact that Jordan Binnington is struggling. Binnington has authored a .898 save percentage across 24 appearances this campaign, but he has time to turn things around before the playoffs.13. Washington Capitals (26-15-9)Previous rank: 12thThe Capitals' power play is operating at just a 15.5% clip this season, ranking 28th in the league. Defenseman John Carlson is typically one of the biggest keys to Washington's success on the man advantage, so he'll have to step up to help the floundering unit find its legs again.14. Nashville Predators (28-16-4)Previous rank: 14thEeli Tolvanen was commonly viewed as one of the world's top prospects a few years ago, but he hasn't found his footing. The 2017 first-round pick has only seven goals in 45 games in his second season as a Predators regular.15. Edmonton Oilers (24-18-3) Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 15thThe Oilers have given up 3.27 goals per game this campaign, putting them among the bottom-10 teams in the league. Injuries have hampered Mike Smith's season, but hopefully, the 39-year-old can step up and give Edmonton more stability to ease the load on the struggling Mikko Koskinen and Stuart Skinner.16. Los Angeles Kings (24-16-7)Previous rank: 17thThe Kings are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, and they'll need more from former captain Dustin Brown if they want to qualify. The 37-year-old is operating at a 0.45 points-per-game clip, his lowest mark since 2015-16.17. Dallas Stars (25-19-2)Previous rank: 18thThe Stars need more out of Alexander Radulov if they hope to make a run at the postseason. The 35-year-old has just two goals in 40 contests this campaign while sporting a $6.25-million cap hit.18. Anaheim Ducks (23-17-9)Previous rank: 16thJakob Silfverberg is the Ducks' third-highest paid skater, but he's scored just three times in 43 games this season. He's signed for two more years, too.19. Vancouver Canucks (22-21-6)Previous rank: 20thElias Pettersson is starting to heat up with 10 points in his last 12 contests. The Canucks need him, at the very least, to stay on that pace for the second half if they hope to have a chance at the playoffs. Even if they don't reach the postseason, Pettersson's growth is crucial to Vancouver's future.20. Winnipeg Jets (20-17-8) Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 21stCaptain Blake Wheeler had two goals heading into the Jets' Saturday night clash against the Predators. Just two. He doubled his season output thanks to a five-point showing against Nashville. Fingers crossed for Winnipeg that he continues to light the lamp.21. Columbus Blue Jackets (23-22-1)Previous rank: 25thThe Blue Jackets will need goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to do better than a .887 save percentage if they want to get anything of value at the trade deadline for the pending unrestricted free agent.22. San Jose Sharks (22-20-4)Previous rank: 22ndAdin Hill has likely played his way out of getting any important starts down the stretch. However, the Sharks probably want to see some signs that the netminder can be relied on after giving up a second-round pick for him in the offseason. In 24 games, Hill owns a .901 save percentage and minus-5.0 goals saved above average.23. Detroit Red Wings (22-21-6)Previous rank: 23rdFilip Zadina needs a strong second half heading into the offseason. The 2018 sixth overall pick has tallied just six goals and nine assists in 47 contests this season.24. New York Islanders (17-19-6)Previous rank: 19thJust about every Islanders forward needs to play better for the club to make a miracle run to the postseason, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau, in particular, needs to put together a second-half surge. The veteran center, who's on the books for $5 million per season, has only 14 points in 40 contests this campaign.25. Ottawa Senators (17-24-4) Steve Babineau / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 27thErik Brannstrom was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade, but he's yet to blossom as an NHLer. He's only recorded a pair of assists in 16 games this season. While points aren't everything for defensemen, some second-half production would be huge for his confidence.26. Chicago Blackhawks (17-24-7)Previous rank: 24thJake McCabe is in the first season of a four-year, $16-million contract, but his expected goals percentage is the second-worst among qualified defensemen this campaign.27. Seattle Kraken (16-28-4)Previous rank: 26thThe Kraken invested heavily in Philipp Grubauer, but the veteran netminder has struggled to the tune of a .887 save percentage. He's played better lately, but Seattle needs him to enter the offseason on a high note considering he's signed for five more years.28. Buffalo Sabres (15-24-8)Previous rank: 28thAnders Bjork was a key piece to the Taylor Hall trade last season, but he hasn't done much to show his long-term worth to the Sabres. Perhaps a strong second half will increase his value in the eyes of Buffalo's front office, and it shouldn't be hard to out-produce the six points he's registered in 42 games thus far.29. New Jersey Devils (17-27-5)Previous rank: 29thThe Devils are amid another season falling short of heightened expectations. Signing Tomas Tatar this past summer was a big piece of the puzzle, but he's only delivered 19 points in 46 games. He can prove his worth by finishing strong.30. Philadelphia Flyers (15-24-8) Len Redkoles / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 30thIf Rasmus Ristolainen elevates his play ahead of the trade deadline, then perhaps the Flyers can fetch a return that comes close to resembling the one they gave up to acquire him this past offseason.31. Arizona Coyotes (12-32-4)Previous rank: 31stJakob Chychrun is arguably having his worst NHL season. The 2021-22 season performances come a year after he broke out and finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting. The better Chychrun plays, the more the Coyotes will get in a trade for their top defenseman, whether that be before the trade deadline or in the offseason.32. Montreal Canadiens (8-33-7)Previous rank: 32ndJeff Petry is having one of the worst seasons of his NHL career. He also drew the ire of Canadiens fans after he didn't jump to the defense of goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who got bowled over during a contest against the Oilers. Petry may be on the market, but the longtime Canadien should look to end his Montreal tenure on a high.(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Sutter hasn't played a game this season, and it doesn't seem like he'll be doing so any time soon.Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said he doesn't anticipate Sutter being able to return in 2021-22, according to team beat reporter Jeff Paterson.The 32-year-old has been dealing with the effects of long-term COVID-19 symptoms.COVID-19 issues derailed the Canucks' shortened 2020-21 campaign, forcing them to postpone several of their games amid a slew of positive tests. Sutter was one of the players who tested positive during the outbreak.Then-general manager Jim Benning said in October that Sutter would "be out for a while."Sutter has played for the Canucks since the 2015-16 season. He re-upped with Vancouver this past offseason, inking a one-year, $1.125-million pact.Originally drafted 11th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007, Sutter has 54 goals and 50 assists in 275 career games with the Canucks.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens have placed one of their most significant trade chips on the shelf.The team moved veteran defenseman Ben Chiarot to injured reserve Sunday due to a lower-body injury and expects him to miss one week.Montreal recalled defenseman Corey Schueneman from the AHL in a corresponding move.Chiarot briefly exited Saturday's clash against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period but was able to return and finish the game. His skate collided with Blue Jackets forward Brendan Gaunce, and he appeared to roll his left ankle, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger.The blue-liner played just under 23 minutes of Montreal's 2-1 loss.Chiarot's absence is a big blow to the struggling Habs. He leads all Montreal skaters in ice time, averaging 23:17 a contest.The 30-year-old has been at the center of trade rumors, and multiple teams have reportedly expressed interest in him. Chiarot will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 campaign. His current deal carries a $3.5-million cap hit.Chiarot has five goals and four assists in 44 games so far this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Tomkins made 26 saves as Canada's men's Olympic hockey team closed out its preliminary-round action with a 5-0 drubbing of China on Sunday.The defending bronze medalists will meet the tournament hosts again during Tuesday's qualification-round play.The United States clinched first place in Group A and booked its ticket to the next round after hanging on to defeat Germany 3-2.Canada turned to Tomkins in the crease after Edward Pasquale struggled during Saturday's 4-2 loss to the United States.Five Canadian players scored against China. They wasted no time, with forward Ben Street opening the scoring just over two minutes into the contest.Eric O'Dell had another strong showing, notching a goal and an assist. Lintao Zhang / Getty Images Sport / GettyYoungster Kent Johnson buried his first tally of the tournament while Adam Tambellini and Corban Knight rounded out the scoring for Canada.O'Dell and Johnson are tied for Canada's scoring lead with four points apiece.Forward Jordan Weal was bleeding from his ear and exited the game during the opening frame after being hit into the boards, but he returned during the second period.Canada's penalty kill remained perfect at the tournament so far.The United States, Russian Olympic Committee, and Finland moved on to the quarterfinals after winning their groups. Sweden also automatically advanced due to having the best record of the remaining countries.Canada is the top-ranked team of the qualification round.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.