Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson has been suspended two games for interference on Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan during Saturday's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.The incident occurred midway through the first period of the Senators' 2-0 loss. Watson delivered a late, high hit on Ahcan and made contact with his head.Watson was penalized on the play.

Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for elbowing Winnipeg Jets forward Evgeny Svechnikov on Saturday.Borowiecki clipped Svechnikov in the face, which left the Jets winger bloody.

Ottawa Senators winger Austin Watson will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for his late hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan on Saturday.

The Winnipeg Jets will once again operate at 100% capacity when they host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night.

The Colorado Avalanche are getting Nathan MacKinnon back for Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars, head coach Jared Bednar said Saturday, according to The Athletic's Peter Baugh.The superstar forward has missed Colorado's last four contests with a concussion and a facial fracture.MacKinnon was hurt during a win over the Boston Bruins on Jan. 26. Bednar later said the center would miss the team's next three games.The 26-year-old also had to forgo the All-Star Game, for which he was voted Central Division captain.MacKinnon isn't scoring at his typical clip this season, but he ranks second among Avalanche skaters with 34 assists and fifth in team scoring with 43 points despite missing 14 of Colorado's 45 games.The three-time Hart Trophy finalist leads all Avalanche forwards with 21:08 in average ice time in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild have traded goaltender Andrew Hammond to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Brandon Baddock, the clubs announced Saturday.Hammond has spent the season with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota's AHL affiliate. The 34-year-old has gone 6-2-3 with a .908 save percentage over 11 games in 2021-22. He hasn't played in the NHL since suiting up for one tilt with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017-18.Baddock has played all but one game in the AHL during this campaign, collecting three goals and four assists across 33 contests with the Laval Rocket. He was a sixth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2014. The Canadiens signed him in October 2020.The 26-year-old's lone NHL appearance on Dec. 30 marked his league debut, but Montreal placed him in COVID-19 protocol one day later and returned him to the AHL after he came off the list in January.The Canadiens were in need of goaltending depth, so Hammond could soon see NHL action. Sam Montembeault has been shouldering the load in the absence of Carey Price and Jake Allen, but he's playing through a wrist injury that may require surgery, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.Rocket netminder Michael McNiven is also banged up, and the Canadiens had no other goalie in the organization on an NHL contract before making Saturday's deal.Montreal's weekend schedule also complicated matters. The team has a Saturday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets and a meeting with the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.Hammond is on a two-way pact through the end of this campaign. The veteran burst onto the scene with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15, going 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage and earning the nickname "the Hamburglar."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are committed to embracing any systematic changes new head coach Jay Woodcroft intends to make.Woodcroft was brought in to replace Dave Tippett, who was fired Thursday after 16 losses in 23 games."Obviously, something needs to change," McDavid said, according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "'Woody' is going to come in and put his touch on the group and put his touch on the team. And as players, that's what we want. We're all in this together.The reigning MVP continued, "I think people forget that we're here to win. We're up here and we come in each and every day and we want to win. We haven't found the formula yet but that's all we want to do. Whatever system (Woodcroft) puts into place, we're happy to play."Draisaitl echoed his captain's sentiments."We need to change something, obviously, and I'm sure 'Woody' will come in with new ideas, with his philosophy, and with his plan, and we're all-in on that," Draisaitl said. "We've got open ears and we're ready to go."Woodcroft is Edmonton's fourth coach in seven years since McDavid was drafted first overall in 2015. The Oilers are under immense pressure to qualify for the playoffs this spring after being swept in the first round last season but currently sit outside the Western Conference's postseason cut line with 49 points in 44 games.Woodcroft has never held an NHL head coaching position but is an experienced assistant at the top level and is familiar with several Oilers players due to his time at the helm of Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brad Marchand filed an appeal Friday regarding his six-game ban for roughing and high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry.Shortly after Marchand said he was thinking about challenging the ruling Friday afternoon, the NHLPA confirmed he had done so. He'll first appeal to commissioner Gary Bettman and then potentially to an independent arbitrator, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Earlier on Friday, the Boston Bruins' star agitator made it clear he didn't think his actions warranted a suspension at all."Was it stupid? Of course, it was stupid. I'm not denying that," Marchand said Friday, according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. "I absolutely should not have done it. But suspension-worthy? I don't think so."Marchand added that he didn't believe Jarry was in danger of getting hurt as a result of the incidents."These plays were not going to injure Jarry. ... He was very well protected," Marchand said. "The fact that it's six games is based on history, not on the play."The winger said he discussed his long list of previous indiscretions with the league, and he remains convinced his resume is to blame for this decision."(It's a) very very hefty suspension for these plays, so the only way they can justify that is on the history side of things," he said.Marchand pointed to the fact that he's made an effort to clean up his game and has been more productive offensively. However, the veteran claims the NHL doesn't factor that into supplemental discipline, citing his previous suspension for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in November."They don't measure progress, which I've come to find out, and it goes back to the last one," he said. "We believe the last suspension was very hefty. When I got three games, it should've been one, based on the fact that I've turned my game around (and) become a pretty good player in this league."Marchand punched Jarry in the head following a scoring chance and later hit the netminder's mask with his stick Tuesday night. The officials handed him a match penalty and a roughing minor.The Bruins forward has already served one game of the ban, missing Thursday's 6-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.This marks the eighth suspension of Marchand's 13-year career.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tomas Hertl could be one of the most coveted targets at the NHL trade deadline if he can't agree on a contract extension with the San Jose Sharks, but assistant general manager Joe Will isn't entertaining that possibility."Don't have any interest in doing anything outside of just working on negotiations and signing him," the executive told The Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka.Will, who's essentially the Sharks' acting GM with Doug Wilson on medical leave, confirmed Friday that discussions about a new pact for the talented forward are underway."We've talked about a lot of things, and the one thing we have in common is that Tomas loves being a Shark, and we love having Tomas here," Will said. "So now it's finding a way to have that happen through negotiation and talking about the next contract for him, which we have done."Hertl is a pending unrestricted free agent in the final season of the four-year deal he inked with the Sharks in 2018. It carries a $5.625-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.The 28-year-old leads San Jose with 22 goals and ranks second with 38 points in 46 games this season. He's played his entire nine-year career with the Sharks. The club drafted him 17th overall in 2012.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With just four games on the board Friday, there isn't much that stands out to me in the way of sides or totals. Luckily, there's value to be had with shot totals.Let's dive into a couple of my favourites.Jordan Eberle over 2.5 shots (-112)Jordan Eberle is shooting the puck a lot right now. He leads all Seattle Kraken forwards in shot attempts (50) and scoring chances (34) over the last 10 games.While that hasn't led to sustained success in terms of going over the number - he's done so five times in that span - the increase in shot volume should serve him well Friday against the Anaheim Ducks.The Ducks aren't playing good defense. At five-on-five, they rank 29th in high-danger chances allowed per 60 over the last 10 games. They grade out even worse when it comes to shot suppression. Only the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets have conceded five-on-five shots at a higher rate over the last 10.With Eberle taking a lot of shots, and the Ducks giving up a lot of shots, I see real value backing Eberle at this price.Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shots (+100)Mathew Barzal is somewhat of an inconsistent shooter because of the methodical, low-event style the New York Islanders play. I really like him in this spot, though.The Edmonton Oilers are a leaky defensive team, and they give up quite a bit to opposing centers. Only the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens have conceded more goals to the position, which is no coincidence considering they're a subpar side at preventing shots from centers.For whatever reason, Barzal has also been a much more efficient shooter on the road. He's generated at least three shots 10 times in 17 road dates (59%), including seven of the last 10.Priced at a coin flip, there's an edge to be had here.Wait and see: Connor McDavid under 3.5 shots (-112). McDavid is averaging just over 10 shot attempts per 60 minutes alongside Evander Kane, which is his lowest number with any teammate this season. Kane is an extreme shoot-first player and really limits McDavid's ceiling in that regard. If Kane remains on a line with McDavid on Friday, I like the under once again. I'd like it even more so considering the Islanders are among the league's best teams at taking the middle of the ice away and preventing shots from centermen.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.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing back surgery Friday.Couturier hasn't played since Dec. 18.The 2019-20 Selke Trophy winner collected six goals and 11 assists over 29 games in this campaign.Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher said Friday that Couturier's recovery could take approximately three months.The 29-year-old center is one of the NHL's best two-way players. He's spent his entire 11-year career with the Flyers, who drafted him eighth overall in 2011.Philadelphia signed Couturier to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $7.75 million in August.The Flyers sit near the bottom of the league standings in 2021-22. The club has also been without defenseman Ryan Ellis for most of the season due to an injury of his own. Ellis hasn't played since suiting up for his fourth game of the campaign on Nov. 13.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes have a new home for the next few years.Arizona reached a multi-year agreement with Arizona State to play at the Sun Devils’ new multi-purpose arena, the NHL team announced Thursday.The Coyotes will play all their home games at the 5,000-seat arena beginning next season and through 2024-25 with an additional option for the 2025-26 season.As part of the agreement, the Coyotes agreed to pay rent and construction costs for the arena's redevelopment plans upfront, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman."This will be an incredible, intimate, and exciting fan experience in a state-of-the-art new arena in a fantastic location in the heart of Tempe," Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said.The city of Glendale announced earlier this season that it will terminate its lease with the Coyotes at Gile River Arena. The club filed a bid for a new permanent arena in Tempe in September but is still awaiting approval for construction."The National Hockey League thanks Arizona State University for its support of the Coyotes during this transition period and for what will be just its latest major commitment to growing our game in the Valley," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.He added: "Hockey is thriving in Tempe, and we are delighted that the Coyotes' passionate fans will get to experience ASU's on-campus energy while the club's new arena is being built."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers will be without defenseman Duncan Keith and winger Zack Kassian for a while.Keith could be sidelined for two to four weeks due to upper-body soreness and concussion protocol, while Kassian will be out for four to eight weeks with a fractured jaw, the team announced Thursday.Keith crashed hard into the boards during the first period of Wednesday night's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks and needed assistance to get off the ice. The Oilers ruled him out for the rest of the game shortly after. The 38-year-old has registered 14 points in 35 contests this season while averaging just over 20 minutes a game.Kassian also exited Wednesday's matchup with an injury after taking a puck to the face in the second period. He has five goals and nine assists in 35 games this campaign.The Oilers currently sit fifth in the Pacific Division with a 23-18-3 record.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Dave Tippett era in Edmonton is over.The floundering Oilers fired the head coach Thursday. Jay Woodcroft, the bench boss for the AHL's Bakersfield Condors, will serve as his replacement for the remainder of the season.Edmonton is also moving on from associate coach Jim Playfair. Dave Manson has subsequently been named an assistant coach.Tippett was in the middle of his third season as the Oilers' bench boss. Despite a hot start to the campaign, Edmonton sits five points behind the Calgary Flames for the last Western Conference wild-card spot with a 23-18-3 record after losing 16 of its last 23 games.The Oilers also lost their first two contests after the All-Star break while being outscored 8-1.Overall, Tippett held a 95-62-14 mark with Edmonton. The Oilers made the postseason twice under his tenure, but they never advanced past the first round.A coaching veteran of 1,285 games, Tippett captured the Jack Adams Award while with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2010.Though the team boasts two of the NHL's top point-getters in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton has had difficulties achieving consistent success. McDavid is now set to play for his fourth coach during his first seven NHL seasons.Woodcroft has been the head coach of the Condors since 2018. He piloted the team to a 105-71-21 record and won the Pacific Division playoff championship in 2020-21.The 45-year-old has 10 seasons of experience as an NHL assistant coach. He spent seven campaigns with the San Jose Sharks and three with the Oilers prior to his move to the AHL.Manson, a former player who suited up for 1,103 NHL games, rode the bench with Woodcroft as his assistant in Bakersfield.Under Woodcroft and Manson's watch, 13 Condors players have graduated to the NHL over the past three seasons, including goaltender Stuart Skinner and defenseman Evan Bouchard.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno has been suspended two games for kneeing Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry during Tuesday night's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.Foligno and Lowry got into a fight during the third period of the Jets' 2-0 victory. The Department of Player Safety found that, while on top of Lowry toward the end of the altercation, Foligno used his knee to press the vulnerable Jets enforcer's head into the ice.

Newly minted Montreal Canadiens interim bench boss Martin St. Louis is set to make his NHL head coaching debut Thursday night when his side takes on the Washington Capitals, meaning he has 37 games to try and shed his interim tag."I'm not coming here to be a substitute teacher. ... I have every intention of being here a long time, but I'll have to prove myself again and earn it," St. Louis said during his introductory press conference, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.The Canadiens fired Dominique Ducharme on Wednesday, less than one year after he helped lead the Habs to an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.In a 2021-22 season mired by injuries and an incredible pile of losses, it became clear to Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens' executive vice president of hockey operations, that the dejected team needed a "spark," per NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.Gorton added he and general manager Kent Hughes had already decided that they would let Ducharme go at the end of this season, but they opted to cut his tenure short as the situation kept "deteriorating," according to TSN's John Lu.St. Louis, a veteran of 1,134 NHL games as a player, was coaching peewee hockey in Connecticut prior to his hire and joked that his experience is precisely what the Canadiens require."If (there's) anything this team needs right now, it's to have fun. When these guys were in peewee, they had fun, so I'm probably the most qualified guy right now," he said, per Basu.He added, "My job coming in is to just inspire them, and I think that's one of my strengths."Going from coaching peewee to an Original Six franchise is quite the jump, but the Laval, Quebec, native isn't fazed."It's always been my dream to be an NHL coach. For me, ... it was a matter of time. ... Give me a chance, and I'll show what I can do," he said.Hughes also hinted at further changes and said that the coaching shakeup will be "the first of several," according to Cotsonika.Puck drops on St. Louis' coaching debut at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

American hockey icon Cammi Granato is joining the Vancouver Canucks as assistant general manager, the team announced Thursday.Granato previously worked with the Seattle Kraken as a pro scout. She became the first woman in NHL history to hold the title when Seattle hired her in 2019."Cammi is a tremendous leader and has earned the respect of the hockey world. She has a great mind for the game and experience and influence at all levels," said Jim Rutherford, Vancouver's president of hockey operations.Rutherford added that Granato will oversee the Canucks' player development department and amateur and pro scouting department.The Canucks also hired Emilie Castonguay as an assistant general manager last month.Granato is one of the most decorated women's hockey players ever. She captained the United States to gold at the 1998 Olympics and retired as the all-time leading scorer in women's international hockey. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 and is one of two women on the institution's selection committee.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres are two of our favorite teams to target on shot totals. With the two sides set to square off this evening, it's only fitting that we dive headfirst into the game and attack all the value it has to offer.Alex Tuch over 2.5 shots (-125)Alex Tuch took a little time to get going, but he's firing on all cylinders now. Tuch is averaging a point per game for the Sabres, and his shot volume is trending upwards in a big way. He has generated at least three shots on goal in six of the last eight games and has four shots or more in four straight.Tuch's not just piling up the shots against bad clubs, either. He has hit four in consecutive contests against the Avalanche and Golden Knights, both of which were on the road - that's impressive considering he's on the top line and facing high-end competition.The Blue Jackets rank 30th in attempts against per 60 over the last 10 games, and no team has allowed more shots on goal in that span. Look for Tuch to stay hot.Zach Werenski over 2.5 shots (-155)Zach Werenski is what you'd call a road warrior. He has been cash money away from home this season, registering three shots or more in 15 of 20 games and seven of the last nine.It makes sense for Werenski to benefit from road dates - without the last change, the matchups he faces aren't as difficult, and he can focus more on creating offense as opposed to trying to slow the opposition's best weapons.Werenski gets a mouth-watering meeting tonight in Buffalo. The squad ranks 31st in shots allowed per 60 over the last 10 games, and only four teams have given up more volume to defensemen on the year.Patrik Laine over 2.5 shots (-106)Patrik Laine enters this contest with a questionable tag. Should he play, I like him to go over the number as well.Laine leads Columbus in shots on goal over the last five games and has registered at least five shots in three straight. Laine is one of those guys who gets really hot when he heats up, and well, it sure seems like he's catching fire.If he's in the lineup, Laine should have no problem generating volume against a team that bleeds shots the way the Sabres do.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.

There are only seven games tonight, which is a little tame for a Thursday. What we lose in volume, we make up for in quality, as there are three contests featuring high-end playoff sides.We'll attack a couple of them with our best bets and look to rebound from an 0-2 Wednesday.Hurricanes (-140) @ Bruins (+115)Even losing two in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes remain one of the hottest teams in hockey. They're on a 7-2-1 run and have been full value for it, controlling better than 57% of the expected goals at five-on-five in that time. Only the Calgary Flames have fared better.The Boston Bruins have played respectable hockey, but they've been a tier below the Hurricanes. Their share of the expected goals sits at 52% over the last 10 games, slotting them 13th in the NHL.Carolina figures to have a clear edge at five-on-five, and that's without even factoring in the absences of Patrice Bergeron (injury) and Brad Marchand (suspension). Boston is a top-heavy team at the best of times, so those losses will certainly sting. The Bruins now don't have the star power or depth to match up against this Hurricanes team.If Carolina can't control the run of play for some reason, it can feel comfortable relying on Frederik Andersen. He's performed shockingly well this season. The 32-year-old has posted a .927 save percentage and ranks second - behind Igor Shesterkin - in goals saved above expected.I see edges all across the board for the Hurricanes. Look for them to rebound in Boston.Bet: Hurricanes (-140)Lightning (+100) @ Avalanche (-120)I don't think the Tampa Bay Lightning should be plus money in this contest.They are 7-2-1 over the last 10 games and, across all game situations, have controlled nearly 59% of the high-danger chances. Those are impressive numbers, especially considering superstar winger Nikita Kucherov wasn't in the lineup for several of those contests.It just so happens the Lightning get their best player back tonight, while the Colorado Avalanche will be without theirs in Nathan MacKinnon.Even without MacKinnon, the Avalanche are a handful. But I think this Lightning side is better.The numbers certainly suggest as much. Colorado's share of the Grade A chances is actually below 50% over the last 10 contests. Sure, the Avalanche have the firepower to win games while hovering around even in the chance department. However, that's a more difficult task when their opponent is also loaded with elite players, as well as a top-tier netminder.I see the Lightning having an edge in chances in this game. Considering they can match Colorado's high-end talent - and have a much better goaltender - I see them claiming two points in this titanic clash.Bet: Lightning (+100)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.

Claude Julien will return to the bench as the head coach of Canada's men's Olympic team following its tournament-opening clash Thursday against Germany, Hockey Canada announced.Canada initially ruled out Julien of the 2022 Winter Games after he slipped on the ice and fractured his ribs during a team-building activity at training camp in Switzerland late last month.The medical staff deemed him unfit to fly to Beijing. Hockey Canada subsequently announced that Jeremy Colliton would take over head coaching duties.Colliton will reassume his role as an assistant coach.Julien will lead Canada during its matchup against the United States on Friday at 11:10 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno will have a hearing for kneeing Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry during Tuesday's contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.The hearing is scheduled for Thursday.The incident occurred during the third period of Winnipeg's 2-0 win. Foligno appeared to knee the Jets enforcer in the head at the end of a fight during the spirited affair between the Central Division rivals.The fight was the second of the game between the two players.Here's an alternate angle showing where Foligno made contact.

The Edmonton Oilers announced defenseman Duncan Keith won't return to Wednesday night's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.Keith crashed hard into the boards during the first period and needed to be helped off the ice.

Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand has been suspended six games for roughing and high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry during Tuesday night's contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.Marchand got heated late in Tuesday's contest. After being denied on a scoring chance in the final seconds of the third period, Marchand punched Jarry in the head, then soon afterward slammed his stick into the goalie's mask as a scrum broke out.This marks the second time this season Marchand has been suspended. He received a three-game ban for slew-footing Oliver Ekman-Larsson in November. This is the eighth suspension of his career.Marchand leads the Bruins with 49 points in 39 games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Veteran Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons on Wednesday.The 34-year-old returned from hip surgery this season, but he only appeared in four games before opting to hang up his pads for good."Today is a day that I hoped would never come. But now that it's here, I feel I owe it to everyone to hear it from me," Rask said in a statement.He continued: "Over these last few weeks, I've realized that my body is not responding the way it needs to for me to play at the level I expect of myself and that my teammates and Bruins fans deserve. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the game of hockey."Rask was a first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005. He was dealt to the Bruins the following year, where he authored a Hall of Fame worthy career.The Finland native made 564 appearances for the Bruins, finishing his career with the fourth-best save percentage in league history among qualified goaltenders.RankPlayerYearsSV%1Dominik Hasek*1990-2008.9222Johnny Bower*1953-70.9213Ken Dryden*1970-79.9214Tuukka Rask2007-22.9215Ben Bishop2008-20.920*Denotes Hall of FamerRask also posted a career 2.28 goals against average, won a Stanley Cup in 2011, and captured the Vezina Trophy in 2014. He's Boston's all-time leader in games played, wins, and goals saved above average.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues signed head coach Craig Berube to a three-year extension through the 2024-25 season, the team announced Wednesday."I've enjoyed working with (general manager) Doug Armstrong and (chairman) Tom Stillman, working with the coaching staff and training staff and all the players we have here," Berube said. "Why would I want to go anywhere else? I love it here."Berube took over the Blues' bench in 2018 and brought the club from last place to a Stanley Cup championship the following spring. It was the first title in franchise history.The Blues own a 133-72-30 regular-season record and have made the playoffs in each of the past three campaigns with Berube at the helm.St. Louis is in the thick of the postseason race again this season, currently holding the fourth-best points percentage (.648) in the Western Conference through 44 games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Less than a year after Dominique Ducharme led the Montreal Canadiens on an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final, the team dismissed its head coach and chose Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis as his interim replacement.St. Louis doesn't have NHL coaching experience, but he was named a special teams consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets under John Tortorella for approximately half a season across the 2019-20 and 2021 campaigns.The 46-year-old was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 after a stellar career in which he amassed 391 goals and 642 assists over 1,134 games.The club has also overhauled its front office since its Cup Final appearance. Montreal fired former general manager Marc Bergevin and tabbed ex-New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton as executive vice president of hockey operations in November. The Canadiens then hired former player agent Kent Hughes as GM in January.Gorton and St. Louis were both with the Rangers when the latter played the final two seasons of his career in New York. Gorton was that team's assistant GM at the time.Montreal sits last in the NHL standings with an 8-30-7 record in 2021-22. The Habs went 23-46-14 in 83 regular-season games under Ducharme and 13-9 in the playoffs.The New Jersey Devils walloped the Canadiens 7-1 on Tuesday night, marking the fifth straight game in which Montreal allowed at least five goals and the third time in that span in which the squad gave up at least seven.Montreal has played without goaltender Carey Price and captain Shea Weber for the duration of the campaign, while numerous others have also missed time.The Habs entered Wednesday night's action having surrendered a league-worst 3.98 goals per game and ranked second-last with 2.2 goals for per contest.The organization brought Ducharme on as an assistant coach in 2018 and promoted him to the lead job upon firing Claude Julien last February. Ducharme served as interim head coach until the squad formally removed that tag on July 13.He signed a three-year extension with Montreal on the same day.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews said he expects to play Thursday against the Calgary Flames after a scary-looking collision forced the sniper to exit Monday's showdown against the Carolina Hurricanes, according to TSN's Mark Masters.Matthews added following Wednesday's practice that he was left a "bit shaken up" on the play."It happened so quick. ... I felt fine later that night. Felt good the next day and throughout the day," he said. "So, just talking to the medical team, there was no hesitation to jump into practice today."The incident occurred late in the third period of the Maple Leafs' 4-3 overtime victory. The 24-year-old got tangled up with Hurricanes forward Nino Niederreiter while jockeying for position. As Matthews was falling down, he got hit in the back of the head by blue-liner Brett Pesce's knee.Matthews took some time to get up and left the ice. He didn't return.Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday that Matthews was "feeling pretty good," noting that there was a sense of relief concerning his status.The reigning Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner paces all Maple Leafs skaters with 31 goals and 53 points so far this season.Matthews missed the first three games of the 2021-22 campaign after undergoing offseason wrist surgery. The Leafs went 2-1-0 in his absence.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Shot props were good to us Tuesday night as we hit on both picks. Jesper Bratt registered three shots in Montreal, while Connor McDavid failed to reach four against the stingy Vegas Golden Knights.We'll look to keep the ball rolling with another pair of winners Wednesday night.Matt Duchene over 2.5 shots (-125)On a team with volume shooters such as Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, it's Matt Duchene leading the way in shots over the last 10 games. He's picked up 37 shots on target (3.7 per game) in that span while attempting 61. Very potent numbers.The Dallas Stars are a good defensive team, but their play has dipped a little of late. They've allowed 31.73 shots on goal per 60 minutes of five-on-five play over the last 10, which slots them 23rd in the NHL. They're not a team you have to avoid right now, especially when backing a player shooting as much as Duchene.I don't think these odds are low enough for someone with a 60% hit rate on the season and a 70% hit rate over the last 10 games.Jordan Eberle over 2.5 shots (+100)Backing anyone on the Seattle Kraken to contribute anything offensively, including shots, is a scary proposition. But this is the spot to do it.The Arizona Coyotes are a complete disaster. They bring out the best in their opponent seemingly every night. They're among the worst shot-suppression teams at five-on-five and, over the last 10, no team has allowed shots at a higher rate while killing penalties.Jordan Eberle should be the primary beneficiary of that Wednesday. He leads the Kraken in shots on goal (25), scoring chances (31), and shot attempts (48) over the last 10 home dates. He's also among the leaders in power-play attempts.These odds seem very fruitful for a fairly consistent shooter in a smash spot against a bad defensive team in a back-to-back situation.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 rough one on the ice. An empty-netter spoiled our under in the Boston game, while the Minnesota Wild saw their 10-game point streak come to an end against the struggling Winnipeg Jets. Go figure!The great thing about sports is you can get right back on the horse the very next day. We'll look to do just that with our best bets for Wednesday's slate.Predators (+100) @ Stars (-120)The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars both possess firepower at the top half of their rosters. However, they're still defense-first teams. That's been evident in their meetings over the last couple of seasons.The Predators and Stars have gone head-to-head eight times since the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign. Five of those games featured fewer than 20 high-danger chances, while 23 was the high. Unsurprisingly, a lack of Grade A chances led to low expected goal outputs. They combined to go over five expected goals just once.I don't see either team forcing the other out of its comfort zone and turning this into a track meet. This game should go under the number, barring poor goaltending. Luckily, that's not a big cause for concern.Juuse Saros has been amazing this season. He owns a .927 save percentage and has saved 19.8 goals above expectation, which is the third-highest output in the NHL.Jake Oettinger's play hasn't been as consistent, but, in the aggregate, he's performed fairly well. He's sporting a respectable .912 save percentage and is above ground in terms of goals saved above expectation.Dallas is fighting for a playoff spot, while Nashville is within striking distance for the top spot in the Central. This game is big for both sides. We should see a close, tight-checking affair.Bet: Under 5.5 (+100)Golden Knights (+115) @ Flames (-140)The Calgary Flames have won three in a row, and their underlying numbers are as good as anyone's over the last 10 games. At home, against a Vegas Golden Knights team playing in a back-to-back situation, we have to go back to the Flames, right? Not so fast.As much as I like the Flames, I think the odds are a little out of line here. Vegas is playing very good defensive hockey right now. At five-on-five, the Golden Knights sit inside the top five in attempts against per 60 over their last 10 games.They also have a higher offensive ceiling than the Flames. Chances are great, of course, but they're not as important if you don't have dangerous weapons taking them. The top of Calgary's roster is very gifted, but the team is shallow in the way of natural finishing.Even without Jack Eichel, scoring is not a problem for the Golden Knights. They've dealt with an overwhelming amount of injuries and COVID-19 cases this season, and yet they still sit second in the NHL in five-on-five goals. Calgary's top dogs can match Vegas', but the Golden Knights have more scoring punch from their second line down.I think that'll be a factor in this game. While playing in a back-to-back isn't ideal for Vegas, the whole league is coming off an extended break. So, I'm not sure it's as big of a deal as it normally would be. The Golden Knights should be ready to roll.Bet: Golden Knights (+115)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 NHL's Department of Player Safety offered Brad Marchand an in-person hearing over Zoom to answer for his outburst toward Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry.The date and time of the hearing haven't been determined. The in-person offer gives the league the option of suspending Marchand for six games or more. He's suspended until the hearing takes place, and his Boston Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.Marchand lost his cool late in Tuesday's loss. After being stopped on a scoring chance in the dying seconds of the third period, the talented agitator punched Jarry in the head, then circled back and jammed his stick into the netminder's mask.Marchand was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure and a roughing minor. The NHL automatically reviews match penalties."Lack of discipline, obviously, on Brad's part in that situation," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game, according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa.He continued, "Brad's a leader on our team. He needs to have control of his emotions in that situation."Marchand has been suspended seven times in his career, most recently in November for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.On top of Marchand likely missing time due to supplemental discipline, the Bruins also lost Patrice Bergeron to injury in the defeat after a collision with Sidney Crosby. There was no update on the captain's status postgame.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The last-place Montreal Canadiens got pummelled 7-1 by the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night in the team's first game back from the All-Star break.The Devils snapped a seven-game losing streak while handing the Canadiens their seventh straight loss. Montreal has been outscored 33-12 in its last five contests and has just two wins in its last 22 games.Josh Anderson was blunt about his feelings postgame."I mean we got embarrassed out there tonight. We had a couple of mistakes that cost us goals," Anderson said. "You'd think that after the break that you'd be refreshed and ready to go ... I feel embarrassed, to be honest with you. We better be ready to go next game."A year removed from making the Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens are sitting dead last in the NHL with an 8-30-7 record. The club also owns the worst goal differential in the league at -79. This marked the 19th time this season that Montreal has allowed five or more goals in a game.The Habs have dealt with a fair share of injuries throughout the campaign and have rarely iced a fully healthy lineup.Despite the tough times, Anderson still has faith the team can close out the season on a high note."We just gotta get out of this funk. We got a lot of hockey games together and it is not fun losing right now. It's not fun coming to the rink," Anderson said. "We have to set our mindset right, right now and just regroup, to be honest with you. We gotta make hockey fun again and just refresh."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dave King, the retired NHL and Team Canada coach, is from the Prairies and has seen the world. When the Calgary Flames fired him in 1995, Japan offered him work. The Nagano Olympics were approaching and the home team was keen to contract his expertise.King signed on as general manager, taking over a national program that was versed in the merits of possession hockey. Japan was skilled with the puck and made smart cuts without it into open space. King pinpointed two team weaknesses: defense and aggression. Politeness and conflict avoidance are cultural norms there, but he felt the players were respectful to a fault: "They just don't hit anybody."The summer before the '98 Olympics, King asked a Canadian university football coach, Tony Fasano, to teach his players how to hit. Donning football pads on turf, they squared off in contact drills to fine-tune their technique and allay the fear of injury. Battle on the field, King reasoned, and they'd be ready to battle in the corners on home ice."We did things like that," King said in a recent interview, "to try to get them to understand that we're going to play above our head."Dave King. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesJapan didn't finish last at Nagano 1998, earning a moral victory as it avoided the host country's nightmare outcome. Olympic hosts qualify automatically for all events, an afterthought when the Games are in Canada or the United States and cause for concern when the host is a hockey minnow. Foreseeing double-digit blowouts, the IIHF almost booted China's nascent program from this month's tournament in Beijing."Watching a team being beaten 15-0 is not good for anyone," IIHF president Luc Tardif told Agence France-Presse this past fall.Green-lit to play, the burden is on the Chinese team to prove it belongs. Recent Olympic underdogs have achieved this. At Turin in 2006, Italy scored twice on Martin Brodeur and tied multiple teams that had NHL goaltenders. South Korea lost every game in PyeongChang four years ago, but threatened to upset Czech Republic and Finland.Nontraditional hockey hosts aren't created equal. Turin was Italy's ninth Olympic hockey berth. The South Korean team was ranked 21st in the world in 2018. Flanked by Spain and Australia, China is 32nd in the current world rankings, illustrating that it's hard to build a program from scratch.China's first Olympic game is against the U.S. on Thursday; Germany and Canada await this weekend. Group A is loaded even without NHLers present.That Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid aren't in Beijing is a source of faint hope, though. Also: There are lessons from past Games that China's already heeded and could follow this week. History supplies the roadmap to Olympic respectability."The main thing was: Can we be competitive and not be embarrassed?" King said, describing Japan's priority in Nagano."We knew we weren't going to win a medal. But we wanted to surprise some teams," said John Parco, who played forward for Italy in 2006."Someone said in Canada that we'd get beat 120-something to nothing," said Jim Paek, South Korea's head coach in 2018. "That type of disrespect. For us to compete - and not be embarrassed as people thought we would - was a great accomplishment."Recruit North AmericansChina's 25 Olympic players all play for Kunlun Red Star, the KHL's last-place club this season.Six are homegrown, one is from Russia, and the rest hail from the U.S. or Canada. Vancouver-born winger Brandon Yip was in the NHL for five seasons. Defenseman Jake Chelios is Chris Chelios' son. Jeremy Smith, the starting goalie from Michigan, spent a couple of months with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017. Each foreign-born player has Chinese heritage or was with Kunlun for a few seasons, which makes them eligible to compete in Beijing.China practices ahead of the Olympics. Visual China Group / Getty ImagesImporting floor-raising talent from hockey countries is an Olympic tradition.In 1998, Japan's Olympic goalie was Dusty Imoo, the British Columbia product whose objectionable social media activity cost him a coaching job with the Toronto Marlies last year. Imoo's save percentage in Nagano was .925. Five fellow heritage players had starred in junior in Canada, and King appreciated their feistiness."They gave us a nucleus," King said. "Because of their Japanese parentage, the Japanese player from Japan could see that this was all possible."Some of Italy's Turin Olympians shared a backstory: they were late-round NHL draft picks, like Parco and Tony Iob, whose parents were Italian and who signed in the domestic Serie A as young pros. Early in the 1990s, when Parco and Iob headed over from Ontario, Serie A teams played in packed arenas and handed out some of Europe's richest contracts. The arrangements beat AHL bus rides, Iob said: "We got treated like soccer players."John Parco (right) faces Canada in 2006. Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty ImagesThe money that coursed through the league diminished over time, and Italian members of the national team came to work day jobs, Iob recalled - in construction, as bakers, as electricians. They were solid players but needed support. At Turin, nine of Italy's top 11 scorers were from Canada or the U.S, and a former NHLer, Jason Muzzatti, started in net."We were always one of those teams that was in your face," Iob said. "We still had that Canadian strength in an Italian jersey."In 2018, seven South Korean Olympians were naturalized citizens from North America. Defensemen Bryan Young and Alex Plante peaked in the NHL as Edmonton Oilers call-ups. Michael Swift played in the AHL before he followed Young, his second cousin, to the Asia League. Goalie Matt Dalton, who's from the same Ontario town as Ryan O'Reilly, made 45 saves against Canada when his countries faced off in PyeongChang.When Brock Radunske joined Anyang Halla, Korea's top pro team, in 2008, a translator coined him a nickname: Canadian Big Beauty."It was more of a literal translation," said Radunske, who's 6-foot-5 and blue-eyed. "He may have even added it to Wikipedia himself at the time. Just trying to promote the sport over there and get some interest."Brock Radunske. Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty ImagesRadunske was an Oilers draft pick, and he signed in Germany when his entry-level contract ended, which opened his eyes to jobs further afield. Playing in South Korea enabled his wife to teach English there. To attain citizenship, Radunske and his Olympic teammates took language classes and learned to sing the Korean anthem, establishing their immersion in the culture.Speed and skill abound in Korean pro hockey, and the North Americans weren't relied on to be saviors. But they'd played in top leagues and were assertive on the ice, spurring deferential teammates to ask questions in practice that helped them develop, Paek said. Early in the 2018 Olympic opener, Radunske fed Minho Cho in the slot and his snapper evaded Czech goalie Pavel Francouz, putting Korea up 1-0 as the crowd roared."The combination of the imports, if you want to say, and the Korean players working together as a family and teammates allowed us to be one cohesive team," Paek said."In our dressing room, we needed to be, as our president says, one body. They had to understand the Korean culture, and vice versa."Jim Paek. Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty ImagesPlay to your strengthsSeoul-born and Toronto-raised, Paek won two Stanley Cups as a Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman in the early '90s. In 2014, he left the AHL coaching ranks to run South Korea's undermanned national program. When he came on as coach, the team hired equipment and video staff and bought a skate sharpener.Paek and his assistant coach, fellow ex-NHLer Richard Park, optimized how Korea prepared and played. They introduced video review and the use of analytics. They landed an invite to the 2017 Channel One Cup, securing Olympic tune-up games against Canada, Finland, and Sweden. They preached defensive attentiveness, figuring bigger teams that dominated the puck had to be repelled with structure and great goaltending."After that, we just had to play to our advantages," Radunske said. "If our guys kept their legs moving and used their speed, some of the European countries struggled with that, because our guys were so quick. They would take some penalties against us. Then the scales would tilt in our direction for moments in the game."Outshot 159-81 over four games in PyeongChang, the Koreans managed to rack up small wins. They gave up power-play and shorthanded goals to the Czechs but outscored them at even strength. They held Canada to one goal for more than half of that matchup. Down 3-0 to Miro Heiskanen's Finns, goals from Radunske and Jin Hui Ahn forced a tense third period, at the end of which the losing team saluted the exuberant home fans.

The Boston Bruins don't expect goaltender Tuukka Rask to continue his comeback attempt, sources told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa.Rask worked his way back from offseason hip surgery and signed a $1-million contract with the Bruins in January. He played in four games but was placed on injured reserve shortly after letting in five goals on 27 shots in his last appearance Jan. 24.The 34-year-old is discussing his future with his family and may finalize his retirement decision in the next few days, Shinzawa reports.He didn't look like his old self across his four contests, as he managed just an .844 save percentage. Head coach Bruce Cassidy noted after Rask's last appearance that the veteran wasn't "where he needs to be."Rask has manned the crease in Boston for much of the last decade. He boasts a 308-165-66 career record alongside an impressive .921 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average. Only Dominik Hasek and Ken Dryden have better career save percentages in NHL history (minimum 300 games).The Bruins' crease has been occupied by a tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in Rask's absence.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin is playing against the Columbus Blue Jackets less than a week after testing positive for COVID-19.The Washington Capitals star was cleared to rejoin team activities earlier Tuesday. He took part in the morning skate after being forced to forgo the All-Star festivities in Las Vegas over the weekend.On Tuesday morning, the Capitals said Ovechkin's overnight PCR test came back negative, according to the Washington Post's Samantha Pell.The 36-year-old occupied his usual spot on the squad's top line at the morning session. He was also back on the top power-play unit, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.Last Wednesday, Ovechkin tested positive and was ruled out of All-Star Weekend. He also missed that evening's loss to the Edmonton Oilers, ending his run of playing in every game in 2021-22. Ovechkin had been the only Capitals player to do so before sitting out.The Russian superstar is having another Hart Trophy-caliber season, ranking among the league leaders in goals and points for a frequently shorthanded Washington club. The three-time MVP entered Tuesday's game with 29 markers and 29 helpers in 46 contests.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens will be permitted to fill half of their arena in roughly two weeks.Quebec premier Francois Legault unveiled a phased plan to ease pandemic-related restrictions Tuesday. Among the reduced measures, theatres and showrooms in the province - including the Bell Centre - will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity as of Feb. 21.On March 14, those venues will reopen at full capacity.The Canadiens are currently only allowed a maximum of 500 fans at home games, with zero permitted over their previous four contests. The 500-fan rule, which was announced on Jan. 25, went into effect on Monday.Montreal is in the midst of an eight-game homestand that began before the All-Star break. The Canadiens are scheduled to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, and the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 17.The Canadiens will then travel to New York to play the Islanders on Feb. 20 before returning home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs the next day when attendance restrictions are loosened.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers gave Daniel Briere a larger role in the organization by naming him special assistant to general manager Chuck Fletcher on Tuesday.Briere spent parts of the last five years in several roles with the ECHL's Maine Mariners, most recently serving as their president. The Mariners are the Boston Bruins' affiliate, but they're owned by the Flyers' parent company, Comcast Spectacor. Briere also worked with Philadelphia in a part-time player development position over the last two seasons.The Montreal Canadiens reportedly planned to interview Briere for their GM opening before they hired Kent Hughes.Briere spent two campaigns in the Flyers' business operations department before joining Maine.He played six seasons with Philadelphia toward the end of his career. He notched a career-high 34 goals with the club in 2010-11 and was one of its best playoff performers ever.A diminutive center, Briere racked up 72 points over 68 postseason games, ranking third in franchise history with 1.06 playoff points per contest. He led all postseason skaters with 30 points in 23 games while helping the Flyers make a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009-10.The 44-year-old suited up for parts of 17 campaigns before retiring in 2015.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks are keeping a Hall of Famer in their front office after he helped them find their general manager.Scott Niedermayer is staying on as a special advisor to hockey operations after reportedly joining the team's GM search committee along with fellow Anaheim legend Paul Kariya last month. The Ducks named Pat Verbeek GM on Thursday.Niedermayer played five seasons for Anaheim at the end of his illustrious career, captaining the 2007 Stanley Cup champions and claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy.The former defenseman was also the first player in hockey history to win the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, the World Championship, the World Cup of Hockey, the Memorial Cup, and the World Junior Championship.Niedermayer was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Ducks retired his number in 2019. The New Jersey Devils also raised his No. 27 to their rafters in 2011. The 48-year-old former blue-liner starred for the Devils for parts of 13 seasons before joining Anaheim.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a juicy seven-game slate on the docket tonight. Let's dive right into our best bets as we look to build on Monday's 2-1 effort.Jesper Bratt over 2.5 shots (-155)We backed Bratt to go over 2.5 shots in Ottawa on Monday, and he came through with four. We're going right back to the well with him tonight in Montreal.As I mentioned in Monday's post, Bratt shoots more when he's not on a line with Jack Hughes. A lot more. At five-on-five, Bratt averages 12.40 shot attempts per 60 with Hughes.That number soars to 17.77 attempts per 60 when skating on a line with Nico Hischier, which is the plan once again tonight.If that's not enough, Bratt also finds himself in the best matchup imaginable. The Montreal Canadiens can't defend one lick. They bleed shots, ranking 32nd in attempts against per 60 over the last 10 games.Bratt should once again manage to go over the number with relative ease.Connor McDavid under 3.5 shots (+100)Betting an under on McDavid is always scary - regardless of the statistic. There's a method to the madness, though.McDavid's newest linemate, Evander Kane, is one of the league's more trigger-happy shooters. He attempts a ton of shots, and when he gets the puck, he generally doesn't give it back. That's one factor that should lead to fewer shots for No. 97.The Vegas Golden Knights are also one of the best shot-suppression teams in the NHL. At five-on-five, they allowed just over 26 shots per 60 over the last 10 games - good for the league's third-best mark. They also rank in the top five when accounting for all strengths.Given the low volume Vegas gives up on any given night, I just don't have much interest in betting on a guy to reach such a high number - especially when skating on a line with someone like Kane.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.

Our best bets are back! We entered the All-Star break on a high, going 2-0 the last night before the pause.We'll look to pick up where we left off as we dive into our best bets for tonight's busy slate.Penguins (+110) @ Bruins (-130)The Penguins and Bruins are structured teams that play sound defense. That can lead to some pretty tame meetings between the two sides, which we saw firsthand last season.Due to realignment caused by COVID-19, Pittsburgh and Boston played in the same division and faced one another eight times. Only one of those eight meetings featured more than five goals. One.Based on how the teams profile this season, it seems reasonable to expect more of the same.At five-on-five, the Bruins have conceded just 2.03 expected goals per 60 minutes over the last 10 games, ranking second in the NHL. The Penguins aren't far behind with an xGA of 2.27, also ranking in the top 10.Each team recently made a transaction that should help feed into the under in this game. The Penguins placed a scorching-hot Evgeni Malkin on the COVID-19 list, which takes some bite out of their attack.Meanwhile, Boston recalled netminder Jeremy Swayman. He has the least pedigree of the Bruins' goaltenders but has performed at the highest level this season. Swayman owns a .916 save percentage and has been worth +4.8 goals saved above expected. Linus Ullmark and Tuukka Rask are both negatives in the latter category.With Tristan Jarry (.923 save percentage, +13.6 GSAE) tending goal at the other end, this has all the makings of a low-scoring affair.Bet: Under 5.5 (+100)Wild (-150) @ Jets (+125)The Wild are on a roll, owning a ridiculous 9-0-1 record over the last 10 games while sitting third in expected goals percentage at five-on-five. They're playing some terrific hockey.Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the Jets. They have just two wins over the last 10 games, while their underlying numbers don't paint a much brighter picture.They've struggled at both ends of the rink, but limiting high-danger chances, in particular, has been an issue. The Jets have allowed 13.06 high-danger opportunities per 60, slotting them 28th in the NHL.Making matters worse for the free-falling Jets is they placed both Neal Pionk and Pierre-Luc Dubois in COVID-19 protocol, putting a severe dent in their lineup.Even with Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes, I have a hard time seeing the Jets staying in this game, let alone winning it.Back the Wild to stay hot in Winnipeg.Bet: Wild (-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.

The St. Louis Blues inked a pair of depth players to contract extensions Tuesday.Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo agreed to a two-year pact carrying an average annual value of $950,000, while forward Logan Brown re-upped on a one-year deal for $750,000.Bortuzzo, a third-pairing blue-liner, was a pending unrestricted free agent. He's in the final season of a three-year contract he signed with St. Louis at a cap hit of $1.375 million. The veteran, who'll turn 33 on March 18, is in his seventh full season with the Blues. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who traded him to St. Louis in March 2015.

The Tampa Bay Lightning extended forward Pat Maroon's contract for two years on Tuesday.Maroon's new deal will have an average annual value of $1 million, a slight raise from his $900,000 cap hit in 2021-22. He was a pending unrestricted free agent who signed a two-year contract with the Lightning in October 2020.The 33-year-old has been a part of three consecutive Stanley Cup teams, winning the last two titles with the Lightning after helping the St. Louis Blues prevail in 2019.Maroon typically plays a third-line role for Tampa Bay. He's collected seven goals and six assists in 45 games this season.The veteran winger has produced 108 goals and 152 assists over 613 career contests while amassing 711 penalty minutes.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews was forced to leave Monday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes late in the third period after taking a knee to the back of his head.Matthews stayed down for a considerable amount of time before leaving the ice. He did not return for overtime.Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe offered no postgame update on Matthews' status.Matthews leads the NHL among qualified skaters with 0.78 goals per game this season. The 24-year-old ranks third in the league with 31 markers in 40 contests.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pierre Dorion's phone has apparently been blowing up lately.The Ottawa Senators general manager received several calls over the NHL All-Star break as his club gears toward selling at the trade deadline, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun."Teams around the league, I'm told, over the last three or four days, have made Ottawa a popular target for phone calls," LeBrun said Monday. "And I'm told that the Senators were a popular team to reach out to as far as checking out a team that is gonna be a seller."Ottawa entered Monday 13th in the Eastern Conference in points percentage.The Senators' potential trade chips include forwards Chris Tierney, Zach Sanford, Nick Paul, Tyler Ennis, defenseman Josh Brown, and goaltender Anton Forsberg. All six players are pending unrestricted free agents.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith will be back in the crease soon after yet another stint on injured reserve.Smith will start against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night after missing the last eight games with a thumb ailment, he told reporters Monday, including The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.The Oilers activated the soon-to-be 40-year-old off IR earlier Monday. He was a full participant in practice and served as the No. 1 netminder during the session.

The Florida Panthers signed goaltender Mack Guzda to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Monday.Guzda, 21, is one of the OHL's top goaltenders this season. In 16 contests with the Barrie Colts, he recorded an 11-4-1 record alongside a .925 save percentage. He also had a 5-4-1 record with a .915 save percentage in 10 games with the Owen Sound Attack."Guzda has been a standout goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League this season," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "We are excited about his growth and are thrilled that he will continue his development in our organization."Multiple NHL teams had reportedly expressed interest in signing the goaltender, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.Florida already has a crowded crease at the NHL level with Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight. The club traded top goalie prospect Devon Levi to the Buffalo Sabres during the offseason in a deal to acquire Sam Reinhart.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The men's tournament begins in just two days. While the NHL disappointingly - yet understandably - chose not to send its players to the Olympics, there'll still be plenty of familiar names participating.Let's look at how the tournament is shaping up and what we can expect from each team.NationOddsRussia OC+150Finland+395Canada+700Sweden+700Czechia+1100Switzerland+1500USA+1700Germany+2000Slovakia+5000Denmark+10000Latvia+10000China+25000Russia is favored in this tournament, and for good reason. The Russians are icing a veteran-heavy team with an abundance of players who have played games in the NHL. They have plenty of skill up front, with the likes of Nikita Gusev, Vadim Shipachyov, and Mikhail Grigorenko leading the charge. Arseni Gritsyuk is in the midst of a breakout season in the KHL and is a wild card to provide some real scoring pop.Russia's defensive core looks to be in good shape as well. Including Slava Voynov, four defensemen have spent time in the NHL.I don't see many weaknesses on this roster, and the fact many of them have played together in the KHL should allow Russia to hit the ground running. For example, there are seven players from CSKA Moscow.Many see Finland as the team most likely to give Russia a run for its money, and it's easy to see why. The Finns feature plenty of former NHLers in their lineup, including Valtteri Filppula, Leo Komarov, and Markus Granlund. They also have Sami Vatanen heading the defense. This team probably won't score a ton of goals, but they'll play structured and responsible hockey. That'll allow them to stay in every game they play - even against more high-powered opponents.I'm not sure Canada is getting enough respect in this market. The Canadians have a nice mix of former NHLers trying to fight their way back into the league (Eric Staal, Josh Ho-Sang, etc.) and impact prospects close to making their mark as professionals (Owen Power, Mason McTavish). It might take a little time for this team to gel and for the coaching staff to find everyone's optimal role, but there's enough talent for them to make noise in this tournament. This will be a scrappy and motivated group.Sweden will be stung by a lack of NHL players. The Swedens don't have as deep of a talent pool to pick from as a team like Canada, and they don't have the luxury of stacking former NHLers who have familiarized themselves with one another from playing together - a la Russia. Sweden's best hope for a medal is for its goaltending to get hot and allow them to slip by some more talented teams.Czechia has real potential to surprise in this tournament. The Czechs might well have the best player in David Krejci, who just last season was a near point-per-game player with the Boston Bruins. The team has some others with NHL experience as well, including long underrated two-way winger Michael Frolik. The big question mark is in goal. If Czechia's goaltending can hold up against some of the stiffer opponents, it can make a real run.What Switzerland lacks in raw talent it could make up for in teamwork, structure, and familiarity. Like Russia, the Swiss have stacked guys who play for the same club. That should lead to less of an adjustment period than most countries. Their best hope of surprising in this tournament is playing smart, low-event games and squeezing out just enough offense to get by.The U.S. is following a similar formula as Canada. It doesn't have as much talent in the way of former NHLers, but the lineup does feature a few high-end prospects. Matty Beniers and Jake Sanderson were both high first-round picks, while Matthew Knies looks like one of the steals of the 2021 NHL Draft. The hope is that those kids can provide some game-breaking ability while the rest of the veterans scratch and claw their way through games. However, goaltending is a significant question mark.Germany might not medal, but it will be competitive. With Dominik Kahun and Tobias Rieder headlining the forward group, the Germans have some speed and scoring ability that can threaten opponents, plus a big, rangy defense that could provide some physicality to keep opponents to the outside. They also have one of the more underrated goaltenders in Mathias Niederberger, who I think deserves the bulk of the workload. Germany will be a tough out.Slovakia looks thin on paper. The team will be relying on former NHL top prospects Marko Dano and Tomas Jurco to provide offense, while 17-year-old blue-liner Simon Nemec will get his first taste of big-stage hockey. I don't know how much of an impact he'll be able to make right now - it's a lot to ask of a kid - but the experience should serve him well. He's the future of Slovakian hockey.Generally, Denmark is a team built around team speed, but I'm not sure it'll have much success playing that way in this tournament. The roster is aged, with eight forwards 32 or older. Mikkel Boedker (32), Frans Nielsen (37), and Co. have put together strong careers, but they just don't have the speed or skill to make plays at a high level anymore. This team will struggle.The Latvians are a hard-working team that relies on effort plays and goaltending to grind out wins. They might well steal a game unexpectedly, but I don't think they have the horses to enjoy sustained success playing the way they do.Lastly, we have China, who'll be hard-pressed to win a game. The hope is that team familiarity - every player's home club is HC Kunlun Red Star - will allow the team to be more than the sum of its parts. Spencer Foo, Brandon Yip, and Ryan Sproul are probably China's best bets to produce some much-needed offense.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.

On Jan. 14, the visiting Coyotes could be had on the moneyline for as high as +500 against the Avalanche. It was one of the five highest moneyline payouts in the last 20 years. Arizona took a brief third-period lead but lost in a shootout, leaving intrepid underdog bettors just short of a reward for their betting bravery. However, it was a reminder that, even in defeat and at a certain price, there's no such thing as a bad bet.Sure enough, on the second-to-last night before the All-Star break, the Coyotes returned to Colorado priced at +450 on the moneyline. This time, it took a late game-tying goal for Arizona to force overtime and a subsequent shootout. But unlike three weeks prior, the Coyotes won in a shootout victory. Underdog bettors rejoiced, and there's reason to believe it was a sign of things to come in a season where favorites have won at an unheard-of clip.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 took its hiatus around Christmas, we shared my 2021-22 season ratings, which use the metrics I deem important to predict future success. Considering 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'll move to a 60-40 split, slowly putting more emphasis on team metrics for this season while not going all-in on what's happened, given how many games have been played with mismatched roster strength.The cheat sheetThe following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd 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.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETFeb. 7NJD@OTT-110/+110NJD -106/OTT +129CAR@TOR+128/-128CAR +151/TOR -123Feb. 8CBJ@WSH+145/-145CBJ +172/WSH -139PIT@BOS+132/-132PIT +155/BOS -126CAR@OTT-115/+115CAR -110/OTT +135NJD@MTL-120/+120NJD -115/MTL +141MIN@WPG-116/+116MIN -111/WPG +136VGK@EDM+113/-113VGK +132/EDM -108ARI@VAN+187/-187ARI +224/VAN -179Feb. 9DET@PHI+129/-129DET +152/PHI -124NSH@DAL+124/-124NSH +146/DAL -119CHI@EDM+132/-132CHI +156/EDM -127VGK@CGY+122/-122VGK +144/CGY -118ARI@SEA+192/-192ARI +231/SEA -184NYI@VAN+101/-101NYI +111/VAN +110Feb. 10WSH@MTL-148/+148WSH -142/MTL +175CAR@BOS+130/-130CAR +154/BOS -125PIT@OTT-123/+123PIT -118/OTT +145CBJ@BUF+104/-104CBJ +115/BUF +107NJD@STL+116/-116NJD +137/STL -112TB@COL+109/-109TB +120/COL +102TOR@CGY-119/+119TOR -115/CGY +140Feb. 11WPG@DAL+124/-124WPG +146/DAL -119NYI@EDM+131/-131NYI +154/EDM -125TB@ARI-156/+156TB -150/ARI +185SEA@ANA-108/+108SEA +102/ANA +120Feb. 12PHI@DET+112/-112PHI +132/DET -108CBJ@MTL-101/+101CBJ +109/MTL +112BOS@OTT-134/+134BOS -129/OTT +158TOR@VAN-108/+108TOR +103/VAN +119WPG@NSH+134/-134WPG +158/NSH -128CHI@STL+122/-122CHI +144/STL -117CAR@MIN+120/-120CAR +141/MIN -115NYI@CGY+142/-142NYI +168/CGY -136Feb. 13BUF@MTL+142/-142BUF +168/MTL -136OTT@WSH+231/-231OTT +281/WSH -220PIT@NJD+106/-106PIT +117/NJD +105COL@DAL-114/+114COL -110/DAL +134Matt 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 NHL is back! While there are only a couple of games on tonight's schedule, there is still plenty of value on the board, particularly with shot props.Let's look at the best way to attack this slate.Mitch Marner over 2.5 shots (-125)Mitch Marner has picked things up as a shooter since returning to the lineup. He has attempted 40 shots over a seven-game span. Of those attempts, 27 hit the net. That's good for an average of 3.86 shots on goal per contest.Considering the success he's enjoyed as a shooter - he scored in all seven games - Marner should have the confidence to continue firing pucks on net whenever he has the chance.The Carolina Hurricanes are a strong defensive team, but I'm not going to be scared away here. Marner's shot volume is rising, he routinely plays 20 minutes a night, and he'll get cushier usage on home soil. Oh, and Sheldon Keefe should have no problem leaning on his best players, given they just had a handful of days off to rest and recover.Jesper Bratt over 2.5 shots (-118)Jesper Bratt has skated on a line with Jack Hughes for a while now. With Hughes in COVID-19 protocol, I think the natural reaction is to lower your expectations for Bratt offensively. That may not be a good idea, at least in terms of his ability to pile up shots.The reality is Bratt has been a much more prolific shooter when away from Hughes. Bratt averages a little more than 12 shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play with Hughes on his line. Without Hughes? It's a different story. Bratt generates more than 17 attempts per 60 minutes when Nico Hischier is his centerman. And it just so happens Nico will be centering Bratt this evening in Ottawa.Expect Bratt to take advantage.Brady Tkachuk over 3.5 shots (+100)Brady Tkachuk is one of the best shot generators in the league right now, particularly on home soil. Tkachuk has amassed 73 shot attempts and 51 shots on goal over his last 10 home games. That's a whopping 5.1 shots per contest, and a lot better than his usual average of 3.5.The Devils are missing their two best play drivers in Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, and they aren't exactly the stoutest defensive team at the best of times.Tkachuk figures to be the prime beneficiary, especially with more of the offensive workload getting put on his shoulders while Josh Norris and Drake Batherson are sidelined.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 Pittsburgh Penguins added star forward Evgeni Malkin to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list Monday.The 35-year-old missed the first 34 games of 2021-22 following offseason knee surgery. He's produced five goals and eight assists in 12 contests since making his return in early January.Pittsburgh recalled forwards Michael Chaput and Valtteri Puustinen in corresponding moves.The Penguins resume their regular-season schedule Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One day after helping the Metropolitan Division win the NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Jack Hughes tested positive for COVID-19.The New Jersey Devils center entered protocol Sunday after the afternoon test result following his flight back to New Jersey. He was pulled from Sunday's practice.Hughes is the first 2022 All-Star to land on the list. The 20-year-old scored twice in the opening game against the Pacific Division on Saturday before adding a goal and an assist in the final against the Central. He also took part in the skills competition Friday night.The American-born forward is having the best season of his young career. Hughes collected 12 goals and 15 assists over the first 28 games of this campaign, his third in the NHL.New Jersey drafted Hughes first overall in 2019.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.