Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour expects goaltender Antti Raanta to be out "at least a couple of weeks" with a lower-body injury, per team beat reporter Walt Ruff.Raanta entered Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in relief of Pyotr Kochetkov, who surrendered two goals in the final minute of the opening frame. Raanta played the entire second period and turned aside all nine shots he faced, but Kochetkov replaced him for the final stanza.The 34-year-old has had a difficult season, owning an .872 save percentage and 2.99 goals against average across 24 appearances while ranking among the league's worst netminders in goals saved above average (minus-15.31) and goals saved above expected (minus-7.64) at all strengths, according to Evolving-Hockey. The Hurricanes also waived Raanta in December, but he went unclaimed.Despite Raanta's struggles, he's been Carolina's second-most utilized goalie this season, appearing in one less game and three fewer starts than Kochetkov. Frederik Andersen has been out since early November due to a blood clotting issue, but he was cleared to resume on-ice activity in late January.Carolina scooped Spencer Martin off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets in January, and he's since made one start for his new team, a 26-save effort in a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins.The NHL's trade deadline is March 8. The Hurricanes currently have just under $6.7 million in projected deadline cap space, per CapFriendly.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Tortorella may not be the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, but that didn't stop the head coach from dishing out his two cents on the upcoming trade deadline."When it comes to the deadline, we're going to listen," he said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jordan Hall. "If we feel it's the right thing to do for the future of the organization, we'll do it."Those guys on expiring contracts, everybody's always kind of checking around, so we'll see where it goes. We're not out there shopping Sean Walker, but we'd be dopes if we didn't listen."The Flyers have been one of the league's biggest surprises of the season, surpassing all expectations by being a fixture in the Eastern Conference's playoff picture.Walker, a pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman, has been a major part of the Flyers' success during his breakthrough first season in the City of Brotherly Love.A right-handed shot who can play both sides, Walker ranks second among all Flyers defensemen this campaign with five goals and 19 points in 52 games while averaging 19:31 minutes of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been solid, too, with Philadelphia controlling 52.8% of the shot attempts and 53.3% of the expected goals while outscoring opponents 44-35 with Walker on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.Combine his performance with his modest $2.65-million cap hit, and the Flyers could have a hot commodity on their hands come March 8."It's probably one of the best problems to have, right?" Walker said. "At the end of the day, you're playing really well and teams want you. That is the situation when you come to a place on an expiring contract, the situation I'm in."I'll let my agent deal with all those kind of issues and I'll just take it day by day for now. ... I take everything with a grain of salt."The Flyers' acquisition of 21-year-old Jamie Drysdale as part of January's shocking Cutter Gauthier trade has crowded their blue line. Walker is one of three Philadelphia rearguards on an expiring deal, alongside Nick Seeler and Marc Staal.During his midseason address, general manager Danny Briere said he was pleased to see growth from his team but noted that he wouldn't be entering "buyer mode" come deadline time."We've said for the beginning that we want to build a team that will become a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. ... The eye is still on the future," the executive said, per NHL.com.Heading into Saturday's action, Philadelphia was in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 27-19-6 record, nine points behind the New York Rangers for the top spot.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nearly a year after Diamond Sports Group declared bankruptcy and an uncertain future for televised sports got even murkier, there remain a great number of questions to be answered.Where will we watch? Who'll own the content? How will the economics work?But the effort by media giants and pro sports leagues to arrive at answers is accelerating. There were significant developments in early February that could have far-reaching implications for how we consume sports.On Feb. 6, Disney, Fox Corporation, and Warner Bros. Discovery announced they'll collaborate on a sports app for U.S. consumers, priced somewhere between $40 and $50 per month, which they hope to launch this fall. The alliance is a notable pivot in two ways: it marks the most robust move to date of traditional media companies placing their live sports rights on a streaming platform. And after so much unbundling in the cable universe initiated its downfall, major players have decided to try re-bundling in the streaming space.A day later, Disney announced it also plans to launch a standalone ESPN streaming app in 2025. ESPN remains the largest rightsholder of live sports content. Although ESPN+ already exists, it broadcasts only a limited amount of live sports, like the NHL out-of-market package in the U.S.The ESPN standalone app and the ESPN/Fox/WBD offering will broadcast all the live sports content those companies own - and they own the majority of live, national-level sports rights available in the U.S.The news follows the recent earnings reports of Comcast and Charter, the two largest cable distributors in the U.S., who lost more than three million combined subscribers in 2023. That brings the total decline of cable in the U.S. to date to around 40 million lost subs since 2010, a rate of 40%. Media companies and pro sports leagues can no longer afford to be in denial about the changes in consumer behavior. Rey Del Rio / Getty Images"We are entering a more serious experimental phase of this transition from cable to streaming," Greg Bouris, the director of the undergraduate sports management program at Adelphi University, said. "It looks like ESPN is trying every aspect of it. They have the early entry of ESPN+, which piggybacked off Disney+, which is kind of overflow content. Now they are going to collaborate. It seems like they have their fingers in a few of these pies, which leads me to believe if there was one they felt was the future, they would probably be in that."The dual early February announcements are largely tied to high-viewership, national broadcasts like the NFL and college football, and the NCAA's March Madness basketball tournaments.Meanwhile, Diamond Sports, the largest regional sports broadcaster, is conducting its own experiment in an attempt to survive. It was back in bankruptcy court Friday to have parts of its new plan approved.After declaring bankruptcy last March and seemingly on a path to liquidating assets and being out of business by the end of 2024, Diamond announced it reached an agreement on a rescue package last month that included a $115 million cash infusion from Amazon. The tech giant will take a 15% ownership stake in the company and broadcast Diamond RSNs on its Prime Video platform.Diamond also got approval Friday from the judge overseeing the case in Texas for three new agreements for this season with the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Guardians. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWhile industry executives who spoke with theScore have doubts about the viability of Diamond's ability to survive, the plan will at least buy it more time.What does this all mean? The quest to find solutions is becoming more urgent, so experimentation is accelerating. There are lots of questions, and developments are changing all the time.Re-bundling while threading a needlePerhaps the one big lesson from the week is that the death of the bundle might have been greatly exaggerated."I think the consumer is calling for a collaboration, another word for the bundle," said Bouris, who worked for an early regional sports network, SportsChannel, as well as for pro teams and the Major League Baseball Players Association before joining academia. "For all its gripes over the years with how we purchase cable television, and not having choices, there's something to be said for having it in the streaming world, and how it functions."The announcement of the ESPN-Fox-WBD agreement came this week before financial quarterly reporting for Fox and Disney. Anticipating those calls were analysts with questions about how these legacy media giants will transition into the future without decimating their still profitable cable businesses."We've been saying for a long time that taking ESPN in the direct-to-consumer direction was inevitable and that we were looking for partners to do so," Disney CEO Bob Iger said on Wednesday's earnings call. "The first step was launching ESPN+ some years ago, which has actually been quite successful. The second step is finding these partners to distribute basically the equivalent of a multichannel sports-centric tier via app."And that's a big step for us because we know that there are a number of people who have never signed up for multichannel television. This gives them a chance to do so at a price point that will be obviously more attractive" than the old cable bundle.Disney CEO Bob Iger Angela Weiss / Getty ImagesOne big question yet to be answered: how much are sports keeping the bundle afloat?At its peak in 2010, cable enjoyed 105 million subscribers in the U.S. before falling to 65.9 million early this year, according to IBISWorld market research. Interestingly, sports ratings remain stable despite the decline. NFL viewership numbers grew this season.It seems most of the viewership loss is not with sports fans but with those leaving for entertainment programs on Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+.The problem for the sports business is that those departed consumers were paying sports programming fees that were hidden within their cable bundles. That was the economic power of the cable bundle: everyone paid for everything whether they watched it or not.What happens when most of the national live sports content on linear cable today becomes available to stream later this year?"We wouldn't launch this product if we thought it would significantly impact our pay-TV partners (cable distributors)," FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch said on his earnings call. "That's very important to us. We remain, I think, the biggest supporters of the traditional pay-TV bundle."Alex Morris of TSOH Investment Research said "it's a pretty tight window that they are trying to slide into" by ramping up a streaming offering without significantly affecting the cable business. Sports rights are expensive and packaging them in a smaller targeted bundle won't necessarily reduce the cost to the consumer."They seem to think this is going to be targeted at cord-cutters and cord-nevers," Morris said. "If Murdoch's view of the world is correct, you have to worry about it less."I am curious to see if it can attract a meaningful number of people. The other risk they are going to run, to the extent they get aggressive on the pricing and don't build in a reasonable amount of gross margin, is going to be cannibalizing their remaining linear bundle." Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe potential cannibalization of cable subs - or continued cable losses - matters because the economics of the cable business are still much stronger than streaming despite their trending decline.For instance, Morris said Disney earned $17 per cable subscriber per month in the U.S. last quarter for its ESPN cable channels. That compares to $5.50 a month for ESPN+, with many of those subs discounted and connected to Disney+ bundles.There are some 66 million paid cable users in the U.S. compared to 26 million ESPN+ subscriptions. That means traditional ESPN channels generated $1.1 billion per month from traditional cable users, compared to about $143 million from ESPN+.(Like many companies, Disney's streaming business is not yet profitable, though it hopes it will be by the end of 2024.)In a hypothetical world where cable ceases to exist tomorrow, a standalone ESPN app at a reported $30 per subscription would require 37 million subscriptions to replace cable's current revenue. Thirty-seven million subs represent more than half the paid cable audience today. Are there that many sports fans willing to pay?Pew Research published polling data Feb. 5 based on interviews with a representative sample of 12,000 U.S. adults last August and found few Americans consider themselves serious sports fans. In the poll, 62% of American adults said they didn't follow pro or college sports closely or at all; 21% were casual fans and 16% were avid fans.How many fans need to be captured in the new streaming world to sustain something similar to today's economics?The initial reaction to the ESPN-Fox-WBD deal was positive. Disney stock rose 12% after its earnings report, perhaps in part a response to the plan.MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who's in business with all three networks, called the new platform a "positive.""It's another place that's going to need to buy rights to make the platform go and be compelling," he told reporters this week. "It's particularly good for us. They are our three biggest partners." MediaNews Group / Getty ImagesFor the most part, those three networks deal only in national broadcast rights, doling out the biggest dollars for the games with the largest audiences. The regional landscape is even more challenging - and where leagues like MLB are more exposed.The Amazon (partial) bailoutA few weeks ago, Diamond Sports seemed to be coming to grips with its demise because its massive $8-billion debt made it particularly susceptible to cord-cutting dynamics. Diamond, which operates as the Bally Sports regional networks, had reached agreements with the NBA and NHL to wind down operations at the end of the current seasons and to return broadcast rights to the clubs. It began similar talks with MLB teams.But last month, Amazon came to the rescue - maybe.Amazon stepped in and offered a cash infusion of $115 million for a 15% stake in Diamond as Diamond attempts to reorganize during its bankruptcy proceedings.If the bankruptcy deal becomes official, consumers will be able to purchase and watch teams that Diamond holds streaming rights for via Amazon Prime Video. Diamond only holds streaming rights for five of its 12 MLB partners but holds streaming rights for all of its NBA and NHL teams.Instead of shutting down operations, Diamond's now trying to survive. Mark Cunningham / Getty ImagesAfter striking the Amazon deal, Diamond reached one-year deals with three MLB partner clubs that were in limbo: the Rangers, Guardians, and Twins. It plans to honor the terms of the existing contracts of its nine other MLB clubs, which run for varying lengths beyond this season. There's doubt among industry and league executives about whether Diamond can do that."Anything dependent upon the linear bundle sustaining the economics is in doubt until we see a change in trend," Morris said.What's perhaps more interesting is how Amazon sees itself in the live sports TV landscape moving forward. Does Amazon believe it's simply a distributor, preferring to take a cut of subscriptions purchased on its platform? Or is Amazon eyeing more content ownership? It's secured exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football, select Yankees games, and some soccer rights in Europe."I think Amazon has come to the point where they are becoming less interested in taking really big swings at things, and in an intelligent way. I'm not knocking them," Morris said. "I think Amazon is thinking, 'We are in a position here where we can find a solution that may solve a problem for RSNs and digital super fans of local teams without having to take ownership and directly incur the risk of people in a given market paying $30 a month for this RSN DTC service.'"They are more of a distributor." NurPhoto / Getty ImagesDiamond hopes Amazon Prime Video, with much wider distribution - an estimated 167 million subscribers - and better technology, will help drive subscriptions.Diamond's own direct-to-consumer efforts have fallen flat.It was reported in August that Diamond had 203,000 total digital signups spread across the 29 NBA, MLB, and NHL teams it holds streaming rights for. That's 7,000 subs per team for packages that cost about $20 a month.Even as cable subs deteriorate, few have been willing to sign up for RSN standalone apps. When Diamond reneged on its deal last season with the San Diego Padres, only about 18,000 subscribers opted to join its streaming option via MLB.TV.The uncertainty of running a DTC product is a major reason why teams want to avoid having to launch their own, Bouris said. They'd much rather find a way to recreate the guaranteed revenue and distribution of cable.Would a tech giant be willing to do that for regional rights?Bouris believes if Amazon could reach a deal where blackout restrictions ended and RSN broadcast and streaming rights were less fragmented, it could be plausible.Amazon and other tech giants like Apple and Alphabet (which owns YouTube) have stronger balance sheets to bid on live sports rights. Amazon and YouTube are already in business with the NFL and bidding on national rights packages for the NBA is coming up in 2025. They also have better tech to run streaming services. Perhaps those are reasons why ESPN, FOX, and Warner Bros. banded together: to help spread the costs and access to such rights and tech."Content is king. Having access to the content and or owning the content is what you want," Bouris said. "You attract subscriptions, eyes, sponsors."Today, the landscape remains fragmented. But for sports fans, their decisions about where they spend - and what they watch - will ultimately begin to provide answers and shape what comes next.What we know for certain: change is picking up speed.Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Noah Hanifin knows the time is near to make a decision on his future with the Calgary Flames.The pending unrestricted free-agent defenseman could be one of the most attractive names available before the March 8 trade deadline if he doesn't agree to a new contract with the franchise he's called home for six seasons."It's definitely on my mind - I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," Hanifin said, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "But I'm just trying to control what I can, and that's just playing hockey and trying to perform and help the team get wins."Hanifin's been involved in trade rumors since last summer. He told the club he didn't want to sign an extension during the offseason but later clarified he's willing to sign long term at some point.The Flames halted extension talks with several key UFAs after a poor start to the season, and general manager Craig Conroy has already dealt away Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, and Elias Lindholm. Hanifin and fellow blue-liner Chris Tanev remain with the club as potential big-ticket trade pieces.Calgary offered Hanifin an eight-year extension, according to Francis. Hanifin's current deal pays him $4.95 million annually, and he's projected to get a notable raise on his next contract.He's notched 28 points in 51 games this season while averaging a career-high 23:38 per contest. The Flames acquired the 2015 fifth overall pick, along with Lindholm, from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018.Calgary is one point back of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 31 games to play.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.We put together a disappointing 2-3 record with our bets on Thursday. We split our team plays (side lost, total won) while somehow only David Pastrnak came through in the prop market.Noah Dobson, who averages nearly an assist per game, didn't record one on any of his team's six goals, while Owen Tippett registered three shots early on and - thanks to five missed shot attempts - was never able to get the fourth.In any case, we'll take our lumps and look to get back on track with a few props for Friday's card.Artemi Panarin: Over 3.5 shotsPanarin has gone a little cold of late in terms of getting shots on net, failing to go over his total in three straight games. I think that says more about the opponents than Panarin.He faced the Senators, Lightning, and Avalanche in that time. Although that stretch doesn't sound overly difficult, Ottawa and Tampa Bay rank top-five in shot suppression over the last 10 games, and Colorado sits eighth overall in that metric this season. It's been a difficult part of the schedule for generating shots.Panarin finds himself in a much more advantageous spot against one of his former teams on Friday night. The Blackhawks rank 31st in five-on-five shot suppression this season and 27th over the past 10 games. Panarin is the focal point of what's been by far the Rangers' best even-strength line, putting him in prime position to capitalize.He's also feasted on the Blackhawks in the past, going over in six of his last seven head-to-head matchups - and this is right up there with the worst versions of the team he's faced.Odds: +105 (playable to -125)Frank Vatrano: Over 2.5 shotsVatrano has generated shots at a steady rate all season long. He's gone over his total in 31 of 50 games (62%), including 19 of 26 on home ice (73%). That's remarkable consistency.The Oilers are a difficult matchup with how they've dominated teams at five-on-five. Even so, I expect Vatrano to have shooting success in this spot.He's the Ducks' most reliable shooter at five-on-five and is equipped with the ideal linemate for shot generation. Vatrano has averaged more than 20 attempts per 60 minutes with Troy Terry on his opposite wing, the highest shot rate he has with any regular linemate this season.Terry is a very strong puck distributor who's more than happy to defer to Vatrano. The latter also headlines his own power-play unit, where getting him the puck in shooting position is the team's top priority.Even against a quality opponent, it's hard to ignore Vatrano's volume and consistency.Odds: -115 (playable to -130)Evan Bouchard: Over 0.5 assistsBouchard is one of the best in-zone quarterbacks in the NHL. He distributes the puck well and generates plenty of assists from rebounds created by his heavy slapper.He's an efficient contributor at five-on-five and one of the best at piling up assists on the man advantage. Only six defensemen have more power-play assists this season.That's very important to note heading into a matchup with the Ducks. They're very undisciplined and horrendous at killing penalties. No team has spent more time shorthanded and allowed shots at a higher rate while undermanned.The Ducks conceded 3.4 goals per game, while the Oilers have averaged nearly 3.75 dating back to the beginning of their lengthy winning streak.Edmonton should be able to net a few goals in this spot. If that happens, I like Bouchard's chances of picking up an assist along the way.Odds: +110 (playable to -120)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.With just three games on Friday's schedule - two of which feature the bottom three teams - there are slim pickings to choose from.So we're going to widen the spectrum and include Saturday's slate in our weekend best bets.Let's get to them.Penguins (-125) @ Wild (+105)Note: this game is at 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday.The Penguins have some value in this game, but the bigger edge is in the total. The under of 6.5 goals is the target.The Penguins have played very tight, low-scoring affairs for some time. Only one of their past 10 games has gone over the total inside regulation and the Pens putting the puck in their own net proved to be the difference in that one.The recipe for Pittsburgh's recent defensive success is simple. The team has controlled the run of play at five-on-five and taken very few penalties, and the goaltending has been good.Projected starter Tristan Jarry has only allowed more than three goals twice since Christmas and routinely gives the Penguins above-average netminding. He's saved nearly five goals more than expected in that span, putting him ahead of All-Stars like Thatcher Demko and Jeremy Swayman.It's also just fine if the Penguins go with Alex Nedeljkovic instead. He actually owns a higher save percentage than Jarry this season (.918 versus .916) and has proven to be a steal by new Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.The Wild sit in the bottom 10 in five-on-five shot generation over the last 10 contests and, again, the Penguins aren't taking many penalties. That doesn't bode well for Minnesota to have a ceiling night offensively.On the flip side, the Penguins rank 27th in goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five over the last 10 games. They also have a notoriously bad power play that, given the talent at hand, isn't nearly as productive as you'd expect.Long-time Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury, who now calls Minnesota home, should be able to keep his former team to a manageable number in this one.Bet: Under 6.5 (-135)Blues @ SabresNote: this game is at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.The Blues have won plenty of games lately in a completely unsustainable fashion. They've shot the lights out at one end while getting every possible save at the other.The Blues won four straight games before their shutout loss to the Blue Jackets. But opponents won the Grade A chance battle 67-37 in those victories and recorded 87 more shot attempts.Their success was entirely smoke and mirrors - the process remained as bad as ever.Although the Sabres aren't exactly world-beaters, they're on an upward trajectory. They're playing better at five-on-five, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is giving them the level of goaltending they've long been searching for.He's saved 13.32 goals above expected since the holiday break, which is more than all but Stuart Skinner league-wide.He hasn't seen top-tier competition in that span, but the Blues don't necessarily change that.I think the Sabres have a depth advantage, their defensive metrics are much better, and an in-form UPL can go shot for shot with Jordan Binnington.Look for the Sabres to get it done on home ice.Bet: Sabres (up to -130)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are among 12 NHL teams interested in signing Russian forward Maxim Tsyplakov, his agent, Alexander Chernykh, told The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.Tsyplakov, 25, is in the final year of his KHL contract and enjoying a breakout season for Spartak Moscow with 30 goals and 15 assists in 58 games. He tallied 10 goals and 15 assists in 63 games the year prior.The 6-foot-3, 190-pound forward has primarily played wing in the KHL, though the possibility of playing center was discussed during a Zoom call with Tsyplakov, Chernykh, and senior members of Leafs management last week, Kloke added.The Maple Leafs could have a need at center next season. Third-line pivot Max Domi is a pending free agent, and there's a case to be made that John Tavares is better suited for the wing at this point in his career.Tsyplakov is a north-south forward with a physical element to his game, as evidenced by his 128 hits this season - the fourth-most among KHL forwards.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to the fourth edition of the All-Nobody Team.This exercise scans all 32 NHL teams for previously obscure players who've begun to make meaningful names for themselves. With the All-Star break over, which relative nobodies can we now call somebodies?As in years past, the player pool is limited to those who 1) were drafted after the second round or not at all, and 2) entered the season with fewer than 500 regular-season minutes played. (We expanded the workload threshold of goalies to 1,500 minutes.)Below are the three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie of the 2023-24 All-Nobody Team. Perhaps the next Carter Verhaeghe (2020-21), Michael Bunting (2021-22), or Matias Maccelli (2022-23) is in this eclectic group.Dmitri Voronkov, Blue Jackets, F Ben Jackson / Getty ImagesNew continent. New language. New culture. New teammates. New systems.For Voronkov, North America and the NHL were completely foreign heading into training camp. He arrived in Columbus not knowing a soul and unable to speak English. The giant forward spent the first 22 years of his life playing in his native Russia, most recently for the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan.Homesick in November, Voronkov debated a return to Russia despite making a strong impression on the ice. He opted to stick it out and it appears he made the right call. Right now, he's worthy of down-ballot Calder Trophy votes.Voronkov's recorded 12 goals and 13 assists through 44 games. Those 25 points are tied for seventh among rookies - an excellent ranking for Voronkov considering he averages only 13:21 of ice time. (His 2.55 points per 60 minutes trail only Connor Bedard's 2.66 per 60.)

The MVP race is really starting to solidify now that we're into the unofficial second half of the 2023-24 NHL season.A quintet of superstars continues to dominate, but one game-breaker in particular appears dead set on finally winning the Hart after numerous near misses.Meanwhile, Sam Reinhart has impressed while carrying the Florida Panthers, but our fifth-ranked candidate is still outproducing his teammates by a much wider margin than the ex-Buffalo Sabres forward.Here are our top five MVP contenders with the All-Star break now firmly in the rearview mirror.xGF% = Expected goals for percentage at five-on-five5. Artemi Panarin Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%51313620:1155.26Reinhart has a case here: He's torn it up lately in terms of goal-scoring, and his underlying numbers are a bit better than those of Panarin. But the New York Rangers winger is still outpacing his teammates by eight goals, four assists, and 20 points (compared to Reinhart's 12, two, and 11, respectively).It's not like Panarin has cooled off dramatically since our last edition on Jan. 5, either. He has seven goals and seven assists over 14 games in that span. The Russian has nine more even-strength goals than Reinhart on the season, and no one has required more power-play situations to score than the Cats standout, who leads the league by far with 21 tallies on the man advantage.Panarin's analytics are nothing to sneeze at, either. In addition to his commendable xGF%, the Rangers have 56.9% of the scoring chances with him on the ice at five-on-five this season (53.99 xGF% and 55.6 SCF% since our last edition). The superior contenders each have better all-around figures (standings points above replacement, wins above replacement, and goals above replacement), but Panarin still warrants a spot on the fringes of the discussion.4. David Pastrnak Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%51334219:5151.18Pastrnak is still consistently racking up big numbers, and more importantly, he's outgunning his Boston Bruins teammates by eight goals, 15 assists, and a whopping 27 points. The Czech catalyst is doing most of his damage at even strength, ranking third in the league in both goals and points in those situations on the season.The well-dressed winger has favorable underlying numbers, both for the campaign as a whole and since we last evaluated this race. Those categories include xGF%, SCF%, SPAR, WAR, and GAR, and he ranks among the NHL's best dozen or so players in the latter three categories.Pastrnak has also been one of the league's most potent players since our last edition, with 10 goals and 12 assists in 14 games. The Bruins' depth at every position might discourage some voters from considering Pastrnak a contender, but frankly, it shouldn't. The fact that he's been miles above that talented supporting cast only further bolsters his case to be in the mix.3. Connor McDavid Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%44214721:3262.42It still feels weird that McDavid hasn't established himself as the clear Hart front-runner, seeing as how he's handily won this trophy three times. But his less-than-superhuman start, an injury, and the Edmonton Oilers' early struggles as a whole allowed two other players to overtake him in the MVP race.To McDavid's credit (and to no one's surprise), he's done an admirable job of returning to his otherworldly form. It's no coincidence the Oilers just reeled off a 16-game win streak, as well. He ranks third in the NHL in points per game on the campaign, and he's among the league's absolute best in even-strength points, too, despite missing time with said injury.McDavid has a 61.57 SCF% to match a similarly sublime xGF%. His SPAR, WAR, and GAR numbers are all elite as well, as he ranks seventh in the former and eighth in the two latter statistics league-wide. This illustrates how his two-way game has allowed him to get back into the Hart hunt as opposed to his offensive production alone.2. Nikita Kucherov Mark LoMoglio / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%51335421:5751.69Forget about Kucherov's less-than-enthusiastic display in the Skills Competition last weekend. The Tampa Bay Lightning winger has proven time and time again that he excels when it counts. He's leading the NHL in assists by one and points by two this season. Only our front-runner has more even-strength points on the campaign.But it's not just about the production itself. Kucherov has a remarkable 33 more points than second-ranked Brayden Point (who's posting over a point per game in his own right) on the Lightning. The Russian also has eight more goals and 12 more assists than his closest teammates.Kucherov - the 2018-19 MVP - has been a two-way force as well, sitting among the NHL's best in SPAR, WAR, and GAR this season. Back when he won this honor, he led the league with 87 assists and 128 points. There's still a way to go in 2023-24, but he's on pace to have the best campaign of his career in terms of both goals and points with 52 and 137, respectively, over 81 games.The Bolts sit fifth in the Atlantic Division by points percentage, and it's entirely fair to wonder how far they'd fall without Kucherov putting them on his back. They'll depend on him even more now that Mikhail Sergachev's out indefinitely. Kucherov posted nearly two points per game in the 17 contests Sergachev missed before his latest injury.1. Nathan MacKinnon Michael Martin / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%52325323:0355.05MacKinnon's Hart woes are well-documented, but as a reminder: He's a two-time second-place finisher, having narrowly lost to Taylor Hall in 2017-18 and then to Leon Draisaitl in 2019-20. MacKinnon earned the third-most votes in the abbreviated 2021 campaign and placed fifth last season. The Colorado Avalanche dynamo is consistently in the MVP conversation, but he has yet to actually win it.Well, the Nova Scotian center is now putting himself in position to finally claim the hardware. MacKinnon leads the NHL in all three of the aforementioned two-way categories by wide margins. The league's even-strength points leader has also scored 78% of his goals (25) in those situations, trailing only Auston Matthews among all skaters in terms of his total.MacKinnon continues to pursue only teammate Mikko Rantanen in average ice time among all NHL forwards (sitting behind him by four seconds), and he leads third-ranked Kucherov by over a full minute. MacKinnon trails Kucherov for the league lead by one assist and two points. He also has at least 18 more points than any other Avalanche skater.Given his perennial candidacy and past disappointments in this regard, he's becoming the sentimental favorite. But the numbers more than back him up. If MacKinnon can maintain this level of both production and importance to his team, he should finally get his Susan Lucci moment.(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes was back in the lineup for Thursday's 5-3 loss against the Calgary Flames after missing the last 11 contests with an upper-body injury.Hughes spent the bulk of his return on a line with Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Holtz. He registered four shots on goal and was a minus-3 in 20:24 minutes of ice time.The 22-year-old also sat out five games in November with an upper-body ailment.Despite the missed time, Hughes still ranks second on the Devils with 45 points in 33 games this season. Jesper Bratt paces the team with 55 points and has played in all 49 of New Jersey's contests.The Devils have gone 6-9-1 without Hughes in the lineup this season.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mikhail Sergachev will be out for the foreseeable future after he was injured in his return to the lineup Wednesday night.The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman underwent surgery in New York to stabilize tibia and fibula fractures in his left leg, the club announced Thursday. He has no timetable for recovery at the moment and will soon return to Tampa to begin his rehab.Sergachev - who was playing for the first time since Dec. 19 - came down awkwardly on his left leg after colliding with New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere in the second period of the Blueshirts' 3-1 win.

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom left the ball in the Calgary Flames' court when asked about being traded."It's up to Calgary, what they want to do," Markstrom told Sportsnet's Eric Francis on Thursday.The 34-year-old is signed through 2025-26 at a $6-million cap hit. Markstrom's contract contains a full no-movement clause, and he'd have to approve any trade involving him. He said Thursday the Flames haven't approached him about waiving the clause."Whatever direction they want to go and what they want to do, I'm not going to force anything," Markstrom added."I'm not going to go up and meet and ask for a trade, either."Calgary has dealt Elias Lindholm, Tyler Toffoli, and Nikita Zadorov since the summer while retooling. Markstrom and pending unrestricted free agents Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin have been the subject of trade rumors throughout the season.With the March 8 trade deadline approaching, Markstrom said he won't let the speculation about his future get to him."I know they've got to call me before (a trade), and they haven't called me, so I just keep playing," he said.Markstrom would be a significant upgrade in net for several contending teams, including the New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, and Los Angeles Kings.He's been superb since December, posting a .928 save percentage in 15 starts. On the season, the 2022 Vezina Trophy runner-up has a .913 save percentage in 30 contests.Markstrom has previously been moved ahead of the trade deadline. He was the primary asset sent to the Vancouver Canucks in the trade that shipped Roberto Luongo back to the Florida Panthers in 2014.The Flames rank sixth in the Pacific Division at 23-22-5.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We had an underwhelming 1-2 Wednesday, splitting our props while the Lightning couldn't grind out a win against Jonathan Quick and the Rangers.Let's look at a couple of plays for Thursday's card as we try to get back in the win column.Flames (+125) @ Devils (-145)The Flames picked up an impressive win over the Bruins last time out and have won six of 10, but I'm not sold on their process. They've controlled just 45% of the expected goal share at five-on-five over the past 10 games.Calgary isn't good at full strength. And without Elias Lindholm, who led the team in power-play points, the Flames can't be relied upon to produce consistently on the man advantage.I think the Devils are a much better club. Jack Hughes, one of the NHL's top point producers, is expected to return Thursday. With Hughes in the lineup, New Jersey is extremely dangerous at five-on-five and on the power play.The Devils are also as healthy as they've been in some time. While key contributors like Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler remain sidelined, most of the team's top weapons are back.Thursday's lineup will include Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Tyler Toffoli. New Jersey has rarely had all five of those guys available at the same time.I think the Devils underachieving to date has a lot more to do with a constant wave of key injuries than a lack of talent or underlying concerns.This is a good spot for them to get right against a mediocre Flames team starting to look toward the future and move on from key players.Bet: Devils (-145)Golden Knights (-135) @ Coyotes (+115)How I attack this game depends greatly on what the Golden Knights do in goal. Either way, it's one I see value in getting involved with.If Vegas goes back to Adin Hill - rather than continuing to rotate, as it's done in recent weeks - then the under of 5.5 (+100) is a play I see value in.Hill owns a sparkling .938 save percentage through 18 games this season and has been as good as anybody on a per-start basis.Coyotes starter Connor Ingram has posted an impressive .916 save percentage and is in fine form heading into this contest. He has more than six goals saved above expectation since the calendar flipped and sits fifth in the category for the year.Headlined by Jack Eichel, the Golden Knights are missing several players with injury. That's taken a bite out of their five-on-five numbers and ability to score goals.That's why backing the Coyotes is the way to go if Hill doesn't start. Logan Thompson's numbers don't hold a candle to Hill's on the season.Considering it's vulnerable at even strength and has lost the expected goals battle in four of the last five games, Vegas needs excellent goaltending.I'm less confident Thompson can provide the Golden Knights with that. In short, I like the Coyotes at +115 if Thompson starts and the under of 5.5 at +100 if Bruce Cassidy goes back to Hill.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin was named GM for Team USA at the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics, USA Hockey announced Thursday.Guerin, 53, has been the Wild's GM since 2019. He represented the United States as a player at three Olympics and two World Cups, winning the 1996 World Cup and capturing silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics."It's an honor beyond belief to be asked to do this, and I couldn't say yes quick enough," Guerin said. "I am so thankful to USA Hockey for this opportunity. ... I've been fortunate enough to have many great days in hockey, and this is among the very best."Guerin was tabbed as the United States' GM for the 2022 Beijing Olympics but ultimately didn't fulfill the role when NHL players didn't participate."With the NHL asking the competing teams to name their first six players for the NHL 4 Nations Faceoff early this summer, it was important for us to name a general manager, and we couldn't be happier to have Bill engaged for both that event and the Olympics," USA Hockey's assistant executive director John Vanbiesbrouck said."He brings the same level of competitiveness to his role as a general manager as he did as a player on the ice and that's a real benefit."The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off is a new event scheduled for February 2025 that will feature teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.The United States last medaled in men's hockey at the Olympics in 2010.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have an intriguing seven-game slate ahead of us Thursday night. Let's waste no time getting to a few of my favorite player props on the board.David Pastrnak: Over 4.5 shotsPastrnak is a shooting machine in Boston. He's registered at least five shots in 63% of his home games this season and six of the past 10 overall. Of the four failures in that span, each contest was decided by three-plus goals.Put another way, Pastrnak is generally getting the job done, so long as the game is close and he's incentivized to keep shooting - be it for an insurance marker or an attempt at a comeback.The Canucks are one of the league's best teams, and they're giving every opponent a run for their money. They should be able to push the Bruins in this game and give head coach Jim Montgomery every reason to get Pastrnak on the ice as often as possible.It's worth noting - while still stingy - the Canucks give up more shot volume on the road than at home.Boston also likes to match top lines. With Pastrnak recently shifting to the second unit, he'll avoid some of those best-on-best matchups.Odds: -125 (playable to -140)Noah Dobson: Over 0.5 assistsDobson is one of the league's best playmaking defensemen. He's piled up 46 assists through 50 games this season and has been particularly effective at home, where he's recorded at least one assist in 60% of his contests.There's every reason to believe his home success will continue Thursday night against the Lightning.The Bolts started Andrei Vasilevskiy on Wednesday, which means Jonas Johansson will get the nod in goal this time. Johansson owns a .894 save percentage this season and is a net negative in goals saved above expectation. His presence should allow the Islanders to get the most out of their chances, of which there will be plenty.New York sits second in expected goal generation since Patrick Roy took over behind the bench. Five games is a small sample size, but it sure looks like Roy has the team moving in the right direction.Mikhail Sergachev also suffered a scary-looking injury in his return to the lineup Wednesday, which takes a big bite out of the Lightning defense heading into a road back-to-back.Win or lose, the Islanders are in a good spot to score their share of goals in this game. Given the number of minutes he plays and the chances he facilitates for teammates, Dobson should have no problem picking up an assist.Odds: -130 (playable to -150)Owen Tippett: Over 3.5 shotsTippett is one of the most efficient shot generators in the league. He has averaged 25.85 shot attempts and 13.65 shots on goal per 60 minutes of play this season. Both stats rank third in the NHL, putting him in direct company with Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Pastrnak.Although Tippett has a difficult matchup against the Jets, there's plenty of reason to like him in this spot. Winnipeg ranks 15th in shots against per 60 over the last 10 games, a much lower mark than where it sits on the season. The Jets aren't playing their best defensive hockey right now.Tippett is also skating alongside optimal linemates Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson. His shooting rate is higher with Couturier than any other center on the Flyers' roster. Tippett also averages nearly 30 attempts per 60 minutes on the opposite side of Atkinson, more than four attempts above his season average.Odds: -102 (playable to -125)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to the fifth edition of theScore's 2023-24 Norris Trophy Rankings and the fourth in-season version. New rankings are published once a month throughout the campaign.These rankings focus on analytics and the all-around ability of defensemen rather than only points or reputation.xGF% = five-on-five expected goals for percentage5. Evan Bouchard, Oilers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%46113222:5062.89Bouchard isn't logging the minutes of a typical Norris Trophy winner. No player has won the award averaging under 24 minutes per game since P.K. Subban (23:15) with the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. No player has won averaging under 23 minutes per game since ATOI was first recorded in 1997-98.So while Bouchard doesn't meet all the criteria to create a legitimate case for the top spot, his excellence deserves to be recognized with some down-ballot love.Bouchard's underlying numbers are off the charts. He ranks first among NHL defensemen in xGF%, first in expected goals for per 60 minutes, and 27th in expected goals against per 60 minutes. Many will credit that to him often sharing the ice with Connor McDavid in Edmonton, but Bouchard has proven capable of elevating those around him in his own right.Bouchard has taken off since Edmonton swapped Tyson Barrie for Mattias Ekholm last year. In that span - including playoffs - he's racked up 79 points in 78 games.4. Adam Fox, Rangers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%4182923:0552.34Fox hasn't appeared on this list since the preseason. He got injured before the first in-season edition, dealing with an ailment that caused him to miss 10 games. That missed action will undoubtedly hurt his case, considering no defenseman has won the Norris Trophy while missing more than six of his team's games since Ray Bourque played 72 of the Boston Bruins' 84 games in 1993-94.Like Bouchard, also working against Fox is his low average time on ice. Fox averaged 24:42 during his Norris-winning campaign in 2020-21.But even though Fox isn't a serious contender for No. 1, the way he's played of late makes him more than worthy of the fourth spot. Since the last edition of these rankings on Jan. 4, Fox has produced 13 points in 15 games with an xGF% of 51%.3. Noah Dobson, Islanders Cato Cataldo / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%5064625:5549.75Dobson is a true workhorse. He ranks second in the league in average time on ice and hasn't missed a game all season. It's despicable that he wasn't named an NHL All-Star.His 6-foot-4 frame and smooth skating stride make him a stellar defender, but his true calling comes on the offensive side of the puck, as he's tied for the Islanders' lead in points this season. His vision is outstanding, ranking tied for sixth among all NHL skaters in assists.Dobson's underlying metrics had been one of the lone knocks on his game, but those are starting to come around, as he's generated an xGF% of 51.78 since the last edition of these rankings. Dobson is starting to distance himself from those behind him on this list, but the top two are still in a separate tier.2. Cale Makar, Avalanche Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%46134725:0054.31Makar held the top spot in the last two editions of these rankings, largely due to his superior underlying metrics. But those have evened out over the last month, as Makar's xGF% since the last rankings is just 51.5.Makar is coming off a mighty productive month, recording 16 points in his last 13 games. He's still firmly within striking distance of winning his second Norris in three years. Makar's play would be strong enough to win the Norris in most years, so he might just need No. 1 on our list to come down to earth a bit.1. Quinn Hughes, Canucks Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%50125224:2953.27Hughes was a relatively easy choice for No. 1 after putting together a month in which he tallied 18 points in 13 games with a sparkling 60.53 xGF%. The Canucks have outscored their opponents 18-10 in that span with Hughes on the ice at five-on-five. He's truly been dominating play of late.The overall body of work speaks for itself, too. Hughes leads all NHL defensemen in assists (and he's two off the NHL lead among all skaters), points, even-strength points, goals above replacement, and expected goals above replacement.While he was a relative long shot to begin the season, Hughes has always possessed the talent to win a Norris, and it's starting to feel more and more like this is his year.(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting yet another outdoor game.Wrigley Field will host the 2025 Winter Classic, with the Blackhawks facing the St. Louis Blues, the NHL confirmed Wednesday.It'll be the second Winter Classic at the venue. The Blackhawks hosted the 2009 event at Wrigley Field, a 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings. Boston's Fenway Park is the only other stadium to have hosted two Winter Classics.The Blues and Blackhawks clashed in the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The hosts prevailed 4-1 over their rivals from Chicago.The Blackhawks have participated in six outdoor games, most recently in the 2019 Winter Classic versus the Boston Bruins. It'll be the third time the Blues play outdoors.Chicago will pass the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers for the most outdoor games in league history. Notably, the Blackhawks are 0-4 in Winter Classics and 1-5 overall in outdoor contests.The Seattle Kraken shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in this season's Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park. It marked the first time since the event's inception in 2008 that it wasn't the most-viewed regular-season contest, according to Front Office Sports, as Connor Bedard's NHL debut drew a larger TV audience.Chicago is mired in last place overall, entering Wednesday with a 14-34-2 record. Bedard, the 2023 first overall pick, led the Blackhawks with 33 points in 39 games but has missed 11 contests with a broken jaw sustained on Jan. 5.The Blues are currently in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 26-21-2 record.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon will sit out three games for a hit to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari's head during Tuesday's game, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.Dillon caught Acciari up high against the glass early in the second period. The hit knocked Acciari's helmet off.

The Calgary Flames inked forward Martin Pospisil to a two-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $1 million, the club announced Wednesday.Pospisil was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights, according to CapFriendly. He's playing on the one-year, $775,000 pact he signed with the Flames last July.The 24-year rookie has four goals and seven assists in 34 games with the Flames this season. Pospisil was recently bumped up to Calgary's second line alongside Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary. He made his NHL debut in November after playing parts of five campaigns in the AHL.Pospisil was ejected from a win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night for cross-checking Brad Marchand in the face. He avoided supplementary discipline for the incident.Calgary drafted him 105th overall in 2018.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tuesday was a solid night on the ice, as we went 2-1 with player props while turning a small profit on sides thanks to a Canucks win at a healthy +125 price.Let's dive into Wednesday's three-gamer as we look to keep the ball rolling.Lightning (+115) @ Rangers (-135)The Lightning are one of the hottest teams in the NHL, winning eight of 10 games before the All-Star break. And now they're getting healthy.Defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak are both expected to return to action against the Rangers on Wednesday night. They'll provide positive impacts at each end of the ice for a team that did just fine without them.The Rangers aren't playing their best hockey, either. Although they've won back-to-back games, they sit 22nd in expected goals share at five-on-five over the last 10 contests. They aren't generating a whole lot offensively, and Igor Shesterkin is noticeably having issues at the other end.He's struggled so mightily that the Rangers believe it's in their best interest to give Jonathan Quick his second straight start coming out of the All-Star break.Although he played well against the Avalanche, Quick's performance has dipped since Christmas. The 38-year-old has played above his head for much of the season and it's probably not realistic for that to continue - especially in a date with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, and a star-studded Lightning attack.Even if Quick holds his own, I'll happily take my chances with Andrei Vasilevskiy and the more in-form team at generous +115 odds.Bet: Lightning (+115)John Tavares: Over 3.5 shotsAfter a lengthy dry spell in which Taveres' production and shot volume dipped, things are starting to stabilize for the Leafs forward.He's been a shooting machine of late, recording four shots or more in six of the past seven games and attempting six shots in a low-event contest against the Kraken in the lone exception. The volume is there right now.Tavares is starting to get rewarded, scoring in back-to-back outings while putting up three points. He should feel good about his game heading into a matchup that's better than meets the eye.The Stars are a good team, but they've given up a lot of shots lately. On Tuesday night, they conceded more than 40 against the disappointing Sabres.Over the past 10 games, the Stars rank 27th in shot suppression at five-on-five and 30th while killing penalties. They're struggling defensively right now.Tavares has recorded at least four shots in 63% of his games this season. What's more, he won't see much of the dominant Roope Hintz line, and the vulnerable Stars are in a back-to-back situation. Toronto's captain is primed to build on his recent success.Odds: -140Victor Hedman: Under 2.5 shotsHedman has struggled to generate shots all season long. He's gone over the total in just 29% of his games, and his success rate drops even further on the road (26%).The towering defenseman finds himself in a dreadful matchup to increase that number on Wednesday night. The Rangers don't give up many shots, don't take many penalties, and play a very low-event brand of hockey that leads to a lot more floor games than ceiling games from opposing shooters.The Rangers have especially excelled at limiting shots from blue-liners. Only the Hurricanes have conceded fewer shots per game to opposing defenders over the last 10 games.Making matters worse, Hedman's workload could dip in this game. With Sergachev and Cernak expected back, Jon Cooper doesn't have to rely on him as heavily.Odds: -122 (playable to -160)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to the fourth in-season edition of theScore's 2023-24 Vezina Trophy rankings, a monthly look at the top goaltenders across the NHL.The All-Star break and bye weeks made for smaller sample sizes and resulted in two newcomers and one returnee from earlier in the season. The frontrunners are a significant step ahead of the chasers at this point, but there's a collection of netminders neck-and-neck for the third finalist spot with plenty of hockey left to play.GSAA = Goals saved above average

The Vegas Golden Knights edged the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Tuesday night to snap their Pacific Division rival's 16-game winning streak.The Oilers' run falls one win shy of matching the NHL's all-time record for consecutive victories, set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins. The 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets are the only other team in league history to win 16 straight games.Edmonton got off to a promising start Tuesday, as superstars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid connected while shorthanded to open the scoring less than five minutes into the first period. Nicolas Roy equalized late in the frame, and Chandler Stephenson gave Vegas the lead in the third period before William Karlsson's empty-net dagger.The Oilers outshot the Golden Knights 31-26 and owned a 33-19 advantage in scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick, but Vegas goaltender Adin Hill proved up to the task.Edmonton's streak began on Dec. 21, and Tuesday marked only the third occasion in which the club surrendered three goals in a game. The club is now 26-7-0 with a plus-50 goal differential since Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach in mid-November.The Oilers' red-hot stretch dug them out of a daunting early-season hole, and they occupy the third spot in the Pacific. Edmonton is seven points back of Vegas for second place with five games in hand.As it stands, the two clubs would meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights eliminated the Oilers in the second round of the 2023 postseason.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand to the face late in the first period of Tuesday's contest.Numerous Flames converged on Marchand as he fought for a puck that Jacob Markstrom appeared to have covered. Marchand voiced his displeasure to officials following the play while bloodied.

We have a fun eight-game slate to look forward to on Tuesday night. Oddly enough, it's the top two teams in the NHL I see the most value in backing.Let's take a closer look.Flames (+155) @ Bruins (-185)The Flames have been pretty competitive this season, hanging around a wild-card spot in a year where little was expected of them. It looks like things are about to take a turn for the worse, though.They've struggled to keep up at five-on-five of late - the Flames own a 45 expected goals for percentage over the past three weeks - and their power play took a massive hit with the departure of Elias Lindholm. There isn't really a spot for them to make up ground.Meanwhile, the Bruins continue to chug along like a well-oiled machine. They won seven of their last eight games before the All-Star break, with their only defeat coming against the Hurricanes in a contest that went down to the wire.They continue to dominate teams at five-on-five, their special teams are excellent, and nobody can match their goaltending tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.I see edges across the board for the Bruins. With home ice also in their favor, this is a game they should be able to win within 60 minutes.Bet: Bruins in regulation (-130)Canucks (+125) @ Hurricanes (-145)The Canucks are firing on all cylinders. They own a ridiculous 8-0-2 record over the past 10 games and have controlled better than 55% of the expected goals share across all situations.Vancouver is a very talented team with excellent finishing rates and goaltending. It's difficult to keep up with them if they're coming out even in the chance department, let alone consistently winning in that area. Life will be even tougher on opponents following the addition of Lindholm.He addresses a need for them in the top six, providing another reliable scorer who's versatile and can play either center or wing. Lindholm also stands to upgrade a power play that already ranks sixth in the NHL in goals this season.Although the Hurricanes are a good team with the defensive personnel to slow down the Canucks, I don't love their chances in this game.Pyotr Kochetkov is having a respectable season, but he's made only three starts in 2024, in two of which he posted an .882 save percentage or worse. He doesn't hold a candle to Thatcher Demko.Andrei Svechnikov is also not quite ready to return, meaning the Hurricanes will be playing without one of their two players averaging more than a point per game. That's not ideal when going up against an elite offensive team (or goaltender).The Canucks recently closed as -125 favorites against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, implying a 55.6% win probability against a 58-point team. And they didn't have Lindholm in that game.I don't see how the Canucks, now equipped with Lindholm, should carry an implied win rate of just 44.4% - an 11.2% decrease - against a 61-point Hurricanes team missing one of its best players in Svechnikov.Bet: Canucks (+125)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is back in full force on Tuesday night with a hefty eight-game slate.Let's look at a few of the best ways to attack it.David Pastrnak: Over 4.5 shotsPastrnak is one of the most consistent volume shooters in the NHL, especially on home ice. He's averaged 5.4 shots on 10.5 attempts per game in Boston this season, helping him go over his total at an impressive 65% clip at home.His shooting success should continue against the Flames. They're embracing a retool and starting to sell off key contributors, as we saw with Elias Lindholm. That means they'll spend less time on the front foot, which should help Pastrnak. So should home-ice advantage and the ability to get him away from Calgary's matchup line of Andrew Mangiapane, Mikael Backlund, and Blake Coleman.An additional feather in the cap is that Pastrnak was recently put on a line with James van Riemsdyk. The former has averaged over 31 attempts per 60 minutes with van Riemsdyk on his opposite wing. That's a noticeable jump from the 24 he generates with Marchand on the other side.With optimal linemates for individual shot generation and the ability to avoid Calgary's best defensive personnel, Pastrnak is well-positioned for another active offensive performance.Odds: +100 (playable to -130)Alex Ovechkin: Over 3.5 shotsOvechkin just isn't having a great season. From his shot volume to his point outputs, his numbers are down across the board.That said, he's still capable of strong shooting performances, and the Canadiens are the perfect team to bring one out of him.They've bled shots all season and show no signs of improvement. The Canadiens rank dead last in five-on-five shot suppression over the past 10 games and struggle while undermanned. Montreal also takes a ton of penalties, which should give Ovechkin plenty of extra shooting opportunities in his prime location.When the two sides met earlier this year, Ovechkin made the most of the matchup and generated five shots on eight attempts.I expect a well-rested Ovechkin to take advantage of the Canadiens once again.Odds: -122 (playable to -135)Kyle Connor: Over 3.5 shotsMark Scheifele is expected to return to the Jets' lineup tonight and reclaim his spot in the middle of the top line. That's good news for Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi, who have formed what looks to be an elite first unit in Winnipeg.This trio spent a few games together early in the season and feasted on opponents, controlling 80% of the expected goals share while generating shots at an absurd clip.A lot of those shots came from Connor, Winnipeg's best and most consistent shooting threat.Unlike many snipers, he isn't negatively impacted by playing on the road. In fact, his volume - be it attempts or shots on goal - is higher on the road than in Winnipeg.The Penguins can be vulnerable defensively and frequently play in high-event games. That should create an environment for Connor to make his mark.Odds: +115 (playable to -120)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Come on, of course Connor Bedard is still in the mix for the Calder Trophy. What, like a little jaw surgery was going to knock him out of the race?With that being said, there is a new No. 1 on our rankings.Let's get into it.5. Samuel Ersson, Flyers Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPSV%GAASO23 (12-9-3).8982.603Ersson's arrival on these rankings is the culmination of a few factors.For one, Adam Fantilli was more or less eliminated from the running thanks to a lacerated calf. Secondly, Ersson's arguably going to have the most on his plate out of all rookie netminders: Joseph Woll is still out with an ankle sprain, while Pyotr Kochetkov has been injured and will likely have less playing time following Frederik Andersen's eventual return for the Hurricanes. Ersson, meanwhile, is currently the No. 1 guy in Philadelphia. The Flyers are in the heat of the playoff race, and a lot of their hopes are now riding on the 24-year-old's shoulders.No, not all of Ersson's numbers are outstanding and he's lost his last four starts, but he still leads all first-year goaltenders in both wins and shutouts while ranking second in goals above replacement (6.7) and tying Woll in wins above replacement (1.1). Prior to his latest skid, Ersson's 2.26 goals against average ranked sixth among all goalies - not just rookies - to play in at least 10 games.If the Swede can stay healthy and bounce back after the All-Star break, there's a big chance he can muscle his way into the Calder Trophy conversation down the stretch. Right now, though, Ersson's status as a finalist is in "wait and see" mode.4. Marco Rossi, Wild David Berding / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGPATOI49132816:47Rossi has been one of the league's most underrated rookies this season, but he's still out here doing his thing. The Wild forward ranks second among all first-year players in goals and third in points, and he owns the fifth-highest point-per-game rate (0.57) out of all rookies to appear in at least 10 games this season.The 22-year-old's 25 points at even strength are tied with Bedard for the most in the class and with Joel Eriksson Ek for the most on the Wild. Minnesota hasn't been the league's most dominant team at even strength, but Rossi has been key to his team's production in those situations. He's second on the Wild in points per 60 (2.17) and third in goals per 60 (0.99) at five-on-five.In addition, Rossi has gotten more ice time since his last appearance on these rankings in December. Then, he was eating up just over 16 minutes per game, but he's now pushed that number to a tad under 18 minutes.Rossi's individual underlying numbers are also some of the best on the team. Out of all Wild skaters with at least 200 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, he places fourth in shot attempts for (51.8%), second in goals for (58.8%), and sixth in shots for (50.1%).3. Luke Hughes, Devils Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGPATOI4782620:40Though the Calder Trophy pursuit is more or less a two-horse race by this point, we'd be surprised if Hughes isn't named a finalist come springtime.He may no longer lead all rookie blue-liners in points after putting up just five in 12 games in January, but he's still on pace for a respectable 45 points. He also still tops all first-year defensemen in goals and goals per game played (0.17), all while putting up the second most shots (67).The 20-year-old has shouldered a fairly large role in New Jersey all season, and his workload has only increased with Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler on the sidelines. The Devils have been without both members of their usual top pair since Jan. 6, when Siegenthaler went down with a broken foot. Hughes has averaged a team-leading 23:05 minutes of ice time in his last nine games, and New Jersey has controlled 53.1% of the shot attempts and 51.8% of the expected goals with him on the ice at five-on-five over that span.New Jersey's sputtering power play lacks some serious personnel, which is likely hurting Hughes' offense. Since missing both Hamilton and injured superstar forward Jack Hughes, the Devils' power play has been operating at an awful 8.7% success rate in its last 10 games. Despite the lull, Hughes still leads the class with 12 points on the man advantage.2. Connor Bedard, Blackhawks Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGPATOI39153319:04A Bedard-less edition of these rankings just didn't feel right. His Calder Trophy case isn't as airtight as it was before, but there's no doubt the 2023 first overall pick is still a front-runner.In case you somehow haven't heard, Bedard hasn't played since early January after suffering a fractured jaw. Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told reporters on Jan. 22 that Bedard is expected to miss at least six more weeks, meaning the phenom might not be able to return to the lineup until early March. The most games a rookie has ever missed in a Calder-winning season is 17 (Russ Blinco in 1933-34 and Steve Vickers in 1972-73); Bedard will likely miss more than that. Connor McDavid didn't take home the hardware after being sidelined for over half of his rookie season, though he was named a finalist.Working in Bedard's favor is the fact that he's an absolute alien. Despite missing the Blackhawks' last 12 games, he still leads his team in points while tying Jason Dickinson for most goals. He holds a four-point and two-goal edge in the rookie scoring race. No one has caught up to him yet, and that's just madness.However, it's not like the other rookies have been sitting on their hands waiting for Bedard's return. The 18-year-old will need to hit the ground running whenever he returns to reclaim his stranglehold on the Calder Trophy.1. Brock Faber, Wild David Berding / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGPATOI4942924:51We've been beating the Faber drum for the last couple of months, so it should come as no surprise that he's taken the top spot from Bedard for now.Faber is now second in the rookie scoring race, and his 13 points in 12 games since Bedard went down are the most among all first-year players. That stretch included two straight multi-point games, meaning Faber has recorded at least two points in six contests this campaign - the most among rookie rearguards.The Wild are in the throes of a tough season and might miss the playoffs, but it's far from Faber's fault. Minnesota has heaped a ton of responsibility on his plate, and he's handled it more often than not. Faber has over 1,200 minutes of ice time this season, a whopping 200 minutes more than Eriksson Ek, the Wild's second-busiest player. Despite the 21-year-old's heavy workload against the league's top talent, Minnesota has outscored the opposition 42-38 with him on the ice at five-on-five.Thanks to Faber's recent offensive push, he's on pace for around 48 points. If he can push that number to 50, he'd become the fourth rookie blue-liner to hit the mark since 1992-93, joining Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Moritz Seider. Makar and Seider both won the Calder Trophy for their efforts. If Faber keeps up the pace, he'll be doing more than just keeping Bedard's spot warm on these rankings. He could realistically challenge the favorite for the hardware.Keep an eye on:

The NHL has told the Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers they'll be granted salary cap relief for the players on leave amid the 2018 world junior sexual assault case, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Athletic's Ian Mendes and Chris Johnston.Dillon Dube of the Flames, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod of the Devils, and Carter Hart of the Flyers have all been charged with one count of sexual assault in the police investigation into an alleged incident involving members of Team Canada's junior squad at a London, Ontario hotel. McLeod is also facing an additional sexual assault charge.All four players requested and received leaves of absence from their clubs in January. Those players, along with ex-NHLer Alex Formenton, separately surrendered to police.London police chief Thai Truong publicly apologized Monday to the woman who said she was sexually assaulted for the length of time it took to complete the investigation. The initial probe was closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022.Hockey Canada said Monday that all 22 players on Canada's 2018 world junior team remain suspended from any international competition where the governing body has control over the roster. That doesn't include the recently confirmed 4 Nations Faceoff in 2025, which is an NHL/NHLPA event.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins superstar and Czechia native David Pastrnak voiced his displeasure about his country being excluded from next year's 4 Nations Face-Off.The NHL and NHLPA announced the tournament last week. Scheduled for February 2025, the nine-day event will only feature Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland."It's a huge disappointment. ... Definitely not happy about it," Pastrnak said, per Boston.com's Conor Ryan. "I understand that it's a quick turnaround. It's next year. They probably didn't have much time to make it a bigger tournament."But Czech isn't there. So it's always a lot of players left out, so I'm not gonna watch the tournament, to be honest. So just happy that the Olympics got accepted. Yeah, (it) definitely stings a little bit."The NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF also announced commitments to the 2026 and 2030 Olympics after missing out on the past two Winter Games. The 4 Nations Face-off is the first event of a new-look international calendar that's scheduled to stage best-on-best tournaments every two years following the Milan Olympics.The NHL hasn't participated in a best-on-best event since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.Pastrnak last represented Czechia at the 2022 World Championship, helping his country to a bronze medal with 10 points in seven games. Although he's disappointed he can't suit up next year, he said he's "so pumped" for the Olympics."Obviously very frustrating for me, I missed two of them already," Pastrnak said. "So looking forward to (it). I'll be 30, I hope I make the team. But I'm super excited and pumped that the deal got done. It is a couple years away from now, but once the news came, I definitely was happy."Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will be out indefinitely while he receives care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the league and the union jointly announced Monday.Kuznetsov will be eligible to return to the team once the program's administrators clear him for on-ice competition.The 31-year-old missed practice Monday for personal reasons. Washington recalled forward Michael Sgarbossa to fill Kuznetsov's roster spot.Kuznetsov has six goals and 11 assists in 43 games this season. The Russian is in his 11th campaign with the Capitals, who drafted him 26th overall in 2010.He's the third player to enter the program in the last three weeks. Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets did so on Jan. 28 after Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche entered 13 days before that.Alex Galchenyuk joined the program last July after he was arrested on several charges. The Arizona Coyotes ultimately terminated his contract, and he's now playing with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald sustained a cardiac event on Sunday, he announced on Instagram.McDonald, 70, suffered the health scare at Calgary's airport after spending the weekend in Toronto for the NHL All-Star Game. He's currently recovering in hospital.The Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs legend credited two nurses who happened to be passing by for jumping into action. "I owe them my life," McDonald wrote in his statement.McDonald played 1,111 games in the NHL from 1973-89. He began his career with the Maple Leafs, quickly becoming a perennial 40-goal-scorer in the late 70s.After seven seasons in Toronto and a three-year stint with the Colorado Rockies, McDonald made his way to Calgary, where he would enjoy the prime of his career. He racked up a career-best 66 goals and 98 points in 1982-83.McDonald is remembered most for his postseason heroics. With the Maple Leafs, he netted a Game 7 overtime winner against the New York Islanders in the second round of the 1978 playoffs. As captain of the Flames, he won the 1989 Stanley Cup in his final season, scoring in the decisive Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens.Currently, McDonald is chairman of the board for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Before taking the role, he served nine years on the selection committee for the Hall.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - By definition, All-Star Weekend is a congregation of the very best hockey players on earth. Those involved tend to touch down in the host city on a high. After all, they're stars.Nathan MacKinnon arrived at this year's event on what can only be described as a tear. He's posted 77 points in 41 games since Nov. 1, including seven goals and four assists in the Avalanche's final three games before the break. He's finished 10 games this season with three or more points, and has failed to record a point only seven times. The game's slowed down for him."I just think I'm seeing things well out there right now," MacKinnon said Thursday to a large group of reporters. "Plays are developing a little bit slower - in a good way. It's a fast game, so I can kind of see things as they come and try to make the best decision I can." Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesTalk about nightmare fuel for the Avs' remaining regular-season opponents and who they draw in the playoffs. MacKinnon, a two-time runner-up for the Hart Trophy, is an MVP front-runner right now. His 84 points trail only Nikita Kucherov's 85. He's second in shots on goal and offensive-zone puck possession, and he has six more five-on-five points than anybody else.All for a Colorado squad that's dealt with a string of injuries."When you see him elevate his game in the playoffs, you just don't think that he can find another level and he somehow does," Penguins superstar and close friend Sidney Crosby said."Everybody looks at Nate right now and how well he's doing, and it's weird, because in my mind I still feel like he's got another gear," teammate Cale Makar said of the 2022 Stanley Cup champion. "That's the crazy part. He's been playing absolutely incredible and carrying our team at the moment."Like Crosby, almost everything about MacKinnon is a combination of power and grace. On the ice, the 28-year-old deploys a forceful, borderline violent skating stride - yet his silky hands and vision make him a finesse player, too. Off the ice, he has this unmistakable rockstar vibe, punctuated by a maniacal dedication to fitness - yet he isn't rude or attention-seeking.Each of MacKinnon's contemporaries - Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Auston Matthews, and Kucherov - have won the Hart. If he keeps up his torrid pace, and the hockey gods believe in justice, MacKinnon will get his this year.All-Stars react to Olympic news David E. Klutho / Getty ImagesKucherov answered a question with a question Friday night."Is Team Russia going?" he said when asked for his reaction to the NHL finally sending players to the Olympics again.No, he was told. As of now, due to geopolitical reasons, Russia won't be part of the 2026 Olympics in Italy, the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Games since 2014."When Team Russia is not out there, it's not the same," Kucherov said."I want to go," the Lightning star added. "I think everybody wants to go. It definitely means a lot for the country. Ever since I was a kid, I was watching the Olympics and was dreaming to be part of it one day. It sucks to not participate in one."David Pastrnak, the affable Bruins sniper, had a different take on Friday's double announcement regarding international hockey. He's fired up about the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 but less enthused about the 4 Nations Face-Off, which doesn't include his country. But, hey, beggars can't be choosers."I'm disappointed. There's a lot of players disappointed. I understand," Pastrnak said of only Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States competing in the 2025 event. "At the same time, you get the bad news and good news, right? We got the good news with the Olympics. The bad news is, Czech won't be able to play 4 Nations. At the same time, if you tell me we're gonna be at 4 Nations but we won't play Olympics, I would (be less happy)." Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesPastrnak, Kucherov, and Germany's Draisaitl headline a robust group who won't be part of the nine-day 4 Nations event. It isn't best-on-best. The 2016 World Cup featured two gimmick teams in Team North America and Team Europe. Was Draisaitl pushing for Team Europe's return?"Of course I was," he said. "There were different ways of putting something like this together, but at the end of the day, it's the league that makes these calls, right? It's unfortunate, but I'm happy with hopefully (Germany) being able to go to the Olympics."From a fan's perspective, it's probably best to look at the 4 Nations Face-Off as a bonus, because the NHL being back in the Olympics is the truly significant development. The Canada-U.S. rivalry alone will be gripping. Imagine, too, seeing McDavid, Connor Bedard, and Crosby together."With all the uncertainty that's been around in years prior, and just how great of an experience it is, it's just awesome news," Crosby, 36, said.Canadiens double-dip on MonahanWin-win.That's how I viewed Wednesday's Calgary-Vancouver Elias Lindholm swap (though I definitely liked the Canucks' side of the deal more). And that's how I see Friday's Montreal-Winnipeg Sean Monahan deal. Monahan, roughly a poor man's Lindholm as far as player type and overall impact, is off to the Jets for Winnipeg's first-round draft pick in 2024 (plus a conditional third).It's a tidy piece of business for Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes, who bought low and sold high. In August 2022, Hughes acquired Monahan (then making $6.375 million a year) and a first-rounder so Calgary could clear salary. Now, after Monahan showed he's still a strong middle-six option when healthy, Hughes picked up another first. Monahan's digestible $1.985-million cap hit was a driving force behind the trade - again, kudos to Hughes. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesCanadiens coach Martin St. Louis and the club's development staff deserve praise, too. Monahan, now 29, was a distressed asset in need of a reboot. He was given plenty of ice time and responded with 52 points in 74 games.While I love this deal for the Habs (A grade), I merely like it for the Jets (B).There's been a lack of centers available on the trade market, and Monahan's cheap and useful, especially on the power play. Winnipeg smartly responded to Vancouver's aggressive Lindholm pursuit and now boast a 1-4 center group of Mark Scheifele, Monahan, Adam Lowry, and Vlad Namestnikov. Not great, sure, but also definitely not bad for a team with finishers on the wing.The catch: if Monahan can't stay healthy, the Jets just wasted their 2024 first.The 'magic' of Kucherov and Point Mark LoMoglio / Getty ImagesKucherov's been a menace all season.His stat line looks like it's from the 1980s: 32 goals and 53 assists for 85 points in 49 games. For context, the Blackhawks and Sharks - entire teams - have scored 105 goals in 50 games and 107 goals in 51 games, respectively.What's caught my eye while watching the Lightning lately is how Kucherov's chemistry with longtime center Brayden Point has become almost twin-like."Yeah, I guess that's a way to put it," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told theScore with a laugh in late January. "You could put Kuch and Point on other lines and they'd be fine. But, when they're together, they make magic."Both are elite skaters. Both have sky-high hockey IQ. Kucherov is particularly sharp and also on the short list for most gifted offensive talent of this generation (even if his performance in Friday's skills event was subpar).Like all prolific producers, Kucherov and Point attack the slot area. At the All-Star break, Kucherov ranks first in the league with 4.39 slot passes per game, while Point - who's a nightmare to defend against off the rush, cycle, and forecheck - sits tied for 11th in slot shots per game, according to Sportlogiq. Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesA nugget from Stathletes that emphasizes the pair's chemistry: Kucherov has passed the puck to Point directly before 98 of Point's 249 shot attempts this season. Those 98 shot attempt "assists" - that's what we'll call them - are tied with Mitch Marner (passer) and Matthews (shooter) for the league lead.Simply put: Kucherov and Point feed off each other, and their magic isn't easily replicable."Everyone says, well, hey, I can go play with McDavid. Well, you have to be able to play at top speed like he can in order to keep up," Cooper said."That's what Kuch can do, what Point can do, and what the greats in the league can do. They make plays at top speed, with their feet and their mind. Now that they've played together for so long, they know where each other are going to be. It's a great luxury to have, when you have two guys like that, who work as hard as they do as well."Parting shotsCoyotes heat: Commissioner Gary Bettman's All-Star press conference Friday was dominated by Hockey Canada questions. (Read the latest on the scandal here.) The other contentious issue was expansion and relocation, which always brings about two things: name-dropping and damage control. The name-dropping this time around: not only have groups in Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Quebec City, Kansas City, and Houston recently reached out about bringing the NHL to town, but apparently Cincinnati and Omaha (of all places) have as well. The damage control: Bettman said he's "reasonably confident" the Coyotes will purchase land in Phoenix to build a new arena. Like he did in November, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh expressed extreme disappointment in the state of the Coyotes, who continue to embarrassingly play out a 4,600-seat NCAA arena. "This is not the way to run a business," Walsh said - and he's absolutely, 100% correct. Walsh, who's more assertive than old PA boss Donald Fehr, doubled down, stating he'd support relocation if the arena situation isn't resolved ASAP. He's pissed off and isn't afraid to show it, which is exactly the type of leadership Coyotes players need right now.

We have a small two-game slate Monday night as the NHL resumes following a pause for All-Star Weekend.Although no sides or totals stand out, I still see plenty of value on the board in the player prop market. Let's take a closer look.Noah Dobson: Over 0.5 assistsDobson is red-hot. He's picked up an assist in all four games since Patrick Roy took over as the Islanders' bench boss and five straight overall.What we're seeing from Dobson is the perfect storm. He's playing great hockey, owning better than a 60% expected goals share under Roy while having been on the ice for more xGF than anybody on the roster.Dobson's also getting a ton of ice time. He logged 26:30 in Roy's debut behind the bench. The 24-year-old followed that up by playing 27:57 against the Golden Knights, 30:17 against the Canadiens, and a hair under 28 minutes versus the Panthers in the game before the break.Dobson is a highly gifted defenseman who facilitates a ton of offense from the back end. With the Islanders in a heated playoff race and coming off a lengthy break, there's every reason to believe Dobson will continue to log minutes in bulk.The matchup against the Maple Leafs is also conducive to offensive success. Only nine teams have given up expected goals at a higher rate than Toronto over the past 10 contests. There should be plenty of chances coming the Islanders' way, and Dobson will undoubtedly be involved in a lot of them with how much ice he'll see. Expect him to pick up another assist along the way.Odds: -135 (playable to -155)John Tavares: Over 3.5 shotsTavares put together a rather poor January but started to come on before the All-Star break. He averaged 4.8 shots on 7.2 attempts over his final five games, capping things off by snapping his goal drought against the Jets. A string of better performances, coupled with a nice break to reset, should have Tavares feeling good as the Maple Leafs return to action.The stars are aligning for Tavares to put together another good night of shot volume against the Islanders. New York plays a high-event brand of hockey that tends to lead to a lot of shots at both ends.Tavares is also equipped with the pair of linemates he's enjoyed the most shooting success with. Among the five forwards the Leafs captain has spent a decent chunk of time alongside this season, he's posted his best shooting rates with Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander. It just so happens Tavares will skate with those two in this game.Tavares has gone over his shot total in four of his past five contests and four straight against his former team. This is a great spot for another active offensive performance.Odds: -130 (playable to -145)Vincent Trocheck: Under 2.5 shots Trocheck's shot volume has fallen off a cliff lately. He's registered two shots or less in seven consecutive games, which is concerning given that he faced off against bottom-feeders like the Senators, Ducks, and Sharks.And it wasn't just bad variance in the form of Trocheck missing the net on a higher percentage of shots than usual. He simply wasn't generating many. Trocheck attempted four shots or fewer in six of those seven contests.For perspective, Trocheck has gone under his total all 22 times he attempted four shots or fewer this season. And that number has been the norm for him of late.I don't anticipate seeing much of a spike against the Avalanche. Only seven teams have allowed fewer shots per game this campaign, and Colorado's starting to get healthier.With the way their goaltending has struggled recently, the Rangers have tried to suck the life out of games and put more emphasis on slowing teams down defensively. That's taken away from the club's offensive game, as New York ranks 20th in shot generation over the past 10 contests despite a pretty soft schedule.Odds: -113 (playable to -130)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The All-Star break gave us a few days to review the standings, which means it's a fitting time for an updated look at the projected top 16 picks for the draft in June.You can find our first mock draft here, which was done prior to the world juniors in December.Selection order is based on points percentage as of Feb. 4, and no lottery was applied.Celebrini all but cemented his place atop the 2024 draft with his performance at the world juniors.The 17-year-old was Canada's most impactful player at the tournament. He led the team with four goals and eight points and was consistently the most dangerous forward.With 19 goals and 37 points in 23 NCAA games, Celebrini's production is in line with what we saw from Adam Fantilli, Jack Eichel, and elite draft-eligible players in the collegiate ranks over the past decade.The key difference is that Celebrini is still only 17. Both Fantilli and Eichel turned 18 in October of their draft seasons, but Celebrini doesn't celebrate his birthday until June.Craig Simpson is the only under-18 skater who scored at a higher rate than Celebrini in the NCAA, and he did so back in 1985. Since 2000, Jonathan Toews' 39 points in 42 contests are the most by a U18 NCAA skater.Celebrini could pass Toews' total within the week. He isn't in the Connor Bedard tier of generational prospects, but he is a darn good player to land at first overall. A one-two punch of Bedard and Celebrini down the middle is the type of roster of which general managers dream.The Sharks used their last five first-round picks on forwards. With the second overall selection here, San Jose takes a major step in rebuilding its back end by snagging Levshunov.The top-ranked right-shot blue-liner in the class, Levshunov has stepped into the NCAA this season with Michigan State and been an immediate difference-maker. The Belarusian has tallied eight goals and 27 points, ranks second in team scoring, and boasts a team-best plus-24 rating.With impressive skating and a pro build of 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Levshunov projects as an all-situations, top-pairing defenseman. He's become an elite penalty killer with Michigan State in no time and is the youngest player on the team.The Sharks need a blue-chip defender and have exactly that in Levshunov.At 6-foot-7 and 211 pounds, Silayev is a behemoth on the back end.His combination of size and mobility makes him a tantalizing prospect. In a modern NHL that becomes faster and faster by the year, a monster defenseman who can skate with the top players and shut things down off the rush with his massive reach and physicality is a game-changer for any organization.The Ducks already boast exciting defenders in Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger, but Silayev provides a very different skillset defensively.After the acquisition of Cutter Gauthier in January to add to an already blossoming group of young forwards, Anaheim feels good about grabbing the most unique prospect in the class without a positional need in mind.After starting the season outside of Bob McKenzie's top 16 as an honorable mention, Lindstrom has vaulted himself up to fifth on the most recent list.Lindstrom is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, his skating is an exciting trait, and he boasts excellent hands and a lethal shot. He plays mean and has the ability to completely take over games. It's no wonder he's become a challenger at the top of the class.While he's been out of the lineup since mid-December due to a hand injury, Lindstrom has an active 12-game point streak in the WHL. He's racked up 27 goals and 46 points in 32 contests to go along with 66 penalty minutes.A one-two combo down the middle of Adam Fantilli and Lindstrom would truly transform the Blue Jackets' future.Eiserman scores goals. He's done that often for the U.S. NTDP, with 103 since 2022. That's just 23 behind Cole Caufield for top spot all-time at the program with plenty of games to go this season.The concern is the rest of his game, and that's why he's starting to slip down the board. Once viewed as Celebrini's top challenger for first overall, Eiserman is now the No. 4 prospect on McKenzie's board.Eiserman remains a pure shooter. He hasn't developed as a passer in the way many had hoped entering this season, he struggles defensively, and he's not a primary puck carrier in transition.He may be a one-trick pony at this time, but elite goal-scoring is the attribute you want if you're taking a one-dimensional player.Brock Faber has been a revelation for the Wild this season, and they add a future partner for him in Dickinson at sixth overall.Starring in a prominent role on a dominant London Knights team, Dickinson has added more of an offensive element to his game this year with 47 points in 49 contests. He's a smooth skater with strong defensive play. Everything about his profile screams minute-munching, top-four defenseman.The Canadiens need elite talent at forward and take a swing on Catton in the hopes of finding a difference-maker up front.Catton has destroyed the WHL with 35 goals and 78 points through 47 games. He's a silky offensive creator that boasts strong skating. He was excellent at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the fall and will likely feature prominently for Canada at the U18s.The last time a draft-eligible NCAA defenseman produced at Buium's 1.31 points-per-game rate was 1977. He's been the top defender on a top team in Denver, and he landed a top-four role with the U.S. at the world juniors because of it.The flashiest player in the draft falls to Calgary at No. 9. In need of high-end forwards as they begin to retool, the Flames take a home-run swing on Demidov.No prospect in this class is as exciting offensively. Demidov possesses breathtaking skill and remarkable creativity. He's annihilating the Russian junior league with 20 goals and 45 points in just 23 games, but a lack of KHL minutes, an average 5-foot-11 frame, and the ever-looming (rightly or wrongly) Russian factor sees him drop to the bottom end of the top 10.The Coyotes continue to build the league's biggest defense by adding Yakemchuk at 10th overall. A 6-foot-3, 190-pound blue-liner, Yakemchuk has a booming shot from the point and offensive skill. His stat line of 23 goals and 51 points in 45 games resembles that of a right winger, not a right-shot defenseman.Helenius' intelligent play saw him become a top-six center in a top men's league at just 17 years old. A lack of dynamic attributes sees him drop out of the top 10, but the Kraken are happy to add Helenius to a collection of young, smart two-way centers in the organization.General manager Barry Trotz wants high-end swings in the draft, and that's what he gets at No. 12 in Parekh. The 6-foot, 178-pound right-shot defenseman is a legitimate scoring threat from the back end, with 22 goals and 66 points in 44 games this season. Suspect defensive play keeps him outside of the top 10.Jiricek is a wild card on draft day. He impressed at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the fall but wasn't as strong in the Czech league. He also sustained a season-ending knee injury in his world junior debut. With a 6-foot-3 frame and intriguing two-way ability, Jiricek could be a steal if teams in the top 10 are hesitant to take him after the significant injury.Fast, skilled, and with lots of room for physical development at a slight 6-foot-1 and 156 pounds, Connelly has excelled everywhere he's played this season. He's a top player in the USHL and was an MVP candidate at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and World Junior A Challenge. However, off-ice concerns from a pair of incidents in 2021 and 2022 make Connelly's ultimate landing spot more unclear.Brandsegg-Nygard has been on fire since returning to the Swedish second-tier pro league after the world juniors. He has points in six straight games and is playing with confidence. A forechecking menace, he would be a perfect fit as a complementary winger with the Devils' elite talent down the road.Note: Pick acquired by Sharks from Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Karlsson trade.An offseason trade from the Seattle Thunderbirds to the Kelowna Rockets did wonders for Iginla's draft stock. The son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, Tij has 34 goals and 60 points in 45 games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him push closer to the top 10 by June.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Last week, we looked at how each NHL team was rated in the betting market, pointing out how their stock has gone up or down since before the season. The rating system is based on teams' value relative to a league-average team. For example, if two evenly-rated teams faced off on neutral ice, each team's win probability would be 50-50, and the odds would be -110/-110 after the sportsbook takes what's called the vigorish or "vig."Of course, outside of the NHL's various attempts at international live exposure, there are rare instances where teams play in a neutral setting. As such, we have to build home-ice advantage into each game and have done so with a 4% shift in win probability toward the home side. Those same two hypothetical even teams would be more like 46-54 (rather than 50-50) in an NHL arena, +117/-117 before the vig, and something like +110/-130 after its application.Should home-ice advantage still be worth 4%?Here are the combined records on home ice for all NHL teams this season and their collective record in regulation:HOME TEAMSRECORDML WIN %Overall420-36053.85In regulation324-28553.20Home teams are 3.85% above .500, but when you tighten it down to regulation results, it drops to 3.2% as home teams are 96-75 (56.1%) in overtime and the shootout.This is a change from the 2022-23 season, where home teams were worse in overtime and shootouts than they were in regulation:HOME TEAMSRECORDML WIN %Overall687-61352.84In regulation530-46853.10It might feel like a negligible change, but shifting home-ice advantage to 3.5% might result in more road teams showing up as valuable night-to-night.Interestingly, three of the top five teams at the All-Star break were considerably better at home:TEAMHOME MLROAD MLDIFF.Canucks18-615-10-15.0%Bruins16-715-11-11.8%Avalanche20-512-12-30.0%Meanwhile, three of the bottom five teams have struggled even more on the road than the average team:TEAMHOME MLROAD MLDIFF.Blackhawks10-124-24-31.1%Sharks9-155-22-18.9%Senators13-147-13-13.1%The Maple Leafs, Kings, Flyers, and Devils are the only teams with a discernibly better record on the road than at home.The cheat sheetThe dirty little secret in the betting world is that, while there are no bad bets at the right price, the discovery process of what a good price looks like is hidden.Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year contract with a $800,000 cap hit, the team announced Sunday.Puljujarvi signed a professional tryout with the Penguins in December. He joined Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate on a tryout in January, where he's tallied four goals and nine points in 13 games.The contract runs through the 2024-25 campaign. Puljujarvi joins the NHL roster upon being signed and will require waivers to be sent down to the AHL.The 25-year-old returns to game action after undergoing double hip surgery in the summer. He scored five goals and 16 points in 75 contests with the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes last season.Puljujarvi was drafted fourth overall in 2016 by the Oilers. He had an up-and-down tenure in Edmonton, which saw him return to Finland for two seasons from 2019-21. He enjoyed a career year in 2021-22 with 14 goals and 36 points in 65 games.The Penguins rank fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-17-7 record.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season with an upper-body injury that requires surgery, the team announced Sunday.Samuelsson has seven points in 41 games this season while playing 20:30 per contest. He ranks third among Sabres defenders in ice time.The 23-year-old most recently played on Jan. 23 against the Anaheim Ducks. He'd missed Buffalo's last two games against the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.Samuelsson is in the first season of a seven-year contract extension signed in October 2022.The Sabres are sixth in the Atlantic Division with a 22-23-4 record.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews regaled the home crowd Saturday with two goals and four points to earn the 2024 All-Star Game MVP.After registering just one assist against Team Hughes, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain helped Team Matthews beat back Team McDavid in the final with a dazzling two-goal, three-point performance. His second tally of the contest stood as the game-winner.The sniper's victory marks the second year in a row where a player representing the host city won MVP. Matthew Tkachuk earned the title in 2023 when the Florida Panthers hosted the festivities."I've been lucky to play a couple of these, but never won, so this one feels good to get here in the hometown," Matthews said, per Sportsnet. "The fans (have been) great all weekend, just a great atmosphere.""Couldn't have written it up any better than this," he added.Matthews leads the league with 40 goals in 46 games. He won back-to-back Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies in 2021 and 2022.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Maple Leafs-heavy Team Matthews put on a show for the Toronto crowd on Saturday, beating Team McDavid to win the NHL All-Star final 7-4.Former U.S. National Team Development Program teammates Auston Matthews and Clayton Keller had their chemistry on full display, combining for six points in the contest.Matthews had two goals and an assist, including the game-winner - a top-shelf one-timer off Keller's feed with 5:01 left in the game. Keller had a goal and two helpers.The trio of Mathew Barzal, Alex DeBrincat, and Filip Forsberg were also electric. Barzal and DeBrincat each tallied a goal and two assists, while Forsberg scored once and added a helper.Goalies Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger stopped 15 of 19 shots in the winning effort. Shesterkin notably stretched out twice to rob odd-man rush efforts in the first period.As for Matthews' fellow Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner scored, while William Nylander and Morgan Rielly each secured an assist in the final.Team Matthews edges Team Hughes in Semfinal 2In the second game, Alex DeBrincat scored a pair of goals and then the eventual shootout winner as Team Matthews defeated Team Hughes to earn a berth in the final.Igor Shesterkin denied J.T. Miller to secure the victory.Filip Forsberg scored his second goal in under four minutes to tie the game 5-5 with under two minutes to go in regulation to force the second shootout of the day.Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring just over a minute in after giving a lackluster effort in the Skills Competition on Friday. The Tampa Bay Lightning winger was later stopped in the shootout to the delight of the Toronto crowd, but he waved to the fans after his attempt just as he did amid his struggles one night earlier.Team McDavid rallies to beat Team MacKinnon in Semifinal 1In the first matchup, Team McDavid defeated Team MacKinnon 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the final.David Pastrnak and Connor McDavid scored in the last minute as Team McDavid overcame a 3-1 deficit late in the second 10-minute period. Pastrnak netted the decisive goal in the shootout.Team captain Nathan MacKinnon scored the opening goal and added a beauty backhander later in the contest. Oliver Bjorkstrand also tallied a goal for Team MacKinnon.Boone Jenner found the back of the net for Team McDavid in the first period.Team McDavid's Connor Hellebuyck and Sergei Bobrovsky combined for 18 saves. Alexandar Georgiev and Jeremy Swayman also made 18 stops for Team MacKinnon.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nikita Kucherov clearly wasn't feeling the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Friday night.The Tampa Bay Lightning star - and the league's 2023-24 points leader - struggled to muster much energy in the passing challenge. The fans in Toronto voiced their displeasure.

Sidney Crosby took the humble route when asked about the possibility of representing Canada at the 2026 Olympics."I'd love to," Crosby said, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "I don't ever think too far ahead, regardless of how old you are, I think you always go a year at a time and see how it goes and where your game is at. I'd love to be a part of it. Something you have to earn, though. It's not something that's given to you. To represent your country, you've got to earn it."On Friday, the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF announced that players will participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics after missing out on the two most recent Winter Games. Crosby famously scored the golden goal for Canada in Vancouver in 2010, then captained his country to another gold in Sochi in 2014.Crosby will be 38 by the time the Milan Olympics roll around in 2026, but the Pittsburgh Penguins star hasn't shown any signs of slowing down in his 19th NHL season. He's notched 50 points in 47 games in 2023-24 while averaging more than 20 minutes per contest and winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs.His international resume is unmatched among players potentially chosen for the 2026 Canadian squad. Along with two Olympic golds, Crosby's won the world juniors, world championship, and the 2016 World Cup representing the Maple Leaf.Despite his victories in every competition, Crosby's adamant nothing matches best-on-best at the Olympics."It's an unbelievable experience to see the best players go head-to-head representing their country," he said. "From my experience in it, I don't know if you get better hockey than that. It's great to be a part of and great for fans, everyone involved. It's a special thing."Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's bid to make the 2024 All-Star Skills Competition more fun to watch arguably paid off Friday night thanks in part to Connor McDavid's theatrics (though we sorely missed another chaotic appearance from Michael Buble).The Oilers captain took home the $1-million cash prize after amassing the most points in the revamped, winner-takes-all competition.Here's how the final standings shook out:RankPlayerTeamPoints1Connor McDavidOilers25.002Cale MakarAvalanche20.003Auston MatthewsMaple Leafs18.004William NylanderMaple Leafs16.005Mathew BarzalIslanders13.506J.T. MillerCanucks12.007Elias PetterssonCanucks10.008Nathan MacKinnonAvalanche7.009David PastrnakBruins4.5010Leon DraisaitlOilers4.5011Quinn HughesCanucks4.0012Nikita KucherovLightning0.50The league previously consulted McDavid for tips on how to improve the Skills Competition, and it ended up working out quite well for the superstar. He stole the show by winning four events."Obviously, he's the epitome of competitiveness on a daily basis, so I'm not surprised," Leon Draisaitl said of his teammate's victory, per The Associated Press.Here, we run down all of the action below.Round 1To kick off the All-Star Skills Competition, all 12 skaters chose four of six events to participate in. The skaters with the top five scores in each event earned points.McDavid goes turbo mode to win Fastest Skater Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyMcDavid got off to a strong start at the Skills Competition by claiming the Fastest Skater title. It was his fourth time winning this event after pulling off the three-peat from 2017-19.RankPlayerTime (seconds)Total points1McDavid13.40852Barzal13.51943Hughes14.08834Makar14.08925Nylander14.1641The Oilers superstar got his revenge on Mathew Barzal, who beat McDavid to take the crown in 2020. Cale Makar, meanwhile, redeemed himself after falling down during his lap at the 2023 All-Star Game. However, he narrowly missed out on reaching the podium thanks to a strong run from Quinn Hughes.After a review, MacKinnon wins One-Timers Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyThere was some controversy at one of the Skills Competition's new events.Participants had to shoot three one-timers from three shot positions, good for nine shots total. Different areas of the net had varying point values. Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard and Pittsburgh Penguins All-Star Sidney Crosby served as the passers for the challenge.RankPlayerOne-Timer scoreTotal points1MacKinnon235T-2Pastrnak223.5T-2Draisaitl223.54Pettersson202T-5Kucherov180.5T-5Miller180.57Barzal1708Matthews150It initially looked as though David Pastrnak won with a score of 24 points. However, Nathan MacKinnon took the title instead because one of Pastrnak's shots was rewarded one point rather than three after video review showed that it hit the crossbar.Pettersson dishes to win Passing Challenge Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyElias Pettersson showed off why he has 37 assists under his belt this season by winning the Passing Challenge.Participants had 45 seconds to complete 11 passes directed at targets set up around the rink. Some of the targets had different assigned point values.RankPlayerPassing scoreTotal points1Pettersson2552Makar2343Barzal2134Matthews1925Nylander1616Hughes1507MacKinnon1308Draisaitl1209McDavid10010Miller7011Kucherov50The Canucks star pulled off the victory by nailing a target worth three points with his last pass to beat Makar.Nikita Kucherov didn't provide the most inspiring performance and was chirped by the Scotiabank Arena crowd, which became a running theme.Makar hammers one to take Hardest Shot Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyMakar claimed the Hardest Shot title after firing off a 102.56-mph bomb to dethrone Pettersson, the reigning champion.RankPlayerSpeed (mph)Total points1Makar102.5652Miller102.3443Pettersson98.4034Matthews96.2225Pastrnak95.271A blue-liner has won this competition 14 out of 16 times dating back to 2003.McDavid dazzles to win Stick-Handling Challenge Claus Andersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyMcDavid dug deep into his bag of tricks for his second Skills Competition victory.Participants had to skate through a series of obstacles and toe-drag around a barrier before taking a shot on goal. Once again, McDavid boasted the fastest time to beat Barzal.RankPlayerTime (seconds)Total points1McDavid25.75552Barzal26.92943Nylander27.27234MacKinnon27.71525Draisaitl28.67716Hughes29.03807Pettersson29.52608Pastrnak38.48809Kucherov44.1780Pastrnak also heard some jeers from the Toronto faithful for a) being a Boston Bruin and b) completely missing the net on his shot attempt.McDavid snipes his way through Accuracy Shooting Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettySurprise surprise, McDavid won this event, too. He went four-for-four, knocking down his targets in less than 10 seconds. Auston Matthews gave him a run for his money, but the Toronto Maple Leafs sniper had to settle for second place.RankPlayerTime (seconds)Total points1McDavid9.15852Matthews9.34143Miller13.58734Nylander14.09925Hughes14.81516MacKinnon15.95807Kucherov16.46008Makar19.06909Pastrnak19.670010Draisaitl46.0890McDavid put up a similarly astounding performance at last year's Accuracy Shooting event with a time of 9.497 seconds in the opening round, but he was eliminated by Nazem Kadri in the semifinal. This year's edition of the competition was only one round.Round 2Next, the top eight point-earners from the first round - McDavid, Makar, Barzal, Pettersson, Matthews, MacKinnon, J.T. Miller, and William Nylander - moved on to the seventh event.Nylander thrills during 1-on-1 event Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League / GettyMuch to the joy of the hometown fans, Nylander won one of the night's more exciting events.In the new shootout competition, skaters chose an All-Star goalie to take on one-on-one in a one-minute challenge. Goals were either worth one or two points based on where the play started.RankShooterGoalie1-on-1 pointsTotal points1NylanderCam Talbot952MatthewsThatcher Demko74T-3MillerJeremy Swayman62.5T-3BarzalIgor Shesterkin62.55MakarConnor Hellebuyck416PetterssonJake Oettinger307McDavidAlexandar Georgiev308MacKinnonSergei Bobrovsky20Nylander's best goal came on a sickening Forsberg move.Alexandar Georgiev made the most saves - against McDavid no less - and was awarded a $100,000 cash prize as a result.FinalPettersson and MacKinnon were eliminated in the second round, meaning McDavid, Barzal, Nylander, Matthews, Makar, and Miller were left to duke it out in the final where points were doubled.McDavid ends his night on the Obstacle Course Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyMcDavid capped off his iconic performance by earning his fourth victory of the night on the Obstacle Course. He had some shaky moments but held on to win the competition.RankPlayerTime (seconds)Total points1McDavid40.606102Makar43.43583Matthews47.27164Nylander49.06545Miller49.35126Barzal76.8500The course involved bridges that players had to guide the puck through, as well as a group of mini nets designed to test their accuracy.The puck will drop on the All-Star Game on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh went nuclear on Arizona Coyotes ownership and management Friday for their repeated arena project failures and a lack of communication with the union."I have serious concern(s) about Arizona," Walsh said during a press conference at the All-Star festivities in Toronto."I'm extremely disappointed in the ownership of Arizona (and) the (team) president. They have not reached out to the (NHLPA) to talk to us about what the situation in Arizona is."

Hockey fans pining for best-on-best international competition finally have something to look forward to.The NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF announced on Friday that the world's top players will participate in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics. Plans for the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 were also finalized.The NHL hasn't participated in a best-on-best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Players haven't been to the Olympics since Sochi in 2014. An agreement for them to attend the 2022 Games in Beijing was foiled by the COVID-19 pandemic.The 4 Nations Face-Off will feature Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden. It's set to take place over nine days next February in two North American cities and will include a three-game round robin before a winner-take-all final. The tournament will void next year's All-Star festivities.The NHL and NHLPA hope Friday's announcements will launch a new international calendar that would include a best-on-best tournament every two years. The organizations intend to host full World Cups in 2028 and 2032, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Russia's status for 2026 Olympic hockey is up in the air, but IIHF president Luc Tardif said there will be a council meeting next week to determine if the country can participate in any sooner events, such as this year's world championships.The 2026 Olympics are set to take place in Milan, Italy, and Tardif said the 2030 Games will be in France, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Elias Lindholm is pleased to put trade rumors behind him after being dealt from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week."Kinda had this in the back of my mind for a long time. So, I'm kinda happy it's over with," Lindholm said at the All-Star festivities Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "Get a fresh start. Go to a really good team. Hopefully, we can continue to do what they've been doing and have some fun later on."Lindholm added, "I was ready. I was prepared for anything."The Canucks acquired Lindholm for Andrei Kuzmenko, two picks, and two prospects to supplement a first-place roster looking to do damage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Lindholm, a pending free agent, had been rumored to be a prime trade candidate since the end of Calgary's disappointing 2022-23 season. The Flames, currently six points back of a wild-card spot, have already sold off fellow pending UFAs Tyler Toffoli and Nikita Zadorov since Craig Conroy took over as general manager.Calgary may not be done dealing, as Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin are expected to generate buzz before the March 8 deadline as well.Lindholm admitted he hasn't begun to think about potentially signing an extension with the Canucks, but the move to the West's top seed has him energized."Going to Vancouver, one of the best teams in the league. So many good players, good goaltending, good defensemen," Lindholm said. "I'm super excited and can't wait to get started."Lindholm has registered 32 points in 49 games this season and is expected to be used in all situations for the Canucks.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens traded center Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick in 2024 and a conditional draft selection, the clubs announced Friday.The conditional pick is a third-rounder in 2027 if Winnipeg wins the Stanley Cup, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Monahan is a pending unrestricted free agent and was viewed as the top pivot available for this year's trade deadline after Elias Lindholm was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week. Monahan, 29, has managed 35 points in 49 games this season for the Canadiens.Montreal isn't retaining any salary, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu. Monahan is on a one-year contract worth $1.985 million, and his cap hit for the remainder of the season is just over $785,000, per CapFriendly.The Canadiens acquired Monahan from the Calgary Flames in August 2022 as a salary dump. They received a first-round pick in that deal as well.Monahan's been heavily limited by injuries in recent years but scored at least 22 goals in each of his first seven NHL seasons. He'll provide some much-needed center depth for Winnipeg behind top-line star Mark Scheifele.Winnipeg is currently third in the Central Division but only two points out of first place with two games in hand.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings fired head coach Todd McLellan on Friday and named Jim Hiller his interim replacement.McLellan was in his fifth season with the club. Los Angeles has dropped to the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference after losing 14 of its last 17 games leading up to the All-Star break."We want to thank Todd for his hard work and dedication to the organization," general manager Rob Blake said in a statement. "He has done a tremendous job in moving us forward and making a positive impact on our group and in our community. This was not an easy decision, but we felt the change was necessary at this time."Jim is a well-respected member of our staff who is familiar with our players. We are confident in his ability to lead our team effectively during this pivotal time."Hiller has been an assistant coach with the Kings for the past two seasons. He's served the same role for the New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings throughout his career but has never been an NHL head coach.McLellan guided the Kings to third-place finishes in the Pacific Division each of the past two seasons but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs both times. The 56-year-old coached Los Angeles to a 164-130-44 record after being hired in 2019.He's also helmed the San Jose Sharks and Oilers over a head coaching career that's spanned 1,114 games.The Kings' first game under Hiller is scheduled for Feb. 10 against Edmonton.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is Friday night, and there are several events to look forward to. With $1 million going to the winner, there's also an incentive for the players to bring their best.Let's take a look at the best ways to attack what should be a fun night on the ice.All-Star Skills outright winnerPlayer OddsConnor McDavid+500Cale Makar+700Auston Matthews+750Nathan MacKinnon+800David Pastrnak+850Nikita Kucherov+900Elias Pettersson+1000Leon Draisaitl+1000Mathew Barzal+1000J.T. Miller+1200Quinn Hughes+1200William Nylander+1200You could make a case for a lot of these guys. I'm going to target extremes, with Connor McDavid up top and J.T. Miller at the bottom.We'll start with McDavid. He's the fastest skater participating in this event, so he should have a strong chance of winning that competition. He also won the accuracy competition a year ago and is perhaps the league's best stick-handler. He's so good in so many areas that I could see him winning several events and running away with it.McDavid was vocal in getting the game's best to participate this year and make the Skills Competition a must-see event. I don't think he'd be pushing for that, only to take it lightly and throw up a dud. It's also worth noting he's a local kid who'll likely have a lot of friends and family in attendance.Miller is well-equipped for success in most of the events he's taking part in. He has a very heavy shot and is in the hardest-shot and one-timer competitions. He's an extremely accurate shooter - he's finishing at better than a 20% clip this year - and is in the accuracy competition. I could see him stealing an event or two, and at +1200, he's worth a sprinkle.Fastest skaterPlayer OddsConnor McDavid+110Mathew Barzal+180Cale Makar+450William Nylander+1000Quinn Hughes+1200McDavid is built for any competition involving skating. He has such an effortless skating stride and high top speed, and his control while moving at top speed is unmatched. Using NHL Edge data, we can see that McDavid has reached a top speed of 23.58 mph this season, and his average speed clocks in at 10.46 mph. Both of those totals lead the competition.Mathew Barzal comes closest to McDavid in both categories. He can fly and has great edge work, so I think the market is rightly identifying him as the most likely player to challenge McDavid.I don't think any of the long shots are worth a dart throw in this spot. The hometown player, William Nylander, owns the lowest top speed of the bunch, while Quinn Hughes hasn't fared much better. Interestingly enough, Quinn owns the lowest top speed - and average speed - among the three Hughes brothers.McDavid (+110) is the way to go here. I think it comes down to McDavid and Barzal, and I'm happy to take my chances on McDavid winning that battle at plus money.Hardest shotPlayer OddsElias Pettersson+140Cale Makar+320J.T. Miller+375Auston Matthews+450David Pastrnak+600Elias Pettersson is favored in this competition. Although he has the highest top shot speed of anybody in the group, I think a couple of the middlemen - Cale Makar and Miller - offer more value.Makar isn't far behind Pettersson in top shot speed and possesses a higher average. He's also taken 17 shots clocking in at least 90 mph this season, the highest of any of the five competitors.Meanwhile, Miller is just 0.20 mph out of first place in top shot speed. He ranks second in the group with 13 shots of 90-plus mph this season. Miller can absolutely hammer pucks, and everything he does is heavy. I think he could do some damage in this event.Auston Matthews is the best goal-scorer in the sport, but he relies more on deception, angles, and getting the puck off his stick quickly as opposed to simply overpowering netminders. The highest shot speed we've seen from him all season is 91.43 mph, well behind the aforementioned players.I don't see David Pastrnak as a significant threat here, either. Similarly to Matthews, he's more of a skilled shooter than one who relies on pure power. He has just five shots above 90 mph all season long.Accuracy shootingPlayer OddsAuston Matthews+650Connor McDavid+650David Pastrnak+650Leon Draisaitl+700Nikita Kucherov+750William Nylander+750Nathan MacKinnon+800Cale Makar+850Quinn Hughes+850J.T. Miller+875This might be the toughest event to win. Almost every player partaking in the Skills Competition is a part of this event, and there's no shortage of players who can hit their spots with ease.I would defer to the leaders in goals: Matthews and Pastrnak. As I wrote earlier, Matthews and Pastrnak are lethal finishers who rely more on accuracy and deception than power. I think those skill sets will serve them well in this competition.I'd also like to say Miller has no business carrying the longest odds to win. He's converting on better than 20% of his shots this year, and his career finishing rate sits at nearly 15%. He scores off picking his spots - not piling up insane volume - and that should give him a chance here.Best of the restMcDavid (+475) and Nathan MacKinnon (+600) are extremely puck-dominant players who facilitate everything offensively for their teams. Both are used to navigating their way around waves of defenders and should excel in the stickhandling competition.There's a lot of talent in the one-timer competition, but I'm not sure it's in anybody's wheelhouse as much as Leon Draisaitl (+500). On the power play, especially, he posts up at crazy angles and waits for the puck to come his way so he can one-time them home in the blink of an eye. I also like Draisaitl's chances in the passing challenge at +700. He has insane touch and won a passing event a few years ago.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL All-Star Player Draft returned for the first time since 2015 on Thursday night, as four captains took turns selecting their teams for Saturday's three-on-three tournament in Toronto.The assistant captains had already been named along with the captains and celebrities in January.For the final four picks, Toronto Maple Leafs legend Dave Keon handed out envelopes for each of the teams to select at random.Here's how it went down:Team Hughes Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyCaptain: Quinn Hughes

The Philadelphia Flyers are unexpectedly in a playoff spot at the All-Star break, putting an anticipated trade-deadline seller in an unclear position.One Flyer who may still be on the market is forward Scott Laughton. General manager Daniel Briere isn't eager to trade the 29-year-old but is taking calls to gauge interest from other teams, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.Laughton has five goals and 20 points in 50 games this season after tallying a career-high 18 goals and 43 points in 2022-23. He's signed for two more years at a $3-million cap hit and has no trade protection.As the Flyers have trended upward in the standings, Laughton's underlying metrics have gone in the opposite direction. His 44.2% Corsi For rating at five-on-five ranks second-last on the Flyers, according to Natural Stat Trick. He's been outscored 17-32 at even strength as well.Laughton is one of the Flyers' top penalty killers, ranking second among Philadelphia forwards with 1:51 of shorthanded time per game.A left-handed center, Laughton has won 49.7% of his 578 faceoffs this season. He's a career 49.8% at the dot.The Flyers have been busy reshaping their roster since Briere took over in March 2023. Last summer, Philadelphia dealt Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes. Recently, disgruntled prospect Cutter Gauthier was traded for a package including Jamie Drysdale.Briere also took care of a pair of restricted free agents on Jan. 26, signing Owen Tippett to a six-year pact with a $6.2-million average annual value and Ryan Poehling to a two-year deal with a $1.9-million cap hit.The Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division with a 25-19-6 record.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We've reached the NHL All-Star break, and some teams have completed as much as 61% of their schedules.That means there's been more than enough games for the awards markets to take shape.Let's take a closer look.Nathan MacKinnon is seen as the favorite to win the Hart Trophy. He's just one point behind Nikita Kucherov for the league lead and ranks first among all players in five-on-five points. He's leading the charge for an Avalanche team that's as reliant as ever on its big guns; there isn't much depth behind them. MacKinnon is getting a ton of media support for the Hart right now. With Kucherov putting up points on a Lightning team on the playoff bubble, he's taken a backseat to MacKinnon - rightly or wrongly.Whenever you see +450 attached to Connor McDavid's name, it's enticing, but he might have too much ground to make up. He started the season very slowly - like his team - and is nearly 20 points back of the top spot as a result. With the Oilers enjoying so much team success and taking pride in playing a more well-rounded, two-way game, I don't think McDavid will make up enough ground to catch MacKinnon.David Pastrnak is a somewhat interesting dart throw at +1300. He's near the top of the league in goals and points, and the Bruins have one of the easiest remaining schedules. It's certainly possible he kicks things up another gear and closes the gap, which would garner him a lot of attention, given all the offseason departures in Boston. Someone is going to get real love for the team's success and ability to withstand so much turnover.I think Connor Bedard is going to win the Calder, but I wouldn't be investing in his chances right now. He's missed quite a bit of time with a jaw injury, and a return is nowhere in sight. There's no sense in buying high on an injured player right now.The odds for Brock Faber, Luke Hughes, and other top rookies are likely to shorten over the next month or so. They'll be playing, putting up points, and finding their way onto highlights while Bedard sits on his hands. That'll naturally lead to the gap shrinking. If you're concerned the Blackhawks will ease Bedard back into the lineup - or keep him out long term with nothing to play for - then the play would be to invest in another rookie. That's likely Faber, given the attention he's getting for his two-way game.If you're confident Bedard will get back into the lineup somewhere near his projected return date, the best course of action is likely waiting closer to that point before making a play on Bedard. The price at that point should be better than it is now.It sure feels like if Quinn Hughes stays healthy, this is his award to lose. He's the captain of a resurgent Canucks team that's put the whole league on notice. He plays a ton of minutes, is as puck-dominant as any player in the NHL, has gaudy point totals, and is plus-31 at five-on-five. The Canucks are steamrolling teams with Hughes on the ice, and he's getting a lot of praise for his work on the defensive side, which has been questioned in the past.Cale Makar is spectacular, but he doesn't have the five-on-five results Hughes does, nor does he have the narrative train behind him.Hughes has been a dominant force for a surprise team that was expected to compete for a wild-card spot. Makar has been a dominant force for a team expected to be elite. As a result, Makar's play isn't really a "story."This is a two-horse race with a heavy lean toward Connor Hellebuyck. Rightfully so, in my opinion.Hellebuyck owns a .924 save percentage and leads the league in goals saved above expected. He's been the best goalie in the NHL for a team that's extremely reliant on him being just that.Sure, the Jets play a structured brand of hockey. They don't have superstars contending for awards up front, and they don't have many brand names on the backend. This is a team greater than the sum of its parts, and the play of Hellebuyck is a big reason why.The Jets just put together one of the longest stretches of allowing three goals or fewer in NHL history. And Hellebuyck is going to get a ton of credit for that.Unlike Thatcher Demko, Hellebuyck doesn't have players on the roster taking away some of the spotlight. He doesn't have an Elias Pettersson ripping it up at forward. He doesn't have a defenseman favored for the Norris, a la Quinn Hughes. He's doing it with the least amount of perceived help. If his level of play remains consistent, he'll likely be rewarded.Beyond Demko, I don't think anybody can threaten Hellebuyck - even in the event of injury. Jeremy Swayman splits starts on an elite team, Adin Hill has played in 17 games, Cam Talbot has lost his job while the Kings tumble down the standings, Igor Shesterkin is struggling mightily, and Jacob Markstrom plays behind a non-playoff team selling its best players. Need I go on?Even at -135, I think there's still some value in backing Hellebuyck.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.