It appears "The Great Eight" has his sights set on The Great One's all-time goal record.Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin has collected 658 career tallies over 14 NHL seasons and needs 237 goals to break Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894. The 33-year-old understands that he'll have to stay in prime condition if he's going to eclipse Gretzky's famed record."I have to be healthy. I have to be in good shape," Ovechkin said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I'm going to try to do it, but you don't know what's going to happen in the future."The 6-foot-3 sniper became just the third player in NHL history to record eight 50-goal campaigns - after Gretzky and Mike Bossy - this season. With Ovechkin playing for one of the league's elite teams and showing no signs of slowing down, Gretzky knows his record isn't safe."He's a good athlete, he plays in a great organization, he plays with good players, which you have to do, and there's no question he has a legitimate chance," Gretzky said. "Good for him. … If he does, I'll be the first guy to shake his hand. I think it's great for the game."Ovechkin - a seven-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner - is on pace to lead the league in goals for a record eighth time. He currently holds a four-goal advantage on John Tavares and Leon Draisaitl with two games remaining.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.In this episode, Sportsnet's Ryan Dixon joins John to hand out end-of-season awards. Trophies discussed:

The Vegas Golden Knights have signed NCAA defenseman Jimmy Schuldt to a one-year, entry-level contract, the club confirmed Wednesday.Schuldt was only eligible for a one-year ELC because he turns 24 next month, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.By signing the deal, McKenzie adds, Schuldt burns that single year, meaning his contract is for a matter of days since he's ineligible for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.He will become a restricted free agent following the expiration of his new contract, allowing him to ink a non-entry-level NHL deal this offseason.The blue-liner is one of 10 initial finalists for the 2018-19 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top NCAA men's hockey player. He was also an initial finalist for the award last season.Schuldt collected 35 points in 39 games during his senior season at St. Cloud State.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chase Priskie has told the Washington Capitals he won't be signing with the team and will instead become an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 15, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.The 23-year-old defenseman racked up 17 goals and 39 points in 36 games during his senior season with Quinnipiac.Washington selected Priskie 177th overall in the 2016 draft.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's controversial postseason format isn't going to change just yet.The league and the NHLPA have agreed to keep the current divisional alignment and playoff format for at least one more season beyond this one, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Any potential changes would be implemented no sooner than the 2020-21 campaign, adds LeBrun, who notes the two sides will continue to discuss the matter moving forward.The current divisional alignment and playoff format have been repeatedly knocked this season by Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning and John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs.Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby also criticized it a few years ago, and then-Washington Capitals forward Daniel Winnik called it "the stupidest thing ever" in 2017.The NHL made divisional changes ahead of the 2013-14 season. Since then, elite teams in their respective conferences have often met in playoff rounds before the conference finals; the changes have led to frequent early matchups between the Capitals and Penguins and between the Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, who will meet in the first round again this spring.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the most prominent figures in hockey analytics is back in an NHL front office.The New Jersey Devils hired Tyler Dellow as vice president of their new hockey analytics department, the club announced Tuesday.Dellow will lead an analytics team that will work across all of the Devils' hockey operations departments, according to the club.He most recently wrote columns for The Athletic after working as a consultant with the Edmonton Oilers from 2014-16.Before joining the Oilers, Dellow was an influential blogger and one of the most significant contributors to the analytics movement in hockey.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the top prospects in the upcoming NHL draft is looking to gain some more international experience against some of his future peers.Kaapo Kakko has joined the Finnish national team tryout and would skip the upcoming Under-18 tournament to instead play in the World Championship in May, according to NHL.com's Varpu Sihvonen, as shared by Mike Morreale of the same outlet."(The Under-18 tourney) is a great event, but I think this is huge opportunity for me to take the next step in my career," Kakko said, according to Morreale.The 18-year-old forward, who's widely expected to go second overall behind Jack Hughes in June's draft, would be taking a similar path to that of Auston Matthews if he plays in the worlds. Matthews suited up for the United States in 2016 before being selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs about a month later.Kakko scored the late game-winner in Finland's gold-medal victory over Hughes and the U.S. at the World Junior Hockey Championship in January.Meanwhile, Kakko produced 22 goals and 38 points in 45 appearances for TPS Turku this season in the Liiga, his home nation's top pro hockey league, before adding four goals and an assist in five playoff contests.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's been a difficult season for Phil Housley and the Buffalo Sabres, and frustrations boiled over following the team's 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.The Sabres appeared to tie the game at two early in the second period after Conor Sheary banged home a rebound during a Predators delayed penalty. However, referees deemed Pekka Rinne's initial save as possession for Nashville, causing the goal to be rescinded."It's frustrating because we got screwed," Housley said in his postgame press conference, via the team's website. "… The call that's sort of mind-boggling to me is the delayed penalty call. The ref's sitting right in the corner. It's unfortunate because of what we've been through. Guys played hard tonight, and they get screwed."The contest also began in controversial fashion, as Nashville's Craig Smith appeared to score with an illegal high stick. The goal stood after video review, with officials ruling there was no conclusive evidence that Smith's stick made contact with the puck."They should be pissed off. We're all pissed off. But we have to, again, garner that and bring that same effort, because if we play like that, we're going to win. It's just unfortunate that we do play like that and we get screwed."The Sabres have now lost eight straight and 15 of their last 16 games. They'll meet the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and close their season out in Detroit against the Red Wings on Saturday.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Dallas Stars have officially clinched their first playoff spot in three seasons with a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.Dallas last made the postseason in 2016 and came within one win of making the Western Conference Final, losing to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.The Stars booked their ticket into the playoffs despite owning the NHL's 29th-ranked offense. They've scored fewer goals than every team this season besides the lowly Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.Only one playoff spot remains up for grabs in the Western Conference, with the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes still in the mix.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars forward Mats Zuccarello returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers after missing 17 games with an arm injury.The Stars acquired Zuccarello from the New York Rangers two days before the trade deadline in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in 2019 and a conditional third-round pick in 2020.Zuccarello recorded a goal and an assist during his lone game with the Stars so far. The Norwegian registered 37 points in 46 games this season with the Rangers prior to the trade.The 31-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks may be getting some reinforcement on the blue line come playoff time.Erik Karlsson - who's missed 27 games this season with a couple of separate groin injuries - believes he's on track to join his teammates for the Stanley Cup Playoffs."I said a month ago I was going to be ready for the playoffs and that's still the case," Karlsson said, according to NHL.com's Kevin Woodley.The 28-year-old insists he's not worried about his current groin issue hindering his ability to play at a high level once he hits the ice."... That's not going to be an issue, so for the head space there, it feels good," Karlsson said.Battling injury-related adversity is nothing new for the veteran defenseman. Karlsson suffered a laceration to his Achilles as a member of the Ottawa Senators in February 2013, but he was able to make a late-season return and help the Senators win the opening round of the postseason."I have played through enough to know that as long as it's possible I am going to go and you are going to deal with whatever you have to deal with after the year and this is the case again. I'm not worried about re-injuring (his groin) or getting another injury; that's not the way I approach the game, especially this time of year."Karlsson has contributed three goals and 45 points in 52 games during his first season with the Sharks.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The National Women's Hockey League board approved investments to add teams in two Canadian markets that are expected to be Toronto and Montreal, league commissioner Dani Rylan told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on Tuesday.This news comes days after the Canadian Women's Hockey League announced it will discontinue operations beginning May 1 due to financial concerns.Rylan said she met Monday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and the NHL agreed to "significantly" raise its financial contribution to the NWHL. That will make it one of the league's biggest sponsors.

After an ugly 7-2 loss on Monday night, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is ready to wrap up the 2018-19 season.The struggling Kings will play again Tuesday and then twice more on the weekend to finish up their regular-season schedule. But if Doughty had it his way, Los Angeles would be done even sooner."I wish we played all four games in a row, to be honest," he told The Athletic's Lisa Dillman. "I just want to get this over with."The Kings are last in the Western Conference with 67 points and own the league's worst goal differential at negative-63. The club made the playoffs last season - although its run culminated in a first-round sweep - but will now miss out for the third time in five years since winning its second Stanley Cup in 2014.Doughty, 29, has notched 44 points in 79 games this season and will begin an eight-year contract extension worth $11 million annually in 2019-20.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

For the third time in his four-year NHL career, Connor McDavid won't take part in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.His Edmonton Oilers were mathematically eliminated from contention with a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night, and it left the 22-year-old captain with a sour taste in his mouth."It sucks obviously," McDavid said afterward. "It's not good enough all year. We let streaks drag on, times where we couldn't find ways to get wins drag on. You got to find a way to stop the bleeding quick. It's a slim margin of error in this league."When asked about his frustration level, McDavid was crystal clear."It's really high. It's really, really high," he said. "It's frustrating. We want to play in the playoffs as a team. I personally want to play in the playoffs. I'm not happy about it. It's going to be a long summer."After a playoff run that ended in Game 7 of the second round in 2017, the Oilers have produced a pair of listless campaigns. This season, the organization also replaced coach Todd McLellan with Ken Hitchcock and fired general manager Peter Chiarelli."It's been an insane season," McDavid added. "Coaching change, GM change. Good times and bad times. It's been a roller-coaster. It's been emotionally challenging. It's been hard mentally to keep on going, but we were always kind of right there. We were close and then we'd drift away. That's the way it goes."For his part, McDavid has been sensational in 2018-19 with a career-high 115 points through 74 games. Linemate Leon Draisaitl has also recorded more than 100 points, but the Oilers still rank 20th in the NHL with 222 goals scored and 25th defensively with 261 against.After Monday's loss, Edmonton sits 13th in the Western Conference at 77 points with three games remaining.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

ST. LOUIS (AP) Ryan O'Reilly scored the only goal in a shootout and the St. Louis Blues slowed Colorado's playoff push with a 3-2 victory over the Avalanche on Monday night.Trying to hold onto the final postseason spot in the Western Conference, the Avalanche had won four straight and were 6-0-1 in their previous seven games. They earned one point to move two ahead of Arizona for the second wild card in the West. Both teams have three games remaining.Colorado is three points behind Dallas for the top wild card. By getting to 86 points, the Avalanche eliminated Edmonton from playoff contention.Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in regulation for the Blues, who improved to 7-1-0 in their last eight games. St. Louis has already wrapped up a playoff berth and still has a chance to win the Central Division.Jordan Binnington made 24 saves in his 22nd win of the season, tying Jake Allen for the most by a Blues rookie goaltender.Alexander Kerfoot and Gabriel Landeskog scored in the third period for the Avalanche.O'Reilly scored on the Blues' second attempt in the shootout. Colorado missed all three of its shots.St. Louis improved to 2-2 in shootouts this season. Colorado fell to 2-2.The Avalanche outshot the Blues 3-2 in overtime. For the game, St. Louis outshot Colorado 27-26.Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer had 25 saves.The Avalanche tied it late in the third when Kerfoot scored at 19:13. Colorado had an extra man on the ice as Grubauer was pulled with 2:16 to play in the period. Kerfoot redirected in a shot from Landeskog, who scored earlier in the period.Schwartz scored in the first period and Tarasenko scored early in the third for St. Louis.Schwartz took a cross-ice pass from Oskar Sundqvist and tipped it in at 7:07 of the first period. It was the first goal in six games for Schwartz.That goal made up for one that was taken away earlier. Tyler Bozak scored 1:40 into the game but the goal was disallowed. Bozak was ruled offside on the play.Colorado got its first shot on goal at 14:47 of the first period. St. Louis outshot the Avalanche 15-2 in the period.Neither team scored in the second as Colorado outshot the Blues 10-3.Taraskenko gave the Blues a 2-0 lead just 14 seconds into the third. Tarasenko scored his 31st of the season when he put in a rebound of a shot by O'Reilly.With that goal, Tarasenko into sole possession of fifth place in Blues history with 209 goals, passing Keith Tkachuk.Colorado cut the lead to 2-1 when Landeskog scored on a deflection at 6:30. It was Landeskog's 34th goal this season.The win gave the Blues a season sweep over Colorado for the first time in team hisory. St. Louis did sweep the franchise four times when it was located in Quebec and called the Nordiques, with the last time coming in 1991-92. The Blues went 4-0-0 against the Avalanche this season, outscoring Colorado 12-5. At home, the Blues are 7-1-0 in their last eight games against Colorado.NOTES: Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon needs one goal to reach 40 for the first time in his career and two points to reach 400 in the NHL. Last season, he scored a career-high 39 goals. The last 40-goal scorer for Colorado was Milan Hejduk, who had 50 in the 2002-03 season. ... St. Louis D Jay Bouwmeester needs one assist for 100 with the Blues. ... Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. ... Colorado had a streak snapped in the loss. The Avalanche had scored the first goal in their previous eight games and nine of their last 10 before Monday. ... Linesman Tim Nowak officiated the game. It was his last game in a 26-year career that spanned 1,729 regular-season games and 114 playoff games. ... Since Craig Berube took over as coach on Nov. 19, 2018, the Blues are 36-19-5.UP NEXTAvalanche: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.Blues: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.---More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-SportsCopyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning became the third team in NHL history to win 60 games in a season Monday, joining the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens and the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings.The Bolts' 60 wins are tied with the '77 Habs for the second-most of all time, and just two victories back of the '96 Red Wings' record of 62 triumphs. With three games left on the Lightning's schedule, they could still surpass Detroit's mark.While neither the Canadiens nor Red Wings had the luxury of shootout wins - the Lightning have picked up six victories beyond overtime this season - Montreal and Detroit didn't have the salary cap to contend with.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially clinched a playoff spot for the third consecutive season with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders.Toronto will meet the Boston Bruins in the opening round for the second year in a row and the third time in its last four playoff appearances.The Leafs also tied a franchise record with their 23rd road win of the season. They'll have a chance to break that mark on the final day of the campaign Saturday when they travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens.Toronto has enjoyed career years from core pieces in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and Morgan Rielly, and breakout seasons from youngsters Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen.The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since defeating the Ottawa Senators in 2004, the third-longest such drought in the NHL.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Former New York Islanders captain Clark Gillies doesn't think leading Toronto Maple Leafs goal-scorer John Tavares was sincere about his intentions with his old team.Ahead of Tavares' second game back in Long Island, Gillies joined Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Monday and explained he's still troubled by the way that Tavares left the Islanders for his hometown Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2018."If he would have been up-front and honest with the team and said, 'Look, I'm not sure. Get what you can for me. If I change my mind, I want to come back to the Islanders, I'll re-sign again next summer,' the Islanders then would have probably gotten a first, maybe a first and a second-round draft pick for him," Gillies said."He could have gone on his merry way. Ten years of great service to the Islanders, 'I want to go back home to Toronto,' I think everybody here would have been very happy with that. But it's just the way the whole thing went down that's got everybody in an uproar, and me included."Although the Islanders have clinched a playoff spot and are enjoying one of their most successful seasons in several decades, Gillies also blamed Tavares for setting the franchise back in its pursuit of the Stanley Cup."The last thing on my bucket list is to drink out of the Stanley Cup again," Gillies said, "and in my opinion, John kinda put us back a couple of steps by not doing the right thing last summer, so yeah, I'm a little upset about that."Gillies was a part of the "Trio Grande" line with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. He won four consecutive Stanley Cups with the Islanders from 1980-83 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks have been impressed with Luke Schenn since he arrived in a January trade and the organization will explore offering him an extension once the regular season ends."We've been real happy with him and he's done everything we've asked," general manager Jim Benning told Ben Kuzma of The Province."He has been physical and excellent with our young players. We're going to talk about this (extension) at the end of the year. He's been a pleasant surprise for us."Vancouver acquired the 29-year-old Schenn and a 2020 seventh-round draft pick from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Michael Del Zotto. He's since appeared in 15 games for the Canucks, recording two assists while averaging 14:28 per night on the club's third pairing.The right-handed blue-liner is playing on a one-year deal worth $800,000 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said defenseman Victor Hedman is doubtful to play in the remainder of the regular season as he nurses an upper-body injury, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.Cooper also said the club is hopeful that Hedman will return for the start of the playoffs.Hedman was involved in a collision with Washington Capitals forward Carl Hagelin in Saturday's contest. The defenseman was forced to leave the game after Hagelin's helmet appeared to hit him in the head.

Alan May can't recall every single game of his dizzying pro hockey career. After all, he skated for 16 teams across five leagues from 1986 to 1999.But he does remember the night in February 1994 when a players' bench inside Richfield Coliseum - a since-demolished arena near Cleveland - literally fell apart in the middle of a heated Capitals-Flyers game being aired on national television."Washington-Philly games were always super physical back then," said May, who had a five-year run with the Caps and now analyzes their games on TV for NBC Sports Network. "And at one point, the door on our bench fell off. So you're full sweat, you're in a rivalry game, and I believe we were waiting for over half an hour, 45 minutes before the door was put back on … It kinda sucked the life out of the game."Of course, neither the Capitals nor Flyers called Richfield, Ohio, home. (No NHL franchise has represented the Cleveland area since the Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.) In the early 1990s, however, the NHL made a cameo. The league staged 50 neutral-site regular season games across North America in an effort to broaden its appeal, also hoping to take advantage of Wayne Gretzky's presence on the global sporting scene and in popular culture.Richfield Coliseum made the cut for venues, despite what May describes as its "horrendous" dressing rooms and excessive cold. The Washington Post's game story suggests that fixing the bench door took only 15 minutes, but also mentions that after Al Iafrate was checked into the side boards, "the top two feet of plexiglass snapped off and fell into the laps of fans. No one appeared to be hurt.""I don't think the NHL won hockey fans that night," May said.Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the last game in the NHL's neutral-site experiment, which covered the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons.In game No. 50, Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings smashed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in front of 10,363 fans at ARCO Arena in Sacramento on April 3, 1994. The nearby San Jose Sharks were only a few years old, and downstate, Anaheim had just welcomed the Mighty Ducks. Gretzky had broken Gordie Howe's record for career goals about two weeks earlier. California hockey was booming.Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesOf the 50 neutral-site games, Hamilton, Ontario, led the charge with eight dates. Six each went to Cleveland, Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Five games were played in Phoenix; three in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and two in Milwaukee. Eight one-offs were held in Miami, Dallas, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Providence, R.I., and Peoria, Ill.In relatively short order, the NHL managed to hit 16 cities in 15 states/provinces, splitting the profits between franchise owners and the players' association. To accommodate the initiative, the schedule increased from 80 games per team to 84 in 1992-93 and 1993-94, with every club playing two neutral-site games per season. (The current 82-game format was introduced after the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign.)Joe Cirella, a defenseman for the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers during this time, skated in three games, one in Sacramento and two in his hometown of Hamilton. He considers the neutral-site project a low-risk, high-reward endeavor similar to today's stream of outdoor games."Looking back, I think they were testing the waters for expansion and franchisees," Cirella said, "to see if there was enough support in these areas or the arenas to support an NHL team."The forgotten experimentA whole generation of fans is unaware of this gigantic grow-the-game concept drummed up by the pre-Gary Bettman NHL and designed to - as the New York Times reported then - "repair its image" in the wake of the 10-day players' strike in April 1992.Hands up if you knew the Nordiques and Canadiens - bitter Quebec rivals - played a game in Phoenix in January 1994? Or that the powerhouse Penguins and conference-foe Bruins battled in Atlanta in February 1993, more than a decade after the Flames moved to Calgary and six years before the Thrashers arrived on the scene? How about the Islanders and Oilers flying across the continent in December 1992 for a one-off in Oklahoma City?"It was in the middle of nowhere, hockey wasn't a part of the area, we were playing the Oilers," former Islanders goalie Glenn Healy said of the game at the Myriad Convention Center. "Why would these people in Oklahoma City care about a Canadian team?"Oklahoma City, however, had been the home of Central Hockey League teams off and on since 1972, and more than 11,000 people showed up to see the NHL in person. "I've always wondered if the NHL could have gone there, to a place with such a rich hockey history, and beat the NBA," May said.If you include Columbus, Ohio, which is a short drive from both Cleveland and Cincinnati, six of the 16 neutral-site cities have been awarded a relocated or expansion franchise in the intervening years. Clearly, the NHL identified fertile ground over this period - though the tour itself wasn't immune to hiccups.Exhibit A: Healy's experience in Dallas a handful of months prior to the North Stars' move to Texas in 1993. The apparent lack of air-conditioning inside Reunion Arena wasn't Healy's only problem as the Islanders faced St. Louis."I can recall going out for warmup and sticking my head between the panes of glass at the back of the rink and saying, 'We need the nets out for warmup!'" Healy said.A local asked: "'You need the nets for warmup?! Not just the game?' 'Yeah, they’re going to warm up and shoot on me. It would be nice to have a net.'"Some neutral-site arenas either had to make ice for the first time or hadn’t done so in years. This led to inconsistent playing conditions for regular-season games, even if ice standards weren't as high as they are today."For both teams, it was a road game," said Cirella, now an assistant coach for the AHL's Stockton Heat. "All the logistics behind it - just like any neutral-site game, now or then - it's a nightmare for whoever's setting that up."The amateur feel didn't stop there. May remains amazed at how naked the boards looked without advertisements. Healy remembers chairs being placed over holes in the ice during warmup, and the entertainment and dining options outside the rinks underwhelmed visiting players, coaches, and staff.“When you look at NHL cities today, whether it's L.A. Live or Maple Leaf Square, or All-Star Games where there's tents set up and a fan fest … Sorry, no, none of that back then," Healy explained. "Go play your game, order pizza, get out of town.”May said, "It was a mom-and-pop league the way some of these owners were. You still had some teams not televising games, teams not wanting to put nameplates on jerseys so people would buy a $1 program. It was a lot of small-minded thinking."The league grows upThe players were gung-ho to help grow the game. They understood the peaks and valleys of attendance and could look past the poor ice conditions. But they had a job to do and games to win, the same way players do in 2019."The luster kind of wore off, you know? Much like these outdoor games nowadays," said Warren Rychel, another member of the Gretzky Kings. "I know they sell them out, but as a player, once you've done one, it's like, 'OK, that was great. I got my picture on the outdoor ice with my family. We got to skate.'"It is what it is," he continued. "It's all about the fans, that's for sure. They're No. 1."Bernstein Associates / Getty ImagesAttendance for neutral-site games varied greatly; 18,782 people packed Richfield Coliseum for a Penguins-Oilers showdown in March 1993, but only 6,222 were on hand to watch Devils-Nordiques at the Target Center in Minneapolis a year later. Hamilton's Copps Coliseum, which is situated between Toronto and Buffalo, and Milwaukee's Bradley Center - a place Rychel describes as the "best arena in minor pro hockey" at the time - drew large crowds.According to records curated by Kenn.com, the average attendance for the 50-game package was 11,196. Not great, but not bad considering the games were held almost exclusively on weeknights (none were played on Saturday and six were played on Sunday).The initiative was also part of the league's larger focus on getting the greatest player in the world in front of as many prospective fans as possible. However, Gretzky couldn't play in either of the Kings' 1992 neutral-site games; in September, he'd been diagnosed with a herniated disc, an injury that threatened his career. He was healthy for the team's visits to Phoenix and Sacramento in 1994, though, and recorded three points in each game."We all recognized there's a unique opportunity and that we'd be going into different markets," said Kelly Hrudey, Gretzky's teammate in L.A. for eight years. "It didn't seem like anything unusual because, starting when I arrived at my first Kings training camp in 1989, we were traveling North America anyways during the preseason … It was a natural fit for a lot of us."Higher standards, on and off the ice, were beginning to replace the wild west of the 1970s and '80s. The neutral-site experiment feels representative of the NHL's place in pro sports at the time, just as Bettman was hired as the league's first and only commissioner."It's part of the building process. It's part of maturing. We grew up, figured stuff out," said Healy, who's now the executive director of the NHL Alumni Association."We tried the neutral-site games. We figured out chartering would be better (than flying commercial), figured out that maybe training would be better this way, or eating this way would be better. Team psychologists, sleep doctors. Everything is better than it once was. But we had to grow up - and we have."John Matisz is theScore's National Hockey Writer. You can find him on Twitter @matiszjohn.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Tavares doesn't foresee a more forgiving atmosphere for his second trip back to Long Island on Monday night."I'm sure it will be somewhat similar," Tavares told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "It is what it is. Just going to go out there and try to play well and help the Maple Leafs."Tavares made his initial return as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 28, and Islanders fans didn't let him out of their crosshairs for a second. The New York faithful threw toy snakes on the ice during warmup, serenaded their former captain with "We don't need you" chants throughout the game, and booed relentlessly every time he touched the puck.The Islanders went on to win the much-anticipated contest 6-1. Personal reasons aside, Tavares, who's scored a career-high 45 goals this season, knows his club can't repeat the performance."(The reception) was going to happen at some point and obviously, going back, it was going to happen again," Tavares said. "It's just part of it. Just try to go back and hopefully we can play better than we have."Toronto's won just three of its last 10 games and carries a minus-11 goal differential in that span. However, a single point Monday would clinch a third consecutive playoff berth for the Maple Leafs.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames have clinched the top spot in the Western Conference for the first time since 1989-90 with a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.Calgary is now guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoff rounds.Everything came together perfectly for the Flames this season. The club has enjoyed breakout campaigns from third-year forward Matthew Tkachuk and newcomer Elias Lindholm while also getting career years from Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and veteran defenseman Mark Giordano.Calgary's victory over the Sharks was the team's 49th triumph on the season, surpassing the 1987-88 team for the second-most wins in franchise history.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Canadian Women's Hockey League will discontinue operations effective May 1, 2019, due to financial concerns, the league announced Sunday."Unfortunately the business model that has been the foundation of the League is not sustainable financially," the release states.The CWHL is comprised of six teams, with four based in Canada (Toronto, Markham, Montreal, and Calgary), one in the United States (Worcester), and one in China (Shenzhen).It was founded in 2007 by players and members of the community.The National Women's Hockey League, which contains five teams - all in the United States - is now the lone professional women's hockey league in North America.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016, punching their ticket with an emphatic 5-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.Few expected the club to compete this year after New York underwent a series of drastic changes in the offseason. The team brought in Barry Trotz as head coach, Lou Lamoriello as general manager, and lost longtime captain and franchise center John Tavares in free agency.Despite their summer makeover, the Islanders have seen a 17-point improvement in the standings compared to last season. With four games left to go, they're locked in a race with the Pittsburgh Penguins for home-ice advantage in the first round.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a healthy scratch Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in order to rest, Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien told reporters pregame."You see the fatigue in his game," Julien said. "So, having been through a long season, for an 18-year-old (this is) totally normal. We need to win hockey games here, we need to try and put our best lineup together, and hopefully giving him some rest will give him an opportunity to finish strong here in the next few games coming up."It's the third time this month that Kotkaniemi has served as a healthy scratch.He has chipped in 34 points in 76 games, but has no goals with just two assists in his last 11 contests.Saturday night's game is crucial for the Canadiens as they continue to pursue the Blue Jackets. Columbus currently occupies the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with the same point total as Montreal but with a game in hand.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Detroit Red Wings are expected to ink head coach Jeff Blashill to a two-year contract extension, with an official announcement likely coming Tuesday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.Blashill is in his fourth season behind the Red Wings' bench. He's guided Detroit to a 30-38-10 record this season and is 134-143-47 during his tenure.This will be the third consecutive campaign that the Red Wings will miss the playoffs. Detroit was dispatched by the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the first round of the postseason in Blashill's first season at the helm.He signed a four-year deal upon being promoted from Grand Rapids - the club's AHL affiliate - when Mike Babcock left to join the Toronto Maple Leafs.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dustin Byfuglien is ready to go.The Winnipeg Jets will have the imposing defenseman in the lineup Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens, Jets head coach Paul Maurice confirmed pregame.Maurice said Byfuglien will be eased back onto the second power-play unit.The 34-year-old blue-liner has been out since Feb. 14 with an ankle injury.Byfuglien leads the Jets in average ice time at 24:26, albeit in a smaller sample size. He has collected 30 points in 37 games.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to give one of their defensive prospects a look down the stretch.Calle Rosen will join the club in New York ahead of Monday's contest against the Islanders, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told reporters, including TSN's Mark Masters, on Saturday.Babcock's plan is to have Rosen in the lineup until injured blue-liner Jake Gardiner returns, according to Masters.Rosen has racked up 46 points in 54 games with the Toronto Marlies this season, in his second campaign with the Leafs' AHL affiliate.The Leafs signed the 25-year-old to a two-year contract extension in December.Toronto will face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nick Schmaltz has agreed to a new seven-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes, the club announced Saturday.The contract extension carries a $5.85-million average annual value, or $40.95 million in total, The Athletic's Craig Morgan reports.Schmaltz has been out since December with a knee injury. The 23-year-old collected 14 points in 17 games before being forced out of the lineup.He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in November for forwards Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini.The Blackhawks selected Schmaltz with the 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mark Giordano, Robin Lehner, and Corey Crawford are among the 2018-19 nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.The Calgary Flames defenseman, New York Islanders goaltender, and Chicago Blackhawks netminder are among 31 players selected by the corresponding chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers Association for the award that recognizes the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.Giordano is having the best season of his career at the age of 35 and is the heart and soul of a resurgent Flames club. He's also likely to be a Norris Trophy finalist as one of the top blue-liners in the NHL.Lehner has overcome addiction, a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and opened up in September about having suicidal thoughts last season. The 27-year-old Swede enters Saturday's games with a .926 save percentage, and he's helped the Islanders defy expectations by fighting for the Metropolitan Division crown.Crawford returned to action in late February after suffering his second concussion in the last two seasons. He missed most of the 2017-18 campaign and more than two months of 2018-19, but has helped the Blackhawks make a late-season playoff push this spring. He came into Saturday's schedule with an 8-4-1 record and a .921 save percentage since his return.Here's the full list of the nominees from each club:TeamPlayerAnaheim DucksPatrick EavesArizona CoyotesMichael GrabnerBoston BruinsZdeno CharaBuffalo SabresJason PominvilleCalgary FlamesMark GiordanoCarolina HurricanesCurtis McElhinneyChicago BlackhawksCorey CrawfordColorado AvalancheCarl SoderbergColumbus Blue JacketsNick FolignoDallas StarsTaylor FedunDetroit Red WingsNiklas KronwallEdmonton OilersAndrej SekeraFlorida PanthersDerek MacKenzieLos Angeles KingsJack CampbellMinnesota WildRyan SuterMontreal CanadiensAndrew ShawNashville PredatorsRocco GrimaldiNew Jersey DevilsCory SchneiderNew York IslandersRobin LehnerNew York RangersBrendan SmithOttawa SenatorsJean-Gabriel PageauPhiladelphia FlyersBrian ElliottPittsburgh PenguinsMatt CullenSan Jose SharksJoe ThorntonSt. Louis BluesJay BouwmeesterTampa Bay LightningRyan CallahanToronto Maple LeafsTyler EnnisVancouver CanucksJacob MarkstromVegas Golden KnightsRyan CarpenterWashington CapitalsBrooks OrpikWinnipeg JetsDmitry KulikovCopyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues officially clinched playoff spots with the Arizona Coyotes' shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.St. Louis' turnaround is one for the history books, as the team sat dead last in the NHL on Jan. 3. The Blues are 25-9-4 since that date, miraculously salvaging their season and moving within four points of the Central Division lead following Friday's action.The Blues head back to the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years after missing out by a single point last season.Vegas enjoyed a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, but it won't be a surprise if the league's youngest franchise makes a deep playoff push in its second year.The Golden Knights have rolled through the competition since adding Mark Stone at the trade deadline, posting a record of 10-4-1.With the Blues and Golden Knights clinching, only two playoff spots remain up for grabs in the Western Conference.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was back in the lineup Friday against the Arizona Coyotes after missing nine games with an upper-body injury, the team announced.Landeskog was originally given a four-to-six-week timetable on March 8.The Avalanche hold the Western Conference's second wild-card spot, with the Coyotes just two points behind.Landeskog was playing his best hockey prior to the injury, tallying 33 goals and 69 points - both career highs - in 68 games.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A change of scenery has done wonders for Robin Lehner.After being non-tendered by the Buffalo Sabres last year, Lehner is enjoying a career season with the New York Islanders after signing a one-year, $1.5-million contract this summer.Lehner is in a clear state of mind after his alcohol and sleeping pill addiction, as well as his bipolar disorder, almost led to his own suicide. While those are certainly contributing factors to his performance, Lehner credited his new organization - and atmosphere - for his turnaround.“It’s a different feeling this year in general,” Lehner told Newsday's Andrew Gross. “We’re having fun. It’s a positive atmosphere. It’s not surrounded by negativity. That was one of the hard things when I was in Buffalo, just this cloud and atmosphere of negativity.”The New York media market has a reputation of being hard on athletes, but Lehner claims it's a cakewalk compared to Buffalo.“No, Buffalo prepared me,” Lehner said. “It couldn’t be any worse. Buffalo would prepare me to go to Toronto. It was so bad there sometimes. You would walk out to games and the game hadn’t started and people are already booing. It’s an incredibly passionate fan base and they’re filling that building but it can be miserable in that rink."Now, Lehner may need to begin clearing his trophy shelf. He's New York's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, but he could also take home the Jennings Trophy along with fellow Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames are nearing an agreement with KHL goalie prospect Artyom Zagidulin on a one-year, entry-level contract, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Zagidulin was the backup to KHL legend Vasili Koshechkin this past season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In 25 games, the 23-year-old posted a 1.96 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.The goaltending duo of Mike Smith and David Rittich has led the Flames to first place in the Western Conference this campaign, but the former is 37 years old and without a contract next season.Tyler Parsons, a second-round pick in 2016, is considered the Flames' top goalie prospect, but he's struggled in the AHL this season with a 3.83 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Colorado Avalanche signed Boston University forward Shane Bowers to a three-year, entry-level contract, the Avalanche announced Friday.The deal won't begin until the 2019-20 season, but Bowers will report to the AHL's Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout contract.The 19-year-old sophomore forward produced 11 goals and 21 points over 37 games with the Terriers this season.Bowers was the Ottawa Senators' first-round pick in 2017. He was dealt to the Avalanche in the three-team swap involving Matt Duchene later that year.A slew of Boston University players have turned pro since the team's 2018-19 season ended, including Dante Fabbro, Joel Farabee, Jake Oettinger, Bobo Carpenter, and Chad Krys.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw won't have a hearing for Thursday's hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam McQuaid, a league spokesperson told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Jason Botterill, Ron Francis, and Ron Hextall will form Canada's management team for the upcoming 2019 IIHF World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.Botterill, the only one of the three who's currently employed by an NHL team, has been the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres since May 2017. He previously served as an associate GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins.Francis served as the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes for four years until the end of last season. He can largely be credited with building a squad on the verge of snapping a nine-year playoff drought.Hextall was GM of the Philadelphia Flyers for four years before he was fired this past November. He was the GM of Canada's silver-medal winning team at the 2017 World Championship.The 2019 World Championship will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia from May 10-26. Canada finished fourth at last year's tournament.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Former Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault will be behind the bench for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.The rest of the coaching staff is expected to be announced early next week, Dreger added. Jason Botterill, Ron Francis, and Ron Hextall have already been tasked with selecting the team's roster.Vigneault has been out of coaching since being fired by the Rangers after missing the playoffs in 2017-18, the last of his five seasons in charge. New York is still on the hook for one more year of his contract, which pays him $4.1 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.Prior to his stint in the Big Apple, Vigneault coached the Canucks from 2006-2013, which was the club's most successful era. Along the way, he won five straight division titles, took home the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year in 2006-07, and brought the team to within one game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.Vigneault also coached the Montreal Canadiens from 1997-2001.The 57-year-old could potentially be handed a loaded World Championship roster, as some of Canada's brightest stars - including Connor McDavid, Claude Giroux, Jonathan Huberdeau, Jonathan Toews, Bo Horvat, and Drew Doughty - could miss the NHL playoffs.The tournament will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia, from May 10-26.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella had some choice words for Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw following Columbus' 6-2 victory Thursday.The 27-year-old agitator caught defenseman Adam McQuaid with an errant elbow to the head in the second period, drawing the ire of the outspoken bench boss."Suspendable. Ridiculously suspendable," Tortorella said after the game, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.Shaw was handed a two-minute minor for interference on the play:

The defending Stanley Cup champs are heading back to the dance.With a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the Washington Capitals officially clinched a playoff berth for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.The victory brought the Capitals to 100 points on the season, making them the fourth team in 2018-19 to hit the triple-digit milestone. It also strengthened Washington's lead atop the Metropolitan Division, which is now a five-point gap over the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.In all likelihood, Washington will claim the second seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning it will take on the higher ranked wild-card team.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes made his highly anticipated NHL debut Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.The Canucks selected Hughes seventh overall at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The smooth-skating defenseman registered 33 points in 32 games with the University of Michigan this past season and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award given to the nation's top collegiate player.Quinn's brother, Jack, is widely considered the top prospect for the 2019 draft.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames are among the teams trying to lure Sweden's Joakim Nygard to the NHL, TSN's Darren Dreger reported during Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment.Who is Nygard, exactly?"He's a 26-year-old forward who's had a very good year in the Swedish Elite League playing with Farjestad," Dreger said. "His agent, Matt Keator, has been fielding interest from NHL clubs for several months now, to be frank. Of the teams interested: Ottawa, Calgary - they're both in on this guy hard."Nygard's notched 21 goals and 14 assists this season and is drawing interest from scouts for his incredible speed, Dreger added.As a 26-year-old, Nygard would have to agree on a one-year entry-level contract if he were to sign in the NHL.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's National Hockey Writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify.In this episode, Kent Wilson of The Athletic joins John to chat all things Calgary Flames and the Western Conference. Topics include:

The "storm surge" will fade away before the postseason.Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams confirmed the club will do one last celebration on Thursday night, regardless of the result against the Washington Capitals.

David Pastrnak's Dunkin' Donuts TV advertisement is popular around Boston, and it aired at the perfect time during the Bruins' meeting with the New York Rangers on Wednesday.The commercial, which depicts Pastrnak going to the penalty box, was played while he received a (rare) real penalty against New York:

Vancouver Canucks stud prospect Quinn Hughes is feeling healthy and ready for his NHL debut once he's medically cleared."If I'm not 100 percent, I'm very close," Hughes said Wednesday. "Skating these past five days has been great. I'm ready when my number is called."Hughes signed a three-year entry-level contract with Vancouver on March 10 but has been sidelined with a bone bruise after blocking a shot while still with the Michigan Wolverines.Canucks head coach Travis Green said he hasn't confirmed Hughes' status with the club's medical team but is hoping the 19-year-old will be cleared to debut Thursday versus the Los Angeles Kings, according to The Canadian Press.Vancouver drafted Hughes seventh overall in 2018, expecting him to be a franchise cornerstone on the blue line as the Canucks continue to rebuild. Hughes notched a team-leading 33 points in 32 games with Michigan this season.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Frederik Andersen hasn't been himself of late, but he's looking at the final push before the postseason as his chance to get back on track."These last games are as close to a preseason as you can be without being back there, but you're trying to get your swagger and get your confidence and feel good about yourself going into the playoffs," the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender told reporters Wednesday. "That's the main thing for everyone in this room."The 29-year-old said he's not concerned with how many games he plays before the regular season concludes."I don't really care what that exact number is, that's a waste of time for me," he said.Andersen is 35-15-5 with a .917 save percentage this season, but he only has two wins and an .841 mark over the last six contests, having allowed four goals or more four times in that span.Despite an eight-game absence earlier this season, only seven netminders have played more minutes than Andersen in 2018-19.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

J.P. Barry is not happy about his client getting hurt in a seemingly unnecessary scuffle.The prominent agent, who represents Montreal Canadiens winger Paul Byron, is questioning the unwritten rules of hockey that encourage players to settle scores by fighting.Byron was injured in a fight with Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar on Tuesday night. The bout was apparently Weegar's response to Byron's high hit on him in January, which drew a three-game suspension."This wasn't a hockey fight," Barry texted to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "Paul knew he had to deal with it then or likely later. Paul probably gives up five inches and 50 pounds to a very tough player - how is this the code?"Barry added, "Player Safety already gave Paul three games for an improper check and now the 'code' gets to give him several more? ..."This exact situation is Exhibit A for re-examining our current rules for fighting. If the fight is patently retribution for something that happened long before this game was ever played, how is that allowed to occur without being addressed?The agent said he expected many others to praise Byron as a "warrior" who "answered the bell.""These are the people that believe in the old 'code,'" Barry continued. "It's time for Player Safety to be the new 'code.' What really matters is eliminating avoidable concussions wherever we can."Byron struggled to skate off the ice after the fight and didn't return to the game.Weegar asked Byron whether he wanted to fight and the Canadiens forward said yes, the Panthers blue-liner told La Presse's Richard Labbe postgame.Byron won't play on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and he'll be evaluated on a daily basis, his club announced Wednesday.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Buffalo Sabres aren't parting with Phil Housley, but the team's owners say the bench boss has room for improvement.Terry and Kim Pegula, who also own the Buffalo Bills, said as much at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona on Tuesday. They also acknowledged general manager Jason Botterill recently giving the head coach a vote of confidence."The season obviously hasn't finished yet. But, I think Botts has said it pretty well that he supports Phil," Terry told WIVB's Nick Filipowski. "Phil communicates with the players well. Are we happy with the way the season has gone? Absolutely not. So, something has to change. We don't know what but we're going to put our heads together and talk about it."He was then asked about justifying bringing Housley back for a third season in 2019-20."He's a young coach," Terry said. "He was a great player and I think he can grow as a coach."Kim echoed that sentiment."I don't think, anytime these things happen, it's usually not just one thing or just on one person," she said. "We'll figure all that out. Know that, Terry and I, our staff, everybody in the organization we want to get better, no doubt about it.”The Sabres reeled off a 10-game win streak in November, but have since plummeted in the standings, sitting third-last in the Atlantic Division with the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference.Entering Wednesday's action, Buffalo ranks 26th in goals scored per game and ninth-worst in goals allowed per contest. The team also sits in the middle of the pack in power-play and penalty-kill efficiency.Buffalo finished with a 25-45-12 record in 2017-18, Housley's first campaign as an NHL head coach. Despite adding Jeff Skinner and first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin for the 2018-19 season, the club has posted a 31-36-9 record with six games left.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.