Patrik Laine went into self-deprecation mode when asked about Alex Ovechkin's big goal after Monday night's game."I was pretty close watching it," the young Winnipeg Jets star told reporters postgame, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post. "I was in a good spot. Just behind him. I was there when he made history, so I can maybe watch that someday and show that I was there getting the minus on the ice."Ovechkin notched what was his second goal of the game and the 600th of his career early in the second period of Monday's 3-2 overtime win.Laine scored one of his own in the third, pulling back within one of Ovechkin for the league lead on the season after both players entered the matchup knotted at 40 apiece.The 19-year-old finished the highly anticipated contest with the worst even-strength Corsi For percentage of any Jets skater at 35.29, according to hockeystats.ca.He finished with four shots on goal, two blocked shots, one giveaway, and two takeaways while logging 18:48 in ice time.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome Marc-Andre Fleury to the 400-win club.The Vegas Golden Knights goaltender reached the historic milestone with a 3-2 victory Monday over the Philadelphia Flyers.Fleury is just the 13th netminder to reach 400 wins, doing so in the second-fewest number of games.RankGoalieGamesWins1Martin Brodeur12666912Patrick Roy10295513Ed Belfour9634844Roberto Luongo9914675Curtis Joseph9434546Terry Sawchuk9714457Jacques Plante8374378Henrik Lundqvist8004309Tony Esposito88642310Glenn Hall90640711Grant Fuhr86840312Chris Osgood74440113Marc-Andre Fleury728400Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Seth Jones' Monday night took a turn for the worse.After notching two points against the Montreal Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman was forced to leave the game due to an upper-body injury.

Is Alex Ovechkin the greatest goal-scorer to ever play the game?That's the question after the Washington Capitals captain pocketed his 600th career marker Monday, becoming the 20th player in NHL history to do so.Two points for consideration:While 19 others reached the 600-goal plateau prior to Ovechkin, none did so in the current era.In fact, the most recent player to hit 600 was Jarome Iginla, who met the mark in January 2016. Iginla scored his first goal in 1996, nine years before Ovechkin made his NHL debut.Before that? Look to Teemu Selanne, who notched his 600th in March 2010, while Joe Sakic turned the trick in February 2007.In all, Ovechkin was the fourth-fastest to enter the 600-goal club, doing so in 990 games. Only three players outpaced Ovi, as Wayne Gretzky scored his 600th in Game 718, while Mario Lemieux did so in 719. Brett Hull reached it in 900 contests.All things considered, is Ovechkin the premier goal-scorer of all time?Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin didn't need long to hit the 600-goal plateau Monday night against the Winnipeg Jets, following up his first-period marker with the milestone goal early in the second.The Washington Capitals star became the 20th player, and fourth-fastest in league history, to hit the 600 mark.PlayerGames Needed To Score 600 GoalsWayne Gretzky718Mario Lemieux719Brett Hull900Alex Ovechkin990Ovechkin's second of the night was No. 42 on the season, while his first moved him past Jets forward Patrik Laine and back into the league lead. Laine got one of his own in the third period to pull within a goal of Ovechkin.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews is making progress, but he's not all the way back just yet.The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar took part in a full practice Monday for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury, but he was still sporting a red no-contact jersey.

Steve Mason can't catch a break.The Winnipeg Jets netminder underwent knee surgery Monday and will be sidelined for two to three weeks, confirmed coach Paul Maurice.Mason's latest setback comes after he missed 21 games with a concussion. Mason played Tuesday against the New York Rangers, his first appearance since Jan. 9.In 12 games this season, Mason has a 4-6-1 record alongside a .906 save percentage.The Jets signed Mason to a two-year, $8.2-million contract last offseason.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The latest odds from the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook have pegged the Tampa Bay Lightning as the favorite to win the 2018 Stanley Cup.The Lightning edged ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nashville Predators, which all tied for second place.On Saturday, the Lightning became the first team this season to reach the 100-point plateau, doing so in their 69th game. The focus now turns to the playoffs, as Tampa Bay aims to capture its first championship since 2004.Here are the complete odds:TeamOpening OddsCurrent OddsLightning10-19-2Golden Knights200-16-1Penguins8-16-1Predators14-16-1Jets40-19-1Bruins30-110-1Maple Leafs14-112-1Capitals10-116-1Ducks14-116-1Flyers40-120-1Stars14-125-1Kings20-130-1Sharks20-130-1Wild14-130-1Avalanche100-140-1Blue Jackets20-140-1Devils100-140-1Panthers40-140-1Blues30-150-1Flames30-160-1Hurricanes60-180-1Islanders40-1200-1Rangers14-1300-1Red Wings100-1500-1Opening odds were posted May 30, 2017.Furthermore, poor performance this season means seven teams are already off the board, including the Chicago Blackhawks, who have won three Stanley Cups since 2010.Also out of betting contention are the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Vancouver Canucks.(Odds courtesy: Westgate Las Vegas Superbook)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Warning: Video contains coarse languageGlen Gulutzan used some colorful language at practice on Monday.Following Sunday's 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders, the Calgary Flames bench boss delivered some profane-laced instructions in hopes of motivating his slumping squad.It's the second time this season Gulutzan has turned to on-ice theatrics. In January, he showed his displeasure during practice by tossing his stick into the stands. That tantrum was followed by a five-game winning streak.A similar performance would certainly help Calgary now, as the team sits two points back of a playoff position. The Flames have won just a pair of their past seven games.Gulutzan is in his second season as Flames coach, and owns a 79-59-14 record since his hiring.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It feels like ages ago when a 20-year-old Alex Ovechkin took the league by storm in his rookie season, scoring 52 goals to capture the Calder Trophy over Sidney Crosby, but 12 years later, "The Great Eight" still sees himself as a spring chicken.Prior to a marquee matchup between the league's two top goal-scorers - he and Winnipeg Jets phenom Patrik Laine - Ovechkin was asked if he sees "young Ovi" in Laine, to which he replied: "I'm still young," according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.Despite the response, Ovechkin did indeed have high praise for the 19-year-old."He's a great talent and still young and still can produce lots of dangerous (chances against) different teams," he told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "Obviously his shot is pretty amazing. Tonight, we have to stay close to him and don't give him any chance."Laine was quite humbled by Ovechkin's comments."It sounds pretty good to me that's saying nice things about me," Laine told Gulitti. "He's been my biggest idol when I was growing up, so it's pretty unreal to hear something like that, him talking about me. It's pretty cool."It's hard not to draw comparisons between the two players. Both are right-handed shots, play left wing, are big, have deadly one-timers, and neither shies away from physical play.Viewers can only hope the two snipers put on a show when they meet Monday night in Washington.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Arizona Coyotes granted head coach Rick Tocchet a leave of absence to deal with a family illness, the team announced Monday."Family comes first," said general manager John Chayka. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Toc as he deals with this personal matter. It's important that he takes the time to be there with his family."Assistant coach John MacLean will serve as the club's head coach until Tocchet returns.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Three of the game's most dynamic offensive players were named the NHL's three stars of the week for their incredible performances over the past seven days.Third star: Evgeni MalkinMalkin continued his torrid pace this past week, scoring three goals and adding five assists in four games. After a relatively slow start, he has been arguably the game's best player in the new year, recording 51 points in 30 game since Jan. 2.Second star: Brad MarchandEven while sitting out one game due to injury, Marchand was still able to crack this list, in large part due to a historic five-point night Tuesday against the Red Wings. In total, he accumulated eight points in three games - remarkably impressive considering Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy have been absent from the Bruins' lineup.First star: Patrik LaineIs Laine the NHL's best goal-scorer? He certainly was this past week, scoring five times in just three games. He amazingly now has 15 goals in his last 11 games, putting him in a tie with Alex Ovechkin with 40 for the league lead.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes are wasting no time finding a replacement for Ron Francis as the team's general manager, as the club reportedly interviewed Buffalo Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley for the position, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.This comes less than a week after the Los Angeles Kings granted the Hurricanes permission to speak to their assistant GM, Mike Futa.Francis was relieved of his GM duties last week, accepting a reassignment to become the team's president of hockey operations - ironically, a role in which he won't be making hockey-related decisions.Greeley is in his first season in the Sabres' front office. He previously served as the New York Rangers' director of player personnel, the assistant coach at Boston University, and a scout for the Kings.The Hurricanes' new GM will report directly to new owner Tom Dundon.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 12th installment of theScore's NHL Power Rankings is put together by editors Josh Gold-Smith, Craig Hagerman, and Cory Wilkins.1. Tampa Bay Lightning (48-17-4)Previously 1stThe Lightning became the first NHL club to reach the 100-point plateau this season with a victory over the Canadiens on Saturday. They've won five straight games and are 5-0-1 since our last edition, leaving little doubt that they remain the league's pace-setters. - Gold-Smith2. Nashville Predators (44-14-10)Previously 3rdThe Predators are also 5-0-1 in their last six, and they had a 10-game win streak snapped by the Devils in a shootout Saturday night. They look primed to make another run to the Stanley Cup Final, and while they won't take anyone by surprise this time, this is a deep, versatile club that's well prepared to weather the home stretch and beyond. - Gold-Smith3. Boston Bruins (43-16-8)Previously 6thBoston entered Sunday's game having won six straight games, and even though they lost to the Blackhawks, what they've done without Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, and now Brad Marchand has been nothing short of remarkable. - Gold-Smith4. Winnipeg Jets (41-18-9)Previously 4thThe Jets had four straight wins before Saturday's road loss to the Flyers, a game in which Patrik Laine matched Alex Ovechkin for the league lead with his 40th goal. Laine has been on an absolute tear with nine goals in his last five games, and deadline acquisition Paul Stastny has made an instant impact. - Gold-Smith5. Vegas Golden Knights (44-19-5)Previously 2ndVegas righted the ship with road victories over the lowly Red Wings and Sabres and still has a comfortable lead atop the Pacific Division. But, the Golden Knights needed a late tying goal and a shootout to beat Buffalo and now have a 5-4-1 record in their last 10. - Gold-Smith6. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-22-7)Previously 5thRoad losses to the Sabres and Capitals were cause for mild concern, but a controversial yet decisive victory over the Penguins on Saturday allayed those concerns for now. The win came at home, where the Leafs have won a franchise-record 10 straight games. - Gold-Smith7. Pittsburgh Penguins (40-26-4)Previously 8thThe Penguins had won three in a row before Saturday's loss in Toronto, and Evgeni Malkin continues to put pressure on Nikita Kucherov in the Art Ross Trophy race with 11 points in his last six games. - Gold-Smith8. Minnesota Wild (39-23-7)Previously 10thThe Wild have reeled off seven wins in their last 10, and three of those have come in the team's last four. What Eric Staal is doing at age 33 - namely ranking fourth in the NHL with 37 goals coming into Sunday's games - continues to be one of the best stories of the season. - Gold-Smith9. Washington Capitals (38-23-7)Previously 9thBraden Holtby hasn't been himself of late and he's getting some time to "reset," but Philipp Grubauer has been excellent in his stead. The Capitals need Holtby to get right before the playoffs, but the backup netminder's steady play has to be reassuring for Barry Trotz's club. - Gold-Smith10. Anaheim Ducks (34-23-12)Previously 11thRyan Getzlaf has been on fire with 12 points in his last five games. The captain's surge bodes well for the Ducks, who remain a deeper team than the Sharks, their Pacific Division rivals who sit just a single point ahead of them for second place with a game in hand. - Gold-Smith11. Philadelphia Flyers (35-23-11)Previously 7thYou've heard this one before: Poor goaltending is hurting the Flyers, as the team has allowed 23 goals and has come up with just one win in its last six outings. New netminder Petr Mrazek has allowed four or more in five of his last six. - Wilkins12. Dallas Stars (38-25-6)Previously 12thDespite goaltender Ben Bishop being on the shelf, the Stars have hung with it in his absence, posting an even 1-1-1 record. Tyler Seguin has also impressed, with 10 points in his last six appearances. - Wilkins13. San Jose Sharks (36-23-9)Previously 15thAs has been the case this year in San Jose, the Sharks owe a lot of their success to goaltending. While the team fails to manufacture much offense, Martin Jones is shutting it down between the pipes, having allowed just eight goals in his last five games. - Wilkins14. Columbus Blue Jackets (36-28-5)Previously 16thWinners of four straight, the Blue Jackets are doing their part to nail down a wild-card position in the East. Defenseman Seth Jones is certainly chipping in, pocketing three goals - including two-game winners - in the past two games. - Wilkins15. Florida Panthers (34-25-7)Previously 19thNo Eastern Conference club has a better record since the All-Star break than Florida, and the results are starting to show. The Panthers sit two points back of a playoff position and hold three games in hand. - Wilkins16. New Jersey Devils (25-26-8)Previously 14thTaylor Hall pieced together an astounding 26-game point streak, but it might not be enough, as the Devils have won just two of their past six and are in danger of slipping out of a playoff position. - Wilkins17. Calgary Flames (34-26-10)Previously 17thThe return of injured goaltender Mike Smith could not come soon enough, as the Flames have fallen out of a playoff seed in his absence. Entering Sunday's contest, Calgary had won just two of its past six games. - Wilkins18. Colorado Avalanche (36-24-8)Previously 22ndColorado continues to build its case as the comeback story of the year, as the team has already accumulated 32 points more than last season and remains in the thick of the playoff race. Center Nathan MacKinnon remains a potential Hart Trophy candidate. - Wilkins19. Los Angeles Kings (37-26-5)Previously 17thLos Angeles remains in the playoff chase in the West, but the team hasn't made life easy on itself with a pedestrian .500 record in its last four. That stretch includes Saturday's embarrassing 7-2 loss to the Blues, another team in the hunt for a wild-card spot. - Wilkins20. St. Louis Blues (36-27-5)Previously 18thWhile there are signs of life in St. Louis, any recent credit must go to goaltenders Carter Hutton and Jake Allen, who have allowed just eight goals in the last four games. - Wilkins21. Carolina Hurricanes (30-27-11)Previously 21stThe Hurricanes have gone 3-2-0 since the last rankings and put up a noble effort against the Jets despite falling 3-2.The Ron Francis demotion/promotion shocked much of the hockey world, but the team's on-ice play has remained stagnant. - Hagerman22. New York Islanders (30-29-10)Previously 20thThe playoffs were within the Islanders' grasp at the trade deadline, but appear to be wilting away.The club has dropped eight of its last nine games and now sit seven points out of the final wild-card spot in the East. It would take a comeback of epic proportions to have any chance of making the dance. - Hagerman23. Edmonton Oilers (30-34-4)Previously 24thThe Oilers could be much lower on this list, but, they do have Connor McDavid.He's on a seven-game point streak with six goals and 13 points and sits just four points back of Nikita Kucherov for the Art Ross Trophy. - Hagerman24. New York Rangers (30-32-7)Previously 28thFor so long, the Rangers remained in the playoff hunt, even after the organization made the decision to start a rebuild. The fruits of the team's deadline activity are finally coming to fruition as the club has dropped three straight and are now 10 points out of a playoff spot and 14 from 31st overall. - Hagerman25. Montreal Canadiens (25-31-12)Previously 26thNo Carey Price, no Shea Weber, and no Max Pacioretty, so there's little reason to expect much from the Canadiens heading down the stretch, except maybe better lottery odds for the first overall pick. - Hagerman26. Chicago Blackhawks (30-32-8)Previously 25thThis season has been an off one for the Blackhawks. The club is on pace to finish with 35 wins, which would be their lowest total since the 2006-07 season when they had 31 wins in a miserable 71-point campaign.Chicago has shown glimpses of their elite skill, look no further than the team's win over the Bruins on Sunday, but for now, the club will get a rest from playoff hockey for the first time in 10 years. - Hagerman27. Detroit Red Wings (26-31-11)Previously 23rdSix straight losses says it all.Luckily the team looks to be on board the rebuild train, and with eight picks in the first four rounds of the draft this June, Detroit should get a nice boost this summer. The Red Wings are closer to last than a playoff spot and that's the direction they should aim for down the stretch. - Hagerman28. Ottawa Senators (23-33-11)Previously 29thOne step forward, two steps back. That's the best way to sum up the Senators' season and their most recent stretch.After an emotional win against the Golden Knights, they dropped a decision to the Coyotes. Ottawa then topped the Stars but followed that up with losses to the Sabres and Flames. The end of the season can't come quick enough. - Hagerman29. Arizona Coyotes (22-35-11)Previously 27thThe Coyotes' 6-3-1 run over their last 10 is impressive, but it's too little too late at this point. - Hagerman30. Buffalo Sabres (22-35-12)Previously 31stThe Sabres have rattled off five wins in their last 10, but still find themselves stuck with the second-worst record in the league. - Hagerman31. Vancouver Canucks (25-35-9)Previously 30thWith two regulation wins in their last 10 games, there is little positivity around the Canucks' locker room these days. And if things weren't bad enough, it looks as though Brock Boeser - who has been the team's best player all season - will be out until next fall. - Hagerman(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Adrian Peterson era in Arizona appears to be nearing an end, or at least an intermission.The Cardinals are expected to release Peterson on Monday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.Peterson is due a bonus of $750,000 on Friday, the third day of the new league year, if he's on the roster. The Cardinals could, however, re-sign Peterson later, Schefter's source said.Related: Top NFL free agents by positionThe 32-year-old compiled 448 rushing yards and two touchdowns in six games with the Cardinals, while being used as one of several running backs to replace an injured David Johnson. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry and added 66 yards through the air on nine receptions.He missed the final five games of the season, as the Cardinals placed him on injured reserve due to a neck injury suffered in Week 12.Peterson was signed by the New Orleans Saints last offseason to a two-year deal worth a total of $7 million. He ended up stuck behind Pro Bowler Mark Ingram and Offensive Rookie of the Year Alvin Kamara in the backfield timeshare and carried the ball just 27 times over four games, going for 81 yards and no touchdowns.He was traded to the Cardinals following Week 4 in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft. The pick will be the 189th overall selection.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With an assist and an empty-net goal against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin passed former Detroit Red Wings great Pavel Datsyuk for fifth all time in points by a Russian-born player.

It's not easy being a goalie for the New York Islanders.Christopher Gibson's performance Sunday further proved that point as the 25-year-old turned away 50 Calgary Flames shots en route to a 5-2 victory, snapping the Islanders' eight-game losing skid.

Dylan Strome's next stint with the Arizona Coyotes has been put on hold.After recalling the 21-year-old on an emergency basis earlier Sunday, the club canceled the move, assigning Strome back to the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners, the team announced.Strome was recalled on the back of an impressive first season in the AHL that has seen him pot 22 goals and 49 points in 44 games. By contrast, he's collected just one goal in 11 contests with the big club this season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mike Smith is ready to go.The Calgary Flames netminder was activated from the injured reserve list on Sunday, a month after he suffered a groin injury.Smith was hurt in the closing seconds of a Feb. 11 contest against the New York Islanders, and was originally considered day to day. He's missed the past 13 games.His return comes just in time, with the Flames sitting two points back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Calgary posted a 5-6-2 record in Smith's absence.In 47 games this season, the goaltender owns a 23-16-6 record with a .921 save percentage.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament is known just as much for its hockey hair culture as it is for showcasing some of the top talent at the high school level.Game On! Minnesota unveiled its annual Minnesota State High School All-Hockey Hair Team on Saturday night, with junior forward Carly Beniek of Breck coming in at No. 1. It's the first time a girls player has ever won the top honor, according to CBS Minnesota.Money raised from the video will go to the Hendrickson Foundation, which helps grow disabled hockey in Minnesota.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dylan Strome is getting another shot at life in the NHL.The 2015 draft pick was recalled by the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, a move that comes in response to center Laurent Dauphin leaving Saturday's game versus the Colorado Avalanche after he blocked a shot.In 44 games this season with the Tucson Roadrunners, Strome has recorded 22 goals and 27 assists, good for 10th in AHL scoring. He also ranks second among rookie scorers.Strome has appeared in 11 games with the Coyotes this season. He picked up his first NHL goal against the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 2.A former third-overall draft choice, Strome was selected behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins did not have Brad Marchand active for Sunday's matinee against the Chicago Blackhawks.He was held out with an injury, which the team is only calling an upper-body ailment.Marchand collided awkwardly with Blackhawks forward Anthony Duclair in Saturday afternoon's game, and Duclair was later ruled out for one-to-two weeks.The Bruins are already playing without star center Patrice Bergeron, promising rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy, and young winger Anders Bjork, who are all dealing with injuries of their own, plus veteran forward David Backes, who's serving the final contest of his three-game suspension Sunday.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Brian Boyle scored in the fifth round of the shootout to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.Boyle beat Nashville goalie Juuse Saros with a quick wrist shot from the slot on the blocker side.New Jersey's Taylor Hall and Nashville's Kyle Turris each scored in the fourth round of the tiebreaker after none of the first six shooters could solve the opposing goalie.Sami Vatanen and Boyle had the goals in regulation for New Jersey, winners of two of three. The Devils moved past idle Columbus into the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Keith Kinkaid made 34 saves through overtime and denied four of Nashville's five attempts in the shootout.Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen had the goals for Nashville, which snapped its franchise-high 10-game winning streak. Saros finished with 25 saves.With the Predators trailing 2-1 late, Johansen tied it with 1:06 remaining in the third when he put home the rebound of Ryan Ellis' shot from the right side.Ekholm scored the game's first goal at 1:17 of the opening period.Carrying the puck on the right side, Ekholm cut to the left and beat Kinkaid with a wrist shot high to the short side. It was the Swedish defenseman's 10th of the season, the first time he has reached double digits in his career.Vatanen tied it at 7:13 of the first with a slap shot from the right point through traffic that beat Saros on the stick side. Vatanen has four points in his last four games.New Jersey made it 2-1 at 11:24 of the second. Just one second after Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban's slashing penalty expired, Boyle redirected Damon Severson's slap shot from above the left circle past Saros for his 13th of the season. Boyle has a goal in two of his last three games.In overtime, Saros stopped a point-blank chance by Michael Grabner at 1:12.NOTES: Nashville D Roman Josi returned to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. ... Prior to the game, Josi and Boyle, a cancer survivor, took part in a ceremonial faceoff as part of the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. ... Devils D Will Butcher had one assist, extending his point-scoring streak to three games. ... New Jersey is 25-0-2 when leading after two periods this season.UP NEXTDevils: At Vegas on Wednesday night.Predators: Host Winnipeg on Tuesday night.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers are on a serious roll.In fact, thanks to a shootout win over the New York Rangers Saturday, the Panthers have amassed 31 points since the All-Star break on the strength of a 15-3-1 record.That's tops in the Eastern Conference since play resumed following the Jan. 27 event, and second only to the Nashville Predators among all teams.Despite the run of success, the Panthers remain outside the playoff picture, although they are within reach of both Columbus and New Jersey in the race for a wild card spot and have games in hand on both.Making up the difference won't be an easy task for the Panthers. It could come right down to the wire, making an April 8 game against Boston - a makeup game and the only one to be played on the final day of the regular season - all the more significant.They're certainly making it interesting, at the very least.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have never had a stretch like this on home ice.With a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, the Leafs have now recorded 10 straight home wins for the first time in franchise history.

Jamie Benn surely knows a thing or two about finding the back of the net, but even the Dallas Stars captain couldn't comprehend what he saw on Brian Dumoulin's goalie interference call that negated a goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night.Here's the play, which was ultimately deemed a penalty for Dumoulin. Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs would score on the ensuing power play.

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been fined $5,000 for slashing Colorado's Sven Andrighetto, the NHL announced Saturday.The incident occurred during the third period of Saturday's loss to the Avalanche, and led to a major skirmish.Ekman-Larsson received minor penalties for slashing and cross-checking on the play.The fine is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Attempting to define goaltender interference has been a major theme in 2017-18.Another page was added to the book Saturday in Toronto after an apparent goal by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin was waived off due to an interference call.Not only that, Dumoulin was sent to the box for bumping Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen on the play.

With PyeongChang 2018 now in the history books, the conversation in regards to NHL player participation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in China begins.Deputy commissioner Bill Daly is leaving the door open for NHL talent to be featured next time around after sitting out the recent tournament."I’m not making any news today, (but) I will say certainly it’s a possibility,” Daly said while speaking at SXSW in Austin, TX, per The Associated Press. "We have (a couple) of years to kind of make that decision."There's plenty of factors to be weighed out, he added."In South Korea, we felt ultimately there were a lot more negatives than positives than going," Daly said. "I expect we’ll go through the exact same process (before 2022) ... There may be more positives to participating in Beijing."China, of course, is the world's most populous country, with close to 1.4-billion people and is a relatively untapped market from a hockey perspective.The current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players will expire later in 2022, but either side can choose to opt out in 2019. The Olympics will certainly be a point of contention next time around, helping to resolve this issue one way or another.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's current goal leaders are set to go head-to-head in Washington on Monday.Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets scored his 40th goal of the season in a loss to Philadelphia Saturday, remaining red hot and drawing even with Alex Ovechkin for a share of the league lead.

Anthony Duclair will miss one-to-two weeks of action after being injured in a collision with Brad Marchand on Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.Duclair left the game, while Marchand received a minor penalty for interference on the play.Duclair scored two goals and added six assists in 22 games for Chicago this season. He could be out of the lineup for several games, while Marchand may miss Sunday's rematch against the Blackhawks should he receive a call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Joel Quenneville made some history by showing up for a matinee against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.By virtue of working his 1,608th regular-season game, the Chicago Blackhawks bench boss moved into sole possession of second place on the NHL's all-time list, passing the late legendary former New York Islanders head coach Al Arbour, who he tied Thursday night.Quenneville already ranks second on the league's all-time coaching wins list, but trails Scotty Bowman by a considerable amount in both categories, entering Saturday's contest needing 533 more games and 364 more victories to catch him.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without one of their top point producers for the rest of their road trip.Reilly Smith has returned to Nevada and, as a result, is out of the lineup Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, as well as Monday versus the Philadelphia Flyers.Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant referred to Smith's ailment as an upper-body injury Saturday, according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.The forward missed Thursday night's win over the Detroit Red Wings and played fewer than 11 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.He is in a three-way tie with William Karlsson and David Perron for second among Golden Knights skaters with 60 points, and sits in the top five in team goal scoring with 22 in 66 games.Smith was named the NHL's third star of the month for February.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans finally got to see their prized trade deadline acquisition in action Saturday, as defenseman Ryan McDonagh made his Bolts debut against the Montreal Canadiens.McDonagh was sent to Tampa Bay from the New York Rangers on Feb. 26, along with J.T. Miller, in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov, two prospects, and two first-round picks, but has been out since Feb. 7 with an upper-body injury.The 28-year-old played 19:15, including 2:33 shorthanded, and was held pointless while recording a shot on goal, two blocked shots, and one hit.Ironically enough, McDonagh's debut came against the organization he began his career with. The Habs drafted him 12th overall in 2007 but traded him to the Rangers two years later as a part of a haul to acquire Scott Gomez.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers are banged up on the back end, but there is a silver lining.Travis Sanheim will get another shot at the NHL level as a result, having been recalled by the club under emergency conditions Friday.Those circumstances were revealed Saturday: Blue-liner Robert Hagg will miss the next two weeks and veteran rearguard Johnny Oduya is day to day, each with injuries the team would only classify as lower-body ailments.Sanheim failed to make a major impact in 35 games with the Flyers earlier this season, but he's produced nearly a point per game (16 in 18 contests) with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.The 21-year-old will look to prove he belongs with the big club after spending parts of the last three seasons in the AHL and nearly three full campaigns in junior.Hagg was playing in the Flyers' top four alongside Andrew MacDonald before his injury. Oduya hasn't played since Sunday's loss to the Florida Panthers, when he was on the ice for only nine seconds of the third period.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames took care of business during their recent three-game road trip, but it might be too little, too late when it comes to climbing into a playoff spot.Over the course of a short Eastern Conference jaunt that wrapped Friday in Ottawa, Calgary took five out of a possible six points, with wins in Buffalo and against the Senators coming on the heels of an overtime loss to Pittsburgh.As a result, Calgary sits a single point behind Los Angeles in the race for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot.The Flames, however, are the only team to have already played 69 games, two more than the Kings and Colorado Avalanche, both of whom rest directly above in the standings.Calgary, then, has a league-low 13 games remaining with at least two teams to jump over in order to clinch a spot. It's a tall order, but the recent success has the Flames feeling more confident.

Seth Jones set a new career high in goals and earned his team a win all at once.The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman notched his 13th goal of the season in the second period by knocking a rebound past Jared Coreau. The tally stood as the game winner, one night after Jones scored in overtime to beat Colorado.

The Carolina Hurricanes pulled a fast one on Twitter on Friday.With a vacancy at the general manager position following the decision by new owner Tom Dundon to bump Ron Francis to president of hockey operations, the club's social media team put out a call for applications:

Antti Raanta wants to be the starting goalie for the Arizona Coyotes beyond this season.General manager John Chayka chose not to deal the impending unrestricted free agent prior to the trade deadline with some assurance from agent Kevin Epp that Raanta was interested in re-signing with the team at season's end."(Chayka) wanted to make sure that Antti wanted to stay a part of the Coyotes and do what they’re doing and build with them," Epp told Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. "I said: 'Yeah, nothing has changed from our end.' He wanted to make sure we were on the same page. He didn’t want to try and keep a guy and then he signs somewhere else."Epp added his client recognizes the rare opportunity to grab hold of a starter's job in today's NHL."Especially on a young team where you feel like it’s your team," Epp qualified. "For him, 'they got me to be the guy and I’m going to grow with this team.'"Raanta was acquired last summer from the New York Rangers and has been solid despite some early injury issues. In 39 appearances, he's posted a record of 15-15-6 with a .924 save percentage.He's in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a $1-million cap hit and is likely to command a hefty raise on his new contract.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings have given permission to the Carolina Hurricanes to speak to assistant general manager Mike Futa, according to NHL.com's Lisa Dillman.Futa is in his 11th season with the Kings and first as the team's assistant general manager. He was promoted to assistant GM last April after serving as the team's vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel.On Wednesday, the Hurricanes relieved Ron Francis of his duties as general manager, moving him into the position of president of hockey operations.The team's new general manager will report directly to owner Tom Dundon, the team announced in their release on Wednesday.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has signed a contract extension, the team confirmed, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.News of MacLellan's extension was first reported by Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos during Saturday's Headlines segment.MacLellan was in the final year of his contract. He has served as GM since being promoted in 2014 after the firing of George McPhee.Since then, MacLellan has led the Capitals to three straight playoffs - four, once the Capitals clinch this season - including two straight Presidents' Trophies.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand was fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment by the NHL, the league announced Friday.Here's a look at the play, which occurred March 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins:

Buffalo Sabres forward Kyle Okposo is day to day after being diagnosed with a concussion, head coach Phil Housley announced on Friday.The injury looks to have occurred during the Sabres' game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night following a collision with forward Bobby Ryan.It's the latest hurdle in what has been a tough year for the 29-year-old. His 11 goals and 38 points both stand as the lowest marks in Okposo's career of any season of 50 or more games.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Bryan Rust for the immediate future as the forward has been diagnosed with a concussion, head coach Mike Sullivan announced Friday.Rust left Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers after being boarded by Robert Hagg in the first period. While he had gone five games without a point, he's already topped his career high in points with 33 in 57 games.Sullivan also noted that forward Dominik Simon - who was forced from Wednesday's game against the Flyers as well - is week to week with a lower-body injury.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars forward Martin Hanzal will undergo season-ending back surgery in the coming days, and his recovery is expected to take six-to-seven months, the team announced Friday.Hanzal last played Feb. 21 against the Anaheim Ducks. He signed a three-year, $14.2-million contract with the club on July 1, 2017.Prior to the injury, his first season in Dallas was a bit of a letdown. In 38 games, he had five goals, five assists, and a minus-14 rating.Given the projected recovery time, it's possible Hanzal could return for the start of next season.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL is dipping their toes into the esports world.On Friday, the league unveiled the NHL Gaming World Championship where gamers from Canada, the United States, and Europe will compete to be the best at EA SPORTS NHL 18.

The rambunctious fans in Nashville might soon get to take their shenanigans outside.Last season, the NHL was put on notice about the passion Predators fans have for their team during their Cinderella playoff run. That, coupled with Nashville's success at hosting NHL events, has the league considering a potential outdoor game in the Music City."We could see an outdoor game," Bettman said Thursday, according to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. "I mean, there's scheduling issues, logistical issues. You have a college bowl game (Music City Bowl) that could interfere with a Winter Classic. We have to look at a lot of permutations, but Nashville has done an outstanding job any time we've held an event here, not the least of which was the All-Star Game."This has really become a destination city in a whole host of ways. I could envision us doing an outdoor game here. I can't give you a timetable and I can't exactly give you the specifics because there's a lot of things logistically we would have to work out. But it's something we have our eye on."As Vingan notes, the Predators are one of eight teams yet to play in an outdoor game. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks will play in their seventh outdoor game next season.Such an event would present a new challenge to Predators fans: throwing a catfish onto stadium ice.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Detroit Red Wings lost 4-0 at home to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and captain Henrik Zetterberg wasn't happy with the performance of some of his teammates."There's too much poke-and-hope on a lot of players," Zetterberg told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. "If you want to be a solid player in this league, and if you want to win something, you have to learn to play the right way."Poke-and-hope might get you 25-30 goals, but you will never win anything."When Zetterberg first came up with the Red Wings, some of the best two-way players to ever lace up a pair of skates were the team's leaders, such as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Chris Chelios. He learned from the best, and now he's trying to set an example of the right way to play for his own younger teammates."You have to play defense first," he said. "We have guys in here who have enough skill to create chances and get enough chances. You can't force and gamble all the time. You have to do it right and eventually you will get chances. It's not often you get chances when you cheat. Sometimes you will get rewarded, but not in the long run."The Wings had 12 giveaways in the game - five more than the Golden Knights - including a blatant one by Anthony Mantha that directly led to a shorthanded goal.

It's been a wild last few weeks for the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues - for incredibly different reasons.In the last 10 games, the Jets have gone 8-2-0, while the Blues have gone 1-7-2. What's more startling is that Patrik Laine has been on a complete tear, scoring 14 goals during that stretch, while the Blues as a team have scored, you guessed it, just 14 goals.Laine's blistering streak has him now just one goal back of Alex Ovechkin's league-leading 40, while the Blues' offensive struggles have them tied with the Ottawa Senators for the fifth-fewest goals this season (180).The two respective streaks have the Jets slotted comfortably in the second spot in the Central Division, while the Blues sit 11th in the West, four points back of the final wild-card spot.Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.