The Ottawa Senators are pulling out all the stops.In the midst of a four-game losing streak, the club will look to 2015 first-round pick Colin White to provide a spark to the lineup.

The season appears all but over for Aaron Ekblad.The Florida Panthers defenseman is not expected to return to the lineup this season, general manager and interim head coach Tom Rowe told George Richards of the Miami Herald on Monday.Ekblad has missed the last six games with a neck injury. He most recently played March 21 against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing the four prior contests with a concussion.Rowe said March 25 that he regretted playing Ekblad so soon after the head injury."I wish we didn't," he told Richards. "That's on me. The doctors cleared him, our medical staff cleared him, but I had some reservations and I wish I stayed with my gut. That's no one's fault but my own."It's been a disappointing third season for Ekblad, who recorded just 21 points in 68 games this season.On the injury front, Rowe added that he'd be surprised if starter Roberto Luongo returns this season. The veteran netminder has missed the past 15 games with a lower-body injury.Florida has four games remaining and is back in action Monday against the Montreal Canadiens.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the "player judged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League.With so many deserving players this season, who is most worthy of the Hart Trophy? Here are my top eight candidates:Eastern ConferenceC Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh PenguinsHo hum, another fantastic season by the Penguins' captain. Crosby has 43 goals coming into the week, leads the team in scoring, and is dangerous every night. This is the first year in his career he may finish with more goals than assists, as he has his highest goal tally since he scored 51 in 2009-10.G Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue JacketsA good goalie can get a team 5-7 more wins in a season - and a bad one can lose you 5-7 more. With Bobrovsky, the Blue Jackets have at minimum 10-12 more wins than they should. They don’t even have a scorer in the top 30. Think back to last year when he was injured - this team was gasping for air and didn’t make the playoffs. The same team this season, with a healthy Bobrovsky, has 106 points and counting.C Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple LeafsThe 19-year-old rookie broke Wendel Clark’s team rookie scoring record in the world’s toughest hockey market in Toronto, and he has the Leafs pushing for the playoffs. Players like Matthews and Connor McDavid eventually win Cups. That’s right, Toronto, your Cup is coming. I just can’t predict when.LW Brad Marchand, Boston BruinsAre the Bruins in the playoff picture if this guy isn’t having a career year? Probably not even close. Marchand has 39 goals and is sitting in third place in the NHL scoring race with 85 points.Western ConferenceC Connor McDavid, Edmonton OilersAll I can say is wow. I could watch this guy play every night of the year. Something always happens when he is on the ice. The Oilers are headed to the playoffs, and it’s because of this guy. Superstars like him win Cups eventually. Dust off the parade route - it might not be this year, but the Cup is coming back to Edmonton soon.D Brent Burns, San Jose SharksReally? Burns, a defenseman, sits in ninth place in league scoring, rubbing shoulders with the league's best. With today’s defensive systems and shot blockers, this is truly a remarkable feat.RW Patrick Kane, Chicago BlackhawksThe human highlight reel. One could argue his team is nowhere near as good without him. And by winning the Hart Trophy last season, Kane showed that he doesn't have to worry about being in teammate Jonathan Toews' shadow.C Jonathan Toews, Chicago BlackhawksI don’t care that he’s not among the top 10 scorers in the NHL. Year after year, game after game, this guy brings it. He has this Chicago team on a path to win another Stanley Cup. When it comes to leadership, he’s in Mark Messier territory as far as I’m concerned.And the winner is ...The easy pick: McDavid. He probably will win his first of many Harts, and deservedly so. But my vote is for Toews. Last I checked, the Hart Trophy isn't restricted to on-ice success - what a guy does off the ice matters.No player is more valuable to his team than Toews, whether on the ice or in the locker room. He battles - and his teammates have no choice but to follow.The absolute winner, though, is the NHL and its fans, who have been treated to some truly memorable hockey this season.(Photos courtesy: Action Images)Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday's tilt in Buffalo has significant playoff implications for the Maple Leafs, while the Sabres will be taking more of a long-term view of their performance during the season's final stretch. Even so, this matchup has no shortage of story lines.Nylander BowlAlexander Nylander, the eighth overall pick in last year's draft, is expected to make his NHL debut for the Sabres on Monday. He is the brother of Maple Leafs rookie William Nylander and the son of longtime NHL veteran Michael Nylander.

It will be an emotional one in St. Paul on Tuesday.After being recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes from the AHL's Charlotte Checkers on Monday, forward Bryan Bickell will make his long-awaited return to the lineup Tuesday in Minnesota against the Wild.The veteran forward, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this season, hasn't appeared in the lineup since Oct. 30, but has since played in 10 games with the Checkers, recording four points.Bickell, 31, won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The next wave of the Detroit Red Wings is underway.On Monday, the club announced forward Evgeny Svechnikov will join the team on an emergency recall. The Red Wings drafted Svechnikov with the 19th pick in the 2015 draft.The Russian forward is in his first season with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins and sits fourth in team scoring with 44 points in 68 games.Svechnikov is expected to be in the lineup Monday when the Red Wings face off against the Ottawa Senators, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The closing contests of the 2016-17 season will serve as an evaluation period for the Winnipeg Jets.On Monday, the club announced that is has recalled forwards Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic from the AHL's Manitoba Moose.The Jets selected Connor and Roslovic with the 17th and 25th picks, respectively, in the 2015 entry draft. Connor made his NHL debut earlier this season, recording a goal and three assists over 19 games.Roslovic could make his NHL debut as earlier as Tuesday, when the Jets head to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues. The Ohio native has scored 45 points in 61 games with the Moose this season.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

For the second time in three years, the Los Angeles Kings will hit the links in early April. This comes after a three-year stretch in which they won two Stanley Cups. So what went so wrong so quickly?The fingers will first be pointed at a lackluster offense, which ranks fifth-worst in goals per game. While goal-scoring was certainly an issue, head coach Darryl Sutter doesn't believe it's the sole reason."It's our play in the Pacific Division that is holding us back," Sutter told Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.He certainly isn't wrong. The Kings have put together a record of just 11-13-2 against fellow Pacific Division opponents. Though Anaheim, Edmonton, San Jose, and Calgary are all playoff bound, they're a combined 4-4-1 against the bottom-feeding Canucks and Coyotes.Failing to beat up on two potential lottery teams will destroy your playoff hopes every time. In those nine games versus Arizona and Vancouver, the Kings averaged just 2.55 goals per game, bringing us back to their inability to put the puck in the net.(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)Jeff Carter has been the lone catalyst on offense, with 32 goals and 30 assists. Nobody else on the team has 50 points - even Anze Kopitar, who had 74 last season.Tyler Toffoli had an injury-riddled campaign, Tanner Pearson has failed to make significant strides, and you can safely stick a fork in Marian Gaborik.A last-ditch effort to trade for 39-year-old Jarome Iginla at the deadline couldn't spark the offense. Iginla has his limitations at this point of his career, so not much could have been expected, but why didn't the Kings do a better job addressing their goal-scoring issue at the deadline?General manager Dean Lombardi didn't exactly have a lot of trade bait on his hands. According to Hockey's Future, the Kings only have two "B" rated prospects: Adrian Kempe and Michael Mersch.In today's salary-cap era, a poor farm system is a recipe for failure.Does this mean the Kings could slowly rebuild? Or even retool, for that matter?Given that they're one of the slowest teams in the NHL, this might not be the worst idea. Their tough, rugged style of play was successful from 2011-2014, but more and more teams are putting a higher precedent on speed and skill. Take the Toronto Maple Leafs, for example.Lombardi will have to take a long look in the mirror and decide if he can once again win with this roster, which is one of the oldest in the league. It will be an interesting offseason for the Kings, to say the least.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at five teams or players making headlines, good or bad.Battling in the PacificA busy weekend saw 26 games spread over three days, with two of those contests coming as the Anaheim Ducks toured through Alberta.Picking up a point in an overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers before capturing a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames a night later, the Ducks have secured points in 11 straight contests (8-0-3), leaving just three points on the table in the process.That performance has pushed the Ducks to the top of the Pacific, where their 99 points stands two ahead of the Oilers. A division win would mark five in a row for Anaheim.Better yet? Saturday saw the return of starter John Gibson, who has been limited to one game since mid-February due to a complicated lower-body injury. Gibson turned aside 34 of 37 shots against Edmonton.Weekend at Bergeron'sA pair of weekend wins will likely see the Boston Bruins avoid three straight playoff misses, as Boston captured key wins over the Florida Panthers and the Chicago Blackhawks.The Bruins missed the playoffs the past two campaigns, and have only missed three straight once in franchise history - an eight-year drought from 1960-68. But it does't appear the Bruins will be on the outside this spring.In a tight divisional race, the Bruins sit second in the Atlantic with 92 points, with three games left on the season. Credit center Patrice Bergeron, who was the team's most valuable player on Saturday and Sunday, leading the way with two goals.Rewriting the record booksThe Toronto Maple Leafs appear playoff bound, and can thank the kids for that. The trio of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander all scored in Saturday's crucial 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings, marking just the second time this season all three have tallied in the same contest.Matthews scored twice, pushing his total to 38 on the year to tie Peter Ihnacak for the franchise record for goals by a freshman. How does Matthews stack up all-time? Just 19 players in league history have scored more in their first season. Matthews will have the chance for goal No. 39 Monday against the Buffalo Sabres.As for the Maple Leafs, the squad has five games remaining and sits third in the Atlantic with 91 points. Toronto last made the postseason in 2013, while an appearance this spring would mark just their second in the past 12 seasons.Phenomenal point streakA three-point outing for Connor McDavid against the Ducks on Saturday pushed the Oilers captain to 94 points on the season, as he now carries a seven-point lead on Patrick Kane for the top spot in the scoring race.Saturday's performance extended McDavid's point streak to 10 games, a stretch that has seen the phenom put up six goals and 13 assists. Even more impressive? Teammate Leon Draisaitl has been nearly as dominant over the same stretch, with 18 points to his credit.The Art Ross may not be the only hardware McDavid takes home this season. Already clinching a postseason berth, the Oilers will make their first playoff appearance since 2006, snapping a 10-year drought. Returning the Oilers to relevancy should put McDavid in the conversation for Hart Trophy honors as well.Late surge in TampaA last minute playoff bid by the Tampa Bay Lightning could soon become even more interesting with captain Steven Stamkos on the verge of returning to the lineup.Stamkos has been sidelined for the past four months following a devastating knee injury, and his return could be the perfect boost to push the Lightning into the playoff picture. Tampa Bay sits three points back of the Ottawa Senators for the East's second wild-card seed.The Lightning helped themselves by capturing three of four points over the weekend, grabbing a point Saturday in an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, followed up by a 6-3 smashing of the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The team is back in action Tuesday against the Bruins, and may have Stamkos in the mix. Still, the Lightning will have their work cut out for them, with just four games remaining and a three-point gap to make up.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matt Murray became the first rookie goaltender in Pittsburgh Penguins history to reach the 30-win mark after his team defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Sunday.Even Pittsburgh goaltenders such as Johan Hedberg, Patrick Lalime, and Marc-Andre Fleury failed to accomplish this feat in their rookie seasons.It's easy to forget Murray is still considered a rookie after backstopping the Penguins to a Stanley Cup last spring. However, since he played fewer than 25 regular-season games a year ago, he holds onto his rookie status.The 22-year-old netminder has posted a .923 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average along with his 30-10-4 record. If this season's rookie class wasn't one of the greatest in recent memory, those numbers would make him a favorite for the Calder Trophy.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Western Conference's eight playoff teams are decided. All that's left to determine is seeding and matchups.The Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from postseason contention after a 2-1 home-ice loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, and that means the Nashville Predators are officially in.The Kings' hopes were as slim as they could possibly get, and they arguably deserved a better fate Sunday night, outshooting Arizona 35-15. But the hockey gods care not for Corsi.It's a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Los Angeles, and the Kings' offense is to blame. Despite being without Jonathan Quick for most of the season, L.A. went into Sunday's game ranked third in the NHL in goals against, allowing only 2.40 per game. In that respect, the company the Kings were keeping was stellar:Team GA/G NHL Rank (Points)Capitals2.221Blue Jackets2.274Kings2.4021Canadiens2.428Ducks2.447Sharks2.4710Oilers2.509That Los Angeles could only manage one goal versus Arizona - a dump-in that banked in off a Coyote - in a must-win game at home perfectly encapsulates their season.For Nashville, this spring marks the Predators' third straight in the playoffs and the franchise's 10th appearance overall.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It wasn't the kind of history the Flyers were hoping to make.Philadelphia was eliminated from postseason contention Sunday night after losing to the Rangers in New York, and if missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons - and three times in five, while being knocked out in the first round twice - wasn't bad enough, here's the gut punch:

Quick save and a beauty.On Sunday night, Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick made one of the finer pad/kick saves you're ever going to see. Arizona Coyotes forward Peter Holland was the victim. Spare a thought or two for him.With the Kings on life support in the Western Conference playoff race, literally every save matters. And there won't be many prettier than that this season.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames are undoubtedly getting their money's worth from Kris Versteeg.The veteran winger - who signed a modest one-year, $950,000 deal with Calgary last summer - flashed his skillful side during the Flames' Sunday night matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, wiring in two timely power-play goals to give him 15 tallies on the season.Versteeg kicked things off with a top-shelf snipe on Jonathan Bernier early in the second period, cutting the Ducks' 2-0 lead in half:

NEW YORK - Oscar Lindberg and Chris Kreider scored 2:09 apart midway through the third period, and the New York Rangers held on to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night for their first win at home in six weeks.Mika Zibanejad and Brendan Smith scored in the first period, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 shots to help the Rangers win at Madison Square Garden for the first time since beating Washington on Feb. 19. New York was 0-5-3 on home ice since.The Rangers are guaranteed to fall no lower than the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. They are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, trailing third-place Columbus by six points. New York has three games remaining and Columbus has four.Valtteri Filppula had two goals and Brayden Schenn also scored for Philadelphia, which was eliminated from postseason contention. Anthony Stolarz finished with 20 saves.Mats Zuccarello had three assists to become the first Rangers player to have at least 44 since Marian Gaborik in 2009-10.Leading 2-1, New York appeared to put the game away in a span halfway through the third. Lindberg scored from in front for his eighth at 7:01, and Kreider made it 4-1 with his 28th at 9:10.However, Schenn scored with 2:06 remaining and Filppula's second of the game - and fourth in his last five games - pulled the Flyers within one 51 seconds later.Following a scoreless opening period, Filppula gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with his 11th of the season just 33 seconds into the second. Philadelphia's trade deadline acquisition curled around New York defenseman Marc Staal before lifting a backhander over Lundqvist.Zibanejad drew New York even with a power-play goal 3:24 later. The New York center fired an end-over-end shot from the top of the left circle over Stolarz's stick.The Rangers were 1 for 4 on the man advantage and dating back to Mar. 9, are 12 for 35. New York also killed all three Philadelphia power plays.It took just 3:13 for the Rangers to strike again as Smith's backhander over Stolarz's glove put New York ahead 2-1. The goal was his third of the season and his first since being acquired from Detroit on Feb. 28.NOTES: Prior to the game, Flyers GM Ron Hextall said G Michal Neuvirth was ''released from Pennsylvania Hospital and is at home resting,'' in a statement. Neuvirth collapsed in his crease and was carted off the ice on a stretcher during the first period of Philadelphia's 3-0 win over New Jersey Saturday night. ''He will be reevaluated (Monday) afternoon,'' Hextall said. ... Flyers RW Matt Read missed his second straight game with an upper body injury. ... Philadelphia scratched D Radko Gudas, C Nick Cousins, LW Roman Lyubimov and RW Mike Vecchione. Philadelphia signed Vecchione to an entry level contract Friday after he finished his college career at Union. ... New York D Ryan McDonagh missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said McDonagh ''will come back when he's 100 percent.'' ... The Rangers scratched D Adam Clendening, D Steven Kampfer, LW Pavel Buchnevich and LW Matt Puempel.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was a costly loss for the Blue Jackets on Sunday, and that's got nothing to do with Columbus losing three straight games for the first time this season.Phenom rookie defenseman Zach Werenski was injured early in the third period after Alex Ovechkin hit him in the corner.Here's a still of the hit, which won't sit well with those who didn't like it:

TAMPA, Fla. - Adam Erne scored twice and Ondrej Palat added a power-play goal and two assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Sunday night.Brayden Point scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to break a 2-2 tie, and Braydon Coburn and Anton Stralman also had goals for Tampa Bay. Backup Peter Budaj made 23 saves to help the Lightning move within three points of the idle Ottawa Senators, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Gemel Smith, Jason Spezza, and Brett Ritchie scored for Dallas, and Esa Lindell assisted on all three goals.Erne opened up the scoring at 11:47 in the first. Erne, who had just one goal entering the game and hadn't scored since March 3, added a power-play goal in the third.Dallas answered quickly in the second with Smith's goal less than two minutes into the period.Smith nearly had a short-handed goal after that, but it was overturned on an offsides call after a Lightning challenge and official review. Dallas did take the lead at 10:57 in the second when Spezza scored his 14th of the season. Spezza also assisted on Smith's goal.With just 18 seconds left in the second, Tampa Bay tied it on Coburn's goal with assists from Stralman and Palat, who has 32 assists this season.Point's tiebreaking goal was his 14th of the season, while Palat's power-play goal was his 17th.Ritchie scored Dallas' third goal late in the third. Stralman had an empty-netter with 2 seconds remaining.NOTES: Tampa Bay C Steven Stamkos, out since right knee surgery in November, did not play Sunday and remains day to day. ... Lightning C Tyler Johnson returned Sunday after sitting out 11 games with a lower-body injury. ... Lightning D Jason Garrison returned after missing four games due to a lower-body injury. Garrison would later leave during the second intermission with another lower-body injury. ... Stars LW Patrick Sharp missed his fifth game with a hip injury. ... Stars LW Antoine Roussel missed his 15th game with an upper-body injury.UP NEXTStars: Wrap up the season with a three-game homestand, beginning with Arizona on Tuesday.Lightning: Begin a three-game road trip, starting with a key game at Boston on Tuesday.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Observers of the 2016-17 campaign are running out of ways to accurately put into words just how phenomenal Brent Burns has been. With 28 goals and 73 points through 79 games, Burns has made burning the opposition a nightly habit.But how's this for perspective: Burns isn't just outscoring the rest of the NHL's defensemen this season - he's also outscoring whole defensive units.CSN California highlighted this fact during their Sunday night broadcast of the San Jose Sharks' 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, showing Burns' 28 goals in comparison to those scored by all Canucks' rearguards combined:

The high-flying Columbus Blue Jackets have entered uncharted territory in their best-ever season.Thanks to Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals, the Blue Jackets have now lost three in a row for the first time all season.With Columbus already locked into a top-three seed in the stacked Metro, the ramifications of the mini-skid aren't-season altering, but considering last year's Blue Jackets - who finished the season in 27th place - had eight losing streaks of three games or more, it truly shines a light on how consistent John Tortorella's group has been in 2016-17.Columbus' next opportunity to snap the slump comes Tuesday in a pivotal contest against Pittsburgh, which the Blue Jackets currently trail by just a single point in the standings.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Perhaps setting a franchise record can aid Devan Dubnyk in his quest to get back on track.The struggling Minnesota Wild netminder made 30 saves Sunday versus the Colorado Avalanche to secure his 38th victory of the season, the highest single-season wins total for any goalie in franchise history.Dubnyk set the record despite enduring a miserable March, during which the Wild limped to a 4-10-2 record while falling out of contention in the race for the Central Division crown.On the season, Dubnyk is 38-19-5 with a 2.23 goals against average and .924 save percentage. A return to his early-season form will be imperative to Minnesota's success come the postseason.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When the Washington Capitals managed to snag the prize of the 2017 trade deadline, Kevin Shattenkirk, it was pretty clear the result was going to be increased offensive dominance - a frightening prospect given the Capitals were already one of the top offensive clubs in the game.But there are never any guarantees when adding a new name to a roster - especially on the blue line, where a change in address usually brings a significant change in approach as well, as each team utilizes an array of varied defensive schemes.Now, 15 games into Shattenkirk's tenure in Washington, it's clear the move has paid off.Since joining the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, Shattenkirk has posted 12 assists through 15 games. He's been particularly hot as of late, registering eight points over his past seven appearances.And while he's certainly benefiting from suiting up alongside Washington's elite scorers, Shattenkirk is doing his part as well. Nine of those assists have been primary helpers, with only three secondary assists - where Shattenkirk might have had less impact - rounding out the total.It may be a small sample size, but that sample is all the more important given the time of year. With the postseason just a handful of games away, and with Washington once again facing Stanley Cup-or-bust pressure, the fact that Shattenkirk has fit in seamlessly is key.He's actually done more than just fit in, however, as the veteran rearguard is registering points at a career-high clip. His 0.79 points per game has matched his career-best scoring pace from 2014-15.Whether he could sustain that pace over a full season in Washington is irrelevant at the moment. All that matters now - with his club loading up for a shot at redemption - is that Shattenkirk is rolling. And if he can keep it going once the schedule transitions from regular season to post, then the ever-dangerous Capitals will be all the more lethal as they begin their march.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's the last thing the struggling San Jose Sharks wanted to see.Joe Thornton needed to be helped to the dressing room and was clearly in distress after sustaining an apparent left leg injury in the first period Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.There are early concerns that his knee took the brunt of the collision. Thornton missed the second period, and the Sharks announced after 40 minutes that he wouldn't return.The club offered no concrete update after its 3-1 win."We'll get home and he'll get checked out (Monday)," head coach Peter DeBoer said, according to NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. "Hopefully, he's only out short term here, but I think we're confident as a group. We're a team that's a sum of our parts, not about one or two guys. If anyone can handle it, we can."

That's one way to reach a milestone.Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk netted his 17th goal of the season Sunday - marking a new career high for the 25-year-old - but it's safe to say the tally didn't come as he thought it would.Faulk's career-best tally came by way of a fortuitous bounce at the expense of the Pittsburgh Penguins, as the smooth-skating rearguard fired a slapper from the point and watched it hit the end boards, bounce high towards Matt Murray, and roll in off the netminder's back.Faulk's 17 goals are the most ever scored by a Hurricanes defender. He tied the all-time mark with 16 last season, putting him level with Anton Babchuck's 2008-09 total.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jayson Megna will be with the Vancouver Canucks next season.The club announced a one-year, one-way contract extension with the 27-year-old Sunday worth $675,000.Megna signed with Vancouver in July and has four goals and eight points in 53 games, averaging 12:26 in ice time.(Courtesy: Own the Puck HERO Charts)In 107 career NHL games with Pittsburgh, New York, and Vancouver, Megna has 10 goals and 10 assists."Jayson is a strong skater who has added depth to our forward group," general manager Jim Benning said. "We value his character and professionalism and are pleased to re-sign him for another year."The rebuilding Canucks rank 27th in the league in points, and they'll need bodies next season. That's likely where Megna comes into play.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout has a hearing Monday afternoon after a questionable hit Saturday on Philadelphia Flyers defender Radko Gudas, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.Prout got five minutes and a game misconduct for interference after he drilled Gudas, who moments earlier had clocked Prout's teammate John Quenneville with a hit just inside the Flyers' blue line.It was a very chippy affair - a 3-0 Flyers final - between the rivals, who will face each other again Tuesday in Newark.Gudas is out of the Flyers' lineup Sunday, with Philly in Manhattan, looking to keep its slim postseason hopes alive against the New York Rangers. The Flyers haven't disclosed the nature of his injury.Prout was suspended one game last March for a sucker punch on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, so the league's got his contact information.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Anders Lee scored third-period goals a little more than five minutes apart, and the New York Islanders overcame the absence of captain John Tavares to stay in the playoff hunt with a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.Cal Clutterbuck and Joshua Ho-Sang also scored and Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots to improve to 3-1 since being recalled from the minors.With four games left, New York earned its 86th point to inch within five of Ottawa and Toronto, and remain six behind Boston in the race for the Eastern Conference's final three playoff berths.It was the Islanders' first game since Tavares was sidelined by a left hamstring injury in a 2-1 win over New Jersey on Friday.He's listed week to week and, before the game, coach Doug Weight said there is no chance Tavares will play before New York closes the season against Ottawa on April 9.Evander Kane, with his team-leading 27th goal, and Zemgus Girgensons scored for Buffalo in a game the Sabres never led. Robin Lehner stopped 22 shots.Both of Lee's goals were unassisted, and came off Sabres turnovers.With the score tied at 2, Lee put the Islanders ahead for good with 10:41 remaining.Lehner inadvertently began the play by casually swatting a shot directed at the Buffalo goal. The puck bounced into the high slot, where Lee snapped a shot, beating Lehner under the left arm.Lee scored again with 5:27 left after Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe misplayed a puck to the left of his own net. The puck squirted into the lower left circle, from where Lee backhanded a shot in for his team-leading 31st goal.The Islanders continued their dominance over Buffalo by improving to 8-1-5 in their past 14 against the Sabres.The Sabres tied the game at 2 on Girgenson's goal 5:17 into the third period. By gaining the Islanders blue line, Girgensons dished off to Matt Moulson and then broke to the net where he deflected in Moulson's return pass.The Sabres came out flat, resembling a team coming off a four-day break. Buffalo managed just three shots first 17 minutes and six overall through the opening period and gave up the opening goal to Clutterbuck 9:31 into the game.The Sabres found their legs in the second period, during which they outshot the Islanders 9-0 at one point when Kane tied to convert a two-on-one break midway through the second period.Kane was set up by C.J. Smith, who was making his NHL debut three days after forgoing his senior season at UMass-Lowell by signing a two-year contract with Buffalo.It took 56 seconds after Buffalo tied the score on Kane's goal 10:08 into the second period for the Islanders to regain the lead.New York defensive Dennis Seidenberg forced Jack Eichel to commit a turnover along the left boards of the Islanders zone, and sprung Ho-Sang on a breakaway.Driving directly at the net, Ho-Sang faked left and then put on the breaks before slipping a shot inside the right post.NOTES: Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen returned after serving a three-game suspension for a blindside hit that led to Pittsburgh forward Jake Guentzel sustaining a concussion. ... Islanders C Connor Jones made his NHL debut a day after being called up from AHL Bridgeport. ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo missed his second game due to illness and has already been ruled out from playing against Toronto on Monday.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday's contest between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs will also serve as a battle of the Nylanders.The Sabres will call up 2016 first-round pick Alexander Nylander for his NHL debut, which comes against his brother William and the Maple Leafs, reports John Vogl of The Buffalo News.The elder Nylander was recently named the NHL's rookie of the month for March, and has played an integral role in the young Maple Leafs' success this season, racking up 59 points in 76 games.Alexander, a forward, was the eighth overall pick in June, and has spent his season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, accumulating 27 points in 62 games.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It turns out C.J. Smith isn't half bad after all.After inking a deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, Smith - who's fresh off an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals with UMass Lowell - made his NHL debut on Sunday, suiting up for the Sabres' tilt against the New York Islanders.It didn't take long for him to impress. Midway through the second period, Smith broke in on a two-on-one with Evander Kane, whipping a backhand pass to the veteran to set up Kane's 27th goal of the season.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cal Clutterbuck is taking aim at the New York Islanders' much maligned arena in the wake of the injury that will keep John Tavares out for the rest of the regular season.“You see a guy's heel dig in like that, it doesn't happen other places," Clutterbuck told Newsday's Arthur Staple postgame Friday after Tavares fell behind the New Jersey Devils net and left the game late in the third period."It's something that doesn't get addressed," Clutterbuck added. "It was a little worse (Friday than it's been). It had been a little better the last few games, but not tonight.”Tavares was deemed week to week Saturday, officially with a lower-body injury that Staple reports is a left hamstring ailment.Related: Tavares injury likely the death knell for tumultuous Islanders seasonIce conditions at Barclays Center have been a subplot all season, from October's report that the piping system doesn't meet NHL requirements, to a January story claiming arena officials were planning to terminate their agreement with the club.Last March, former Islanders forward Kyle Okposo called the ice "awful" and openly pleaded for improvements to the conditions after a shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.If the Islanders do indeed hope to sign Tavares to a contract extension, addressing the ice surface might not be a bad idea.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Chris Kunitz for Sunday's game against Carolina with a lower-body injury that appears somewhat serious.Serious enough, at least, that head coach Mike Sullivan couldn't say he's day to day.

There's an assist you don't see every day.Chicago Blackhawks forward Richard Panik found himself inside the Boston Bruins' net as teammate Artemi Panarin was presented with a glorious scoring opportunity.The puck initially appeared to bounce off Panik's shoulder and back out, but whether it was in or not, Panarin was able to bury the rebound.Panik, for his efforts, was credited with an assist.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mike Babcock doesn't yet want to acknowledge the possibility of Auston Matthews being named the next captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs."I’m not comfortable talking about anything like that," the head coach told reporters Sunday, according to Postmedia's Terry Koshan. "Right now we have (alternate) captains."Leo Komarov, Tyler Bozak, Morgan Rielly, and Matt Hunwick are all wearing an "A" as Toronto's alternates this season.The Leafs have been playing without a captain since trading Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators in February 2016. Phaneuf wore the "C" for parts of six campaigns beginning in 2010-11.Matthews leads the club with 38 goals and 66 points, and the 19-year-old rookie has already broken a pair of franchise scoring records.The Edmonton Oilers made Connor McDavid the youngest captain in NHL history when they gave him the honor in October at 19 years and 266 days old.Matthews will turn 20 on Sept. 17, just a few weeks before the 2017-18 campaign gets underway.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colin White is officially in the mix.The Ottawa Senators signed the skilled forward to a three-year, entry-level contract one week after he agreed to report to the team's AHL affiliate on an amateur tryout agreement.

Michal Neuvirth is on the mend.The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender was released from hospital after collapsing and being stretchered off during Saturday's game, the club announced Sunday.All diagnostic testing came back normal, and Neuvirth is now resting at home after being taken to Pennsylvania Hospital. The netminder will be re-evaluated Monday.Flyers general manager Ron Hextall told reporters Saturday night that Neuvirth was taken to hospital as a precaution and that the outlook was encouraging, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti."Everything so far has been good," Hextall said. "Things are positive."The 29-year-old goalie collapsed untouched early in the game, but he was conscious, was seen moving his legs, and had his eyes open as he was stretchered off.Hextall said Saturday that Neuvirth has been dealing with a "little bit of a chest cold," but declined to speculate about whether that played a role in the incident.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for the seven-game slate beginning at 6:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, April 2 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):Dynamic Duos

Anything seems possible in the ongoing attempts to give the Vancouver Canucks' offense a boost.To wit: defenseman Troy Stecher, who's never played forward, was fully accepting of an apparent first-line assignment that later turned out to be an early April Fools' prank."I saw the lineup was posted (with Stecher on the wing with the Sedins), but we've had so many new personnel coming in with the deadline, and waivers, and the direction we're headed and I didn't think much of it," Stecher said, per Jason Botchford of The Province."I thought 'It's a different opportunity, I guess. I'll try to embrace it.'"As it happened, the Canucks were shut out by the Kings on Friday, so playing Stecher at forward might have actually helped.Only the last-place Colorado (152) has scored fewer goals than the Canucks this season, by the way.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

They sure start them young in Tampa Bay.A small Lightning fan was seen "driving" a "Zamboni" during the first intermission between the hometown team and the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.Thankfully, the child was strapped in safely, considering the blazing speed at which the model contraption flew around the corners.Let's just be glad the young speed demon won't be tearing up the roads for a while.(Video courtesy: NHL.com)Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Read the room.The ability to do so and act accordingly is an important leadership trait, and one Glen Gulutzan appears to have benefited from mid-way through his first season as head coach of the Calgary Flames.Scene: After a rough 5-1 loss in Montreal back in January - their fourth L in a row - the Flames were en route to Ottawa via train, and the attendants had been instructed not to serve the players any adult beverages.Enter Gultzan, and a few frosty brews."Just in my gut, sitting there as we were driving for the first 10-15 minutes, the whole thing didn’t feel right. I wanted to move forward, not backwards," Gulutzan said, per Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun."I just said, 'I'm putting the beer back here and you guys are going to sit down with your headphones off and you’re gonna figure this out. We're gonna figure this bleeping thing out. Because we're a good team, you're gonna figure this thing out.' That's exactly what I told them."The rest is history.Calgary went on to win its next game against the Senators, and has since clinched a Western Conference playoff spot.It may have been a small gesture on the part of the head coach, but it went a long way toward easing the tension."It was a big part of our season to be able to just forget that game," said defenseman Deryk Engelland. "To be able to just put it aside hours later and come together as a team, it just showed how tight we are and it made us even tighter. I guess that was kind of the turning point of our season. I think all the boys will remember that one."Especially if their season ends with a little bit of the bubbly.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Call it the Finnish "Miracle on Ice."History was made Saturday night, as Finland edged Canada 4-3 in preliminary round play at the women's World Hockey Championship to earn its first-ever victory over the Canadians in women's hockey.It was also Canada's first-ever loss to a nation other than the United States in IIHF competition.

The Ottawa Senators are holding on for dear life.While a playoff spot remains well within their grasp, four straight losses have allowed the Toronto Maple Leafs to pass the Senators for second place in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa is also in danger of falling to the second wild-card spot, with the Boston Bruins right on their heels.Making matters worse are injuries on the blue line, as Cody Ceci - who'll miss at least the next game - was forced to leave Saturday's action, with Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot already sidelined.Head coach Guy Boucher doesn't seem to be sweating it, though."We've had unbelievable adversity all year long," Boucher said Saturday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. "It started in training camp, and if you would have told us we'd be here fighting for that spot, I would have told you that's a good spot to be in. We're in the spot now. It's about fighting until the end, and it's probably going to be a fight right to (the) end."We're going to battle until the end, and, hopefully, some of the guys will be able to come back. It's not about whose injured. We've got to stick together."Ottawa has five games remaining on the schedule, including a key matchup with the Bruins on April 6. Thankfully, Karlsson is listed as day to day, and could be back as soon as Monday.Avoiding a first-round series with the best team in the Metropolitan Division, however, is definitely something worth fighting for.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cam Talbot is on the verge of making Edmonton Oilers history.By earning his 40th win of the season with an overtime decision against Anaheim on Saturday, Talbot tied Grant Fuhr's franchise record for most victories in a single regular season.The Oilers legend responded with a great measure of class.

Best in the west.The idle Chicago Blackhawks clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and top spot in the Central Division after the Minnesota Wild lost to the Nashville Predators on Saturday.The Predators' 3-0 victory gave the Blackhawks their ninth consecutive postseason berth and ensured them of home-ice advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs.It's their 16th division title and the second time in franchise history that they've earned the top seed in the conference.Chicago last entered the playoffs as the best in the West in 2012-13, also the last time it won the Central Division title. That season, the Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup championship in four years and second of what would ultimately be three titles in a six-year span.The Blackhawks sit nine points clear of the Wild atop the Central and three points behind the Washington Capitals in the Presidents' Trophy race with four games left in Chicago's regular-season schedule.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers had plenty of doubters heading into 2016-17, but the former basement-dwellers simply continue to impress.They did so again Saturday night, temporarily laying claim to the Pacific Division lead with a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks.Edmonton withstood a fine performance from netminder John Gibson, who played his first game for Anaheim since March 10. Gibson and Co. nearly shut the dominant Oilers' offense down, but veteran Milan Lucic tallied his 19th of the season to tie the game with just two minutes remaining in the third.With the tilt extending to overtime, McDavid stepped up for his club once again, capitalizing on a gaffe from Ryan Getzlaf before setting up Leon Draisaitl for the winner in extra time.It was just the latest impressive performance for a club that has dealt with its fair share of doubt in recent years.Whether it was bringing in oft-maligned defender Kris Russell, signing Lucic to a hefty seven-year contract, or trading away star winger Taylor Hall for rearguard Adam Larsson, Edmonton was undoubtedly expected to falter in 2016-17.But with just a handful of games remaining, they sit atop their division, the playoffs in sight.Stellar season-long efforts from McDavid and Cam Talbot have undoubtedly been the central reasons for Edmonton's ascent, but there's no denying the fact that - despite the chorus of jeers - general manager Peter Chiarelli managed to put together a fairly promising squad after all.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kari Lehtonen hopes it isn't too little, too late.The Dallas Stars netminder has evidently saved his best for the season's closing weeks, using the stretch drive to string together his top performances of the campaign.On Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes, Lehtonen recorded his second shutout in his past six outings, turning aside 25 Carolina shots.No doubt Lehtonen has come on strong in his last half-dozen starts:Date Opponent GA Saves SV%March 20Sharks0301.000March 23Blackhawks224.923March 24Sharks120.952March 26Devils120.952March 28Canadiens432.889April 1Hurricanes0251.000In all, Lehtonen is 4-1-1 in his past six outings, putting together a stellar .950 save percentage alongside a minuscule 1.32 goals-against average. The Finnish netminder was honored Monday as the second star of the week.Like fellow Stars goalie Antti Niemi, Lehtonen is signed through next season, but the possibility remains neither could return as the Stars look to reshape their crease.But Lehtonen's recent stretch may be enough to recover some of his lost shine. After rotating his netminders for much of the season, Stars coach Lindy Ruff finally has some consistency between the pipes, and Lehtonen's late-season push could be enough to save his spot next year.Following Saturday's 3-0 victory over the Hurricanes, Ruff told reporters, "When the guys in front of him play well and limit the high-quality opportunities, Kari is the type of goaltender that can feed off them."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.The Boston Bruins appear poised to end their modest two-year postseason drought. The Bruins, who last qualified for the playoffs in 2014, took a 5-2 win Saturday over the Florida Panthers, moving to 90 points on the season.The Bruins hold the second wild-card seed and are four points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who weren't as successful Saturday, falling in overtime to the Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay holds one game in hand on Boston.In the West, all but one seed is locked in. The Nashville Predators will have a chance to lay claim to the final spot Sunday versus the St. Louis Blues. A single point by Nashville would eliminate the Los Angeles Kings from playoff contention.TeamResultPlayoff ChancesChangeBruinsW 5-2 vs. Panthers88.6%+10.9%Maple LeafsW 5-4 vs. Red Wings96.6%+5.9%IslandersOff2.3%-0.6%SenatorsL 2-4 vs. Jets95.6%-1.7%HurricanesL 0-3 vs. Stars1.1%-6.6%LightningL 1-2 (OT) vs. Canadiens15.7%-7.8%To see percentages for the entire NHL, visit Sports Club Stats.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's safe to say Patrick Maroon has picked up a few tricks playing on Connor McDavid's wing. Among them: the slickest of hands.Maroon put his new moves on display Saturday during the Edmonton Oilers' matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, embarrassing a couple defenders before floating a pass through the slot for McDavid.The captain's finish marked his 29th goal of the season, and took his league-leading point total to 92.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.