The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Tyson Jost to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Wednesday.Jost was drafted 10th overall by the Avalanche last year and had an impressive showing in his first and only season at the University of North Dakota this season, contributing 16 goals and 35 points in 33 games."We are excited to announce that Tyson has signed his entry-level contract and will be joining us for the rest of this season," general manager Joe Sakic said. "Tyson is an all-around player. He competes, plays the game hard and is reliable at both ends of the ice. He just finished a strong year at North Dakota and we're looking forward to seeing him in an Avalanche sweater."Jost - who captured silver as a member of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship - will join the Avalanche where he will play the remainder of the regular season.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The list of goaltenders to capture the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player is short, especially in the modern era.Since Jacques Plante became the fourth-ever netminder to win the award in 1961-62, only four more have earned the honor, most recently in 2014-15.As this regular season winds down, though, Sergei Bobrovsky's sparkling campaign should earn him plenty of consideration to become the next goalie MVP, as he's been the catalyst in the Columbus Blue Jackets' emergence as a contender in the Eastern Conference.Take a look at his numbers compared to those of the most recent goalies to win the Hart:SeasonPlayerWinsGAASv%1st place votes (%)1996-97Dominik Hasek372.27.93096.1%1997-98Dominik Hasek332.09.93292.4%2001-02Jose Theodore302.11.93170%2014-15Carey Price441.96.93395.4%2016-17*Bobrovsky411.97.935*The Blue Jackets have seven games remainingIt goes without saying that Bobrovsky has built himself quite a case.Save for Theodore's win in 2002, when he narrowly edged Jarome Iginla's 52-goal campaign, goaltenders that have put up seasons like Bobrovsky's have been clear favorites over their competition.For reference, Hasek's dominant back-to-back wins in the late nineties saw him edge Paul Kariya (99 points) and Mario Lemieux (122 points) in voting in 1996-97, then convincingly beat out Jaromir Jagr for MVP in 1997-98, after No. 68 put forth a 102-point season.If Bobrovsky ends up a finalist, his presumed competition will be Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, who are on track to win the Art Ross and "Rocket" Richard, respectively, but wont reach any earth-shattering totals in doing so.Beating out those two won't be easy, as his superstarstardom is nowhere near that of the aforementioned faces of the NHL. It's also difficult to discount the very real possibility of Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Brad Marchand earning nominations.Bobrovsky's already been designated as the Blue Jackets' Masterton nominee, and will certainly be a Vezina finalist, but the 28-year-old owns a convincing argument to earn even more hardware.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the most sought-after college players has elected to forgo his final year of NCAA hockey.Spencer Foo of Union College announced on Wednesday that he will finish the Spring term and will then likely wait until the summer to sign a contract with an NHL club, Union College announced in a release."After much thought and consideration, I am happy to announce that I have decided to take the next step towards fulfilling my life long dream of playing in the NHL," Foo said. "While I am ecstatic to make this announcement, I am also saddened that I will be leaving Union College. This has been a very difficult decision for my family and I, but we believe it is the best decision for my hockey career."Foo is coming off an incredible third year with the Dutchmen where he finished fourth overall in Division I points with 62 and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.The 22-year-old is expected to draw attention from many NHL clubs including the Los Angeles Kings, who have already expressed their interest according to Jon Rosen of LAKingsInsider.com.In all, Foo concludes this season with 26 goals and 62 points - more than his previous two years combined - after Union was bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first-round last weekend by Penn State 10-3.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 are the fantasy implications following the news that Minnesota Wild LW Zach Parise is expected to miss the next three games with an upper-body injury:Parise's injury couldn't come at a worse time. This week is the final round of the fantasy hockey playoffs, and the Wild have a very valuable three games remaining. Given that he is expected to miss all three of these games, Parise can be dropped. Even in keeper leagues, the aging winger doesn't deserve to be kept.Parise had been skating on the Wild's second line with center Eric Staal and winger Charlie Coyle. The club's first line of LW Jason Zucker, C Mikko Koivu and RW Mikael Granlund likely be won't be split up given the success they've had, so expect someone from the bottom-six to jump up to the second line.The likely candidate - and hopeful candidate, for fantasy purposes - is LW/RW Nino Niederreiter. He has 20 goals, 30 assists (24 of them primary helpers), 172 shots and 111 hits on the year, providing value in all sorts of leagues. If he gets bumped up to the second line, add him immediately. Check LeftWingLock for the Wild's lineup.The alternative would result in veteran RW Jason Pominville moving into the top six. With just 12 goals and 32 assists on the season, he certainly has less fantasy appeal than Niederreiter. Nonetheless, with three games left in the week, including a Sunday tilt versus the historically bad Avalanche, there are worse options out there.If Niederreiter is already owned, or you don't feel like placing your fantasy season in the hands of a 34-year-old winger, consider one of the following three options:Waiver-wire targets(Photo courtesy Action Images)

The NHL will make protected and available players lists for the upcoming expansion draft public as they are distributed to each NHL club, the league announced on Wednesday.The date the lists are released is still to be determined, but it's likely to be on June 18, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.For NHL fans it's a decision that is surely welcomed, but one that was certainly not easy for the league to come to, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.As LeBrun notes, the NHL has held many internal discussions on the issue and while they originally were against the notion of revealing the lists, that idea was met with a hard push by fellow league staff members to make the lists public.Related: Vegas Golden Knights' expansion mock rosterAs per NHL expansion rules, teams must have their list of protected players submitted to the league by 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 17, while the Vegas Golden Knights must have their selections into the league by June 21.Tuesday, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley confirmed to Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper that the expansion draft will be a televised event.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthew Tkachuk clearly has no problem standing up to Drew Doughty.The Calgary Flames rookie did so in a big way nearly two weeks ago - delivering an elbow to the Los Angeles Kings defender to earn a two-game suspension. Then on Tuesday, the 19-year-old was vocal ahead of a pivotal Wednesday matchup, stating he thought Doughty's assertion to the media - that Tkachuk is a dirty player - was out of character."I expected more from him, honestly, than to go right to the media and start complaining after a loss," Tkachuk said, according to Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. "But he’s a good player. He’s a good enough player where he doesn’t have to worry about any of that stuff. He’s a skilled guy and everything like that, and he’s won a couple of Cups."He’s still a real good player, so I don’t think he’ll be too worried about it tomorrow."Related - Doughty calls out Tkachuk: 'He's a pretty dirty player, that kid'As if both clubs didn't have enough animosity ahead of Wednesday's contest, there are also big playoff implications at stake.For the Flames, if they defeat the Kings in any fashion, they'll punch their ticket to the playoffs, while a loss will almost all but seal the Kings' fate.It's no surprise the postseason will be Tkachuk's main focus Wednesday."(Doughty) is a good player, so I don’t think his focus will be too much on me," Tkachuk said. "My focus isn’t on him. My focus is on the playoffs."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Change could be afoot in Sunrise.The Florida Panthers are on the outside of the playoff picture, and a finish on the postseason sidelines could lead to big changes, and big moves on the trade market, according to general manager and interim coach Tom Rowe."At the end of the day, contracts are great. We did it for salary cap reasons, but it doesn't mean guys are going to retire (with the Panthers) if they keep playing like they did," Rowe told Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel.Florida dropped a 3-2 contest to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, after falling 4-2 to the Buffalo Sabres a night earlier.As for the team's core, the Panthers have several players signed to long-term deals, moves made to bring down the annual average of each contract. Seven Panthers are signed through the next five seasons:PlayerAgeCap HitExpiresAleksander Barkov21$5.9M2022Vincent Trocheck23$4.75M2022Reilly Smith25$5M2022Jonathan Huberdeau23$5.9M2023Keith Yandle30$6.35M2023Aaron Ekblad21$7.5M2025Roberto Luongo37$4.53M2022Florida is not yet mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but sits nine points back of the final playoff seed in the East with just six games remaining.Related - Panthers' Rowe: 'We knew we were going to be in a playoff position'It's been a tough month for the Panthers, who have gone 4-9-1 through March after a dominant February when they climbed to third in the Atlantic.Entering the season, the hope was to build on last year's playoff appearance, but that hasn't happened. The Panthers lost in the opening round to the New York Islanders last spring, their first playoff trip since 2012 and just their second in the past 15 seasons.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton is no longer feeling blue.Not only have the Oilers clinched their first playoff berth since 2006, the franchise has decided to part ways with the blue home jersey in favor of the orange-heavy look, beginning in the playoffs and extending into next season and beyond."I want to touch and respect the past, but we’re in a new building. We’re in a new era. We have a new leader in Connor McDavid. We have a team that is building their identity for today,” said Oilers Entertainment Group vice-chairman Bob Nicholson, per Terry Jones of the Edmonton journal."It’s great to talk about playoff memories from the past and 2006 (trip to Stanley Cup Final), but this is a new era. We will go orange for the playoffs with the jerseys."Nicholson added: "Next year, we are mandated by the NHL to go to two uniforms without a third jersey. We will have two new uniforms, one orange and one white."The orange jerseys were brought back last season as a tribute to the old WHA club and to commemorate the closing of Rexall Place.Now, it's become a fixed orange-ment.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Frederik Andersen appears set to suit up for Thursday's big game against the Predators.The Toronto Maple Leafs goalie took the optional skate Wednesday, the morning after he was forced to sit out a win over the Panthers with an upper-body injury.Andersen said he felt good after taking the ice, and is traveling with the team to Nashville while fill-in Garret Sparks has been sent back to the AHL.According to TSN's Mark Masters, Andersen said it will be determined on the plane whether he'll play against the Predators, although he added he felt optimistic and ready to go.Barring a setback and emergency recall, all indications are that Andersen should at least be able to serve as backup to Curtis McElhinney.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with college free-agent forward Justin Kloos, the team announced Wednesday.A senior with the University of Minnesota, Kloos finished fourth in Big Ten scoring this season, recording 18 goals and 25 assists in 38 games.The Minnesota native previously spent three seasons with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks, where he wrapped the 2012-13 campaign with 87 points in 54 games.

Steven Stamkos is inching closer to a return.The Tampa Bay Lightning captain's injury timeline is now considered day to day, coach Jon Cooper told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.Stamkos has been sidelined for more than four months after suffering a knee injury, with his last game coming Nov. 15 against the Detroit Red Wings.At Lightning practice Wednesday, Stamkos skated on a line with Yanni Gourde and Adam Erne while also working with the second power-play unit.Tampa Bay remains in the thick of the playoff race, three points back of the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card seed with one game in hand.The Lightning have seven games remaining, and while Stamkos won't play in Thursday's contest against Detroit, he has not yet been ruled out for Saturday.Stamkos has registered nine goals and 11 assists in 17 games this season.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As the NHL regular season winds down and the stakes get higher, it's important to stay loose.Marc-Andre Fleury took that to heart at practice Wednesday, unscrewing the tops of the Pittsburgh Penguins' water bottles in order to soak unsuspecting teammates.

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.Keeper/dynasty leagues can vary in terms of settings. If you're in a keeper league requiring value retention, such as auction keepers or keep-by-draft-position leagues, then the following list can be extremely beneficial.In keeper leagues where you're allowed to keep only a handful of players, this article may not be all too relevant. However, if your league doesn't put a cap on how many players you can keep, or simply allows you to keep a large number, the following players are gold.These players may not be having the most outstanding seasons but for various reasons, should improve significantly in 2017-18 (stats as of Wednesday, March 29).C/RW Elias Lindholm, Carolina HurricanesLindholm has enjoyed a solid season. He has 43 points in 65 games but the total could be much higher.He ranks eighth in the NHL with 29 primary assists in all situations, according to Corsica.Hockey, leaving him with just a handful of secondary assists. This is quite an absurd and unfortunate assist ratio for Lindholm. For example, Edmonton Oilers C Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 38 primary assists, but he also has 24 secondary assists.Lindholm is a former top-5 pick as recently as 2013. He may not seem so young since this is his fourth year in the league, but he has plenty of room to grow - especially as apart of a youthful Carolina team which is a lock to improve in 2017-18. The Swede could register 70 points as soon as next season.RW Oliver Bjorkstrand, Columbus Blue JacketsBjorkstrand doesn't have much hype around him. He doesn't come with the luxurious top-10 pick tag (he was a third-round pick in 2013) and he hasn't produced at an otherworldly rate in his brief NHL career.He does, however, rank third in the NHL in iSCF60 (individual scoring chances for per 60 minutes) among players who have played at least 300 minutes this season. He has only six goals and five assists in 22 games to show for it.Given his track record of scoring in both the WHL (144 goals in 193 games) and the AHL (31 in 88), his scoring touch at the highest level could be right around the corner thanks to an absolutely lethal shot.Even though the Blue Jackets are a youthful team built around depth, there are permanent openings in their top-six forward group for Bjorkstrand to take. Don't rule out a 30-goal season in 2017-18.LW/RW Nino Niederreiter, Minnesota WildNiederreiter, like Lindholm, is a former fifth-overall pick who has been severely unlucky in the assist column. Of Niederreiter's 30 assists, 24 have been primary helpers.In addition to being unlucky in the assist column, he also hasn't had much luck in the scoring department. Take a look:YearShotsGoalsS%Avg.DIST16-171712011.724.4915-161592012.626.114-151492416.124.82He has already set a career high in shots this season but it hasn't resulted in more goals, despite taking higher quality shots. With a bit more puck luck in 2017-18, 30 goals is a real possibility.Furthermore, Niederreiter comes with dual-position eligibility and has racked up at least 100 hits in five straight seasons, cementing his value in banger leagues.D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina HurricanesSlavin might be the most underrated defenseman in the NHL - and he's only 22 years old. Since the 'Canes dealt veteran blueliner Ron Hainsey at the trade deadline, Slavin has 14 points in 18 games while averaging 24:23 per game. In fact, nobody on Carolina has logged more minutes per game this year - even D Justin Faulk.Perhaps the most impressive part about Slavin's game is he has a plus-21 rating on such a poor and inexperienced team. Considering he is second in the NHL in takeaways, this plus/minus doesn't appear to be a fluke.A young defenseman on a growing team who could potentially put up 40 points (he has 33 this season) with a high plus/minus and plenty of blocked shots is more than worth keeping for a pick typically reserved for a dart throw.(Photos courtesy Action Images)Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Years of success have finally caught up with the Detroit Red Wings.For the first time in 25 seasons, the Red Wings won't partake in the playoffs, ending the third-longest run in league history. Tuesday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was the final nail in the coffin for a campaign long awaiting the inevitable.Entering the season, general manager Ken Holland, the tenured architect of the Red Wings who has guided the team to four Stanley Cups, admitted his club was probably not a contender, but that a traditional teardown wasn't in the cards.Rather, the Red Wings opted to rebuild on the fly, integrating young players like Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou around a strong supporting cast.But the results weren't there this season, with the Red Wings poised to finish near the bottom of the East."I expected more, I expected we'd be in the thick of things," Holland told Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News.The Red Wings can be seen as victims of their own success to an extent, as years of sustained winning have caught up with them at the draft table, having had little opportunity to select highly touted prospects in the first round over the last two-and-a-half decades due to consistently impressive finishes in the standings. This year, though, Detroit will make its earliest first-round pick since 1990."We've got 11 picks in 2017," Holland said. "We've got an extra second-round pick in 2018, which is looking like it should be a deeper draft than this year. I also think every draft, players come out of the second, third and fourth rounds. We've got more spins of the wheel."The silver lining is that the youth movement is already well on its way. At this year's trade deadline, Detroit shipped out three veteran skaters in Brendan Smith, Steve Ott, and Thomas Vanek to return a collection of draft picks, the lifeblood of a salary-cap league.More hope is on the way from the farm, which has produced Mantha and Athanasiou in recent seasons, and continues to foster talent like Martin Frk, Evgeny Svechnikov, and Tyler Bertuzzi."We've got some players in Grand Rapids that we think are not very far away," Holland said. "We've got to continue to draft, develop and push these players through the system, and hope that some of them become way better than where we pick them in the draft."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Charlie McAvoy is a student no more.The now-former Boston University defenseman decided to forgo the rest of his college career and has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Boston Bruins' AHL affiliate in Providence, general manager Don Sweeney announced.

Carey Price is climbing the ranks.The Montreal Canadiens netminder set another high mark following Tuesday's victory over the Dallas Stars. The win was Price's 35th on the season, and he became just the third goaltender in team history to pull off that feat three times:Goalie35+ Win SeasonsLastFranchise WinsJacques Plante41961-62314Ken Dryden41977-78258Carey Price32016-17268It's been a season of accolades for the franchise netminder. Last month, Price leapfrogged Dryden for third all time on the franchise wins list. He now ranks behind only Plante and Patrick Roy.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 Wednesday, March 29 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):Dynamic Duos

The International Ice Hockey Federation has stepped in to help ensure NHL player participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but work still needs to be done in order to reach an agreement with the International Olympic Committee.The NHL is seeking something equivalent to IOC Top Sponsor status in order to market the Olympics on its various platforms, reports Karolos Grohmann of Reuters."Obviously, this time the owners of the NHL clubs are putting more commercial conditions to the IOC and the Olympic movement," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.The IIHF has agreed to cover NHL players' travel and insurance costs, as the organization initially announced in November 2016. Those expenses had been paid by the IOC in the past.Special treatment for the league from the IOC may not be in the cards, however.Adams continued, "The IOC knows that the NHL understands that the Olympic movement cannot treat the owners of a commercial franchise of a national league better than an international sports federation or other professional leagues with regard to the Olympic Games."From the IOC's point of view, participation alone brings a great deal of exposure to the NHL, especially in 2018 and 2022 when the Games will be played in markets serving billions in prime time.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The longest-serving member of the Edmonton Oilers could not stop smiling after his team clinched a playoff spot for the first time in his career.That would be Jordan Eberle, who's appeared in 501 regular-season games for the Oilers since being selected in the first round of the 2008 NHL, and who will finally make his postseason debut in a few weeks.Related: Oilers clinch playoff spot, end longest active drought in NHLTo Eberle's credit, he turned the attention outward following Tuesday's win over the Los Angeles Kings, crediting a fan base that's suffered through a playoff drought that predates even him."It's been long years but the best thing is the fans have stuck with it," he said from the bench postgame. "We finally got there this year, now it's finally (clinched) and we can enjoy it."Head coach Todd McLellan also pointed to Eberle's years of service with the club - as well as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who arrived in 2011 - but echoed the sentiment that the fans deserve recognition for their loyalty."There's a couple here who have been here through a lot of pain and couldn't be more excited for the opportunity that lies ahead of them," he said, per the team's website. "Maybe even more importantly, how about our fans? They've been there for 10 years, the rink has been sold out, they've gone through a lot of pain and they've stuck with us. I'm not sure that happens in any other city in the NHL, but it happens here in Edmonton."The Oilers, of course, haven't appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since advancing to Game 7 of the 2006 Final.The days of throwing jerseys on the ice in Edmonton are officially over.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the 2017 playoffs two weeks away, the Pacific Division remains the closest race in the league, with the top four clubs - Anaheim, San Jose, Edmonton, and Calgary - separated by just a handful of points.Which team claims the division title is anyone's guess, as all four clubs in the running have the potential to make waves down the final stretch.That being the case, let's take a closer look at how these four rank at each position, and which team has the best shot at claiming the division:In Net1. Edmonton OilersEdmonton's Cam Talbot has been dominating in net all season long. He's posted seven shutouts on the season - tied for second-most in the league - while taking on a monster workload that has seen him earn 38 wins through 68 appearances. He may be the Oilers' MVP this season, and he's surely the Pacific's best goalie.2. Anaheim DucksJohn Gibson is right behind. He hasn't had to endure the same workload, playing in just 49 games, but he boasts the best save percentage in the Pacific (.921), and has five shutouts as well. He's been sidelined since the end of February, but the Ducks have still surged, as Jonathan Bernier has dominated in Gibson's place.3. Calgary FlamesBrian Elliott couldn't have had a worse start in Flames colors, but the veteran managed to right the ship at the perfect time. He's been on a tear since the beginning of February, ranking second in the division in save percentage (.932) and wins (10 in 16 games) as the Flames salvaged their season. There couldn't be a better time to heat up and live up to the hype.4. San Jose SharksFresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance last season, Martin Jones has taken a slight step back this year. His save percentage is the worst of the four Pacific contenders' starters, and even Bernier, Peter Budaj, and Ryan Miller have bested him in that department. His numbers have dropped even lower as of late - he's sporting a .894 percentage through eight March appearances.The Blue Line1. San Jose SharksThe Sharks boast the best blue-liner in the West right now - and perhaps the league - in Brent Burns. The bearded one has dominated offensively this year, racking up 28 goals and 73 points through 76 games. Defensively, the Sharks have allowed the fewest shots against per game of these four Pacific clubs, as well as the fewest goals against per game.2. Calgary FlamesThe Pacific's top offensive defender aside from Burns has been, surprisingly, Dougie Hamilton. He's got a career-high 48 points on the year, while he and Mark Giordano have emerged as one of the best pairings in the league. The rest of the group is holding their own as well, as the Flames are allowing the second-fewest shots per game among the Pacific contenders.3. Anaheim DucksCam Fowler is in the midst of one of the best offensive seasons of his career, notching a career-best 11 goals alongside his 37 points. He's also logging the second-most minutes per game among all Pacific blue-liners, just a hair above Burns. But overall, the Ducks are in the middle of the divisional pack when it comes to the number of shots they're letting through each game.4. Edmonton OilersAndrej Sekera is having a far better second go-round in Edmonton, and the second-best season of his career. But the Oilers' blue-line issues are well-documented. While they've taken a step forward, they're still allowing the most shots per game among their fellow Pacific contenders, and leaning heavily on Talbot.Up Front1. Edmonton OilersThe Oilers have the league's leading scorer in McDavid, but that's only part of the picture. Leon Draisaitl has emerged as an elite threat in his own right, topping the 70-point plateau and helping Edmonton's offense climb into the league's top 10. And between Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Milan Lucic, and the surprising Pat Maroon, the Oilers have some pretty dangerous depth options as well.2. Calgary FlamesCalgary might not have a marquee, league-leading star like their provincial rivals do, but Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are both among the top seven scorers in the Pacific - and they're not even playing on the team's best line. That distinction goes to the "Triple M" trio of Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik, and Matthew Tkachuk, who have combined for 139 points and have been one of the most dominant lines in the league all year long.3. Anaheim DucksThe Ducks' and Sharks' offenses are fairly even up to this point. The Sharks are slightly higher in goals per game and shots per game, but the discrepancy is very slight. Anaheim has a slight edge when it comes to depth, however, as their 2016-17 crew features seven forwards with double-digit goal totals, as opposed to the Sharks' three.4. San Jose SharksThat leaves San Jose last among these four clubs in the forwards department, which should indicate just how dangerous the Pacific is becoming, given the fact the Sharks boast some elite talents in Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Logan Couture. In terms of total offense, they likely have a slight edge over Anaheim due to Burns' dominance from the back end. But if we're talking forwards only, then Calgary, Edmonton, and Anaheim come out ahead.Which team takes the division?With all that in mind, it seems the Pacific belongs to the Oilers for the time being. Fresh off clinching their first playoff berth in a decade, Edmonton has officially made good on its rebuild, and looks set to be among the cream of the Pacific crop for a fair while.The Oilers are far ahead of the rest in terms of offense, with both the best No.1 option and plenty of depth behind him, and they've also got the best goaltender in the division in Talbot - which makes their subpar defense less of an issue.McDavid and Co. are going to be a handful over the final two weeks and in the playoffs, and if they can keep building up their blue line, this might just become an annual thing.(Photos courtesy: Action Images)Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vegas does it in style.Bill Foley, owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL's newest franchise, confirmed to Yahoo's Josh Cooper that the summer expansion draft will be a made-for-TV special."We're going to be integrated into the NHL awards ceremony so it's going to be on live national TV," Foley said. "They're going to do an NHL award and then they're going to cut back to us and we're going to announce a couple of expansion drafts and have some jumbotron video of the guys we're drafting."The NHL Awards have been in Sin City since 2009, usually held at a world-class hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. A venue for this year's ceremony in June has not yet been named, but if it were up to the Golden Knights owner, the team's new home, T-Mobile Arena, could play the perfect host."We have 88 days until the expansion draft and to do our announcement, that's going to be a gigantic event for us in Las Vegas at (T-Mobile Arena)," Foley added. "We're going to try to fill the arena to the extent we can fill every seat so people can really see what's going on with the expansion draft."As for the Golden Knights, general manager George McPhee will soon have his chance to pore over each team's protection list, due June 17. The Golden Knights will submit their chosen players June 20, with selections announced the following day, evidently before a television audience.Related: Vegas Golden Knights' expansion mock rosterEach team can protect either four forwards and four defensemen or eight skaters of any combination. Teams must also expose one goaltender.Odds are the Golden Knights will be able to pick off a few quality players, which bodes well for Foley's goal of a Stanley Cup in six years.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Unites States women's national team is ready to get to work after taking care of important business off the ice.After agreeing to a four-year deal with USA Hockey that ensures a meaningful level of support for the program, the players collaborated on an inspiring video shared by Hilary Knight in advance of the 2017 Women's World Championship, set to begin Friday in Plymouth, Mich.Related: USA Hockey, USWNT reach 4-year deal in time for worldsIn it, the women compare winning the upcoming tournament to the greatest prizes around the wide world of sports.

Andrei Markov is among the legends.The Montreal Canadiens defenseman picked up point No. 572 in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars, drawing an assist on Artturi Lehkonen's third-period goal.The helper moved Markov into a tie for second place in all-time scoring by Montreal blue-liners:Player Games Goals Assists PointsLarry Robinson1202197686883Guy Lapointe777166406572Andrei Markov985119453572Doug Harvey89076371447Serge Savard917100312412The Canadiens drafted Markov in the sixth round of 1998. He made his NHL debut two seasons later and has spent his entire career with the Montreal organization, becoming one of the best blue-liners in franchise history over that time."He's just got such a good mind for the game, the way he does things," Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty told Eric Engels of Sportsnet. "He's just got little techniques; the way he holds his stick in certain situations; the passes he makes. I said to Alex Galchenyuk I never want (Markov) to retire because that's at least 10 goals a year, and the left shots all feel the same."The 38-year-old Markov is a pending unrestricted free agent, but there is little doubt he'll explore other opportunities this summer, leaving the only team he has ever known.Thankfully, the captain doesn't have to worry."I'm not planning to retire," Markov said. "I'm planning to continue playing, as long as I enjoy playing."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It didn't take long for Wendel Clark to realize the Toronto Maple Leafs record books were about to be rewritten.Less than 40 minutes in hockey time, in fact.

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 Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins came up big with wins on home ice Tuesday, improving their chances of securing Eastern Conference playoff spots while the helpless Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders did some scoreboard-watching from home.The Carolina Hurricanes experienced the tiniest of bumps thanks to a win over the Detroit Red Wings, who saw their 25-season playoff streak come to an end. Unfortunately for the former, the late surge probably won't be enough.Here's where they all stand after Tuesday's action.TeamResultPlayoff ChancesChangeBruinsW 4-1 vs. Predators74.1%+8.2%Maple LeafsW 3-2 vs. Panthers84.6%+4.4%HurricanesW 4-1 vs. Red Wings6.8%+0.2%LightningIdle24.5%-7.7%IslandersIdle10.9%-4.8%The Western Conference race is over, by the way. The Los Angeles Kings haven't been eliminated, but their chances are down to 0.1 percent.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.

Brent Burns snapped a couple of droughts with a single shot Tuesday night.The Sharks defenseman scored his club's overtime winner against the New York Rangers, ending San Jose's six-game losing streak and his own 16-game goalless skid. The Sharks won 5-4 after blowing a 3-1 lead.Burns also set a franchise record in the process:

The New York Rangers are in.The Blueshirts clinched their seventh straight playoff berth late Tuesday night, earning a point against the San Jose Sharks in a back-and-forth game the Rangers eventually lost 5-4 in overtime.New York was the fourth team to clinch Tuesday, joining the Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and Sharks. The Ducks and Sharks punched their tickets once the Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings.With Alain Vigneault behind the bench, the Rangers have never missed the playoffs in four seasons.New York needs one more point to clinch the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's Playoff Clinching Night in the Pacific Division.The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks will officially compete for the Stanley Cup, earning their postseason berths after the Los Angeles Kings dropped a 2-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers (who clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 with the win).It will be the Ducks' fifth straight playoff appearance, and their 10th in 12 seasons.The Sharks are looking to avenge last year's loss in the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's their second straight playoff appearance with head coach Peter DeBoer behind the bench.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers are returning to the playoffs.The club has waited over a decade for that announcement, as it hasn't been to the postseason since its Cinderella run in 2006, when the Oilers were ousted in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final by the Carolina Hurricanes.Edmonton clinched the playoff berth with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. In doing so, the Oilers ended the longest active playoff drought in the NHL.Connor McDavid scored the opening goal during the Tuesday night tilt, earning his league-leading 89th point of the season. As well, netminder Cam Talbot earned his 38th win of the season while appearing in his league-leading 68th game.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - T.J. Oshie scored his second goal of the game 1:42 into overtime to bookend Alex Ovechkin's hat trick, Braden Holtby earned his 40th win, and the NHL-leading Washington Capitals beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.After Eric Staal's goal for the Wild tied the game with 26.6 seconds left in regulation, Oshie took a pass in the left circle from Marcus Johansson and beat struggling Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk with a wrist shot. Johansson had four assists.Martin Hanzal and Jason Pominville had a goal and an assist apiece, but the Wild lost for the eighth time in nine games and fell to 3-11-1 in March after forward Zach Parise exited early with an injury .Oshie started Washington's longest road trip in six years, five games over an eight-day span, with a first-period goal set up by Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Holtby made 26 saves, brushing off goals by Jared Spurgeon and Staal in the final five minutes to reach 40 victories for the third consecutive season. Martin Brodeur (2005-08, New Jersey) and Evgeni Nabokov (2007-10, San Jose) are the only other goalies in NHL history to do so.Dubnyk, who stopped 15 shots, has given up 26 goals over his last eight games.Ovechkin gave him even more trouble, guiding the Capitals one step closer to the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. His 17th career three-goal game came all on power plays.After Nate Prosser was penalized for hooking, Backstrom and Johansson set up Ovechkin for a vintage left-circle wrist shot to finish the tic-tac-toe sequence and break a tie. Dubnyk was slow to pivot right after going down to a knee on a pass.Ovechkin, the gap-toothed great, took over the team goal lead from Oshie with a slap shot from the same spot a little later in the second period following a hooking call on Nino Niederreiter.Then, after Hanzal scored for just the second time in 14 games with the Wild since arriving in a trade with Arizona, Ovechkin triggered a shower of hats from the crowd by burying a feed from Backstrom.Ovechkin has a whopping 11 goals and six assists in six career games against Dubnyk, four of those with Minnesota.The Wild, who once had a cushion on Chicago for the Western Conference lead, must hold off surging Nashville and St. Louis in the Central Division to make sure they can at least start the first round at home. This was a promising performance against such a daunting opponent, especially after losing Parise, but there's a lot of work left for them to do on their game before the postseason.Parise took a high stick from Tom Wilson to the face and collided with Jay Beagle's knee on his fall to the ice, where he stayed for several seconds while kicking his feet in pain before needing assistance off the ice. Parise didn't return, and the Wild went without a whimper on their four-minute power play.NOTES: After 12 straight home games without allowing a power-play goal, the Wild have given up four in their last two games. ... Oshie has nine goals and 10 assists in 25 career games against the Wild. He played in high school in Warroad, Minnesota.UP NEXTCapitals: At the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.Wild: Host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - Auston Matthews broke Wendel Clark's 31-year-old franchise rookie record with his 35th goal of the season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.The victory kept Toronto (87 points) one point up on the Boston Bruins (86) for the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division and four up on the Tampa Bay Lightning (83).Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves to earn the win for the Leafs. Leo Komarov and Zach Hyman also scored for Toronto.James Reimer allowed two goals on 14 shots for Florida before he was knocked from the game with an injury and replaced by Reto Berra, who made 10 saves. Reilly Smith and Jaromir Jagr scored for the Panthers.Starting in place of injured No. 1 goaltender Frederik Andersen, McElhinney was the focus of attention in Toronto heading into the game, but Matthews quickly wiped that away with his record-setting score nearly 12 minutes in.Hyman instigated the action, controlling the puck from behind the Florida goal before finding Matthews in front, his shot slipping between the pads of Reimer to top Clark for the franchise mark.Clark said he knew after the second period of Matthews' NHL debut against Ottawa - when he scored four goals, including three after less than 22 minutes - that Matthews would likely shatter his record from the 1985-86 season.''It's good,'' said Clark, who works as a community representative of the Leafs. ''If we're going to be any good we need these young guys breaking all (these records) and doing well.''Mitch Marner recently tied Gus Bodnar's franchise rookie mark for assists (40), William Nylander matching team rookie records for power-play goals (nine) and power-play points (25) while also establishing a new rookie mark for the team with a point streak that was extended to 12 games on Tuesday night.Matthews joined Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby as the only rookies since the 1995-96 season to scored 35 goals.Clark compared him to former Leafs captain and franchise leading scorer, Mats Sundin. Just like Sundin, Clark said, Matthews could be dangerous all by himself, but also gifted in finding teammates for open looks.He said Matthews had a ''goal-scorer's touch'' and the ''hands of a little guy'', his strength also likely to grow in the years ahead.Matthews also increased his NHL lead for game-opening goals - now with 14 on the season - and pulled within four points of Peter Ihnacak's franchise rookie mark for points (66), set during the 1982-83 season.The Leafs controlled almost every aspect of the first period, outshooting the Panthers 13-3 while spending shift after shift in Florida's zone. Komarov increased Toronto's lead to 2-0 less than three minutes after Matthews's goal, finishing a 2-on-1 opportunity with Connor Brown.Falling out of the playoff race in recent weeks, Florida found some pushback in the opening minutes of the second, but McElhinney was sharp. He stopped Jussi Jokinen and Smith on consecutive chances around the midway point of the period.The 33-year-old was starting with Andersen missing his first game because of an upper-body injury suffered Saturday in Buffalo when he was bumped in the head by Sabres forward William Carrier.It was a similar play that knocked out Reimer - Toronto's longtime starter before Andersen - from Tuesday's game, Brian Boyle clipping him as he circled the net. Reimer stayed down in apparent discomfort immediately afterward as Boyle fought Colton Sceviour. He finally helped to a sitting position by a team trainer and left the ice with a persistent grimace on his face.Smith got the Panthers on the board with less than five minutes left in the second, beating Matthews to the net as he redirected Keith Yandle's point pass.McElhinney made two big saves early in the third to keep the Leafs in front, the latter a right pad stop on Aleksander Barkov. It was shortly after, that Hyman scored a short-handed goal that increased Toronto's lead back to two.Hyman became the fifth Leafs rookie to score at least 10 goals this season.Jagr pulled Florida within one in the final minute of regulation.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A note to NHL defensemen: cover Alex Ovechkin.The future Hall of Famer has made a career out of sniping from his usual spot on the Washington Capitals' power play, but that didn't stop the Minnesota Wild from leaving him open there on three different occasions.And the Russian sniper burned them all three times, completing a hat trick of near-identical tallies.Number one:

Sam Reinhart is officially in the doghouse, and that doghouse is apparently on the Buffalo Sabres' bench.Reinhart was benched for all 60 minutes of the Sabres' Tuesday night loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, apparently as punishment for violating a team rule, according to John Vogl of The Buffalo News."Earlier in the day, Sam Reinhart violated a team policy, and the discipline was not playing in tonight's game," head coach Dan Bylsma said after the loss, according to Vogl. "We're going to move forward from here. Disappointing, but it happened and we dealt with it.""We're part of a team. We do things as a team, and that's hopefully the lesson."Sabres captain Brian Gionta backed up his coach's decision."It's for everybody," Gionta said, according to Vogl. "It's not just Sam. It's everybody. It's keeping everybody to the same level, and that's what we want to do. We're building a culture here, so everybody needs to learn from it."The decision to have Reinhart dress for the game but not take a single shift, as opposed to making him a healthy scratch, meant the Sabres were forced to play with only 11 forwards.Evander Kane led the forward corps in ice time with 25:24 minutes during the 3-1 loss, while Jack Eichel finished with more than 23 minutes, and Ryan O'Reilly skated for more than 22.Reinhart has 17 goals and 46 points on the season - the latter mark ranking as the third-highest total among all Sabres skaters.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

BOSTON - Tuukka Rask made 24 saves in his return from a one-game absence and the Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Tuesday night, boosting their playoff chances.Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Noel Acciari and David Backes scored for the Bruins, who moved three points ahead of idle Tampa Bay for the second Eastern Conference wild card with six games remaining. Boston began the night a point behind Toronto for third place in the Atlantic Division.Rask was sidelined with a lower-body injury for Boston's 2-1 road win against the New York Islanders on Saturday.Bergeron's goal was his 18th of the season, and Krejci got his 22nd. Acciari scored his first career goal in 43 NHL games, Backes netted his 17th of the season and Zdeno Chara earned his 600th NHL point with an assist on Boston's first goal.Craig Smith scored his 10th goal for the Predators, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Pekka Rinne made 27 saves but took his first loss in six starts.Nashville remained one point ahead of idle St. Louis for third in the Central Division.The Predators had won three straight meetings with the Bruins, including a 2-1 victory Jan. 12 in Nashville.Bergeron opened the scoring 2:28 into the first period, slamming home a rebound after Chara's shot from the blue line bounced off Rinne's leg.Krejci's wrister trickled through Rinne's legs to double the Bruins' lead at 13:52 of the first.Smith redirected Roman Josi's shot past Rask to cut the Nashville's deficit in half with 8:44 remaining in the third.Acciari tapped in a shot-pass from Riley Nash as the Bruins converted on a 3-on-1 chance with 4:13 to play. Backes scored an empty-netter with 1:31 left to seal it.NOTES: Nashville C Mike Fisher (lower body) missed his fourth straight game. Predators general manager David Poile told 102.5 The Game radio Tuesday he is hopeful Fisher can return ''as soon as Thursday.'' ... Predators D Yannick Weber (upper body) sat out for the second consecutive night. ... Boston C Tim Schaller (lower body) missed his ninth game in a row. ... Chara was named the Bruins' nominee for the Masterson Trophy, which honors dedication to hockey. ''It's a game that gives you so much delight and makes you a better person,'' the 40-year-old defenseman said. ... Boston recalled G Zane McIntyre from Providence of the AHL on an emergency basis two hours before the game, but was returned during the first-period intermission.UP NEXTPredators: Open a two-game homestand Thursday against Toronto.Bruins: Continue a three-game homestand Thursday against Dallas.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Everything ends. Badly, for the most part.The Detroit Red Wings were officially eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night, ending the club's remarkable 25-year postseason streak.It was the longest active playoff streak in pro sports, and ends tied for the third-longest in NHL history.

With an assist on Artturi Lehkonen's 14th goal of the season, defenseman Andrei Markov collected career point No. 572 to tie Guy Lapointe for the second-most points by a Montreal Canadiens defenseman on Tuesday night.Markov hit the milestone feeding Lehkonen who buried a fluky one-timer past Dallas Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen late in the third period. Consequently, Markov was then serenaded with a standing ovation by the Montreal faithful.While the 38-year-old now needs just a single point to move into sole possession of second place, it will take an extra 311 points if Markov is to catch Larry Robinson who sits atop the list with 883.Meanwhile, Markov still sits third among franchise defensemen with 119 goals and will once again match Lapointe for second all-time with 47 more goals.The Habs beat the Stars 4-1.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers went into play Tuesday with a 0.2 percent chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to Sports Club Stats. And they'll live another day thanks to Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson.With Philly trailing 2-1 with six minutes left in the third period, Anderson put the puck perfectly on Jordan Weal's stick. Only problem: Weal's a Flyer.Making matters worse, Anderson was behind his net, making Weal's gift even better.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Lee Stempniak and Joakim Nordstrom scored about five minutes apart in the first period, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 Tuesday night in the teams' second meeting in two nights.Jordan Staal and Elias Lindholm also scored for Carolina and Cam Ward stopped 21 shots. The Hurricanes have earned a point in 12 straight games (8-0-4) to move four points out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.The Red Wings beat the Hurricanes on Monday in a makeup game rescheduled from Dec. 19 when a Freon leak at PNC Arena made for unplayable ice. Tuesday's contest was regularly scheduled.The postponement resulted in three games in the three days for the Red Wings. They won the first two but visibly struggled with their energy in the finale to snap a four-game point streak.Tomas Nosek scored his first NHL goal and Jimmy Howard made 29 saves for Detroit.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Shoot all you want, Sergei Bobrovsky is not about to let you pile up goals.The Columbus Blue Jackets netminder made that abundantly clear during his club's 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night, turning aside 41 shots to earn the victory.Columbus' win marked the fourth straight game in which Bobrovsky has registered 35 or more saves. He's allowed no more than one goal in any of those appearances:Game Shots Against Savesvs. Devils (Mar. 19th)3635vs. Capitals (Mar. 23rd)4544vs. Flyers (Mar. 25th)3636vs. Sabres (Mar. 28th)4241Bobrovsky entered the Tuesday night tilt as the league leader in save percentage, goals against average, and wins, while ranking second in shutouts - his seven blank sheets are just one fewer than Braden Holtby's eight.The Russian backstopper has now won nine of his past 10 appearances, further increasing his already strong chances at a second career Vezina Trophy win.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This one's going on Joel Armia's fridge.The Winnipeg Jets forward scored a brilliant goal Tuesday, going end to end, fighting off one Devils forward, dangling past another two New Jersey players, before roofing the puck past Cory Schneider.Oh, and it was a shorthanded marker, if it wasn't already ridiculous enough. There's more: The goal tied the game at 3-3, and the Jets took the extra point in the shootout.No. 9 on the season for Armia, but definitely No. 1 in his heart.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jimmy Howard isn't a fan of freebies, refusing to give Victor Rask one Tuesday night when the Carolina Hurricanes forward had him dead to rights in front of the net.The Detroit Red Wings netminder sprawled to make a dazzling glove stop, keeping the score at 3-0 for Carolina and leaving Rask searching for his first goal in two weeks.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers goaltender James Reimer was hoping to stick it to his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on Tuesday night, but he was forced from the game in the second period after a collision with forward Brian Boyle.Reimer covered up a loose puck at the side of the net, and Boyle caught him on the head - accidentally, by the looks of it - as he skated around the cage.The netminder was ruled out of the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury. He's had issue with concussions in the past. Reto Berra replaced him.Reimer was actually unable to finish Monday's game in Buffalo, after he was collided with, again taking a shot to the head.The Panthers are still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but need every win they can get their hands on - and some help.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise had to be helped off the ice during his club's matchup against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night.Midway through the first period, Parise took a stick to the face from Tom Wilson near center ice, before colliding with Jay Beagle as he fell.The winger was in considerable pain before he eventually left the ice and headed down the tunnel. Wilson was handed a double-minor penalty for the incident.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

USA Hockey and the U.S. women's national team have reached a four-year agreement "that will result in groundbreaking support" for the program, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.The deal ensures the national team will compete at this year's women's world championship, which begins Friday in Plymouth, Mich.

Zdeno Chara has hit the 600-point plateau.The beastly Boston Bruins defender hit the milestone by picking up the primary assist on Patrice Bergeron's first-period marker against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.For Chara, his 600 points are good enough for the fourth-highest mark by any defenseman since he entered the league during the 1997-98 season.The 40-year-old also sits third on the Bruins' all-time defenseman points list behind only Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr - not bad company.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.