There's something you don't see everyday.Florida Panthers forward Shawn Thornton scored his second goal of the season Thursday on a wild play that saw the net fall on Arizona Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith as the puck crossed the line.Per the NHL, the goal counted because, while the net was falling, the pegs remained inside the goal posts and the holes in the ice.Unfortunately for Smith, the goal would hold up. To make matters worse, the Panthers would add two more before the end of the second period.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Warning: The following video isn't for the squeamish.Sidney Crosby's still wielding a dangerous weapon.Two nights after whacking Ryan O'Reilly between the legs with an irrefutably cheap shot, Pittsburgh's captain nearly sawed off the end of Marc Methot's finger with a short slash across the hands Thursday in Ottawa.Methot, as you might imagine, was ruled out for the remainder of the game.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another goal, another record.Mitch Marner picked up an assist on James van Riemsdyk's second-period marker Thursday and in the process tied the Toronto Maple Leafs' rookie record for assists in a season.Related: Nylander sets Leafs rookie record with 10-game point streakMarner matched the mark set by Gus Bodnar, who collected 40 helpers during the 1943-44 season.The point gives Marner 57 on the season and creates a pretty Toronto-heavy rookie scoring race:

Alex Galchenyuk got the monkey off his back Thursday.The Montreal Canadiens forward finished off a pretty two-on-one rush with Andrew Shaw, beating Carolina's Eddie Lack with a devastating wrist shot, snapping a nine-game goalless skid in the process.The goal was Galchenyuk's 16th of the season giving him a share of third place on the Canadiens.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

William Nylander has fashioned the longest point streak by a rookie in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 100-year history.Nylander set the record with a point in a 10th straight game Thursday versus the New Jersey Devils, collecting an assist on Josh Leivo's first-period power-play goal. It was a secondary helper, but the 20-year-old Swede made the play, landing a precise cross-zone pass onto the stick of Auston Matthews, who had his rebound jammed in after it was misplayed by Keith Kinkaid.It's also the longest streak by a rookie in this year's incredible freshman class, according to TSN's Mark Masters.Nylander tied the record set by Gud Bodnar, and later matched by Bob Nevin and Dan Daoust, with a two-point outing versus the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.In addition to the streak, Nylander triggered a second $212,500 performance bonus in the space of 24 hours, with the assist being his 35th of the season. He earned his first bonus by scoring his 20th goal in Columbus.Nylander now has 55 points on the season, and is quickly scaling the list of the best rookie seasons among Swedes. He's within four points of Mats Sundin, who began his Hall of Fame career with a 59-point campaign.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

USA Hockey is preparing for Plan B.The governing body will soon begin contacting replacement players for the U.S. women's team at the upcoming world championships, according to The Associated Press.USA Hockey sent a statement to AP declaring that while its preference is to ice the original team, Thursday's development indicates the organization is readying its backup plan.The two sides are involved in an ongoing wage dispute, with the team threatening to boycott the tournament. There appeared to be some progress made after a 10-hour marathon meeting Monday, with both sides describing the negotiations as "productive."Training camp was set to begin Wednesday in Traverse City, Mich., but has since been postponed. The tournament begins March 31.Team USA is the defending champion at the world championships.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Barring a setback, John Gibson will check back into the Anaheim Ducks' goal before the season expires.Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday that his No. 1 starter will return from his lower-body injury at some point over the final nine games on the regular-season schedule.Veteran backup Jonathan Bernier has been superb with Gibson shelved. He's fashioned a 7-1-1 record with a 1.64 goals-against average and .948 save percentage in nine March starts.The four-time defending Pacific Division champions have pulled to within two points of the first-place San Jose Sharks with 15 points from their last 10 games.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

No rest for the weary.Despite the team already punching its playoff ticket, the Columbus Blue Jackets won't use the remainder of the regular season to rest some key players ahead of the postseason."We're going to play. We're playing and we're trying to win every game," coach John Tortorella told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.The Blue Jackets clinched a playoff berth earlier this month, but are still jockeying for position in the Metropolitan Division.Columbus has collected 100 points through 72 games, and sits one point back of the Pittsburgh Penguins and two behind the Washington Capitals within their division.The Blue Jackets have twice qualified for the postseason in franchise history, last making the playoffs in 2014.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What a difference a year makes.After racing to the bottom of the league standings in an attempt to get the best draft lottery odds last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now in a fight for their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season.It's certainly a nice change of pace as far as forward Leo Komarov is concerned."Last year, it was kind of packing your bag already, now you actually have something to play for and it's really nice because this is hockey," Komarov said, according to TSN's Mark Masters.With a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night the Maple Leafs jumped over the Boston Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division. With just 10 games remaining, the team currently holds an 84.9 percent chance of making the postseason, according to Sports Club Stats.Suffice to say the Maple Leafs' bags can remain unpacked for the time being.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks have rewarded center Tanner Kero with a two-year contract extension which will run through the 2018-19 season, the club announced Thursday.Financial details are undisclosed.Kero has made 38 starts since his summoning from Rockford of the American Hockey League in late December. He has provided five goals and 12 points in a bottom-six center-ice role for Joel Quenneville.The undrafted 24-year-old is among a handful of farmhands to have stepped in to fill holes on the Blackhawks roster this season due to injuries and the club's recurrent salary crunch.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As expected, the in-arena experience for Vegas Golden Knights home games will be unlike any other in the NHL.The Golden Knights have entered into a multi-year partnership with the world-renowned entertainment brand, as announced Thursday."Cirque du Soleil is an iconic, worldwide entertainment brand and we are thrilled to partner with them in this capacity,” said Golden Knights vice president of global partnerships Michael Mungiello. "Cirque du Soleil has had a significant presence in Las Vegas since 1992 and continues to be one of the most popular entertainment options in town."We are always looking for creative ways to enhance the overall fan experience at our home games and this partnership certainly helps advance that objective."In addition to cross-promotional branding elements, the Golden Knights will host "Cirque du Soleli" nights, which will feature live intermission entertainment.Cirque du Soleil has seven permanent resident shows in Las Vegas.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has been suspended three games for interference on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Thursday.The hit in question came during Tuesday's contest where midway through the first period Ristolainen caught an unsuspecting Guentzel with an open-ice hit.Ristolainen was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct on the play, a decision the Sabres defender agreed with on Thursday.Related: Ristolainen: Ejection for hit on Guentzel 'probably was the right call'Guentzel subsequently suffered a concussion on the play.The suspension means the Sabres will be without Ristolainen until their game on April 2 against the New York Islanders.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL players aren't interested in conceding anything for the chance to play in the 2018 Olympic Games."I don't know what it can be from the players' perspective,'' NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday."Obviously the players are not about to engage in collective bargaining in return for getting an opportunity to go to the Olympics for which they aren't being paid, where very valuable things would go elsewhere in return for that.''Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday that people should "assume we're not going," when asked about the league's potential Olympic participation in South Korea.The players' union rejected an offer from the league in December that would have extended the existing collective bargaining agreement in exchange for Olympic participation.Fehr said Thursday that what was essentially a two-year extension of the CBA wasn't of interest to the union.Earlier this week, LeBrun reported no Olympic meetings were on the docket, and Fehr confirmed Thursday that there aren't any formal discussions planned in the immediate future."Not formally,'' Fehr said. "I talk to (IIHF president) Rene (Fasel) every so often about things, I'm sure Gary or (NHL deputy commissioner) Bill (Daly) does too. There are no meetings scheduled formally yet. Rene has been spending most of his time going to and from South Korea lately anyway. So, we'll see.''Fehr said there's "no hard and fast deadline for a decision," and that the players would be ready to play if the NHL opts to attend."There may well be (a deadline) from the NHL in terms of scheduling and planning and there may be some from the IOC and the IIHF in terms of alerting the federations and if so, they'll make that plain," Fehr told LeBrun."But from our standpoint, our job is to keep working at it, and trying, and thinking, and urging, and pleading, and cajoling, and whatever else you do, until we're successful."Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

At the end of each of the past 25 NHL seasons, the city of Detroit could count on the Red Wings hosting at least a couple playoff games.That streak is well on its way to coming to an end, but head coach Jeff Blashill wants to use the remaining 10 games to make sure the postseason miss is a one-off."First of all, we have to know this isn’t OK," Blashill said, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. "And if you don’t want to be here again, you better make sure that we continue to get better, and we better make sure that our approach is the right way so that the culture maintains."Detroit won four Stanley Cups during their recent and extended run of success, and the expectations that come with being a perennially competitive team will remain through the offseason and into training camp come September."There are organizations where they have lost culture. They have missed the playoffs, and they miss it 10 straight years. We don’t want to be in this position again. This isn’t OK. That is the approach we are taking every day."The Red Wings will begin playing at Little Caesars Arena next season, where they'll clearly be looking to serve up a hot and fresh slice of playoff hockey as soon as possible.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's almost that time of year already.For those who won't be participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a trip to the World Championship is sometimes an option, but New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall seems to have already decided against suiting up for Canada this year.

Rasmus Ristolainen didn't initially agree with the decision to toss him from Tuesday's game, but upon further review, he seems to have realized his mistake.The Buffalo Sabres defenseman was given a five-minute interference major and a game misconduct for leveling Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel less than nine minutes into the contest."I tried to hit him. Obviously he didn’t get the puck so that’s unfortunate and too bad he got injured," Ristolainen told reporters Thursday, according to Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News."At the moment, I didn’t expect to get thrown out of the game but later on (I saw that) he obviously didn’t have the puck," Ristolainen said. "He didn’t get it. Our player broke the play and he got injured. So, I don’t know what are the rules but it probably was the right call. I’m not aware of the rules."Guentzel was diagnosed with a concussion as a result of the hit, the intent on which Ristolainen reiterated was not malicious."(There was) no elbow because I turned my back and kind of hip-checked," he said. "I don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t ready for it. Like I said, I don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s too bad he got injured.""I didn’t take any strides," he added. "I tried to give a little bit of time (for Guentzel to) be aware and when I was getting my eyes toward him I tried to look the puck, I tried to find the puck. It never got to him. I didn't see that. So it’s like a half a second there. Tough to react."Ristolainen will have a hearing with the league's Department of Player Safety on Thursday afternoon, and he now finds himself in unfamiliar territory, having never been suspended."I haven't been in this position before," he said. "It's kind of new to me."The 22-year-old blue-liner ranks fifth among all NHL skaters in ice time, averaging 26:42, leading the Sabres with 39 assists to go along with five goals in 74 games.Guentzel had been clicking with Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary on the Penguins' top line, posting 11 goals and 25 points in 35 contests.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak has been suspended two games for boarding Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand during Wednesday's game in Columbus.(Video courtesy: NHL.com)As the video shows, Polak finished a check on Bjorkstrand with force, driving through Bjorkstrand's back to send him violently into the boards.Polak also tracked Bjorkstrand from behind prior to the hit, and the forward was not eligible to be checked on the play. The onus was therefore on the defenseman to minimize impact or avoid the check altogether.The veteran rearguard was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct at the time of the incident but had not been previously fined or suspended. The fact that Bjorkstrand was injured on the play also factored into the decision.Polak will forfeit $25,000 in salary.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers understand that Jaromir Jagr is to be celebrated.The club's doing just that Thursday with the Arizona Coyotes in town, while feting spring break and Mullet March at the same time.If you're attending the game, you're getting one of these bad boys:

It's NCAA tournament time in more ways than one, and hockey's version of March Madness once again promises to be compelling for multiple reasons.This year's regionals will begin with a can't-miss matchup Friday afternoon when defending champion North Dakota faces Boston University, a team loaded with first-round NHL prospects.Here are five players to keep an eye on throughout the tourney:Henrik BorgstromBorgstrom is one of the major reasons Denver enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.The 19-year-old Finnish freshman posted 21 goals and 38 points in 33 games for the Pioneers in his first season in North America.Borgstrom was drafted 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers last June, but he'll be appealing to more than just Cats fans this spring.The center led all Division I freshmen in goals, and only two first-year players (Boston University's Clayton Keller and Penn State's Denis Smirnov) registered more points than Borgstrom this season.Jake OettingerBoston University boasts a quartet of players who were snapped up in the 2016 draft - forwards Keller and Kieffer Bellows and defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Dante Fabbro - but their starting goaltender is a talented freshman who isn't yet property of an NHL club.Oettinger placed third in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings for North American goalies, and with good reason.The 18-year-old went 20-10-3 with a 2.09 GAA and a .927 save percentage in his first collegiate season, and he'll be worth watching as the Terriers appear poised to make a deep run if they can knock out the defending champs in the opening round.Michael Vecchione Union College is led by a pair of undrafted forwards who may be among the most coveted free agents as soon as the season ends for the Dutchmen.Vecchione ranked second in the nation with 29 goals and third with 62 points in his senior campaign.The 24-year-old led all Division I NCAA skaters in points per game (1.68) and tied for the most game-winning goals (7) in the country this season.Spencer FooVecchione's teammate has been impressive in his own right.Foo racked up 24 goals and 60 points in his junior season, ranking sixth and fourth in the nation in those categories, respectively.The 22-year-old doubled his goal total and more than doubled his point production from his sophomore season, posting the country's third-best points-per-game (1.62) and ranking eighth in the country with 10 power-play goals.Adam FoxCalgary Flames fans have a little extra incentive to watch Harvard, because the East Region's top seed is anchored by a promising defenseman taken by Calgary in the NHL draft last June.Fox tied for the lead among all Division I blue-liners with 36 points and finished second with 31 assists as a freshman this season.He helped the Crimson win the ECAC, capture the Beanpot tournament in Boston, and post the best winning percentage in the nation.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 Thursday, March 23 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):Dynamic Duos

The New York Islanders will have to try and secure a playoff spot without Ryan Strome.The young forward broke his wrist during Wednesday's game against the Rangers and will be sidelined for several weeks, reports Arthur Staple of Newsday. Strome is therefore unlikely to play again this season unless the Islanders go on a deep run.Staple adds that either Shane Prince or Alan Quine are likely to take Strome's spot in the lineup.Strome had been playing some decent hockey of late, recording six goals and nine assists in 24 games since the beginning of February.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With their slim playoff hopes fading by the day, the Florida Panthers will once again be without Aaron Ekblad.The top-pair defenseman will not play in Thursday's game against Arizona due to a sore neck. The injury is supposedly unrelated to the concussion that kept him out of the lineup for four games earlier in March, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.No timetable has been set for Ekblad, who played just one game - Tuesday's loss to Carolina - following his return from the concussion.Ekblad has recorded 10 goals and 11 assists in 68 games while averaging 21:27 a night, ranking second on the team in both points and average ice time for a defenseman behind Keith Yandle.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jonathan Bernier is flipping the script by putting the Ducks on the hunt.In the month of March, and while filling in for the injured John Gibson, the Anaheim goalie has posted a record of 7-1-1 while stopping 272 of 287 shots against for a sterling save percentage of .948.With Wednesday's win over the Edmonton Oilers, the Ducks now sit in sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division and only two points back of the San Jose Sharks.Bernier's recent stretch marks some of the best hockey of his career, albeit in a small window. But after a poor showing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and an AHL demotion last season, it's an important resurgence, especially as he's set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer."I hope people understand that there was always a very good goalie there," Ducks' goalie coach Sudarshan Maharaj told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. "And I don’t want to use the word resurrection but I believe and I hope that what he has done has certainly drawn the attention of the people that are paying attention. Because he deserves it."For his part, Bernier is happy to be a meaningful and consistent contributor to a winning team."It’s been a nice stretch just to play a lot of games and feel good about yourself and the work that you put in, that you get rewarded."The Ducks, too, are also reaping the rewards.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Halak is back.The New York Islanders recalled goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the NHL club announced Thursday.He went 17-7-1 with a 2.15 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts in 27 AHL games this season.The veteran netminder was demoted after clearing waivers on New Year's Eve.He won only six of his 21 NHL appearances to begin the campaign, going 6-8-5 with a 3.23 GAA and .904 save percentage with the Islanders, who underachieved collectively before the firing of head coach Jack Capuano in January.Three teams reportedly expressed interest in Halak before the trade deadline, but New York held on to the 31-year-old, who is under contract for this season and next at a cap hit of $3.55 million.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Andrew Cogliano doesn't always get the headlines, but he's proven to be an invaluable piece of the Anaheim Ducks' core and one of the NHL's most reliable players for nearly a decade.Cogliano reached another milestone Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, and the latest feat in his remarkable run further emphasizes just how impressive the streak has been.The veteran forward played in his 777th consecutive contest, passing Craig Ramsay to take sole possession of the fourth-longest ironman streak in league history.Cogliano tied Ramsay on Sunday, three months after passing St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester for fifth on the all-time list and securing the longest active consecutive games streak in the process.Incredibly, he hasn't missed a game in his NHL career, which began with the Oilers in 2007-08 after they selected him 25th overall in the 2005 draft.Assuming he's able to play the remaining nine games on Anaheim's regular-season schedule, that would give him an astounding 10 seasons without sitting out a single contest.He could then catch former NHL forward Steve Larmer for third all time if he plays another full season and the first 16 games in 2018-19.RankPlayerConsecutive GP1Doug Jarvis9642Garry Unger9143Larmer8844Cogliano7775Ramsay776Cogliano hasn't been a typical first-round talent, but he averaged 14 goals in his nine previous campaigns and he's already equaled that figure this season.The 29-year-old is often overshadowed by Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, and Ryan Kesler on a Ducks squad that's loaded with talent up front, but he's playing top-six minutes and is also one of the league's best penalty killers.Cogliano isn't flashy and his skills are sometimes underappreciated, but he deserves more credit for what he provides and for the fact that he's done it for almost 10 years straight.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders seem to be getting their money's worth after all.Eyebrows across the league were raised after general manager Garth Snow signed veteran winger Andrew Ladd to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract last summer after allowing both Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to jet as unrestricted free agents.The questions only grew louder as Ladd proceeded to score three goals through October and November.But in scoring the game-winning goal against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, Ladd reached 20 for the sixth time in his career, while more importantly, helping the Islanders move within two points of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference."Obviously it was a very tough start for me, but I found a way to get a couple to go and found the confidence to start to play the right way," he said on the NHL Network following the win.Ladd only has eight assists to go with the 20 goals, and that contract continues to sit heavy against the salary cap. But for the time being, however, he's making good on it by finding the back of the net and giving the Islanders a fighting chance, neither of which seemed likely a few months ago.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.â–² Leaning on LeonConnor McDavid is getting most of the attention around the hockey world these days (and rightfully so), but another Edmonton Oilers forward has outperformed the phenom as of late.In fact, over the past two weeks, Leon Draisaitl has recorded more points than any other player in the NHL.PlayerTeamGamesGoalsAssistsPointsLeon DraisaitlOilers721012Sidney CrosbyPenguins77411Connor McDavidOilers74711Nicklas BackstromCapitals711011It's a small sample size to be sure, but Draisaitl - who was drafted third overall the year prior to McDavid's arrival - is proving to be a key piece of the puzzle for the suddenly successful Oilers.â–¼ Bruins lacking biteA three-game losing streak has bumped the Boston Bruins out of third place in the Atlantic Division and put them in danger of losing their playoff spot altogether.Over the past week, the Bruins fell prey to Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa, losing all three games in regulation. Overtaken by the Maple Leafs in the division standings, Boston now sits only two points ahead of the New York Islanders in the race for the second wild-card spot, and with one less game to play than the Brooklynites.Boston does have a 70.6 percent chance of making the playoffs as compared to 35.7 for the Islanders (per Sports Club Stats), and defenseman Torey Krug has said flat out the team won't fall out of the postseason picture after two years of doing so.Still, late March is not a great time to pile up losses.â–² Blues singing a different tune(Photos courtesy: Action Images)Since the decision was made to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock and promote assistant and heir apparent Mike Yeo to the position of bench boss, the St. Louis Blues have posted one of the best records around the league.In 22 games played since Feb. 1, the Blues have gone 15-7-0, amassing 30 points, tied for fifth among all teams in that span. More recently, the Blues have won eight of ten games in the month of March, and are riding a three-game winning streak.Add it all up, and St. Louis has jumped out of a wild-card spot and into third place in the Central Division, setting up a possible first-round series with the Minnesota Wild, a team trending in the opposite direction.â–¼ Burns losing grip on NorrisOnce thought to be a lock for the Norris Trophy as well as a possible Hart Trophy candidate, San Jose's Brent Burns is struggling at both ends of the ice and rapidly losing ground to Ottawa's Erik Karlsson as a result.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Roman Polak will answer to the NHL Department of Player Safety following a boarding call on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, the league announced.The play occurred in the third period of Wednesday's contest. Polak was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct, while Bjorkstrand left with an injury and didn't return.A quick decision is expected, with the Maple Leafs back in action Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NEW YORK - Andrew Ladd scored the tiebreaking goal with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period and the New York Islanders rallied for 3-2 victory over the crosstown-rival Rangers on Wednesday night.Anders Lee had a goal and an assist, and Nikolay Kulemin also scored for the Islanders, who pulled two points behind Boston for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Thomas Greiss stopped 34 shots.Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash scored, and Antti Raanta finished with 25 saves for the Rangers, who remained six points behind Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division.The Islanders, who beat the Rangers for the third time in four games this season and seven of eight over the last two, won for just the second time in six games (1-3-1). The Islanders also improved to 17-9-4 since interim coach Doug Weight replaced the fired Jack Capuano.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The rare teachable moment for Mike Babcock.The Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to defend an on-ice personnel disparity for almost seven minutes Wednesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets because their coach decided not to send a man over the boards to serve a five-minute major penalty assessed to Roman Polak.It's unclear why Babcock hesitated on the decision (or how the rationale hasn't burned him previously after more than 1,100 games behind an NHL bench) but coaches do have the option to wait on that selection, instead sending a player to the box during a stoppage.In most cases, the whistle will come. But it's not something Babcock will take for granted again."It's all my fault .. that will never happen again," Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton."I can tell you I will never wait to put a guy in. You're going whether you like it or not."As it turns out, the penalty killers picked up their coach. Columbus was without a shot more than four minutes into its power-play try, as the Maple Leafs clamped down on the opposition even well before the near-two-minute bonus was inadvertently added.Toronto scored twice more after the kill, earning a massive 5-2 win.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

COLUMBUS - William Nylander and Leo Komarov each had a goal and an assist and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Wednesday night.Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri also scored, and Frederik Andersen had 32 saves as Toronto stayed in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division. Nikita Zaitsev scored an empty-net goal after the Blue Jackets pulled their goalie for a sixth skater near the end.David Savard and Brandon Saad scored for Columbus, which lost for the first time in the last five games. Backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped 26 shots. The Blue Jackets stayed in third place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind leader Washington and one behind Pittsburgh. They play the Capitals in Washington on Thursday night.The Blue Jackets fought back from a 2-0 first-period deficit to tie the game in the second, but were held scoreless in the final period, despite playing with a man advantage for nearly seven minutes because Toronto had failed to put a player in the box to serve a penalty.Toronto struck first with 8:55 left in the opening period when the Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski turned the puck over deep in the defensive zone. Nazem Kadri collected it and chipped to Komarov, who beat Korpisalo from the doorstep.The Maple Leafs took a 2-0 lead less than two minutes later on a power play when 19-year-old rookie Matthews, in the right place at the right time for a rebound, tucked in his team-leading 33rd goal of the season.Columbus closed it to 2-1 just 43 seconds into the second period. Savard buried a slap shot from the right dot off a sweet pass from Brandon Dubinsky from behind the goal line. The Blue Jackets tied it 6:58 into the period when Saad deflected in a Werenski shot from the left point.Toronto answered 6:37 left in the period, making 3-2 on a goal by another of its sensational rookies. Nylander, after being leveled by Savard and recovering, caught up with Tyler Bozak pass, found himself on a breakaway and wristed a shot in off the top bar.A hard-hitting game was punctuated by Toronto's Roman Polak, who unloaded a hit that plastered Oliver Bjorkstrand face first hit into the glass, earning the big defenseman a five-minute major penalty. Bjorkstrand crumpled to the ice and looked as if he may have been unconscious briefly before being helped off.The Leafs failed to send a player to the box to serve the penalty so ended up playing a man down for close to seven minutes. But the Blue Jackets couldn't capitalize.Kadri swept in an insurance goal off a rebound with 4:14 left in the game, and Zaitsev had the empty-netter with 2:47 left.NOTES: Nylander has three goals and six assists in a career-high nine-game point streak. ... Columbus C Alexander Wennberg returned the lineup after missing Sunday's game with a stiff neck. ... Columbus signed forwards Markus Hannikainen and Lukas Sedlak, and D Scott Harrington to two-year contract extensions this week. All would have been restricted free agents this summer. ... Blue Jackets F Scott Hartnell was a healthy scratch.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

William Nylander is into the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie record book.The exceptional, often-overlooked Maple Leafs freshman equaled a franchise rookie mark Wednesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets, extending his point streak to nine games with a primary assist on Auston Matthews' 33rd goal of the season.Nylander hit the lucrative 20-goal mark on a breakaway in the second period, counting his first multi-point outing on the streak. He has three goals and seven assists over that span, upping his total to 54 points.Nylander shares the point streak record with Gus Bodnar, Bob Nevin, and Dan Daoust, who collected at least one point over nine consecutive games in their rookie campaigns. He'll have an opportunity to break that record Thursday when the Maple Leafs host the New Jersey Devils in the second half of a back-to-back.In this incredible rookie class, Nylander isn't the first to nab at least a share of a rookie record. Surprisingly, that distinction belongs to Zach Hyman, whose three shorthanded goals are the most by a Toronto rookie. But the two rookies who have hogged the applause this season will soon join them.Matthews is within one goal of Wendel Clark's franchise mark, while Mitch Marner's next assist will be No. 40, which would match the standard Bodnar established in 1943-44.Both Matthews and Marner could potentially exceed Peter Ihnacak's rookie record of 66 points.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tough words for Dmitry Kulikov.Traded to the Buffalo Sabres as part of a draft-day deal, the veteran blue-liner was expected to stabilize the team's defensive core. But Kulikov hasn't been a fit in Western New York, and a season riddled by injuries hasn't helped matters.On June 25, the Sabres sent rearguard Mark Pysyk and two draft picks to the Florida Panthers to bring Kulikov to Buffalo, with the belief he'd round out a blue-line core of Rasmus Ristolainen, Jake McCabe, and Zach Bogosian.But following a fluke play where he was checked into an open bench door during preseason play, sustaining a back injury, Kulikov missed the season opener and has continued to fight the injury bug all season.Kulikov has appeared in 39 games but has missed 35 others with a host of ailments. He's currently sidelined with an upper-body concern and hasn't dressed since March 4."Right now we can all sit here and say it didn't work out," Sabres general manager Tim Murray told WGR550 on Tuesday.The Sabres believed they were bringing in the defenseman who was a mainstay in Sunrise for seven seasons, as Kulikov posted 138 points over 460 games with the Panthers. He's scored just two points through 39 games with the Sabres.A pending unrestricted free agent, Kulikov is unlikely to return to Buffalo. That fact was no more evident than when the Sabres entertained trade talk surrounding Kulikov at the deadline but evidently couldn't complete a deal. A clean slate is surely in the cards for both sides this summer.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues forward Paul Stastny is sidelined week to week after suffering a lower-body injury Tuesday versus the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced.Stastny has 18 goals and 22 assists in 66 games this season.The 31-year-old center is signed through 2017-18.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Markus Granlund's breakthrough campaign was realized through unfavorable circumstances.Two days after the Vancouver Canucks announced Granlund would have season-ending surgery, a report out of Finland revealed the center suffered significant damage to his wrist in late October:

Eddie Lack, suddenly good enough.The Carolina Hurricanes netminder has been on a tear since coach Bill Peters eviscerated his shoddy performance following a March 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning."There were 16 shots, four went in," Peters said at the time. "Not good enough. You look at his numbers in the league, they're not good enough."Since Peters' rant, Lack has earned four starts from his coach, and has seemingly turned the corner on his season, winning three outings, with his save percentage skyrocketing to .945.Date RangeStartsRecordGAASV%March 5 - 1843-1-01.51.945Feb - March 141-2-13.01.882Before Nov. 841-2-13.80.856It's been a trying season for the Swedish goaltender, who missed nearly three months after suffering a concussion in early November. With his game now back on track, Lack has been a key player for Carolina as the club looks to make a late charge at a postseason berth.The Hurricanes have just one regulation loss in their past 10 contests, and sit six points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the East's final wild-card spot. Carolina has 11 games remaining on the season, with their next game coming Thursday in Montreal.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The King is soon returning.He won't play Wednesday night, but New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will be back between the pipes for the club's upcoming road trip to California, head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed Wednesday.Lundqvist has been out of the lineup since March 7 with a hip injury, but is back to full health and is expected to make two of three starts on the trip.He's clearly itching to get back into game action, as he wanted to play Wednesday night against the Islanders, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Instead, the team will give him a few more days off as a precaution before facing off with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.Lundqvist has posted a record of 30-17-2 in 51 appearances this season, while recording a save percentage of .923.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin will look extra spiffy Thursday when his Washington Capitals host the Columbus Blue Jackets.For warmup only, Ovi will don some fancy custom-painted skates, paying homage to his native Russia and his American home, Washington, D.C. on Russian Heritage Night at the Verizon Center.Take a look:

The Montreal Canadiens didn't necessarily have to beat the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, but they probably should have. Instead, the Habs fell 2-1 in overtime on a rather fancy goal from Anthony Mantha.The loss continued a recent trend in which Montreal's top guns have lacked their usual offensive spark. Over the past nine games, the Canadiens' first line has produced just two goals, both coming from Max Pacioretty in a 4-1 win over Edmonton on March 12.Those struggles led head coach Claude Julien to split up his usual top-line trio of Alexander Radulov, Alex Galchenyuk, and Pacioretty late in the game against Detroit.Julien then shuffled his lines at practice Wednesday, moving Galchenyuk to the wing beside Andrew Shaw and Arturri Lehkonen, while Phillip Danault was reunited with Pacioretty and Radulov as the first-unit center.Ostensibly, putting the more skilled player in Galchenyuk between Montreal's top two wingers makes sense for a No. 1 line, but Radulov and Pacioretty have been much more productive while flanking Danault this season.CombinationTime on ice (minutes)GoalsAssistsPointsRadulov-Galchenyuk-Pacioretty1350-1-33-2-23-3-5Radulov-Danault-Pacioretty3373-3-86-5-59-8-13(All stats listed at five-on-five, courtesy corsica.hockey)It should be noted that Danault's sample size on the top line is much larger than Galchenyuk's, who missed a significant portion of Montreal's schedule with a knee injury.Whether Julien opts to run his new variations on Thursday versus Carolina remains to be seen, but either way, the Canadiens will certainly need their top players to start producing in order to fend off the lurking Ottawa Senators for the Atlantic Division title.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Somehow, the Blackhawks always find a way.Much has been made of Chicago's salary cap casualties during its run off success over the past nine years, but general manager Stan Bowman continues to surround his core with a capable supporting cast.Case in point: During Tuesday's loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Richard Panik became the sixth Blackhawk to record at least 20 goals this season.Panik joined Patrick Kane (32), Artemi Panarin (24), Marian Hossa (23), Artem Anisimov (22), and Jonathan Toews (20) in the team's 20-goal club, and rookie Ryan Hartman - who's scored 18 - could soon be next.As it stands, this is the first time since 2009-10 that Chicago has had six 20-goal scorers. That season, of course, marked Chicago's first of three Stanley Cup wins, and the Blackhawks' depth up front this season suggests another long run is quite possible.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Among the host of restricted free agents who'll be seeking new contracts this summer, David Pastrnak's case should be as open and shut as they come.In just his third NHL season, the Boston Bruins winger is already displaying star potential, with the look of a potential franchise cornerstone.Pastrnak, who turns 21 on May 25, is causing many to question how he dropped to 25th overall at the 2014 NHL Draft. Among all players from that class, he ranks first in career goals (56) and second in total points (116), trailing Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl by only nine while appearing in 18 fewer games.Pastrnak's career totals have been dramatically boosted by the 31 goals (tied for sixth among all players) and 32 assists he's recorded this season, which have him among the top 20 point producers in the NHL.With all that in mind, Pastrnak deserves a sizable extension - both in terms of length and dollars.Consider the comparablesHere's a look at six players who, over the past two offseasons, have signed deals worth at least $6 million annually with a minimum length of six years:PlayerTeamYearsValueCap hitVladimir TarasenkoBlues8$60M$7.5MJohnny GaudreauFlames6$40.5M$6.75MSean MonahanFlames7$44.625M$6.375MNathan MacKinnonAvalanche7$44.1M$6.3MMark ScheifeleJets8$49M$6.125MFilip ForsbergPredators6$36M$6MBrandon SaadBlue Jackets6$36M$6MOf that group, only Tarasenko and Scheifele have put up more points than Pastrnak this season, and, as pointed out lower down, few in recent years have put up comparable numbers at his age.A contract in the range above, then, wouldn't be a crazy ask on Pastrnak's part.What they're saying in BostonTy Anderson of WEEI shed some light on just how impressive Pastrnak's season has been:

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will have a hearing Thursday afternoon for his hit on Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel on Tuesday night, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.You can see the play here:Guentzel, who wasn't in control of the puck at the time of impact, was later diagnosed with a concussion. Ristolainen was issued a five-minute major for interference and was ejected.If a suspension is looming for Ristolainen, it will interrupt a strong offensive season, as he leads all Buffalo blue-liners with 44 points in 72 games.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

When former head coach Patrick Roy bolted on the Colorado Avalanche just weeks before the 2016-17 season, many wondered how they'd adjust.To sum it up 72 games into the season: not well.Colorado's dead last in the NHL, an astounding 20 points behind 29th-place Arizona. The Avalanche rank 30th in goals per game (1.94), goals allowed per game (3.29), and goal differential (-98).So, what happened?"If I had an answer, I'd give it to you," defenseman Erik Johnson told Terry Frei of the Denver Post. "It's tough to put into words the way this season has gone."The Avalanche have amounted a paltry 43 points this season so far. To put that into perspective, last year's 30th-place club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished with 69, a bar not even possible for Colorado to reach. Furthermore, the 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres, who basically admitted to tanking in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, still reached 54 points."I think up and down the organization, everything needs to be assessed, and I'm sure it will," Johnson said. "We're the worst team in 20 years and that falls on us first and foremost, the top players on this team."The Avalanche are in fact on pace for the lowest point total (48) since the Atlanta Thrashers finished their debut season with 39 points in 1999-00.Johnson added: "There obviously needs to be changes somewhere and I'm sure (general manager) Joe (Sakic) will do that because he's not oblivious to what's gone on here."Sakic is expected to orchestrate some changes this summer, especially after neglecting to deal Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog - two valuable pieces heavily rumored to have been on the trade block.Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.