When Nashville Predators general manager David Poile traded for Filip Forsberg, he struck absolute gold.Poile snatched the 11th overall pick in 2012 from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Martin Erat and Michael Latta in April of 2013, a move that has paid huge dividends for the Predators, as they look like contenders heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Thursday night, Forsberg etched his name in the Predators history books by scoring his 33rd goal of the season, tying the franchise record set by Jason Arnott in 2008-09.Not bad for a 21-year-old.Forsberg's career season has drawn the praise of his Predators teammates, including captain Shea Weber."That's pretty impressive," Weber told John Glennon of The Tennessean. "He's a special player, a special talent. We're fortunate to have him on our team. You forget how young he is sometimes and how much he's going to keep getting better and growing. It's a great thing for him."Preds head coach Peter Laviolette echoed the praise of Forsberg's impressive campaign."Filip's been a really strong player for us, especially in the second half of the season. It's nice to see him follow that up from his first year and what he was able to do."Forsberg has one more game to attempt to break the franchise record, a Saturday night affair with the Central Division leading Dallas Stars.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Americans are turning to the Devil - New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes, that is.Hynes was named head coach of the American squad at the upcoming World Championship, USA Hockey announced Friday."John has been involved with U.S. teams on multiple occasions in the past and we're excited to have him leading our team at the Men's World Championship," Jim Johansson, USA Hockey's assistant executive director of hockey operations, said. "John's teams are always well prepared and his extensive knowledge of our player pool is a big benefit as well."The tournament takes place May 6-22 in Russia.Hynes was head coach of the U.S. national team's development program from 2003-09.The Devils are 37-36-8 in Hynes' first season behind the bench, and will not take part in the playoffs.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Not long ago, the thought of Braden Holtby eclipsing Martin Brodeur's record for wins in a season was all but a certainty. Now, though, after the Capitals lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night, the best Holtby can do is tie.Holtby is stuck at 47 wins - one shy of Brodeur's record-setting mark - with two Capitals games remaining on back-to-back nights. Head coach Barry Trotz has no intention of risking an injury for an individual accolade, so backup Philipp Grubauer will earn one of the starts."Absolutely not. They'll split them," Trotz said when asked if he would change his plan for the netminders."We've lost two games in overtime and he could have had the record," the head coach added. "And we had two cracks at it and we didn't get it for him."Holtby, however, was more concerned with his team's effort against the surging Penguins, who topped the Caps 4-3 in overtime."The work ethic wasn't there, the execution, nothing was," Holtby said. "I don't even know how we were brought back to overtime."Washington has lost five-of-seven, and three consecutive for the first time all season, which isn't good enough for Holtby and the Capitals, who have high expectations for the playoffs."It was a big challenge tonight going against the hottest team in the league and hopefully we realize that we're a lot better team than that," the netminder said. "We need to work. Things don't come easy in this league."Things don't get any easier for the Capitals or Holtby's quest for win No. 48, as Washington travels to St. Louis on Saturday, and will host the Anaheim Ducks to close out the season Sunday night.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mike Modano knows a thing or two about scoring goals.The former first overall pick scored 561 times during his career, second most among American NHLers all time. He was a perennial All-Star, scoring 30 or more goals multiple times - and 50 once - in the high-scoring 1990s. And he has an idea why goals are trending downward:

The New York Islanders earned a big win over the Rangers on Thursday night, but it wasn't all good news for the Isles, as forward Anders Lee is out indefinitely with a broken left fibula, the team announced Friday.Lee left the game in the first period after being hit by a slap shot from teammate Johnny Boychuk, who notoriously has one of the hardest shots in the league.Lee will undergo tests to determine whether he needs surgery, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday Sports.It's a tough blow to the Islanders' depth as they gear up for the playoffs. The 25-year-old flanked the wing on a line with Brock Nelson and Shane Prince, and also worked on the Islanders' first power-play unit.In his second full season with the club, Lee scored 15 goals with 21 assists in 80 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Philadelphia Flyers are alive. That's all that matters at this point. But one of them won't be come Monday morning.TeamPointsROWGR Detroit (3rd in Atlantic)93391Boston (wild card No. 2)93381Philadelphia92362Here's how each team can get in:FlyersThe Flyers' task is simple in theory: Win their final two games, and they're into the playoffs as a wild card. Problem is, they play a back-to-back, at home against Pittsburgh (winners of eight straight) on Saturday and in Brooklyn against the playoff-bound Islanders on Sunday.Red WingsDetroit's currently the third playoff team in the Atlantic with 93 points and 39 regulation and overtime wins (ROW). Thanks to the tiebreaker over Boston - one more ROW than the Bruins heading into game No. 82 for both teams - the Red Wings control their own fate. Win Saturday against the Rangers on the road (12:30 p.m. ET) and they're in, setting up a date with the Tampa Bay Lightning.BruinsIf the Red Wings lose in any fashion, and the Bruins win in any fashion in Ottawa on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET), the Bruins are the Atlantic's third-place team and into the playoffs. If the Red Wings win and the Bruins win Saturday afternoon, all eyes in Boston turn to the Flyers. Should the Bruins pick up a ROW, the only way they can be bumped by the Flyers is by Philadelphia winning its final two games.It's a bit complicated, if we really get down to the specifics, and go into overtime and shootout losses and loser points. What you read above is what teams need to do to get in, period.All in all, it could come down to the last game of the regular season on Sunday night, Flyers and Islanders, to finalize the playoff picture. Yes, please.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

LOS ANGELES - Late in a draining season, the Los Angeles Kings are glad to be in prime position to win the Pacific Division title. They're even happier to get one over on the Anaheim Ducks just in case these local rivals meet again in the playoffs in a couple of weeks.Milan Lucic and Kris Versteeg scored 93 seconds apart in the second period, and the Kings closed in on just the second division title in franchise history with a 2-1 victory over Anaheim on Thursday night.Jonathan Quick made 19 saves for the Kings, who opened a two-point lead on the Ducks atop the Pacific Division by snapping their three-game losing streak in the Freeway Faceoff rivalry series.The three-time defending Pacific champion Ducks still have a game in hand, but the Kings would clinch their first division title since the 1990-91 Smythe Division crown with a home victory over Winnipeg on Saturday in their regular-season finale.''We have a lot of work left to do, one massive game ahead of us, but home ice is very important,'' Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. ''The pride thing is important. I'm sure the Kings have probably won one division. Have they won any? I should know that. But it's important to us.''Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker if the clubs finish tied atop the Pacific. The Ducks must visit Colorado on Saturday and NHL-leading Washington on Sunday to make up a snow-postponed game.''That's what you want,'' Doughty said ''You don't want to be relying on other teams to beat other teams, and other teams to lose. We've relied on other teams before, and it didn't go so well for us. This year, we were really focused on determining our own destiny.''The Pacific title looks nice in the rafters, but doesn't mean much from a practical standpoint: The winner faces Nashville in the first round, while the second-place finisher gets shorter flights against San Jose.Ryan Kesler scored an early goal and John Gibson stopped 27 shots for Anaheim, which has lost three of four. While the Ducks lamented a lack of offensive punch, they also realize next week's games are more important than another banner.''We're playing a pretty good brand of hockey,'' Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. ''I'm not going to fault what they did, either. We've got a few execution things we can shore up, but they got it done tonight and we didn't. We've got to keep pushing along. We've got two games left to get ready for the real thing.''The Freeway Faceoff has reached a new level of enmity since the clubs' memorable seven-game meeting in the second round of the 2014 playoffs. After the Kings missed last season's playoffs and the Ducks finished one game short of the Stanley Cup Final, the local rivals would be ticketed for another second-round matchup if they can get past San Jose and Nashville.''I think it was a playoff atmosphere, (but) I don't think it was a physical game,'' Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. ''We didn't do any of the hitting that I thought we were capable of. ... They outworked us for two periods. It wasn't the recipe that we've had when we've been in this building before, so they were pretty determined.''After Kesler scored his 21st goal on a slick pass from Jakob Silfverberg, Lucic evened it 28 seconds into the second period. Versteeg then put the Kings ahead with a goal on the rebound of his own deflection of Brayden McNabb's shot.Gibson went to the Ducks' dressing room early in the third period to fix a problem with his left skate blade, forcing backup Anton Khudobin to play 71 seconds in his first NHL action since Nov. 24. Co-starter Frederik Andersen is sidelined with a concussion, but hopes to be back for the playoffs.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Here's what the postseason matchups look like following Thursday's games:Eastern ConferenceTeamTeamSeason SeriesA1 PanthersW1 RangersRangers 2-1A2 LightningA3 Red WingsTied 2-2M1 CapitalsW2 BruinsCapitals 3-0M2 PenguinsM3 IslandersPenguins 3-1

CALGARY, Alberta - Mikael Backlund had his first NHL hat trick to help the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Thursday night.Backlund scored on a power play, at even strength and short-handed. The 27-year-old Swede has a career-high 21 goals after scoring only five goals through his first 50 games.Dougie Hamilton, Joe Colborne, Deryk Engelland and Sam Bennett also scored for Calgary.Nikita Tryamkin scored his first NHL goal, and Bo Horvat and Emerson Etem also scored for Vancouver.Backlund's third goal came with 52 seconds remaining in the second period on a nice play by Matt Stajan. On a 2-on-1, Stajan sent a perfect saucer pass over the stick of Ben Hutton that landed on the stick of Backlund, who fired a high shot over Ryan Miller to make it 5-3.As he stood with his arms thrust in the air in jubilation, hats came raining down from the Scotiabank Saddledome crowd.Backlund gave the Flames a 3-2 lead 1:18 into the second, also off Stajan's pass. After mishandling the pass, Backlund, from below the goal line, banked the puck in off of Miller.Etem's goal at 6:54 tied it at 3, but Colborne gave the Flames the lead for good at 11:54. Also enjoying a career-best season, Colborne's scored his 19th when he deflected in Hamilton's point shot.Backlund opened the scoring at 2:47, converting a nice pass from Jakub Nakladal.The Canucks tied it at 6:23 when Tryamkin's shot from the blue line deflected off Hunter Shinkaruk and slipped through the pads of Joni Ortio.Horvat briefly gave Vancouver its only lead at 17:36 before Hamilton tied it 32 seconds later.The Flames had the edge in shots 43-27.Miller gave up seven goals for just the fourth time in his career and the first time since Feb. 13, 2011.Notes: Drew Shore was recalled from Stockton of the AHL and made his Flames season debut. ... Niklas Backstrom will start against his former team in Calgary's final game Saturday in Minnesota.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders could be without Anders Lee for a while.Lee was hit by a slap shot taken by teammate Johnny Boychuk in the first period Thursday night against the New York Rangers, and he may have suffered a significant injury.

The Dallas Stars can still clinch the top seed in the Western Conference, but Vladimir Tarasenko made absolutely sure it didn't happen Thursday night.The St. Louis Blues star scored the winner in overtime to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing the Stars to wait until Saturday for another chance to lock up home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.The Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the night, but they needed both a win and a Blackhawks victory in regulation to clinch the No. 1 seed.Chicago led the Blues 1-0 late in the third period, but Tarasenko delayed Dallas' celebration and set a new career high for goals in a season when he scored the game-tying marker.The Stars and Blues are tied atop the conference with 107 points, but Dallas has three more regulation-or-overtime wins, which would serve as the tiebreaker if necessary.It'll be decided Saturday when the Stars face the Nashville Predators and the Blues battle the Washington Capitals.Tarasenko has 39 goals and 73 points in 79 games.(Videos courtesy: NHL.com)Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Tampa Bay Lightning might be injury-riddled, but they'll at least have one edge early in the postseason.The Lightning clinched second place in the Atlantic Division with a victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, ensuring home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.They'll play the opening series without Steven Stamkos, while Victor Hedman and Ryan Callahan are still sidelined with their respective injuries.Tampa Bay improved to 46-30-5 with 97 points, four behind the first-place Florida Panthers and four ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.The Lightning travel to Montreal for their regular-season finale Saturday against the Canadiens.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have secured home-ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.The club clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to a New York Rangers loss to the New York Islanders meaning they will host the third-place team in the division.The club opened the playoffs last season on the road against the Rangers, a series they would drop 4-1.If the playoffs were to begin today, the Penguins would face the Islanders in a first-round matchup.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jonathan Drouin is doing his best to reconcile with his Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.The 21-year-old slid a puck through the legs of New Jersey Devils goaltender Keith Kinkaid early in the third period of Thursday's game to give his club a 3-1 lead.The goal comes hours after the Lightning summoned him from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.The goal is his first with the club since Dec. 2 and his first with the team since news broke in January that he requested a trade from the Lightning.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Try telling Erik Karlsson he has nothing left to play for.The Ottawa Senators defenseman picked up an assist on Mika Zibanejad's first-period goal against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, and it was a historic helper.Karlsson's assist gave him 81 points this season, moving him past Nicklas Lidstrom for the most in an NHL campaign by a Swedish defenseman.The Senators blue-liner matched the legendary former Detroit Red Wings rearguard with his 80th point Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.His 65 assists and 81 points are both career highs.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers are dipping into the college ranks to bolster their goaltending.The Oilers signed Providence netminder Nick Ellis to a two-year, entry-level contract Thursday night.Ellis went 25-7-4 with a 1.80 GAA, a .936 save percentage and four shutouts in 36 games with the Friars this season, posting a career mark of 30-9-5 with a 1.90 GAA, a .931 save percentage and five shutouts in 48 contests.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL and its players reportedly plan to broach the possibility of banning meldonium in the offseason."The National Hockey League and NHLPA are expected to sit down in the summer and address the issue of meldonium and whether it goes on to the banned substances list," TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."More than half of the players in Russia's Under-18 evaluation camp reportedly tested positive for the drug, which Maria Sharapova was recently penalized for taking.Meldonium isn't on the NHL's list of banned substances because the World Anti-Doping Agency only added it to theirs on Jan. 1.Players participating in the upcoming World Championship can be tested for meldonium, while testing at the World Cup of Hockey will be done by the NHL and NHLPA, so that will depend on what the two sides determine in the summer, according to McKenzie.Russia will reportedly send its Under-17 team to the Under-18 tournament as a result of the positive tests.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Michel Therrien's job appears to be safe, for now.Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is expected to give Therrien a vote of confidence either this weekend or early next week, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment.According to Dreger, Bergevin would like to give Therrien another chance with the team next season, with a healthy lineup at his disposal.The Canadiens will miss the playoffs this season for the first time in four years, one season removed from capturing the Atlantic Division title.The team has been decimated by injuries with Carey Price, P.K. Subban, and Brendan Gallagher - among others - missing significant time.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mike Fisher 1, Carrie Underwood 0.The Nashville Predators forward got one over on his country star wife, scoring a surprise duet with Garth Brooks."How is it that my hubby gets to sing with THE (Garth Brooks) before I do?" Underwood wrote on Instagram early Thursday morning."As payback, I think I'll try to see if Wayne Gretzky wants to play a pick up hockey game sometime!"Please let that happen.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tyler Ennis is feeling good again.For the first time since suffering a concussion Dec. 30, Ennis returned to Sabres practice, and he couldn't be happier."Today was a great day," Ennis told John Vogl of The Buffalo News. "It was fun to be with the team. It's so fun to be out there, joke around with the boys. I'm in a good mood."Ennis sustained the injury on a bruising hit from Alex Ovechkin, and admitted there were dark days in overcoming the concussion."It's a really difficult thing," Ennis said. "I went through a lot of different emotions, a lot of ups and downs, so yeah, there's really bad days. There's days where you feel great and there's days where it's tough. To say I wasn't scared at some point would probably be a lie, but I feel so good right now. I feel great. I feel 100 percent.""I wish we could play 82 more games," he added.The Sabres center hasn't been cleared for contact, and won't suit up for the final two games on Buffalo's schedule.He registered 11 points in 23 games before the injury.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Martin Hanzal's season is over.Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett confirmed Thursday afternoon that Hanzal will be shut down for the final two games of the season, as he's still recovering from an upper-body injury."It's disappointing. He's a key part of our team. Hopefully he can get healthy soon and be ready to go next season," Tippett said.Hanzal has been out of the Coyotes' lineup since March 31, marking another season cut short by injury for the centerman.Since 2010-11, the 29-year-old hasn't played more than 65 games in a season.Hanzal finishes the campaign sitting fifth on the Coyotes in scoring, with 13 goals and 28 assists in 64 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The injury-riddled Chicago Blackhawks are turning to a familiar face to fill their depleted lineup.With forwards Artem Anisimov, Andrew Shaw, and Marian Hossa on the shelf nursing injuries, Chicago recalled former playoff hero Bryan Bickell in hopes he can return to form.After accumulating only two points in 23 games with the Blackhawks this season, Bickell was sent to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs, where he put up 31 points in 44 contests.Bickell's grit translated to success for Chicago in the past, something he knows he must find again to stay in the NHL.Bickell said he needs to "be physical and bring back those playoff days where I'm physical every shift and being a force out there," according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.For their part, Blackhawks players are happy to have Bickell back in the room as well."We all love Bicks as a guy and I think we're all hoping that he can recapture the player he was and the player he can be," winger Patrick Kane said.Duncan Keith, who is serving the fourth game of his six-game suspension, also knows what Bickell is capable of."Baby steps. Work it in slowly and get that confidence back and anything can happen," Keith said.But Keith was also quick to poke fun at his teammate.

Patrik Laine's going to be one excellent consolation prize.While Auston Matthews is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the coming NHL draft, Laine is expected to be a lottery selection, and he's showing why in the Finnish Elite League.His second goal of the game was even better:Laine had 17 goals and 16 assists in 46 regular-season games. Those are his fourth and fifth goals of the postseason.Laine was a big part of Finland's gold medal-winning World Junior Hockey Championship team this year, scoring seven goals and adding six assists in seven games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Las Vegas' new T-Mobile Arena will be the site of NHL hockey this fall.The Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings will face off in an exhibition on Oct. 7, and the Kings will play the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 8. The Kings play preseason games annually in Las Vegas as part of their "Frozen Fury" marketing plan.T-Mobile Arena opened Wednesday with a concert by local band The Killers. The site's owners are hoping to house an NHL team full time, with the league mulling over an expansion offer. A decision is expected in June."We are excited to be featured in one of the very first sporting events at the new T-Mobile Arena and we look forward to creating new Frozen Fury memories there," Kings president Luc Robitaille said. "The atmosphere at 'Frozen Fury' is always one of the highlights of our exhibition game schedule and we believe we can take this to a 'next level' in this new environment."Our fans will be excited that there will be two games this season, our 50th anniversary, and we know they - along with our players - are going to love this new state-of-the-art arena."The Stars are stoked, too."We're thrilled to incorporate this trip to Las Vegas into our preseason schedule," Stars president Jim Lites said. "The new T-Mobile Arena is a beautiful facility and we're proud to take part in one of the first sporting events there."T-Mobile Arena was privately financed at a cost of $375 million and has a capacity of 20,000.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After months away from his teammates, Jonathan Drouin is happy to be sharing a rink with the Tampa Bay Lightning once again.Drouin was recalled to the pro club Thursday morning after a tumultuous season that's seen him bounce around the minors and find the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. His agent went public with a trade request in January, Drouin eventually holding out for a deal that never came.For the Lightning, though, it's apparently water under the bridge, as the team welcomed the 21-year-old to practice with a series of stick taps, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times."I'm just here to help the team, help the guys clinch home ice," Drouin said.Tampa Bay players told Smith that Drouin's "part of the family." The Lightning will hope his return can provide an offensive spark, as they've lost three of their last four and totaled only five goals in that span.As for Drouin, he's ready to move on and contribute positively to the defending Eastern Conference champions as they head into the playoffs.

We're in for a good one Thursday night.The Boston Bruins will host the Detroit Red Wings in a game with massive playoff implications. If the Red Wings win, they're in, and their streak of consecutive playoff appearances will run to 25.Detroit played Wednesday night, and did what it needed to do: beat the Philadelphia Flyers. The Red Wings did it in style, with Jimmy Howard recording his first shutout since the season opener in a 3-0 win.Head coach Jeff Blashill is making sure his team is ready to play again 24 hours later, even though the Red Wings arrived at their Boston hotel at 2:45 a.m. ET."We worked on it with our nutritionist and our athletic trainers and strength coach to try to have as good a plan as possible to get rejuvenated," Blashill said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James. "It's physical and mental. We'll find a way to make sure we're at our very best. There'll be zero excuses."Howard's expected to get the start in net after his excellent game Wednesday.The Bruins, meanwhile, have lost two in a row and three of four, their last defeat a 2-1 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. A win will put the Bruins and Red Wings in a tie at 93 points.The Bruins head into Thursday tied with the Flyers at 91 points, but the Flyers hold the second wild-card spot in the East thanks to a game in hand. Boston must win its final two games, and get some help. The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Thursday, so they're almost guaranteed two points."It's still in our hands, so we need to go out there and do our jobs," Patrice Bergeron said, according to CSNNE.com's Joe Haggerty. "The biggest thing is you have to be confident, and you have to believe. But at the same time there are no more chances here. We have to seize it, and go out there and do it."Matt Beleskey is relishing the moment."It's an exciting time of year, and it's do-or-die," he said. "We're going to take it one step at a time, and I think we are an excited group. ... You just need to play our game, and get the emotion going, get the (Garden) going and hopefully that will be what we need to get it done."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

You have to take Mark Stone's word for it.The Ottawa Senators forward hasn't played since March 30, when Dustin Byfuglien sent him into another galaxy with a stunning body check. He talked about the hit Thursday."It's the hardest anyone has ever been hit," Stone said, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch.You'll believe Stone after you watch the hit in slow motion:

Nicklas Backstrom's healthy.The pivot will return to the Washington Capitals' lineup Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Barry Trotz confirmed. Backstrom missed three games with an upper-body injury.Asked if he'd have been able to play with the injury in the playoffs, Backstrom was coy. "Maybe," he said.Backstrom has 20 goals and 47 assists in 73 games.The Capitals have three games left to play in the regular season, and while they've locked up the Presidents' Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs, the games matter. Braden Holtby needs one win to tie Martin Brodeur's single-season record for wins by a goalie, at 48.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As another NHL season winds down, it's time to take stock of those that wear the "C" - the captains. Usually a team's best player, the man with the "C" on his jersey often gets the glory, but also the blame.We're going to rank the captains of all 30 clubs Wednesday through Friday, starting with 30 through 16.Here is the third tier of NHL captains.30. Toronto Maple LeafsThe Maple Leafs traded captain Dion Phaneuf in February. His 400-plus-game tenure was defined by failure - he wore the "C" in Game 7, when the Maple Leafs were up 4-1.Toronto went captainless for two seasons after Mats Sundin - the greatest captain in franchise history - departed. And a similar vacancy is likely in store as the club completes the first season of its rebuild. William Nylander isn't ready. Yet.29. Edmonton OilersTodd McLellan's first season behind the bench in Edmonton saw him go without a captain. Leadership isn't the issue with the Oilers; the club's problems go far deeper. But this we know: Connor McDavid will be the next captain of the Oilers. The only question is, "When?"28. Carolina HurricanesAnother rebuilding club without a captain after trading Eric Staal. All in all, a solid rebuilding season for Bill Peters and co. Jeff Skinner's an option, but Jordan Staal makes sense, too. A captain-less season could be in the cards as well.27. Winnipeg JetsThe Jets traded their captain, Andrew Ladd, to the Chicago Blackhawks before this year's deadline. That opens up the job for Dustin Byfuglien, who's locked up through 2019-20 and one of the most intimidating players in the game. But there's also an argument to be made for Blake Wheeler, one of the criminally underrated players in hockey. There's no wrong answer between the two.26. Andy GreeneAndy Greene is a very Devils captain. He's 33, a stay-at-home defenseman, and a lifelong Devil. He took the job this season, replacing another unheralded defenseman in Bryce Salvador. Green's locked up through 2020, so his job appears safe, but Patrik Elias should wear the "C" if he gets into one more game, likely his last.25. Brian GiontaGionta's a placeholder captain in Buffalo - not that there's anything wrong with that. Signed through next season, he'll likely hand over the gig to Ryan O'Reilly, because, let's face it, Jack Eichel doesn't need that kind of pressure.24. Nick FolignoAfter three seasons without a captain, Nick Foligno donned the "C" in 2015-16, and things haven't gone so well. The club's awful start saw head coach Todd Richards fired, John Tortorella brought in, and Ryan Johansen - thought to be the future of the franchise - traded. Columbus failed to make the playoffs when expectations were arguably the highest they've ever been in Ohio, and Foligno's had one of his worst season's offensively. It can only get better from here.23. Max PaciorettyBeing named captain of the Montreal Canadiens was a dream for Max Pacioretty. It quickly turned into a nightmare. After Montreal went without a captain in 2014-15, Pacioretty's tenure began almost historically but ended in heartbreak. The forward admits the season's been an excellent learning experience, as he tried to take on too much responsibility and his own game suffered."It's definitely been a tough experience, but I have to get better from this and I have to learn what it takes to be a great captain," he said.22. Shane DoanDoan is completing his 11th season as captain of the Coyotes, and they are a young team on the rise. Doan's also scoring, his 27 goals his highest total since 2008-09. The lifelong member of the Coyotes franchise will turn 40 in October, so the end is near, but there's arguably no better captain for a young team like the one in Arizona. He'll pass the torch to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, one of the best defensemen in the league.21. Willie MitchellWillie Mitchell's in his second season as Florida Panthers captain, but unfortunately there's no guarantee he'll get to play in the playoffs. He's been out with a concussion since Jan. 18. It's a shame, because Mitchell is one of the more respected elders in the NHL, and played over 20 minutes a game for the Kings' Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2014.20. Mark GiordanoGiordano's completing his third season as captain of the Calgary Flames, and his production isn't an issue. He hit the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, and his 55 points are a personal best. He plays a ton, and is everything you want from a No. 1 defenseman - and a captain for a young team. He simply needs some help. Especially in goal.19. Henrik SedinSedin took over for Roberto Luongo in 2010, and he's been an exemplary captain. He is one of the (same) two faces of the franchise, he produces, and he plays, missing only 20 games in the past six seasons. Unfortunately, Sedin plays for the directionless Canucks, and will be 36 in September. He'll wear the "C" until he wants to out west, but there's currently no clear candidate to succeed him.18. Gabriel LandeskogThe good news for Gabriel Landeskog: Patrick Roy likes him. And the Colorado Avalanche head coach doesn't seem to like a lot of his players. Only 23, Landeskog's already completing his fourth season with the "C." The team's only been to the playoffs once during that time, and until the Avs succeed, there will be questions as to whether too much was placed on Landeskog's shoulders too soon. Five times a 20-goal scorer, and four times a 50-point producer, Landeskog's the man in Denver until he's not.17. Mikko KoivuKoivu's the perfect Minnesota Wild captain: drafted by the franchise, a solid possession player, responsible defensively, and often good for 50 points. You could do a lot worse.16. Dustin BrownBrown's been captain of the Kings for eight seasons, and he's in the third tier of those with the "C" simply due to a lack of production. But being a captain is about more than scoring goals and racking up points - Brown's a great example. He's clearly an important cog on a Kings team that's been ultra-competitive over the past seven years. And he's a Stanley Cup winner.Check back Thursday as we continue to rank NHL captains, from No. 15 down to No. 6.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Years of draft-pick hoarding and smart selections have produced a bright future for the Toronto Maple Leafs. One of the centerpieces of that future is the No. 5 overall selection from the 2012 draft, Morgan Rielly.A defenseman given the freedom to roam the ice, Rielly is the rare player who makes plays for his team over every square inch of the ice surface.That freedom given to him within the Leafs' system led to a goal during a short-handed situation in Wednesday night's home finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets.With the Leafs down a man early in the second period, Martin Marincin wins a puck battle in the corner of his own zone and chips the puck up the wall to teammate Brooks Laich. At that point, the Blue Jackets have two players below the end line, and another even with Rielly.Rielly elects to join the breakout, and eventually gains a step on his pursuer.Just as the Leafs are about to enter the Blue Jackets' zone, Rielly makes a wide right turn to put himself in perfect position for Frederik Gauthier's drop pass, and create further separation from the Columbus player responsible for defending him.Upon beating his man to the spot, Rielly (44) is left with an uncontested wrister from the top of the right circle. Aided by the traffic in front of the net created by Laich, Rielly's shot finds its way over Sergei Bobrovsky's right shoulder and into the back of the cage for the game's opening tally.For Rielly, the goal was his ninth of the season, establishing a new career high for the third-year pro.(Images courtesy: NHL)Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Stanley Cup-winning former head coach Jacques Demers is recovering in hospital after suffering a stroke.Now serving as an independent senator in Quebec, a spokeswoman for the 71-year-old confirmed he's in hospital, according to The Canadian Press.

Jonathan Drouin is back in the NHL.The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled the forward from the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, general manager Steve Yzerman announced Thursday. A banged-up Lightning squad is in New Jersey to face the Devils on Thursday, so it's assumed he'll be in the lineup.It's been a whirlwind season for Drouin and the Lightning. On Jan. 3, one day after Drouin was sent to the minors in order to get more playing time, Drouin's agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed he requested a trade on behalf of his client in November 2015.After playing seven games for Syracuse in January, scoring twice, Drouin left the team and was subsequently suspended by Tampa Bay. Walsh followed up by saying "it is clearly in both sides' best interests that the Lightning trade Jonathan as there is no reason for Jonathan to continue with the Lightning organization in any capacity."But Yzerman refused to budge. He maintained he'd only make a trade that made sense for the Lightning. And after sitting out almost two months, Drouin, who turned 21 on March 27, returned to Syracuse, ending his self-imposed holdout.Drouin scored seven goals and added an assist in eight games in March, and has two goals for the Crunch in two games in April. He has two goals and six assists in 19 games for the Lightning this season.According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, if Drouin plays in the Lightning's final two games of the regular season, this season will officially count toward his unrestricted free-agency status - "but (Tampa Bay) not concerned with that," he added.

This is what it's come to up in Canada: Dachshunds are playing hockey - and we're watching. And, still, the truth remains: There's nothing like Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens.The playoffs begin April 13. None of the seven Canadian teams in the league will be taking part.Thank God for the dogs.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Backed by a 30-save shutout from Jimmy Howard on Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings picked up a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers, setting up a chance to clinch the playoffs with another victory Thursday against the Boston Bruins.The Red Wings currently sit two points ahead of the Bruins for third place in the Atlantic, with two games remaining for each team. A win of any kind against their division rivals will book their ticket to the postseason for a record 25th consecutive year.Atlantic raceTeam GP W L O PtsRed Wings8041281193Bruins804130991Despite getting outshot 30-26 during Wednesday's win, defenseman Kyle Quincey is confident that if the Red Wings maintain their level of play, they'll be preparing for a first-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning soon.

DETROIT - Jimmy Howard made 30 saves, Darren Helm, Andreas Athanasiou and Kyle Quincey scored for Detroit, and the Red Wings took a step toward a 25th consecutive playoff appearance with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.The Red Wings (93 points) lead Boston (91) in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division. Philadelphia (91) is tied with the Bruins for the second wild card.The Flyers have three games remaining, while Detroit and Boston each have two. The Bruins host the Red Wings on Thursday night.Helm scored in the first period and Athanasiou added a short-handed goal in the second for Detroit, which hasn't missed the postseason since 1990. Quincey's goal was an empty-netter.Howard held on for his second shutout of the season.Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Helm's goal in the first. Philadelphia's Shayne Gostisbehere was trying to help clear the puck by flinging it around behind the net from near the corner, but instead it went toward the goal and bounced in front, where Helm was able to flip it past Flyers goalie Steve Mason for his 13th goal of the season.An even more glaring mistake led to the second goal. Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek let the puck get past him near the boards with the Flyers on the power play. There was nobody back to prevent Athanasiou from going in alone on a breakaway, and his eighth goal of the season made it 2-0.Mason's most impressive sequence came in the second when he stopped a breakaway by Helm, then recovered in time to deny Luke Glendening's follow-up attempt. Voracek hit the crossbar with a wrist shot in the second, and that's the closest the Flyers came to beating Howard.Quincey's empty-net goal with 1:43 left in the game was a strange one. Skating near his own net, he tried to slam the puck around the glass to clear it. The puck bounced out at a weird angle and slid all the way down into the goal.NOTES: This was Detroit's last home game of the regular season. Pavel Datsyuk was honored before the game for reaching 600 assists recently, and fans chanted ''one more year'' at the 37-year-old star, hoping he will remain with the Red Wings. . The short-handed goal was only the second of the season by Detroit. . Philadelphia was without G Michal Neuvirth (lower body) and D Andrew MacDonald (upper body). . Red Wings F Tomas Jurco replaced rookie Anthony Mantha in the lineup.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers concluded their storied history at Rexall Place with a memorable 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.The win was the perfect tribute on a day that was filled with much celebration. Here are some of the best sights from that game:

It appeared Steve Ott was finally nearing a return to the lineup for the first time since injuring both hamstrings after sliding into the boards on Dec. 5, but a separate ailment will keep him off the ice even longer.The St. Louis Blues announced Wednesday that the forward was diagnosed with colitis (inflammation of the lining of the colon) and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.Ott has missed the Blues' last 53 games since undergoing surgery to repair both hamstrings, and had just returned to practice in March.He has two assists in 21 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Patrick Maroon scored twice and the Edmonton Oilers won at Rexall Place for the final time, beating the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 on Wednesday.Nail Yakupov, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Taylor Hall also scored for the Oilers, who snapped a three-game losing skid.Matt Bartkowski and Bo Horvat scored for the Canucks, who had their three-game winning end.It was the final NHL game scheduled to be played at Rexall, with the Oilers moving into a new downtown arena in the fall.The Oilers have played in the building since 1974 when they were in the World Hockey Association.More than 150 Oilers alumni were on hand for the farewell game and lengthy postgame ceremony, including the likes of Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson and Grant Fuhr.The Oilers scored first, 8:27 into the second period when Yakupov brought a puck out of the corner and sent a wrist shot over Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom's shoulder for his eighth goal of the season.Related: VIDEO: Yakupov snipes to open scoring in final game at Rexall PlaceEdmonton made it 2-0 with seven minutes left in the second as Maroon picked off Emerson Etem's pass in front of the Vancouver net and whirled around to score his sixth goal and 12th point in 15 games since joining the Oilers.The Oilers added to their lead with a power-play goal late in the second as McDavid got to a rebound and was able to poke in his 16th of the season.Related: VIDEO: McDavid gets in on 2nd-period barrageThe Canucks got one past Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot five minutes into the third period as Bartkowski's shot went off the stick of Edmonton defender Adam Pardy and in the net.Edmonton bounced back with a pair of goals just 18 seconds apart midway through the third. McDavid started a cycle that ended with Maroon scoring his second on a tip-in, followed quickly by Hall turning using his speed and scoring on a backhand.Horvat got one back for the Canucks, walking around a defender for his 15th.Draisaitl scored a power-play goal with less than two minutes remaining, recording the final goal scored at Rexall.NOTES: The Canucks play in Calgary on Thursday before returning home to face the Oilers again on Saturday in the final game of the season for both teams.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' odds of winning the coveted first overall pick improved Wednesday.With the team's dismal 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets coupled with the Edmonton Oilers' 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, the Maple Leafs slid into 30th place, giving them a 20 percent chance of landing the first overall pick in this year's draft.The loss in regulation also means that the Maple Leafs will finish with one of the final two spots in the NHL standings, meaning they are guaranteed no worse than the fifth overall pick in the draft.Here is how the lottery race stacks up:PositionTeamGPPointsChance of Winning Lottery (%)30Toronto80672029Edmonton816913.528Columbus807211.527Vancouver80739.526Calgary80738.5The Maple Leafs can lock down the 30th spot in the standings with a regulation loss in one of their final two games of the season, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The team last owned the first overall pick in 1985 when they used it to draft fan favorite Wendel Clark.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With a 26-save performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, Sergei Bobrovsky won his 97th game as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, passing Steve Mason to become the franchise's all-time wins leader.

Pavel Datsyuk was honored by the Detroit Red Wings before Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers for recording the 600th assist of his career, and in what may be his final regular-season game at Joe Louis Arena, his fans made it known they want the 14-year veteran to stay.Red Wings fans chanted "one more year" as recent reports have stated the 37-year-old is considering a return to Russia as soon as next season. Datsyuk has one year remaining on his contract and his agent has said they will have a discussion with general manager Ken Holland at season's end.Datsyuk recorded his 600th assist during a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 26. He has 48 points in 63 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ontario Hockey League has issued stiff penalties to Flint Firebirds owner Rolf Nilsen for violating the terms of an agreement made between himself and the league on "several occasions."Commissioner David Branch issued a statement Wednesday, ordering these sanctions on the Firebirds owner:

When Wayne Gretzky talks about hockey, people stop and listen."The Great One" spoke in a wide-ranging interview with Lucas Aykroyd of The New York Times, one in which he talked about his monumental 215-point season 30 years ago and this season's eventual Art Ross Trophy winner, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.Gretzky also shared his belief that the game has lost part of what made it great, and it all starts with the youth."When I was 10 years old, they'd throw a puck on the ice and say, 'Go score.' Now, at 10 years old, the kids are taught to play in their lanes," Gretzky said. "Defensemen stay back. Everybody blocks shots. I mean, my goodness, I don't think I ever blocked a shot, and I killed penalties every single game. I thought goaltenders were paid to block shots, not forwards. It's changed completely. I think the biggest thing we've lost is a little bit of our creativity and imagination in general."This season in the NHL, 2.71 goals are scored per game. That's down from 2.73 in 2014-15, and 2.74 in 2013-14. We're back at dead-puck era (1995-2004) levels. It was back in 2005-06, coming out of a lockout that cost the league a season, when more than three goals were averaged a game (3.08).When Gretzky averaged 200 points a season from 1981 to 1986, league averages for goals were between 3.86 and 4.01. The game's certainly changed."All in all, it's sort of a grinding game now. You're taught from Day 1 that your role and responsibility is to keep the puck out of your net," Gretzky said.The NHL's discussed ideas to increase scoring, including talk of making nets bigger. Beginning next season, goaltender equipment will be smaller. But in order for scoring and the game to change, coaching will have to change as well.The game is played at an ultra-high level by tremendous athletes. Goalies have all but perfected their position. Hockey players train all-year round. Players are bigger, faster, stronger. Teams are using more statistical analysis, employing data wizards in order to gain an advantage over opponents.The days of saying, "Go score," it seems, are unfortunately done.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

More doping drama out of Russia, a week before the Under-18 World Championship.TSN's Frank Seravalli reports that "more than half of the 30 players in Russia's (Under-18) evaluation camp tested positive for meldonium," a performance-enhancing drug recently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It's the same substance that resulted in a failed drug test for Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova.The news was first reported by AllHockey.Ru and Russian hockey writer Slava Malamud, who writes that Russia will be sending its Under-17 team to the Under-18 worlds.The Under-18 tournament begins April 14 in Grand Folks, N.D. The Russian team was supposed to depart for the United States on Thursday."We'll announce the roster (Thursday)," Vladislav Tretiak, the president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia, said.Rosters don't have to be officially submitted until April 13.Meldonium is "only distributed in Baltic countries and Russia," according to The Guardian, and "increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes."TSN's Darren Dreger reports that Canada's Under-18 team will be tested for the drug Thursday.Malamud appeared on local radio in Toronto on Wednesday and said meldonium is widely used in hockey in Russia.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks announced the signing of forward Tyler Motte on Wednesday. It's a three-year, entry-level contract that will begin in the 2016-17 season.A fourth-round pick in 2013, Motte's third and final season at Michigan was his best. He had 32 goals and 24 assists in 56 games, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.Motte is 21, stands 5-foot-9, and weighs 193 pounds. He's a Michigan native.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Emotions are running high in the worlds of television and sports, and the two crossed paths in advance of Wednesday's huge game between the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.Steve Yuen - who plays Glenn on the wildly popular "The Walking Dead" series and who attended Kalamazoo College in Michigan - offered his support for the Wings on Twitter.The Flyers offered a savage response that brought to mind the show's recent bone-chilling season-finale cliffhanger.