Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri spoiled the Florida Panthers' attempt to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday with the third hat trick of his career in a 5-2 win.It was his first three-goal performance in almost exactly three years, with the last one coming March 30, 2013.Kadri connected on a pair of second-period power plays to give the Maple Leafs a 3-1 lead, and sealed the victory on an empty-netter with less than three minutes remaining.The 25-year-old continues to record points in bunches of late. A two-assist night against the Islanders on March 9 and a four-point outburst Thursday against the Ducks are the only two times he found the scoresheet in his past 13 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After St. Louis Blues goalies Brian Elliott and Jake Allen combined for four consecutive shutouts, Colorado Avalanche forward Mikhail Grigorenko scored Tuesday to end the streak at 258:29, dating back to March 16. It's the third-longest such streak since 1987.After not allowing a goal for nearly two weeks, the Blues' Twitter account wasn't sure how to react:

Duncan Keith will likely be hearing from the NHL's Department of Player Safety after this one.The Chicago Blackhawks defenseman received a match penalty for intending to injure after swinging his stick at Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle's face.With Brent Seabrook sidelined due to illness, Keith's ejection marked a first for the Blackhawks.

Petr Mrazek is playing his worst hockey of the season at the absolute worst possible time.With his team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Detroit Red Wings goaltender was called upon to make the start Tuesday in Montreal, only to allow two goals on seven first-period shots and earn a seat on the bench to begin the second period.In came Jimmy Howard in relief, and not for the first time in the past several weeks.

The St. Louis Blues took the ice in style ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche, wearing St. Louis Cardinals-themed jerseys with the MLB season just five days away.

Matt Moulson, Ryan O'Reilly, and Jake McCabe each ended long goalless droughts on Tuesday after scoring on Pittsburgh Penguins rookie netminder Matt Murray during the first period to give their Buffalo Sabres a 3-0 lead.Moulson opened the scoring on a power play to end an 18-game goalless drought. After scoring three goals in October, the 32-year-old has scored just three goals since.The Sabres' second goal was a shorthanded marker initially credited to David Legwand, but later given to the Masterton Trophy nominee, O'Reilly. The tally ended a 24-game stretch without a goal for the team's leading point-getter.To cap off the period, McCabe scored with both teams playing 4-on-4 with just over a minute remaining in the frame. The goal was his first of 2016, ending a 41-game drought.

The Philadelphia Flyers are adding reinforcements in net.Free-agent goalie Ray Emery will report to the club on a tryout basis, beginning with Wednesday's morning skate.The addition comes with a caveat, however.

After Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin told Russian news outlet Sport-Express that he didn't feel trusted by head coach Lindy Ruff and wanted more ice time, the 21-year-old's agent Mike Gandler came to his defense Tuesday."He is frustrated, but he is frustrated with himself," Gandler told Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News. "He wants to score more, and he knows he's getting chances and he wants to put the puck in. I think that is natural for him.""Val can go from 0 to 100 emotionally, and this was right after a game and he was frustrated," Gandler continued. "But he can also go from 100 to 0. I talked to him today and I don't think he even knew what was said in the interview. I know he was going to talk to Lindy Ruff and Jim Nill today."Nichushkin has struggled of late, recording just one assist in his past 10 games, while failing to record a single shot on goal in his past two. The Russian will need to pick up seven points in his team's final six games to match his rookie totals from two years ago.A restricted free agent at season's end, Nichushkin could head to the KHL if a suitable contract can't be agreed upon with his current team. Though Gandler notes general manager Jim Nill only wants the winger focusing on the playoffs, he ensured Nichushkin has no issue with playing in Texas."I don't want to say much about contracts," Gandler said. "But I can tell you that Val loves it in Dallas. He's very happy there."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Peter Mueller isn't giving up on a potential return to the NHL.The soon-to-be 28-year-old is nearing the end of his third season plying his trade in Europe, but remains intent on catching on with a team back in North America as soon as this summer."The word I'd use is there's a curiosity about him," agent Darryl Wolski told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. "It might take time, but we'll be patient and see how it plays out."The major cause for concern is that Mueller, who was drafted eighth overall by the Coyotes in 2006, suffered a series of serious concussions, spelling the end of his NHL tenure, for the time being at least."He's been haunted by that injury," said Wolski. "When we first mentioned his name, the response was, 'Doesn't he have concussion issues?'"Mueller - whose last taste of NHL action was as a training camp invite of the St. Louis Blues in 2014 - boasts a clean bill of health, and will look to add to his 297 career NHL games as a free-agent signing this offseason.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Adam Oates appears to have ruffled some feathers with his skills development.The former coach and veteran of 1,337 NHL games has been employed by several NHLers - most notably the Minnesota Wild's Zach Parise and Ryan Suter - to help with their skills development, but has come under fire from skeptical league executives about his motives.Oates was questioned about the accusations, the first being that it's just a ploy to get back into coaching, in Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman's "30 Thoughts.""I presume my coaching days are over," Oates said."I understand that is an issue because I was a coach,” he said. "I’m not planning on coaching anymore. I enjoy working with players on their skills, making them better."The second accusation, however, was a little more personal, the idea that some general managers would avoid acquiring a player employing Oates due to fears he's "poisoning" the relationship between players and teams."Not a chance, not a chance, not a chance," Oates said."That’s the first thing we talk about with the players, we are not going to talk about your system or how you play. We are going to talk about your game. We are going to talk about improving your skills. If you’re a face-off man and can’t win a draw, what’s the problem? If you need to get the puck off the boards faster, what’s the problem? That’s what I can help with."Oates remains adamant that his goal is simply to improve players' skills, but admits - while citing one of his clients, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos - that he could be more transparent with NHL general managers."Steve Yzerman did ask me, 'What are (Stamkos and I) working on?'" Oates said. "He’s the only one so far. I could have done a better job of communicating with GMs and next time I will do that. I have no intention other than improving their players."Some drills don’t work for 30 guys, they need a private plan. I wouldn’t tell just anyone what I’m doing with a player, but I would tell a GM."Oates is hopeful he can open an academy-type setting where players can come during the summer, which he feels will help ease the critics."Once we go through one summer of it, there will be no big deal," Oates said.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This doesn't bode well for the Chicago Blackhawks.Goaltender Corey Crawford has a head injury, a source told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.Crawford may be suffering from something similar to the vertigo symptoms that affected former Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell last spring and summer, according to the report.The team hasn't changed Crawford's day-to-day status and won't confirm the nature of the ailment beyond classifying it as an upper-body injury.The netminder hasn't played or skated since allowing five goals in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings on March 14.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

TORONTO - It was only a few weeks into the season. Like other teams, the Anaheim Ducks were off to a slow start. But the pressure was already on in Southern California. There were calls for head coach Bruce Boudreau's head. After a 1-7-2 October, the Ducks went into November with only 10 goals, having been shut out five times - twice in back-to-back games.Captain Ryan Getzlaf remembers it all too well."North of the border I was getting beat up, but that's expected. I don't go around with any illusion that I don't have things going on my shoulders. We're like anybody, we're (in) a results-based business and if you're not performing, you're going to have to take scrutiny with it and you're going to have to deal with it," Getzlaf said. "Fortunately in Anaheim we can quietly deal with what we need to deal with and it doesn't get overwhelming."PanicMany were quick to write off the Ducks' season. In this day and age, a slow start - or a prolonged slump - can become a death sentence when it comes to making the playoffs. The NHL's points structure ensures it's difficult to make up ground on opponents, not knowing which teams will be involved in two- or three-point games.It's why management for most teams can escape blame for pulling the trigger on a coach after a slow start. But the Ducks showed patience still matters."Obviously ownership and the group showed a lot of faith in us for a long time and didn't blow things up. We had some changes at the deadline that kind of helped us," Getzlaf said. "The thing about it is if you blow it up and change things you don't quite have that same experience from earlier to build on right now because the same people didn't go through it. We went through it together and obviously stuck together through the tough time and now we've got to prepare to do things well here down the stretch."Coaching carousel This season's provided examples of coaching changes that have and haven't worked.After an 0-7-0 start, the Columbus Blue Jackets fired Todd Richards and replaced him with John Tortorella - a different kind of personality. Tortorella hasn't been able to turn Columbus' fortunes around, as the team sits second-last in the East, but he'll have another opportunity to try.In Pittsburgh, meanwhile, the Penguins have seen the results they were looking for after disposing of head coach Mike Johnston on Dec. 12. Despite a 15-10-3 record, there were signs of cracks, with Sidney Crosby off to his slowest start and on track for one of his worst seasons statistically. Columns were written questioning whether Crosby's career was in decline.Today, with Mike Sullivan behind the bench, Crosby is third in scoring with 78 points in 74 games. He has 15 goals and 22 assists in 27 games since the All-Star break, shooting 17.9 percent.Cup dreamsThe Ducks are one of the more compelling teams heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They survived adversity and stuck together. When they lost their ability to score, they adjusted their style of play to remain one of the NHL's elite teams in its tougher conference.Statistic Ducks' RankGoals Per Game21st (2.60)Goals Against1st (2.30)Power Play1st (23.30%)Penalty Kill1st (86.80%)Corsi For2nd (52.9%)PDO28th (98.7)"We had a lot of meetings. We had been shut out like five out of our first 10 games where we figured if we weren't going to score we'd better find out how to win 1-0. Consequently, they bought into that and they started to win 1-0," Boudreau said. "It's about us defending and learning how to play the right way and when we do that we're having success because we're still one of the lower-scoring teams in the league."Patience still matters. The Ducks - and Crosby - are proof.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The prosecution of Chicago Blackhawks minor leaguer Garret Ross ended Tuesday due to a location technicality.Authorities in Illinois discovered Ross was in Michigan at the time of the alleged crime, meaning he can't be prosecuted for a felony, according to local radio host Nick Burzych.The 23-year-old forward was charged with one count of non-consensual dissemination of a private sexual image - also known as "revenge porn" - and suspended last week by the Blackhawks, pending the result of the legal proceedings.The charge is a felony in Illinois, but only a misdemeanor in Michigan. The alleged victim could still press charges in the latter state, but the penalties would be less severe.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators say they formed their trade deadline strategy around the assumption that highly touted prospect Jimmy Vesey would sign a contract with them."We did alter our trade deadline plans based on the information that he we had," assistant general manager Paul Fenton told Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Tuesday.Vesey spurned the Predators on Monday night, informing Nashville he would not sign with the club and would instead opt for unrestricted free agency on Aug. 15.General manager David Poile said Monday that Vesey repeatedly told the Predators organization that he intended to sign with them.Fenton echoed that claim Tuesday, adding that the 22-year-old Harvard product was promised a top-nine role and a playoff roster spot with Nashville this season.The executive said Vesey's camp gave no reason for the change of heart, other than the opportunity to test free agency.Fenton also reiterated Poile's sentiment that the Predators haven't given up on trying to sign Vesey. The assistant GM said they will continue to pursue a meeting with the player, his family, and his advisor, an opportunity they haven't yet been granted.Vesey notched 24 goals and 22 assists in 33 games during his senior season with the Crimson. The Predators drafted him 66th overall in 2012.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and defenseman Zach Werenski agreed Tuesday to a three-year, entry-level contract that will kick in at the start of the 2016-17 season.Earlier Tuesday, Columbus announced it had signed the 18-year-old to an amateur tryout contract with its American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters.

Three straight first-round playoff exits have certainly impacted perceptions of whether the St. Louis Blues are true Stanley Cup contenders.While the club currently sits atop the Western Conference alongside the Dallas Stars with 99 points, recent playoff failures have tainted expectations among media members for the Blues come playoff time. That's all well and good, as captain David Backes sees it."It's fine by us," Backes told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "We've been on the other side of that coin, where we've been picked and disappointed. Now, maybe we get to play that underdog role, lower expectations, just come in and, whoever we play, just get our game out there."If we're concerned or worried about (what) the writers are saying, no offense, we've got our minds in the wrong place."The Blues have gotten hot at the right time, going 10-2-0 in their past 12 games - a stretch Backes credits largely to the team's goaltending tandem of Brian Elliot and Jake Allen."The goalies have been out of this world," Backes said. "We've done a decent job in front of them, but they're making all the stops that they should be making and stealing a couple that they have really no business making. When you've got that kind of support and protection behind you, it frees you up to make a few more plays in front of them. And we're starting to see a few pucks in the net on the offensive side of things because of that."While things are looking up for the Blues, Backes also understands they can't get ahead of themselves, especially given recent postseason failures.Pressure is clearly on the team to advance at least a round or two, and failing to do so could spark major changes within the organization."Maybe if we don't get out of the first round, (we'll have) big changes," Backes said. "We need to focus on our task at hand. Somebody is going to have to make that decision once the chips have all settled and we figure out what's happened. We're hoping the situation is that we're going to have a big party and a parade, and everyone can wrap arms around each other, and everyone gets to stay put."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets signed 2015 first-round pick Zach Werenski to an amateur tryout contract Tuesday.The deal comes as both sides continue to work on the details of a three-year, entry-level contract, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.Werenski will join the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters, where he'll get his first taste of pro hockey.The 18-year-old captained the United States to bronze at the World Junior Hockey Championship this winter. He also completed his second season at the University of Michigan, collecting 11 goals and 36 points in 36 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Claude Giroux has an interesting theory about the Philadelphia Flyers' late-season run."Since Tim Panaccio got (his) lower-body injury, we started playing better," the Flyers captain joked in the postgame scrum following a 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night.Panaccio, a Flyers insider for CSN Philadelphia, tore several ligaments and broke two bones in his ankle when he slipped on a patch of ice in Montreal before a game against the Canadiens on Feb. 19.“This is a very significant setback for me," Panaccio told the Montreal Gazette in late February. "I could miss the entire playoffs."The club is 12-4-3 in the 19 games since the injury, and it now holds the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with a game in hand on the Detroit Red Wings.

Good luck doesn't come from a four-leafed clover or a rabbit's foot; it comes from Ryan Garbutt.The Anaheim Ducks topped the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Monday night, and in doing so improved on Garbutt's incredible winning record this season.As Sportsnet's John Shannon notes, Garbutt - who began the season with the Chicago Blackhawks - helped the team go 12-0-0 in his final 12 games before being traded to the Ducks on Jan. 23. Since joining his new club, Garbutt has gone 22-5-3.That means Garbutt's gone 34-5-3 in his last 42 games, a winning percentage of 80.95. To put that in perspective, the Washington Capitals lead all teams in that category at 75.3 percent.Note to general managers: get yourself a Ryan Garbutt.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have landed the nation's highest-scoring collegiate defenseman.Ethan Prow signed a two-year, two-way entry-level contract with the Penguins, beginning next season, the club announced Tuesday.The 23-year-old will report to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.Prow led all Division I blue-liners with 38 points in 37 regular-season games for St. Cloud State, the NCAA tournament's second overall seed that was upset by Ferris State on Saturday.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals are making one thing clear: They're not done yet."There's not going to be a champagne party or anything like that," head coach Barry Trotz told reporters after his team secured the Presidents' Trophy on Monday with a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets."There's a sense of fulfillment that we said we were going to do some things and we accomplished them so far and we've still got some things to accomplish. The season's not over because we wrapped this up."The Capitals earned home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs and ensured they'll finish with the best record in the league, but defenseman Matt Niskanen knows their work is far from over."I think we all knew it was coming," he said. "We're not spraying champagne or anything, but I think guys are happy. It's a marathon. We won the marathon, and now we get to prepare for the seven-game sprints."The Capitals improved to 54-16-5 and 113 points in the standings with seven games remaining. No other club has reached the 100-point mark.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Here's what postseason matchups look like after play on Monday, March 28:Eastern ConferenceTeam Team Season SeriesA1 PanthersW1 Islanders2-1 PanthersA2 LightningA3 Bruins2-1-1M1 CapitalsW2 Flyers2-0-1 CapitalsM2 RangersM3 Penguins3-1 Penguins

It took a few tries, but the San Jose Sharks will have a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.The club officially clinched a playoff berth Monday night when the Arizona Coyotes lost to the Calgary Flames, but San Jose also took care of business on its own. The Sharks registered a 5-2 win over in-state rivals the Los Angeles Kings in a hard-fought game that felt a lot like a postseason encounter.After missing the playoffs last year, and parting ways with head coach Todd McLellan, the Sharks are headed back to the dance for the 11th time in 12 seasons, and 18th time in franchise history.Monday night's win was only the Sharks' 17th at home. Peter DeBoer's troops have been road warriors all season, their 25 wins away from the SAP Center tying them with the Washington Capitals for most in the NHL.The win was goaltender Martin Jones' 36th, in a season in which he's proven he's a No. 1 goalie.Now the hard part: 16 more wins in the postseason.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in Phoenix on Monday and, along with Arizona Coyotes president Anthony LeBlanc, met with a number of key players in the region regarding a new arena, Arizona Sports' Craig Morgan reports.Phoenix mayor and other city officials were also in attendance, Morgan writes.Sportsnet's John Shannon adds that the "tone of (the) meetings were positive," and "that an early May timeframe for a commitment is real, and someone will meet that timeline."

Move over, Sandis Ozolinsh.Brent Burns scored his 27th goal of the season Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, and he's now in the San Jose Sharks' record books. The goal eclipsed Ozolinsh's 26 in 1993-94, giving Burns the record for most goals in a single season by a Sharks defenseman.Burns is having a career year. His 27 goals are a career high (he leads all defensemen in the NHL in the category, as well), and at 41 assists, he's two away from tying his career high in the helpers category. His 68 points are the most he's ever recorded, and he's playing more than ever, 26 minutes a game.The 31-year-old is third on the Sharks in scoring and should receive Norris Trophy consideration upon the conclusion of the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Blake Comeau had a goal and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche used a fast start to edge the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Monday night.Gabriel Landeskog and Jack Skille also scored in the first, helping Colorado chase Pekka Rinne at 11:40 after giving up three goals on 10 shots faced. Shawn Matthias's goal in the third wound up the game-winner.The Avalanche played without centers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon because of knee injuries. But Colorado managed to stay close to Minnesota in the race for the second wild card in the Western Conference, pulling within three points of the idle Wild with six games left.Nashville had recorded at least a point in 10 straight home games. It needed a regulation win to clinch its second straight playoff berth.Craig Smith had a goal and an assist for the Predators, and Colton Sissons and Roman Josi scored 24 seconds apart late in the third. Carter Hutton was pulled for an extra attacker with about 90 seconds left, but the Predators couldn't beat goaltender Semyon Varlamov again as Colorado took the win and the season series 3-1 even with the final game back in Nashville on April 5.The Predators had posted the NHL's best record since Feb. 12, with Rinne going 12-1-2 over his last 15 games. They were coming off a 5-1 win over Columbus on Saturday night that included a dominant first period.Colorado got the strong start this time, and Nashville did not provide much help for Rinne.Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm's turnover led to Comeau's goal on a wrist shot at 6:36. Landeskog scored his 19th at 10:10 when the puck went off his skate, and the goal was upheld on review. Skille chased Rinne with his tip-in off a pass from Cody McLeod. Hutton came in and faced only two shots the rest of the period.Smith got Nashville on the board with a wrist shot past Varlamov off a nice cross-ice pass from Filip Forsberg at 17:08 of the first.The Predators thought they had pulled within 3-2 late in the second period when Miikka Salomaki scored at 17:23. But Colorado coach Patrick Roy challenged, and officials waived off the goal with Nashville offside.Matthias made it 4-1 at 12:13 of the third when he scored his 10th off a pass from Mikkel Boedker. Nashville made it interesting when Sissons tipped in a shot by Salomaki at 14:58, and then Josi scored on a wrister at 15:22.NOTES: Comeau's goal was the 100th of his career. ... Duchene missed his fourth straight game and MacKinnon his third. ... Josi set the Nashville scoring record for defensemen with his 57th point this season, breaking a tie with captain Shea Weber. ... Smith's goal gave him 20 for a third straight season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Roman Josi made Nashville Predators' history on Monday.With a goal against Colorado, Josi recorded his 57th point, setting a new single-season club record for defensemen.The bar was previously set by captain Shea Weber in 2013-14.The record-breaking point came in Josi's 76th game of the season, giving him six more to work with as he looks to raise his point total even further.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mistakes happen in life. Ask Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier.Dressed as the backup to Garret Sparks on Monday night, Bernier let loose a loogie from the bench that landed on an unsuspecting Tampa Bay Lightning ice worker. And Bernier's reaction was absolutely priceless.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

DETROIT - Dylan Larkin, Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening scored, and the Detroit Red Wings held on for a 3-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.Detroit desperately needed the two points to boost its chances of extending the franchise's postseason streak to 25.The Red Wings pulled within a point of Boston for the third and final guaranteed spot from the Atlantic Division. Both teams have six games left in the regular season.Detroit is tied with Philadelphia for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, but the Flyers have one more game to earn at least a point. Philadelphia beat Winnipeg 3-2 in overtime on Monday night.Detroit's Jimmy Howard gave up goals to Zemgus Girgensons and Sam Reinhart in a 61-second span late in the game.Howard finished with 18 saves. He faced just nine shots through two periods before the Sabres got 11 shots on net in the third.Buffalo's Chad Johnson stopped 26 shots, but his team simply couldn't generate much offense until the final few minutes.The Red Wings got off to a listless start in front of a quiet crowd.Larkin fired up the red-clad fans, scoring on a power play with 1:28 left in the first period. He has a team-high 22 goals and ranks among its leaders with 44 points, the most by a Red Wings rookie since Henrik Zetterberg finished with the same total during the 2002-03 season.Sheahan scored unassisted midway through the second, taking the puck from deep in the Detroit end and shooting a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that got past Johnson's glove.The Sabres pulled Johnson for the first time with a few minutes left to add an extra skater and Glendening took advantage of the chance to shoot into an empty net. They did avoid a shutout nine seconds later with Girgensons' off-balance shot and suddenly turned a lopsided game into a close one with Reinhart's goal. Buffalo created chances in the final seconds, but couldn't get the puck past Howard.NOTES: The Red Wings celebrated Gordie Howe's 88th birthday, which is Thursday, during the first period by signing ''Happy Birthday,'' to the Hall of Famer and presenting him with a cake. ... The Sabres will be relegated to watching the playoffs for the fifth straight year. ... Detroit D Brendan Smith was a healthy scratch.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As disappointed as he is, David Poile isn't giving up.That was the message pushed by the Nashville Predators general manager after a report came out Monday night that top prospect Jimmy Vesey would not be signing his entry-level contract with the team, choosing instead to become a free agent as of Aug. 15."I clearly believe that Jimmy has received bad advice and bad counsel," Poile told reporters."(It's) very disappointing news for us, our fans and team," he added. "On Wednesday we received a call that Vesey was thinking about (free agency). That was the first time we ever heard something like that. We went to Harvard's game on Friday, we asked for a meeting with Jimmy (and) we never were allowed to get together for a meeting."Poile also said Vesey would have been put in a position to succeed immediately in Nashville.

Tony Granato's going back to school.The former NHLer and current Detroit Red Wings assistant coach will be named the next head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, according to various reports. Contract details are being worked out, according to ESPN's John Buccigross, and an announcement could come Wednesday.Granato's contract will be approved by the university's Board of Regents during a teleconference Tuesday, writes the Wisconsin State Journal's Dennis Punzel.After playing four seasons of college hockey at Wisconsin, and accumulating 492 points in 773 career NHL games, Granato's pro career spanned 13 years. He will be the fifth head coach in modern Badgers history, and take over for Mike Reaves.Granato will have his work cut out for him. The Badgers went 8-19-8 this season, after winning only four games in 2014-15."We're very aware of the fact Tony and Wisconsin are talking," Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said, according to WKOW.com's Lance Veeser. "There's nothing official at this point. Until something becomes official, we'll have no comment on it."Tony is committed to being a Red Wings assistant coach throughout the rest of the regular season and in to the playoffs as long as we play."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals are officially the best NHL team of the 2015-16 regular season.

If the NHL returns to Quebec City, it won't be via Raleigh, North Carolina.On Monday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly put to bed rumors that the Carolina Hurricanes are a relocation candidate for Quebec City, according to Mario Roy, who's one of many involved in bringing the Nordiques back."Yes, I will confirm that there is no chance that the Hurricanes will be relocating to Quebec City," Daly wrote in an email to Roy, the latter tweeted.The NHL is deciding on expansion applications from Las Vegas and Quebec City. A decision is expected before June's entry draft.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators appear set to lose one of their top prospects.Forward Jimmy Vesey has reportedly informed the Predators that he will not sign his entry-level deal with the club, choosing instead to become an unrestricted free agent as of Aug. 15, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN.The 22-year-old was drafted 66th overall by Nashville in 2012, and spent the past four seasons at Harvard University. In 128 games for the Crimson, Vesey scored 80 goals and added 64 assists.As recently as March 18, Predators general manager David Poile stated he was "cautiously optimistic" that he would be able to get Vesey signed once Harvard's season had come to an end.Now, Vesey, a Massachusetts native whose father works for the Toronto Maple Leafs, will have his pick of suitors later this summer.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Three days before his 88th birthday, the Detroit Red Wings invited Gordie Howe to the rink to celebrate.

A Minnesota judge overseeing a concussion lawsuit against the NHL unsealed a number of emails in which high-ranking league officials - including commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, and then-chief disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan - discussed fighting and head injuries, TSN's Rick Westhead reports.The emails are from 2011, a year in which three enforcers - Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, and Rick Rypien - died.In response to an email from Bettman about staged fights and objections from fighters and the NHLPA to remove them from the game, Daly wrote:

Toronto's nominee for the 2016 Masterton Trophy is a goalie who no longer plays for the Maple Leafs, namely James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks.Related: Dupuis, Gostisbehere, O'Reilly among Masterton Trophy nomineesThe award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, with a nominee named by each of the 30 chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.Despite being traded to San Jose prior to the deadline, Reimer emerged as Toronto's player of choice.

Shane Doan will miss at least one game with a suspected concussion.The Arizona Coyotes captain won't play Monday against the Calgary Flames and will enter the league's concussion protocol, head coach Dave Tippett said, according to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM's Craig Morgan.Doan left Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers after being driven into the boards headfirst by Radko Gudas, who didn't receive supplemental discipline.The Coyotes have six games remaining following Monday's contest, and Doan said last week that he was "probably" leaning toward returning next season.Arizona defenseman Michael Stone also left Saturday's game with an injury, and Tippett acknowledged Monday that the blue-liner likely won't be back in 2015-16."It's longer term than the season has left in it. I would say he would be done for the season," Tippett said.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues will welcome Alexander Steen back to the lineup Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced Monday.Steen has been out since Feb. 20 after a collision with Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton caused him to fall awkwardly. He's missed the last 15 games."It was just a waiting game, that's all it was," Steen said. "I wasn't overly concerned about how many games (I'd miss) or if I was going to play before the playoffs. My main concern was getting it good enough to play again, and here we are. I'm excited to get back."It's been awhile, I’ve missed the boys and missed being a part of the action."The 32-year-old is expected to center a line between David Backes and Patrick Berglund. He has 17 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nail Yakupov's agent acknowledges the Edmonton Oilers tried to trade his client before the deadline at his request, and more than a handful of teams were involved.NHL legend Igor Larionov, who represents the forward, confirmed Monday on Sportsnet 590 The FAN that both the Oilers and Yakupov's camp made an effort to find the 22-year-old a new team.Related: Report: Oilers' Yakupov asked to be traded before deadlineLarionov said he talked to "maybe six or seven teams" about Yakupov before Feb. 29, after receiving permission from the club to do so.The agent spent "a lot of time" with general manager Peter Chiarelli and also spoke to head coach Todd McLellan, at which point the agent and the Oilers brain trust tried to see what was available.Larionov said having five head coaches in four years is "too much" for Yakupov and that his client needs to play with a skilled center."Nail loves the city of Edmonton, he loves the fans, and obviously he would like to stay there, but I guess at some point he needs a fresh start ... to move on," the agent added.Larionov said he hopes there will be more opportunities to find his client "the right spot" at June's NHL draft in Buffalo, N.Y.Yakupov has one more year remaining on his contract after this season at a cap hit of $2.5 million, and he's a pending restricted free agent in 2017-18.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If all goes according to Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien, forward Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban will be back in the lineup this season.The Canadiens took to the ice Monday one day before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, and Therrien insisted that Gallagher and Subban, who remain out with lower-body and neck injuries, respectively, will both be back before season's end.Subban has been out since March 10 after taking an Alexei Emelin knee to the head, and though he has been practicing with the team, he still awaits full medical clearance from the team doctors, according to TSN's John Lu.Meanwhile, Gallagher's lower-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since March 5. Despite the optimism of his head coach, he has yet to join the team for practice since the injury.Goaltender Carey Price took the ice again Monday, but Therrien appeared less confident about a possible return this season, simply saying, "I hope so."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise, St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel have been named the NHL's three stars of the week.Parise took home top honors after leading the league with five goals and seven points in three games. His offensive outburst helped push his club's current winning streak to five games, moving them back into a playoff spot.Elliott was named the runner up after a perfect week that saw him shutout the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks. His two goose eggs helped the Blues clinch their fifth straight playoff berth, while matching a career high with his third straight shutout.Kessel's two best games since becoming a member of the Penguins earned him third place honors. The 28-year-old finished with seven points in three games, five of which came in 7-2 drumming of the Detroit Red Wings.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella is less than thrilled with the way his team has been playing.The club was creamed by the Nashville Predators 5-1 on Saturday, and Tortorella wants to avoid another brutal loss when the Blue Jackets visit the Washington Capitals Monday."I do not want our team and our organization embarrassed again, and we were," Tortorella said, according to Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch. "There's nothing positive to say about our team right now based off last game."Asked if the team's recent 1-3-0 record has made him the most disappointed since he joined the club, he was frank."I'm not disappointed, I'm pissed," Tortorella said.Preparing for Monday's game against the Eastern Conference's top team, the outspoken coach didn't have a lot of optimism.

Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, and Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly are among the nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.The award recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote within their respective chapters, and a single nominee is determined for each club.Dupuis was forced to retire due to blood clots in December. Gostisbehere recovered from a torn ACL and is among the NHL's rookie scoring leaders despite playing fewer games than most of his contemporaries.O'Reilly's selection as the Sabres' nominee is somewhat controversial.The 25-year-old forward leads the Sabres in points, assists, and faceoff percentage, and routinely stays on the ice after practice to run his own drills with teammates in what general manager Tim Murray calls "The O'Reilly Practices," according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.O'Reilly was charged with impaired driving last July after allegedly crashing his pickup truck into a Tim Hortons coffee shop in rural Ontario, Canada. His trial will begin July 11, 2016.Here are the rest of the nominees who have been announced:TeamPlayerBoston BruinsJonas GustavssonCarolina HurricanesNathan GerbeChicago BlackhawksMichal RozsivalColorado AvalancheCarl SoderbergDetroit Red WingsPavel DatsyukDallas StarsJamie BennEdmonton OilersMatt HendricksLos Angeles KingsVincent LecavalierMontreal CanadiensMike CondonNashville PredatorsCarter HuttonNew York IslandersTravis HamonicNew York RangersMats ZuccarelloOttawa SenatorsZack SmithSan Jose SharksJoe ThorntonSt. Louis BluesBrian ElliottTampa Bay LightningAnton StralmanToronto Maple LeafsJames ReimerVancouver CanucksDan HamhuisWashington CapitalsDmitry OrlovWinnipeg JetsDustin ByfuglienThe winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards in June.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur and defenseman Dion Phaneuf will miss the remainder of the regular season, the team announced on Monday.Related: Senators' MacArthur opens up about struggles with concussionMacArthur was expected to be shut down after missing all but four games of the regular season with a concussion. The 30-year-old had been cleared to return, but both team doctors and management believe it's in MacArthur's best interest for him to sit out the rest of the season.

The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with University of Michigan forward Cristoval "Boo" Nieves on a two-year, entry-level contract.The 22-year-old is coming off his senior year, in which he finished with a career high 10 goals and 31 points in 35 games.Nieves - who was drafted by the Rangers in the second round in 2012 - could have elected to become a free agent on Aug. 15, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, but elected to sign with the team,Nieves will report to the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on an amateur tryout, with his contract kicking in at the start of next season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.