Columbus Blue Jackets leading goal-scorer Brandon Saad will not travel to Philadelphia after suffering an upper-body injury in Friday's 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.Saad remained in the game briefly after appearing to be shaken up by an open ice. But he eventually left the contest, and the team later announced he would not return.It will be just the second game he's missed in his first season with the Blue Jackets.Columbus will return home following Saturday's clash with the Flyers before hosting the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday for the first of five straight home starts.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rather than waiting on the question, Trevor Linden prefaced his discourse Friday at the Vancouver Canucks' ill-timed Town Hall, reiterating that the decisions made by Jim Benning and his staff are not being influenced by higher-ups."We had complete autonomy from ownership to make the decisions we needed to make," Linden said, via the team's official Twitter account.They delved further into the topic of failing to yield a return for pending unrestricted free agents still on the Canucks' roster. Benning claimed defenseman Dan Hamhuis had just one team he would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to join, and they didn't receive a single offer on former 30-goal man Radim Vrbata.Of course, effort isn't enough to appease the club's frustrated fan base or media members who spin the narrative in Vancouver and have suspected - or continue to suspect - that owner Francesco Aquilini is preventing hockey operations from committing to a firm direction.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears the Dallas Stars dodged a bullet Friday.Defenseman John Klingberg sustained a lower-body injury against the New Jersey Devils, playing only 1:25 over two shifts before being ruled out for the remainder of the game.After the game, head coach Lindy Ruff said Klingberg's injury is of the short-term variety, according to the Dallas Morning News' Mike Heika.

One week after his trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and two days after his first official skate with the club, James Reimer will make his debut start for the San Jose Sharks.Reimer will spell Martin Jones and look to help extend the Sharks' win streak to four games when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Curtis Pashelka of San Jose Mercury News reports.The veteran had to wait several days to acquire the paperwork necessary to transition to an American-based organization."I'm excited to get in," Reimer said after Thursday's morning skate. "You make the most of any situation, whether you get thrown in right away or (after) a couple practices."Reimer was acquired for goaltender Alex Stalock, forward Ben Smith, and a conditional fourth-round draft selection.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson won't experience the reaction first hand, as an injury will prevent him from making the trip to Toronto, but he still chimed in on the topic du jour in Ottawa on the eve of Dion Phaneuf's highly anticipated return.And let's just say he's not forecasting a loving embrace."I think it's going to be a hundred times worse in Toronto," Anderson said, when comparing his new teammate's previous return trips to Calgary, via Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "Maybe that will fade over time, maybe not. It didn't fade for (Daniel Alfredsson) - every time he was there it seemed to get worse. You never know."The former Maple Leafs captain - maligned throughout his largely unsuccessful tenure - hasn't resigned to the same conclusion, telling Garrioch he isn't really sure how he'll be received.But he was adamant his primary focus lies elsewhere."I've been through that before," Phaneuf said of the emotions in returning to face an old team. "To be completely honest with you my focus is in our room here and what we have to do to get our game back to the level we expect."Phaneuf's Senators are seven points back of the final wild card position after consecutive losses to the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning this week.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arizona Coyotes forward Max Domi has been suspended one game for instigating a fight in the final five minutes of regulation Thursday.Domi's automatic one-game suspension was upheld Friday by the NHL's Department of Player Safety.The 21-year-old winger went after Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Garbutt late in the third period Thursday after Garbutt hit Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.Related: VIDEO - Domi loses it, jumps Garbutt after hit on Ekman-LarssonDomi was given a minor penalty for instigating, a fighting major, and a game misconduct for the incident, which occurred with less than three minutes remaining in a 5-1 Coyotes loss.Rule 46.22 states that any player instigating an altercation in the final five minutes of regulation or at any point during overtime is subject to an automatic one-game suspension, pending a review.Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett is also subject to a $10,000 fine and the team cannot appeal, according to the rule.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Braden Holtby says Henrik Lundqvist shouldn't have been penalized for knocking his net off its moorings in an act of frustration Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.“I think he did the right thing,” the Washington Capitals goaltender said Friday, according to Chuck Gormley of CSN Mid-Atlantic.“I thought it was absurd he got penalized for it. You get hit in the head as a goalie, you can’t skate to the bench for a line change. You’re seeing stars, you can’t see the puck, you have no other option. It was the wrong call and I felt bad for him.”Lundqvist knocked his net off after teammate Ryan McDonagh collided with him in the first period of the 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.The netminder later left the game, and head coach Alain Vigneault said afterward that Lundqvist was treated for neck spasms. He won't start Friday when the Capitals host the Rangers at Verizon Center.“I don’t think he should be (criticized) one bit,” Holtby said. “You’ve got to look at our position for what it is. We get hit in the head a lot and we don’t have the protective helmets for getting hit like that. It jars your head around.“Most people know that when you get hit like that you don’t really feel it until a few seconds after. His first instinct was to get back in the play so he couldn’t really stay down. You can’t go for a line change so you’ve got to get help in different areas.”Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury didn't exactly share Holtby's opinion, calling Lundqvist's actions "baby stuff" when asked about them after Thursday's game.The Rangers and Penguins will renew acquaintances March 13 at Madison Square Garden.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild activated forward Jason Zucker from the injured reserve Friday, and head coach John Torchetti says he will be back in the lineup Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres.Zucker has not played since suffering a concussion during his team's Feb. 21 Stadium Series game against the Chicago Blackhawks after being hit by defenseman Michal Rozsival.The 24-year-old needs just four more points to match his career high of 26, set one season ago.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban isn't rattled about being snubbed from Team Canada's preliminary roster for the World Cup of Hockey. In fact, he isn't even overly surprised."The competition is so strong," Subban said Thursday. "You can't take anything away from the guys they've already named."Subban - who played one game for Canada's gold medal-winning squad at the Sochi Olympics - will compete with the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Brent Seabrook, and Mark Giordano for the final three spots on Canada's blue line. He's eager to prove to general manager Doug Armstrong that he belongs on the team."When I spoke with (Armstrong), he said I'll have a chance if I just keep playing my game," Subban said. "They want responsible players, players who they can trust, players who play in all situations, players who can play against the best and log big minutes."The 26-year-old, who leads the Canadiens with 50 points in 65 games, may even take the World Championship in Russia as an opportunity to demonstrate what he can do on an international level."I'm always proud to play for my country," said Subban. "If I'm healthy, and if we're not playing in the playoffs, I'd gladly take the opportunity."The Canadiens will wrap up their season on April 9, but all indications are that Subban will be wearing Canada's jersey - one way or another - very soon.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice announced Friday that forward Anthony Peluso would miss three-to-four weeks with an upper-body injury.The 26-year-old left Thursday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes after just 1:22 of ice time. He has a goal and four assists in 35 games this season.Maurice also said he would have a better idea about the extent of Nikolaj Ehlers' apparent upper-body injury Saturday. He confirmed Friday that the rookie would be out indefinitely with an eye injury suffered after a puck broke his visor. He is not expected to be out long-term.Ehlers sits sixth in team scoring with 31 points in 63 games.The Jets also announced forward JC Lipon will be recalled from the AHL's Manitoba Moose.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kevin Porter's season has likely come to an end after we underwent surgery on his ankle Friday. He is expected to be out of the lineup for 12 weeks.Porter was limited to just four shifts Thursday after sustaining the injury early in the game against the New York Rangers.The 29-year-old has three assists in 41 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks could have a young addition to their blue line before the end of the season.Canucks general manager Jim Benning confirmed Friday that the club is trying to sign prospect Nikita Tryamkin.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Justin Schultz.After meeting all of his new teammates Thursday, five days after being traded from the Edmonton Oilers, one of his fellow Penguins got ahold of Schultz's clothes prior to Friday's practice, then suspended them above the ice at Consol Energy Center, spelling out "NEW GUY" on the jacket with tape.

It's been a difficult season from start to finish for the Calgary Flames. Last year's biggest surprise possesses the worst record in the Western Conference, and there's a direct correlation with their atrocious goaltending.Calgary's struggles in goal have been magnified during a seven-game losing streak in which they've given up 28 goals - an average of four goals against per game. It's easy to pinpoint why the Flames are a serious contender in the Auston Matthews sweepstakes: Despite sitting 11th in shots against per game this season, they're second-last with 203 goals against.Goalie Games Goals Against GAA SV %Karri Ramo37942.63.909Jonas Hiller24733.41.885Joni Ortio9233.33.889The Flames are tied for last with the Arizona Coyotes with a combined 3.21 goals against average. They also possess an .899 save percentage, which could be a lot worse, if not for occasionally good play from Karri Ramo. However, in front of a solid defensive core of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton that's definitely limiting scoring opportunities, the aforementioned numbers are unacceptable.The Flames will have roughly $23 million in available cap space next season. The majority of their cash will be allocated to significant pay raises for pending restricted free agents Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, but outside of a few depth additions - and an entry-level deal for a high-end prospect in the draft - Calgary will need to make acquiring a No. 1 goaltender its biggest priority.Here are three goalies the Flames should target in the offseason:James ReimerReimer could certainly be a good fit in Calgary, especially when considering his connection to president of hockey operations Brian Burke. The 27-year-old is in the prime of his career, and he's shown he can post good numbers despite playing on the worst team in the league.With the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit dead last in the NHL standings, Reimer posted a 2.49 GAA and .918 save percentage in 32 games (29 starts). These are solid numbers - his best since a playoff-bound season in 2012-13 - when considering the team he was playing for.Although Reimer hasn't had the opportunity to play more than 37 games in a single season, the talent is there. He'll surely be looking for a pay raise this offseason, but there may be no better opportunity to finally receive a shot at being a true No. 1 than in Calgary. That alone should give both sides something to think about come July 1.Ben Bishop It will be an interesting summer for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have roughly $17 million in cap space, but more than half of it will be used to try to resign pending unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos. If the Lightning can re-sign their superstar, they'll need to make some difficult roster decisions.Nikita Kucherov - a pending restricted free agent - is due for a significant pay raise. Alex Killorn, J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Nesterov are also restricted free agents at the end of the year. And, of course, key top-six forwards Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson are a year away from big raises as well. There's no other way around it: someone has to go.With youngster Andrei Vasilevskiy seemingly lined up as their goaltender of the future, Ben Bishop could be a prime offseason target for the Flames. The Lightning likely won't be able to pay him what he's looking for a year from now, and may elect to move away from their No. 1 goalie when he still has a year remaining on his contract at the end of the season.With a career .920 save percentage in 218 games, and a run to the Stanley Cup finals last season, there's no doubt the 6-foot-7 backstop is a legit No. 1 goalie. He could be everything Calgary needs to take the next step, they just need to find a way to make it happen.Frederik AndersenAndersen is enjoying a solid campaign for the Anaheim Ducks, which is certainly a trend in his brief career. However, he's mired in yet another 1A/1B situation with John Gibson. The 22-year-old Gibson is without a doubt the goalie of the future, and the Ducks may certainly look to give him the reins beyond this season. This makes Andersen available on the trade market.The pending restricted free agent has posted a .919 save percentage in 117 NHL games, and has proven he can perform even when his team doesn't. When the Ducks started the season with a shocking 1-7-2 record, he possessed a 2.05 GAA and .932 save percentage in eight starts.The 26-year-old has also been near unbeatable in 2016, posting an impressive record of 11-1-2 in his last 14 starts. Equipped with a big frame at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Andersen - who is just entering the prime of his career - would definitely be a sound, and perhaps cheaper, addition in Calgary.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome back to another edition of On the Fly, theScore's roundtable series. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, we're making three predictions for the final few weeks of the regular season.Maple Leafs will finish 30thJustin Cuthbert: It's Toronto, of course. Though maybe it's Calgary.It was Toronto and another Albertan city until about 10 days ago, before Edmonton Oilers head coach Todd McLellan simply had enough. You can't blame the failures of an organization on one dude, but the Oilers have simply been a different team since banishing Justin Schultz. Check out the performances since. They're not finishing with a 20 percent chance at Auston Matthews.The Flames will have a much tougher schedule than the Maple Leafs. But what should separate these two teams in the end, aside from the Flames' four-point bulge, is that Calgary already has proven goal-scorers capable of stealing points, while the eyes of those in skill positions on the Maple Leafs are still wide.And while Garret Sparks has been good, and Jonathan Bernier has been better of late, it's simply not possible to make up a deficit scoring one or two goals, max, each night.McDavid will win the CalderNavin Vaswani: With all due respect to Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, the Oilers employ the NHL's best rookie: Connor McDavid. And by the time the season ends, McDavid, who missed three months due to a broken clavicle, will have closed the gap enough to win the Calder Trophy.You can see it when McDavid's on the ice - he's on another level. He possesses phenomenal speed and his hockey sense is clearly higher than his peers'. And he only turned 19 in January, while Panarin, 24, spent parts of seven seasons in the KHL.This isn't a knock on Panarin - he's an excellent hockey player playing on an incredible team. But McDavid's better, and no rational Blackhawks supporter can say otherwise.McDavid had 17 points in 12 games in February - four more points than Panarin's put up in any month. He's got three points in two games in March. As the Oilers play out another lost season, McDavid's the reason to watch. He's the rookie of the year. (And the Philadelphia Flyers ruin everything.)Lightning will win the AtlanticIan McLaren: With Steven Stamkos locked in for at least the rest of the season, the Jonathan Drouin distraction pushed off to the sidelines, and a now relatively healthy roster, the Tampa Bay Lightning are once again the team to beat in the Atlantic Division.Stamkos has been red-hot since general manager Steve Yzerman declared he would not be traded, while a return to health for key players further down the lineup gives Tampa a depth up front that is difficult to handle.Even though Drouin wasn't flipped prior to the deadline in order to shore up the roster for a long playoff run, the Lightning have almost caught the cross-state rival Florida Panthers for first place in the division, and will do so before the end of the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Though head coach Alain Vigneault assured reporters that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist wasn't dealing with "anything serious" after Thursday's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, it appears the New York Rangers are being extra cautious with the 34-year-old.The Rangers recalled goalie Magnus Hellberg from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday and announced Antti Raanta will get the start that night against the Washington Capitals, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.Lundqvist left during the second period of Thursday's game to treat neck spasms after a collision with defenseman Ryan McDonagh, but was apparently well enough to throw the net off its moorings in frustration shortly after the collision.Hellberg, 24, is sporting a 22-16-2 record with a .919 save percentage in 40 games with Hartford this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With an assist Thursday, Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr reached another incredible milestone, tying Gordie Howe for third on the NHL's all-time scoring list with 1,850 career points.

If NHL games were 40 minutes long, the Vancouver Canucks would be one of the best teams in the league.Vancouver blew a 2-0 lead Thursday night, and a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes, losing their third straight game, a 3-2 decision to the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks have now lost 11 games when leading after two periods, according to The Province and Canucks Army's Jeff Paterson.And Vancouver's home struggles continue in a big way:

Max Domi took a page out of his father Tie's playbook Thursday night.With the Arizona Coyotes on their way to a seventh straight loss, Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Garbutt laid out Oliver Ekman-Larsson with what looked to be a clean hit near the Ducks' blue line. Down 5-1 with less than three minutes to play, the hit set off Anthony Duclair and Domi. Especially Domi.Duclair gave Garbutt a solid two-handed slash before Domi jumped him, even throwing a few punches when the two were on the ice.

Beware of the Duck. Seriously, Western Conference.The Anaheim Ducks matched a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win, while provisionally leapfrogging the Los Angeles Kings for top spot in the Pacific Division with a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.Perhaps still a little miffed by his exclusion from Canada's World Cup roster, Corey Perry led the way again, and in the absence of captain Ryan Getzlaf. He scored a goal and added two assists, and has totaled eight points over the last three games.

Winnipeg Jets rookie forward Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to be fine after he was struck in the face with a shot in Thursday's overtime frame versus the New York Islanders, head coach Paul Maurice said.Frans Nielsen's deflected shot appeared to hit Ehlers near the eye before haplessly rebounding onto the stick of Kyle Okposo, who quickly chopped it into the net for the extra point.

The New Jersey Devils were on their way to a regulation loss in Nashville until Adam Henrique happened.With his team down 4-3 late in the third, the center scored with 40 seconds remaining to force overtime.Then, Henrique ended the game at the 1:54 mark of the extra period, securing a big two points.The win improved New Jersey's record to 31-27-9, good for 69 points on the season. They now sit five points back of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien knows he almost didn't make it this far.With a win over Chicago on Thursday, Julien tied Art Ross for the most regular-season wins as Bruins head coach with 387.But despite winning a Stanley Cup in 2011, his job was believed to have been in jeopardy as recently as this past summer when general manager Don Sweeney took over from predecessor Peter Chiarelli.And it wasn't the first time."The fact that I've avoided being fired for the last nine years here has helped me get that many wins," he said, according to Chris Mason of the Boston Herald.One win away from setting the club record, Julien knows he's in rare air.

Mike Babcock believes in the rebuild, but he hates losing. And the Toronto Maple Leafs are losing often.The Minnesota Wild left Toronto with a 2-1 victory Thursday, and Babcock was infuriated with the officiating. The Wild had four power-play opportunities to Toronto's none, and both Minnesota goals were scored with the man advantage."I don't get it," Babcock said after the game, when asked about the disparity in power plays. "Makes no sense to me."I was disappointed. I thought we got ripped off big time. People didn't pay to watch (the referees) play. They pay to watch the players."Babcock was especially upset about an interference penalty to Leo Komarov that resulted in the Wild's game-winning, power-play goal:

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to rack up wins.The club won its eighth straight Thursday, with the Ottawa Senators the latest victim. The eight wins in a row tie a franchise record, set around this time of year in 2004.Tampa Bay's run has come against teams it should be beating.Opponent ScoreJets6-5 (SO)Penguins4-2Hurricanes4-2Coyotes2-1Devils4-0Bruins4-1Maple Leafs2-1Senators4-1Only two of those teams are in playoff position heading into Thursday night: the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins.After a slow start to the season, the Lightning, last year's Stanley Cup finalists, have found their stride. They end the night with the Eastern Conference's second-best goal differential (plus-27).Tampa Bay has a good chance to make franchise history Saturday, when it hosts the Carolina Hurricanes. In fact, the run could go well into double digits. Here are the Lightning's next six opponents:

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers renewed their rivalry Thursday, and if the two clubs meet in the playoffs, prepare to be entertained.Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was incensed after his captain Ryan McDonagh collided with him in the first period, as the all-world goaltender believed the defender was pushed into him. Lundqvist was so mad he tossed the net off its moorings on a Penguins rush.After the game, a 4-1 Penguins win, Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was asked if he'd ever go full Lundqvist."No, that's baby stuff," Fleury said.Shots fired, as the kids say.

An eventful, emotional night for Henrik Lundqvist ended on the treatment table.New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said after Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins that his star goalie did not come out for the third period because he was experiencing neck spasms from a collision with defender Ryan McDonagh."I don't think it's anything serious," Vigneault said.Lundqvist, who threw his net off its pegs in frustration soon after the collision and in protest with the officials, chose not to address the media.Related: Fleury calls Lundqvist's net-launching antics 'baby stuff'McDonagh, however, did, telling reporters it was incidental contact, and he was not helped into Lundqvist.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mikkel Boedker endeared himself to the Avalanche faithful Thursday by taking a Tyson Barrie pass off his skate and promptly roofing the puck past a sprawling Roberto Luongo for his first goal since being acquired by Colorado prior to the trade deadline.The goal was Boedker's 14th, with the previous 13 coming with Arizona.(Video courtesy: NHL.com)Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The legend grows.With an assist in Thursday's game against the Colorado Avalanche, Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers tied Gordie Howe for third on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,850.Jagr drew the secondary helper on defenseman Erik Gudbranson's goal. The assist gave Jagr 1,107 assists to go along with 743 goals.The milestone point comes in Jagr's 1,611th career game. Howe played 1,767 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If the Anaheim Ducks match a franchise record with a 10th consecutive win Thursday, it will be without Ryan Getzlaf.The Ducks announced that their captain is dealing with a lower-body injury and will not play.The hope is for him to be fit for Saturday's clash with the Los Angeles Kings.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Another Edmonton Oilers star has slammed shoulder-first into the boards at full steam in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.The upshot, this time, was far less season-derailing.In a moment that was oh so Taylor Hall, the Oilers winger raced away from Shayne Gostisbehere and beat Michal Neuvirth with a quick forehand deke before tripping over a stick and crashing violently into the boards.He initially looked a little shaken up, but then fired an arm up in celebration.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki is out indefinitely with a right knee injury after he was hurt in the first period Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the club announced.Barowiecki was hurt on his one and only shift, playing only 56 seconds.The 26-year-old came into the game averaging 14:51 in ice time, and has a goal and an assist in 62 games.

Whether it's unrelenting fury or onset shame, Henrik Lundqvist will be red-faced in the locker room Thursday night.The New York Rangers netminder was penalized for rather hilariously firing his net off the moorings in protest after being run over by a back-checking teammate defending a transition rush from the Pittsburgh Penguins.It appeared as though Lundqvist was favoring his arm or shoulder, but that didn't stop him from sending an 80-plus-pound net airborne. Or remaining in the game, for that matter.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A full year of Jonathan Drouin's entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning will be burned even if he remains on the sidelines for the remainder of the season, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.The Lightning may have been looking to toll the contract, meaning push it back a year in light of the circumstances, but that's not possible, says Daly."We haven’t previously had a practice of allowing clubs to toll partial season breaches," Daly told Johnston on Thursday in an email. "Had this been the last season of the contract, however, we may have entertained an argument for ‎some form of remedy or relief in this situation."What this means is that any team that trades for Drouin will add him to the roster with one year left on the cap-friendly rookie deal.The 20-year-old is currently suspended without pay after walking out on the AHL's Syracuse Crunch while awaiting a trade.General manager Steve Yzerman maintains the door is open if Drouin wants to return to the organization for the balance of the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Something tells us that Dylan McIlrath popped "Don Cherry's Rock'Em, Sock'Em Hockey" into his VHS player after his nap Thursday afternoon.The New York Rangers defender was somewhat surly on his first shift versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, as evidenced by the car crash he initiated in front of his bench.That's Tom Kuhnhackl beneath the carnage, by the way.- Video courtesy @Chris_BeardyCopyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli doesn't think his relationship with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be affected by Team North America's decision to leave the young center off the initial World Cup of Hockey roster.Related: McDavid, Eichel highlight North America's initial World Cup rosterSpeaking Thursday on Oilers Now on 630 CHED, Chiarelli - who's overseeing the young stars team - cited several talented players across the league that weren't named to the 16-player rosters, maintaining it's not a delicate situation to have left the 22-year-old off to the side for the time being."It doesn't mean the players aren't good, it doesn't mean it's a slight. These are hard decisions," Chiarelli said. "With Ryan, we had a real constructive conversation, and really the impetus wasn't to tell him that he wasn't on the first selection. It was more just to talk about his game and where I'd like it to be."I have to wear two different hats," he continued. "At the end of the day, I'm a real big fan of Ryan's. He's got a real good two-way component to his game, he plays against the top centers and he has for a long time for a player of such a young age."Chiarelli cited being part of Team Canada's brain trust that voted not to name Martin St. Louis to the 2014 Olympic roster. While Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman took the heat, and it ultimately led to a trade at the NHL level, Chiarelli said it was wholly a group decision both then and now.Part of the issue is the fact Nugent-Hopkins is currently out with a hand injury and a strong push to end the season upon his return would go far towards securing a place on the team.Chiarelli's final message to Nugent-Hopkins?"Get back playing and you'll find yourself on this roster," he said.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Forgive Jaromir Jagr if he's been a bit irritable of late.The Florida Panthers' ageless leading scorer recently revealed that the habit he's kicked for Lent this year is the 10 cups of coffee he's been knocking back daily all season long.Without that daily caffeine kick - or in many cases kicks - production across every industry and sector would see a significant dip, but that hasn't been the case for the enigmatic star. In fact, Java-less Jagr has produced at a point-per-game pace since the official start of Lent.

Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell have each made their Florida Panthers debuts, but the deadline adds, both acquired from Canadian franchises, remain ineligible south of the border.As such, the pair, still waiting on work visas, won't be in the lineup Thursday versus the Colorado Avalanche when the Cats make their second-to-last stop on a five-game road trip.Purcell recorded an assist in Tuesday's win over the Winnipeg Jets, while Hudler took a minus-2 in his debut.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kyle Baun has seen just five games at the NHL level, but the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks - a team constantly finessing around the league's tight salary parameters - have seen enough to want him on their books for another two seasons.Chicago has signed Baun to a two-year, one-way contract extension that will carry a guaranteed $625,000 cap hit, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.The agreement should give the bottom-six forward every opportunity to make and stick with the club next season.He has three assists in 22 games with the Rockford IceHogs in this, his first pro season. He failed to hit the score sheet in five starts with the Blackhawks.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Niklas Backstrom was once a William M. Jennings Award winner for helping the Minnesota Wild to the NHL's best goals-against average.Now, nine years later, he's a salary dump with a misspelled nameplate.

Rick Nash is slowly but surely on his way back to the New York Rangers' lineup.The winger skated for 15 minutes in Pittsburgh on Thursday, marking the first time he's taken to the ice in more than a month as a result of a bone bruise on his left leg.Nash admitted the injury has taken far longer to recover from than anticipated and expects to be back to game action in 10-to-14 days."I thought it was going to be a day-to-day thing, take a few days to get better; seemed like it was one of those injuries that had to get worse before it got better, and that was the case. We just took our time," he said after the skate, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday."I didn't do anything crazy, stops and starts, so it's going to be a bit of a process to get my legs back, my wind back, get my timing back. The big thing now is that hopefully there's no setbacks. Right now I'm focused on getting better each day and today was a great step."Nash recorded 12 goals and 21 assists in 45 games for the Rangers prior to suffering the injury.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A pair of New Jersey Devils forwards have been fined for embellishment.Joseph Blandisi and recently acquired Devante Smith-Pelly have each been fined $2000 - under NHL Rule 64 - for diving/embellishment, the league announced Thursday.Related - VIDEO: Devils' Blandisi called for hilariously blatant diveBoth players were previously issued warnings for separate incidents, and were fined following the second infraction.Smith-Pelly - while playing for the Montreal Canadiens - was given the fine after embellishing a slashing penalty on Feb. 24 against the Washington Capitals.

Carey Price delivered the best news the Montreal Canadiens and their fans have heard in a very long time.The defending Vezina and Hart Trophy winner met the media Thursday, and said he's feeling good about the possibility of returning this season."I'm pretty confident," Price said of a return. "I'm not going to set any timelines. But as far as the way things are progressing, it's looking pretty good."

The Dallas Stars will be without forward Patrick Sharp for at least two games due to a lower-body injury.Sharp suffered the ailment Monday against the Detroit Red Wings. He tried to play through it Tuesday versus the Nashville Predators, but eventually left the game and didn't return.