Adam Clendening is headed to his fifth organization in just under a year after the Edmonton Oilers claimed him off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.Clendening, who was acquired with David Perron from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Carl Hagelin on Jan. 16, didn't play a game for Anaheim. He was placed on waivers Tuesday.The 23-year-old defenseman has one goal and four assists in 30 career NHL games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

WASHINGTON - Mike Richards' lawyer says the Washington Capitals center will not appear in Manitoba Court on Thursday, as his trial on the charge of possession of a controlled substance has been adjourned to Feb. 25.Toronto-based lawyer David M. Humphrey said in an email to The Associated Press that government officials asked to push back Richards' court date because it is awaiting the results of an investigation that was requested by the defense.Richards was arrested when Canada Border Services Agency at the North Dakota-Canadian border caught him with a controlled substance crossing into Emerson, Manitoba, on June 17. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged Richards in August.The 30-year-old from Kenora, Ontario, signed a $1 million, one-year deal with the Capitals in early January to resume his NHL career.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider is hoping to get the approval of the Nashville faithful at this weekend's All-Star Game.Vaughan Custom Sports showed off the pads Schneider will don at this weekend's festivities. The pads include two battling guitars, a fine salute to the Music City.

The dab continues to spread across the continent.Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien hit the dance move after burying a shorthanded goal on a breakaway against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves was the first NHL player to pull off the move popularized by the Super Bowl-bound Carolina Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton.It's since been adopted by coaches, owners, and even the elderly.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

A couple of young Montreal Canadiens fans had a night they'll never forget at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.One kid was absolutely delighted when Dale Weise flipped him a puck during the pregame warmup ... then frightened moments later:If that doesn't warm your heart, you may want to get it checked.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Erik Karlsson took a not-so-veiled dig at his fellow Ottawa Senators after a 3-2 loss to former teammate Robin Lehner and the Buffalo Sabres."We're a budget team," the Senators' captain said, according to TSN 1200's Graham Creech. "We don't have the players here that most high-skill teams do. We're successful when we play a grinding game."Ottawa out-shot the Sabres 36-22, including a staggering 22-2 edge in the third period, but Jack Eichel's goal early in the frame - his second of the contest - held up as the game-winner."We're not going to win games that are high-skilled," Karlsson reiterated, according to Murray Pam of The Hockey News. "We're not going to win games scoring fancy goals. We're a grinding team."The Senators have a solid core of offensively gifted players - including Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan, 2015 Calder Trophy nominee Mark Stone, and Karlsson himself - and they rank ninth in the NHL as a team with 2.7 goals per game.As far as the club's budget goes, General Fanager projects Ottawa to finish about $6 million under the salary cap, barring any moves before the end of the season.They shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 on Sunday, but have now lost three of their last four contests.The Senators slipped further down the Eastern Conference ladder when the Carolina Hurricanes thumped the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.Ottawa is only three points back of the second wild-card spot, but they need to leapfrog the Montreal Canadiens, the Hurricanes, the New Jersey Devils, and the Pittsburgh Penguins to get there.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

For Pekka Rinne, maybe the timing is right.After losing five straight starts from Jan. 5 through Jan. 19, the struggling Nashville Predators goalie - his .906 save percentage is very un-Rinne-like - has seemingly found his game. He won his third straight decision Tuesday, backstopping his team to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.Rinne made 28 saves - the Predators were outshot 29-19 - and all three of his latest wins have come on the road.

"Jumbo Joe" reached a rather large milestone Tuesday night.Joe Thornton, the veteran San Jose Sharks center, recorded the 1,300th point of his career exactly how you'd expect: with a perfect feed.

The Montreal Canadiens' death spiral continues.The club lost a second straight 5-2 decision to the NHL-worst Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, saw its captain Max Pacioretty go down to injury, and the hometown fans weren't happy about, well, any of it.Down 3-1 in the second period and on another lifeless power play, defenseman P.K. Subban was booed as he carried the puck from behind his net and up the ice. Subban, who will represent the Canadiens and Atlantic Division at the All-Star Game in Nashville on the weekend, had a game to forget, making two costly turnovers that led to goals. And he took out Pacioretty with a slap shot.

Chris Stewart didn't like what he heard from Tuesday's game against the Boston Bruins.The Anaheim Ducks forward, who engaged in fisticuffs with a much smaller Torey Krug during the first period, appears to have been shown a clip of the call of the incident by the hometown broadcast team. It was Jack Edwards of NESN, to be specific, who berated Stewart live on the air."What a manly thing to do for Chris Stewart, taking on a guy Krug's size," Edwards said. "Yeah, Stewart's working him over because Krug is punching uphill and I hope Chris Stewart feels really good about himself."Edwards cited the 50-pound difference between the two players and then estimated a 50-point IQ difference as well.Stewart took to Twitter after the game to offer his response.

Deja vu.The Columbus Blue Jackets swept the home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday with another 5-2 victory.Boone Jenner, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Dubinsky, Cam Atkinson, and Brandon Saad all scored for the Blue Jackets as the Canadiens head into the All-Star break having given up 10 goals in back-to-back losses to the league's lowest-ranked team.

'Crying Jordan' has made its way to the hockey world.The Carolina Hurricanes' Twitter account used the popular meme following a big 5-0 win over the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks on Tuesday - who just so happen to hail from the city of Chicago, where Michael Jordan cemented his legend.

An unexpected force handed the Chicago Blackhawks their most lopsided loss of the season.The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions by a score of 5-0 on Tuesday, sending Chicago into the All-Star break having lost three of four, with three goals to their credit in those contests.The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have gone 7-2-1 in their past ten games. That's lifted their record to 23-20-8, good for 54 points through 51 games and within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Advanced metrics would suggest Carolina's success is no fluke. Heading into Tuesday's game, the Hurricanes ranked sixth in Corsi For at five-on-five (53 percent), with a PDO of 97.7.In other words, they're regularly recording more shot attempts than the opposition, but low shooting and save percentages have conspired against them in terms of goals for and against.They certainly outplayed one of the best teams in the league on this night.The surge leaves general manager Ron Francis in an interesting spot leading up to the Feb. 29 trade deadline, especially with the likes of Eric Stael and Cam Ward set to become unrestricted free agents.While the captain remains the face of the franchise, the goalie is currently on the shelf, making way for Eddie Lack, who's filling in admirably.Apart from that, Francis boasts a plethora of young talent both on the blue line and up front. Many of those young players are coming into their own - perhaps more quickly than expected, but much to the delight of veterans like Kris Versteeg.

The Florida Panthers are one of the best stories in hockey, and Roberto Luongo is one of the protagonists.The 36-year-old's 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday was of the milestone variety:

Sidney Crosby won't be in Nashville on the weekend, but he's playing like an All-Star.Arguably the NHL's best player, Crosby was left out of the 3-on-3 All-Star tournament this season, but he's quietly moving his way up the NHL's scoring leaders list. He scored again Tuesday night, his 17th goal of the season, and his 41 points move him into a tie for 11th in scoring (22 players have 41 points or more).Crosby's goal Tuesday was the game-winner, as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated New Jersey 2-0, tying the Devils with 55 points, but taking the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot from the gentlemen from Newark because they've played two fewer games.After a slow start, Crosby's been, well, Crosby. He's been trending in the right direction since November.Month GP G A POctober11145November124610December134812January118614"He's playing inspiring hockey," head coach Mike Sullivan said about No. 87. "He's playing with passion."

The Winnipeg Jets appear to have a keeper in Nikolaj Ehlers.The 19-year-old Winnipeg Jets rookie recorded his first career hat-trick, with the visiting Arizona Coyotes serving as the opponents of record for the milestone effort.

Bobby Ryan can't stop scoring, and he continues to change one family's life on a nightly basis.Ryan was put to the test Sunday when a young Ottawa Senators fan brought a sign to the game that read, "Bobby, dad said if you score we get a puppy!"Related: Bobby Ryan's game-winner scores family a puppyAfter delivering with the eventual game-winner, opportunistic ad placement put Ryan to the test once again Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Montreal Canadiens lost their captain Tuesday.Max Pacioretty took a P.K. Subban slap shot to the face in the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He left the game and the club announced he wouldn't return during the intermission.Pacioretty was able to skate off under his own power, but the Canadiens seemingly exercised caution with their leader. The official diagnosis the club offered was simple: "Injured."Head coach Michel Therrien said after the game, which the Canadiens lost 5-2, that he was told that Pacioretty will be fine, according to TSN's John Lu.No. 67 has 19 goals and 17 assists in 49 games. He has four goals and three assists in 11 games in January.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dustin Byfuglien caught the desert dogs napping.The Winnipeg Jets defenseman scored on a relatively harmless dump-in from center ice, as Arizona Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue appeared to be of the mind that the puck was going to be played around the boards.Instead, it went right down the middle and under his desperately outstretched pad.(Courtesy: NHL.com)The goal was Byfuglien's 13th, and likely easiest, goal of the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carl Hagelin for David Perron trade is already paying major dividends for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks.Hagelin and Perron continued to show that a change of scenery was beneficial for both sides Tuesday as they registered simultaneous points.Perron buried a rebound against the Boston Bruins for his sixth goal of the season:(Courtesy: NHL.com)The 27-year-old tallied an assist earlier in the game, giving him at least a point in all four games he's played as a member of the Ducks.Hagelin was making things happen at the exact same time as Perron, setting up Phil Kessel with a highlight-reel assist against the New Jersey Devils:(Courtesy: NHL.com)The 27-year-old has an assist in four consecutive games.

This one's for you, Kevin Spacey.Related: Panthers selling #SpaceyInSpace hoodiesAleksander Barkov celebrated his new long-term contract extension with the Florida Panthers by deking the pads off Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer on Tuesday night.(Courtesy: NHL.com)

Boston Bruins goaltender Jonas Gustavsson left Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks after the first period due to illness and was taken to hospital for observation, the club announced.The 31-year-old has a history of cardiac issues. He underwent three ablation procedures to deal with accelerated heartbeats during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.He has not, however, been hindered by those problems since his last procedure in February 2011.Gustavsson allowed two goals on 16 shots through the first 20 minutes of the game.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kyle Palmieri leads the New Jersey Devils with 20 goals this season. Marc-Andre Fleury is doing his best to make sure No. 21 doesn't come against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.Fleury showed great anticipation on a 2-on-1, absolutely robbing Palmieri of a sure goal with a sprawling pad save before denying Joseph Blandisi in tight on the rebound.(Courtesy: NHL.com)The 31-year-old has been solid all season long, entering the game with 18 wins, a 2.35 GAA and a .923 save percentage.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Corey Perry wasn't going to stay silent for too long.After being held without a goal through the first 11 games of the season, the Anaheim Ducks star winger scored his 20th during the first period of Tuesday's game against the Boston Bruins - his 47th appearance - continuing a run of remarkable consistency throughout his career.

The Florida Panthers are Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey is the Florida Panthers.What began as a player award for the club has become an Internet sensation. So much so that Aleksander Barkov tweeted news of his contract extension with the club to - you guessed it - Kevin Spacey.Now, the Panthers have done what any reasonable capitalist would: make money off the idea. Or try to, at least.

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has a glaring addition to his to-do list come summer.After signing a contract extension of his own with the club Tuesday, Bowman said he plans to lock up the services of forward Artemi Panarin during the offseason."Patrick Kane would be pretty upset if we didn't," he told reporters.Panarin, 24, remains under contract through the end of next season, and is providing excellent value on his current two-year, $1.625-million deal.He has indeed developed wicked chemistry with Kane, and is the odds-on favorite to be named the NHL's rookie of the year after recording 17 goals and 29 assists in 52 games, good for 11th in the league in points.Bowman also has several restricted free agents to deal with this summer, most notably Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger, Phillip Danault, and Jiri Sekac.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada's brain trust for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey is one step closer to naming its initial 16-man roster.Doug Armstrong, Ken Holland, Marc Bergevin, Bob Murray, and Rob Blake were all part of an extensive four-and-a-half-hour meeting Tuesday in Vancouver to narrow Canada's list down to 18-20 players, reports ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.Teams must submit a preliminary roster consisting of 16 players by March 2. Difficult decisions remain for Canada.

The Anaheim Ducks are expected to welcome defenseman Simon Despres back to the lineup Tuesday following a lengthy absence due to a concussion suffered in October.Despres was activated off injured reserve in advance of a road game against the Boston Bruins, and has specific instruction from head coach Bruce Boudreau to keep things simple in his return."He's a big, strong-bodied guy who can play lots of minutes," said Boudreau. "What I'm expecting from him today is just a simple game ... get his feet (under him) and do the right things."The 24-year-old has been sidelined since taking a high hit from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie on Oct. 16, an incident that earned the latter a three-game suspension.Despres, who signed a five-year contract extension with the Ducks prior to the injury, has recorded six goals and 33 assists in 164 career games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators presented their first detailed look at a proposal for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats on Tuesday.The project, titled "Illumination LeBreton," would feature heritage waterfront attractions, parks, plazas, and residential and commercial amenities, as well as major event centers anchored by a brand-new 18,000-seat arena for the Senators.

The Colorado Avalanche are planning to play the final two games prior to the All-Star break without Semyon Varlamov.With the club set to take to the ice in San Jose and Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday, the goaltender remained in Denver to appear at a district court civil case filed against him by his former girlfriend.Varlamov was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges back in October 2013, but they were dropped two months later due to a lack of definitive evidence. A civil suit was launched in October 2014, claiming Varlamov had beaten his former girlfriend for years prior to the arrest.According to Tom McGhee of The Denver Post, the former girlfriend testified before a jury Tuesday that Varlamov, after kicking and dragging her, said, "If we were not in America, I could have killed you."As the Avalanche prepared for a game against the Sharks, head coach Patrick Roy said Varlamov will definitely not join the team for the remainder of the road trip, thereby effectively ruling him out Wednesday.Roy declined to comment on Varlamov's situation. "Everybody knows what it is and there's not much I can say," he said, according to Terry Frei of The Denver Post.Calvin Pickard is expected to start in his stead, although he was dealing with an illness that kept him away from the morning skate.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The curtain has come down on Craig Adams' 14-year career.Adams - who has not played in a game this season - announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday.

Anaheim Ducks forward Shawn Horcoff has been suspended 20 games without pay for violating the terms of the NHL and NHLPA's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.Horcoff will be required to enter the NHL and NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment, under the terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement.He explained the positive test in a written statement, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register:

Derick Brassard had a night to remember.The New York Rangers forward buried two goals and added three assists in a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, and set some personal and league benchmarks in the process.Brassard's five points equaled Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov's output from a win over the Edmonton Oilers back in October, and the two players now share the highest single-game point total of the season.It was also a career-high total for Brassard, who became the first Rangers player to record a handful of points since Ryan Callahan did so in 2011.Brassard is the first Rangers player to notch four points in the third period of a game since Mark Messier accomplished that in 1992. Brassard collected two goals - including an empty-netter - and chipped in a pair of assists in the final frame.He went five games without recording a point before Monday's outburst.Brassard has 17 goals and 19 assists in 48 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The All-Star break is coming at an opportune time for the slumping Minnesota Wild.The Wild allowed a late tying goal in an eventual shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, two nights after letting the San Jose Sharks score the game-winner with 1:24 remaining."Right now, when the game's on the line, we're not making the winning play," Wild head coach Mike Yeo said postgame. "The break is at a pretty good time, especially the way the last two games went."Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in the league, boasting a team goals against mark of 2.31 that ranks fifth in the NHL, but the Wild have scored only 14 goals in their last 10 games - eight of which have been losses."It's not like we're losing by three or four goals right now," Yeo said. "We've got guys who've scored before, (but) we're not scoring right now."The Wild were held without a shot on goal for over 22 minutes on Monday night."A lot of good offensive zone time, a lot of good chances, (but) same story," Zach Parise told reporters, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. "We've got to start scoring, I know that. We put too much pressure on our goalies and ourselves scoring one goal a game, two goals a game. Doesn’t work. You don’t win in this league like that."Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 23 saves on 24 shots, but misplayed the puck on the Coyotes' tying goal."It was a mistake by me. Doesn’t feel good," Dubnyk said. "We have to try to not let it be more than it is. We played a good game. It was a game we should have won. It’s more frustrating now with the way things have gone for us in the last stretch."Things won't get any easier when Minnesota returns from the break.The Wild open the unofficial second half with a three-game road swing against the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues, before returning home to face the Dallas Stars and the NHL's best team, the Washington Capitals.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's nothing a little duct tape can't fix.Sometimes teams need that one player who can help steer the ship back on track - or in some cases, to simply do what it takes to keep the ship afloat.Several teams could find themselves sliding down the standings if not for that one star who's continuing to plug holes, mend parts, and generally keep his team above water.Here are three "fixers" who are plugging some major holes, and are holding their teams together:Devils G Cory SchneiderAs of Tuesday morning the New Jersey Devils find themselves holding down the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, ahead of both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens.The Devils remain in a playoff position despite sitting 26th in the league with just 114 goals scored. Luckily for New Jersey, this weakness hasn't hurt them due to the fact they're allowing the sixth-fewest goals against this season - which is largely thanks to the play of goaltender Cory Schneider.Schneider has been as steady as they come between the pipes this year, and sits among the league leaders in every statistical category.StatNumberLeague RankWins225thGoals Against Average2.086thSave Percentage.9288thShutouts4T-3rdFor the team that generates the fewest shots per game it's important that the Devils have a reliable presence between the pipes, and that's exactly what Schneider has been.Penguins C Evgeni MalkinDespite a season that hasn't gone according to plan for the Penguins, the team remains largely in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.The club sits just one win outside of the final wild-card spot, and though many of the team's stars stumbled out of the gate, forward Evgeni Malkin has been fairly consistent throughout Pittsburgh's wild season.Malkin is the only Penguin to hit the 20-goal mark to date, while his 47 points in 47 games also lead the club. Those numbers have helped the Russian snag his fourth All-Star Game selection.He also leads the Penguins with 10 power-play goals, while his five game-winning goals are enough to give him a share of the team lead, further proving his worth in meaningful games.The Penguins could be doing much better this season, but without Malkin leading the charge they could also be doing much worse.Predators C Ryan JohansenThe very reason Ryan Johansen was acquired by the Nashville Predators was to serve as a fixer of sorts up the middle.General manager David Poile understood that he needed to take advantage when the 23-year-old's name started to get tossed around in trade talks, and he capitalized by trading for him. Since Johansen first stepped on the ice for his new club he's been doing his part to help salvage the Predators' season.Johansen has jumped right into the first-line center position with the Predators, and in doing so has collected three goals and nine points in eight games with his new team.Nashville sits in the middle of the pack in both goals for and against, and remain within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, sitting just three points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the conference's final wild-card spot with two games in hand.While the Predators have struggled on the other side of the puck, Johansen has done an admirable job of helping right the team's wrongs with his stellar offensive output.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander could finally make his return this weekend.Related: Report: Concussion takes Nylander's potential call-up 'off the table'The 19-year-old took part in his first full practice with the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Tuesday, and is likely to return to game action in one of their two games this weekend, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe.Nylander has been sidelined ever since he took a hit to the head in his first game of the World Junior Hockey Championships in December.He led the AHL in scoring before embarking on the trip to Finland, but now sits eight points back after missing the Marlies' last 15 contests.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arguably the greatest player in NHL history turned 55 on Tuesday.Wayne Gretzky holds or shares an astounding 61 NHL records, many of which have no chance of ever being broken.League scoring is down to 2.63 goals per game compared to the 4.01 clip seen in 1981-82, and the NHL's average goals against average (2.44) has improved by more than a full goal compared to any season in the 1980s.The league is different now, but even if scoring was as high and goaltending was as average as it was in his era, most of Gretzky's benchmarks would undoubtedly remain untouched.Here are five of The Great One's records that no other player will ever surpass:50 goals in 39 gamesThe milestone Gretzky hit in 1981 was arguably the greatest single-season achievement in NHL history.Only two players - Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Mike Bossy - had ever scored 50 goals in 50 games, but Gretzky did it in 11 fewer contests, and reached the mark with a memorable empty-netter in a 7-5 Edmonton Oilers victory over the Philadelphia Flyers:92 goals in a seasonThe 1981-82 campaign was also memorable for another reason.Gretzky, then just 21-years-old, broke Phil Esposito's record of 76 goals in a single season, and finished with 92 over the 80-game schedule."It was a thrill to get 92 goals, but in some ways, I thought I let myself down by not getting 100," he said 20 years later.Only Brett Hull (86 goals in 1990-91), Mario Lemieux (85 in 1988-89), and Teemu Selanne (76 in 1992-93) have come close to Gretzky's single-season mark; Alex Ovechkin (65 in 2007-08) is the only player to get within 27 goals of the record in the last two decades.2,857 career pointsGretzky's scoring prowess was unrivaled, but so was his consistency.He notched at least 100 points in 15 of his 20 seasons, and registered at least 200 points four times.The Great One needed only 1,487 games to reach 2,857 career points, and no one has come remotely close since.Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr ranks fourth all-time, but he's still 1,022 points behind Gretzky's record with 108 more games played.12 consecutive 40-goal seasonsGretzky scored at least 40 goals in every season from his rookie year in 1978-79 to the 1990-91 campaign - a span of 13 seasons.Twelve of those seasons came in the NHL, and his first came while the Oilers were still in the World Hockey Association.He scored more than 50 goals nine times in that span, and potted more than 60 goals five times.Ovechkin has seven seasons of more than 40 goals, but even if you remove the 2012-13 lockout, they didn't come consecutively.51 consecutive games with at least a pointPatrick Kane's 26-game point streak wasn't bad, but the Chicago Blackhawks star only got halfway to breaking Gretzky's all-time record.From opening night on Oct. 5, 1983 to Jan. 28, 1984, The Great One tallied at least one point in the Oilers' first 51 games.He averaged three points per game during the streak, and was so dominant in that stretch that he could have sat out the rest of the season and still won the scoring title with 153 points.Gretzky's exploits are well documented, but even budding superstars like Connor McDavid and current stars like Ovechkin and Jagr have very little hope of breaking these records.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The National Hockey League, NHL Players' Association, and GoPro announced a renewal of their partnership Tuesday.The deal will see a continued effort to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the game, and will include an 11-part video series featuring NHL players produced by GoPro.The series, entitled "NHL After Dark," will include hockey personalities Mike Murphy and Mike Johnson hitting the ice with current stars as they display the tricks and skills they've become known for.In the spirit of the announcement, GoPro released a trailer for the upcoming series that features the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Claude Giroux, Tomas Tatar, Gabriel Landeskog, Duncan Keith, and Cory Schneider.New videos will be posted every Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET, with the first coming next week.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks signed senior vice president and general manager Stan Bowman to a three-year contract extension Tuesday.Bowman has two years remaining on his current contract. With his extension, he'll remain with the club through the 2020-21 season."I am proud of how much Stan and his staff have accomplished and have great confidence in his leadership as our organization continues to strive for consistent excellence," Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough said in a statement. "Under Stan’s guidance, our Hockey Operations Department is strong across all levels, including scouting, player evaluation and development, and salary cap management. He has created a sound structure that Blackhawks fans can be excited about for many years to come."Bowman has been with the Blackhawks organization for 15 years, and has served as general manager for the past six seasons. He has helped the Blackhawks collect three Stanley Cups during his tenure (2010, 2013, 2015), becoming the first GM to win three championships in the NHL's salary cap era.The Blackhawks sit atop the Western Conference with 70 points, and are just three points back of the Washington Capitals for first place overall.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was about as nightmarish a start to the season as Tuukka Rask could have imagined.Fourteen goals allowed in the first three games of the season, leading to a save percentage of .889 in seven October starts. And it didn't get much better from there for the Boston Bruins' franchise goalie, as Rask would allow 24 goals in nine November games, leaving his success rate at sub-.900 as the calendar turned to the final month of 2015.But while December began with a pair of losses to Edmonton and Calgary, Rask allowed only four goals on 62 shots in defeat, and it was from that point that he reeled off a string of strong starts to cap of the year that signaled a much-needed return to form.DateOpponentResultShots AgainstSavesDec. 5VancouverW 4-01717Dec. 9MontrealW 3-13332Dec. 12FloridaW 3-12726Dec. 16PittsburghW 3-03434Dec. 18PittsburghW 6-23230Dec. 22St. LouisL 0-22927Dec. 27OttawaL 1-32119Dec. 29OttawaW 7-33229A 3-2 win over Philadelphia on Monday - in which he made 34 saves - raised Rask's season record to 17-14-4, while his save percentage now sits at .918, much closer to his career average of .925 than numbers posted previously in the season.His performance of late hasn't been lost on his teammates, as expressed by Brad Marchand. "Tuukks played phenomenal," he said, "he's such a big part of our team."Marchand is absolutely right, and the Bruins would be sunk without Rask. The thing is, the task at hand isn't going to get any easier unless general manager Don Sweeney is able to upgrade the blue line prior to the NHL's trade deadline.Zdeno Chara is still playing at a high level and leads all Bruins defensemen in points with 26 in 46 games, but the rest of the group deployed Tuesday - save for the offensively gifted Torey Krug - does not inspire much confidence.

If the Florida Panthers executive board popped a bottle of champagne at the BB&T Center tonight, it's within reason.After all, the first-place club locked up one of the best two-way centers, who's still on the come-up, ensuring his prime years will be played in a Panthers uniform.Related: Barkov, Panthers agree to 6-year extension reportedly worth $35.4MPerhaps most importantly for a budget-conscious team, Aleksander Barkov (whom they picked one spot ahead of Jonathan Drouin, by the way) will be had at a discount.So maybe break out the good bottle, this time.Come morning, though, Dale Tallon better have his wits about him. The next few days, weeks, and months could be the most important in franchise history.Finding a scorer in short orderWith the trade deadline just five weeks away, the Panthers - long in the market for a goal-scorer - are suddenly short on time.They've made strides offensively, emerging from the bottom tier in overall output into the top half of the league on the strength of their 12-game win streak. They remain sputtering, however, on the power play.Firing at 15.4 percent (last in the Eastern Conference), the Cats have a clear, immediate need for an offensive specialist who can come through in key odd-man opportunities in the playoffs.It'll be just the Panthers' second postseason appearance in 16 seasons. They'd better come prepared.Summer of signingsTallon can mitigate the looming contract crunch over the next five weeks, perhaps by packaging controllable assets for a scorer with term (as he suggested in December). Regardless, he'll be piecing together a puzzle all summer long.With Barkov committed, the Panthers are down to 11 pending free agents, including first-line winger Jaromir Jagr, top-pairing defender Brian Campbell, and almost the entire bottom six.There has to be casualties, even if 43-year-old Jagr decides to hang up his weighted vest or Willie Mitchell (almost 40) does the same (without the vest).However, the questions remain: Is Campbell willing to take a pay cut? What's Erik Gudbranson worth? How much of the pie will Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau command when they come off the books in 2017?It's a knot any great executive would struggle to untie, let alone one employed by a tightfisted club willing to portion off invaluable cap space to balance the dead-money contract of Marc Savard.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Size matters to Claude Julien.The Boston Bruins head coach challenged the ruling on the ice after Wayne Simmonds' third-period, game-tying goal Tuesday in Philadelphia, believing Michael Del Zotto was offside at the onset of the play.The goal, however, was upheld due to inconclusive evidence to the contrary, and in Julien's estimation, the size of the tablets used to review the play is insufficient.

When will fathers learn?One night after Bobby Ryan scored to ensure the Jansen family will purchase a puppy, there was a similar sign drawn up for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson.And he scored three puppies!Here's the canine clincher:Atkinson's trifecta marks his third career hat trick.There's going to be one supremely disappointed kid when this sorcery runs out.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jack Eichel and Zemgus Girgensons have taken Broadway.The pair of young Buffalo Sabres teamed up for a pair of quick goals during Monday's game against the New York Rangers, with Eichel providing the primary assists in fine fashion.The first came off some fancy foot and stick work by the rookie.(Courtesy: NHL.com)The second was a lovely two-on-one conversion.(Courtesy: NHL.com)The quick strikes tied the game at three, but the Rangers regained the lead a minute later, leading to these apt observations:

Well that was an interesting turn of events for P.K. Subban.During the second period of Monday's game in Columbus, the Montreal Canadiens defenseman rifled a puck on net from between the red and blue lines, beating Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.During the ensuing celebration, Subban appeared to hear something he didn't like so he shoved Brandon Dubinsky, earning two minutes in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct.The result is this interesting wrinkle on the score sheet:Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2015-16 Florida Panthers will forever be linked to Kevin Spacey.The team has taken to awarding its "hero of the game" with a rather bizarre sweatshirt featuring the head of the Oscar-winning actor floating in space.This tidbit came to light in late December, when budding star center Aleksander Barkov was seen donning the hallowed garment following a win over the Montreal Canadiens.So, upon signing a six-year contract extension with the Panthers on Monday, Barkov took to Twitter to thank Spacey for bringing him good luck, while implicitly announcing the deal.

Today, Aleksander Barkov has a little more in common with Anze Kopitar.The second coming of Kopitar signed a lucrative long-term contract extension with the Florida Panthers on Monday, announcing a six-year pact that'll reportedly pay him $35.4 million, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.

Madison Square Garden has fired about half a dozen employees after discovering that ticket sales executives were reselling face-value tickets to New York Knicks and New York Rangers games at marked-up prices, according to the New York Post's Josh Kosman."It was uncovered through an internal investigation that a small handful of employees were breaking company policies and, as a result, they were relieved of their responsibilities," an MSG spokesman told The Post.Kosman reports that several executives, including the senior vice president of ticket sales and corporate hospitality, were caught flipping tickets on secondary market sites like StubHub for higher than face value.ESPN's Ian Begley added that the average resale price for Knicks tickets this season is $260.71, while Rangers tickets tend to go for $247.97 after the markup.This isn't the first time MSG has had to dismiss staff members due to such scalping scandals. In 1996, the company fired five ticket office employees for reselling tickets.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Rick Nash will get some extra time to rest his knee.On Monday, the New York Rangers forward underwent an MRI, which revealed a bone bruise, according to head coach Alain Vigneault. While he's expected to be good to go following the All-Star break, the left winger will be held out of Monday's contest against the Buffalo Sabres.Nash, who also missed Sunday's loss in Ottawa with the ailment, sits second in the Rangers' scoring with 12 goals and 21 assists in 45 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As the hockey world prepares to focus its attention on Nashville and the upcoming NHL All-Star festivities, Mike Babcock and his Toronto Maple Leafs get set to face the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.One player set to feature in both is Jaromir Jagr, who'll captain the Atlantic Division squad. Babcock admires the 43-year-old winger because of his continued ability to excel."Well (Jagr's) a superstar, and he obviously loves hockey," the coach told reporters Monday. "He's the modern-day Gordie Howe. I coached (Chris Chelios), and I think he was 46 or 47 or something like that when I had him, and so those guys, Gordie and those two, would probably be the guys."You've gotta be a super-super star to keep playing that long, and then you gotta look after your body, you gotta love the game, and then you gotta be in the right situation. He's got good young players around him, and obviously he provides a lot with his drive and his love of the game. So, he's a star. I'd love to get his stick, actually, and get him to sign it. He is that good."Jagr ranks second on the first-place Panthers with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) through 45 games, sandwiched between linemates Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.