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More NHL: | | | | |The Phoenix Coyotes ownership saga has been full of stops and starts, but NHL commi sioner Gary Bettman remains committed to keeping the team where it is. According to Bettman, there is increased interest among po sible ownership groups who feel the same way.After Sundays Winter Cla sic announcement in Detroit, Bettman addre sed the a sembled media on a variety of topics, including the .There seems to be more interest at this particular point in time than weve seen throughout the proce s, . According to a report from Fox Sports Arizonas Craig Morgan, several groups have been in the proce s of making proposals to the league, with some already .Morgan reported that a group led by Canadian busine smen George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc has submitted a purchase bid, while another group led by Buffalo, N.Y., native Darin Pastor has thrown its hat into the ring. The always present Greg Jamison and his group are also reportedly in the proce s of compiling another proposal, while long-time suitor Matthew Hulsizers group is also believed to be in the mix still.This sounds encouraging, but it may not mean anything in the end.Bettman and the NHL remain committed to keeping the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., however. We havent been exploring the alternatives, Bettman said. We are exploring everything we can do to work this out, and there seems to be considerable interest.While the NHL may not be exploring alternatives yet, Bettman said he has been monitoring from afar the ongoing situation with the po sibility of Seattle getting an NBA franchise. Seattle could be an eventual destination for an NHL Tim Wakefield Jersey team if things dont work out in Glendale, but it is almost certainly contingent on the city also getting an NBA franchise.Perhaps it wont come to that, however.One of the reasons for this increased interest in owning the Coyotes could be due to the leagues le s limited revenue sharing program in the new collective bargaining agreement. : TheNHLs industry growth fund(reportedly $60 million), which is not fully in place but is expected to be soon, would help teams that have struggled at the gate or are in emerging markets. Unlike past years, clubs that do not meet desired revenue or other benchmarks would be not be penalized with the lo s of some shared revenue. Nor would markets that in the past were deemed too big to qualify for some aid.Some of the same benefits could apply if the team were relocated to another city, but there are costs a sociated with relocation that any ownership group would have to absorb, at least in part. As sources within two of the ownership groups noted, that is a significant deterrent to relocation.Increased revenue would not only help offset some of the Coyotes lo ses in past years - sources within the organization say those are between $10 million and $15 million, not the larger numbers that have been reported - it might also help the Coyotes in areas such as advertising. Imagine what an additional $1 million per season could do for the Coyotes marketing efforts.It remains to be seen if the increased interest will lead to an actual sale, but there appears to be multiple options presently, at least.The amount of time this has taken is probably longer than anyone -- especially the league -- would like. Perhaps the end is near, but with this ever-evolving Coyotes ownership situation, thats never a safe statement to make.(h/t ) Carl Yastrzemski Jersey

The most iconic rivalry in international hockey is set to ignite once again as Team USA and Team Canada prepare to face off in a clash that could serve as a preview of next Thursday's championship showdown. Team USA heads into this highly anticipated matchup after a dominant 6-1 victory over Team Finland, Ryan O'hearn Jersey while Team Canada secured a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against Sweden. This storied rivalry between the United States and Canada has spanned decades, and anticipation is high in both locker rooms ahead of this encounter. Remarkably, it marks the first best-on-best international tournament meeting between the two powerhouses in nearly a decade. Team Canada enters the game on an impre sive 26-game winning streak in best-on-best international tournaments, a run that dates back to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Their last defeat came against Team USA during the round-robin stage of that tournament, and they have remained unbeaten ever since. Looking to break that streak, Team USA aims to play spoiler with what is considered one of the deepest rosters they have ever a sembled. The Sporting News has all the details on how to listen to USA vs. Canada live at the 4 Nations Face-Off. USA vs. Canada radio station Radio station: channel 91 Fans can listen to USA vs. Canada live on channel 91. . Listen to live NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL games, plus NASCAR, college sports and more. Stay updated with all the news and get all the analysis on multiple sport-specific channels. USA vs. Canada start time Date: Saturday, Feb. 15 Time: 8 p.m. ET Puck drop for USA vs. Canada is at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Where to watch USA vs. Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off TV channel: ABC (U.S.) |Sportsnet (Canada) Live stream: , TheUSA vs. Canada will be aired live on ABC in the United States, while Sportsnet will air the rivalry game in Canada. For those without cable, and will have live streams on their platforms. 4 Nations Face-Off schedule, scores Wednesday, Feb. 12 Score Canada 4 , Sweden 3 (OT) Thursday, Feb. 13 Score USA 6 ,Finland 1 Saturday, Feb. 15 Game Time (ET) TV channel Finland 4 , Sweden 3 (OT) USA 3, Canada 1 Monday, Feb. 17 Game Time (ET) TV channel Canada vs. Finland 1 p.m. TNT, Sportsnet, Sweden vs. USA 8 p.m. TNT, Sportsnet, Thursday, Feb. 20 Game Time (ET) TV channel Championship 8 p.m. ESPN, Sportsnet, , Related Links Scott Erickson Jersey

The and things pretty much went by the book. Jack Hughes went first overall to the , Kaapo Kakko went second to the and then things got a little more unpredictable from there. It wasn't quite a thrilling night in terms of activity on the floor but 31 players got to open the book on their pro careers, and that's always a fun thing to see. Of course, it'll be some time before we find out which players can be cla sified as value picks and which we can label busts, but that won't stop the early analysis from rolling in. With Friday's opening round complete, let's try to make some early determinations on winners and losers. Winner: New Jersey Devils The biggest and most obvious winner of the night is the Devils, as they get the consensus top player in the draft in Jack Hughes. The 18-year-old American center is an electric talent up front and he comes from a strong hockey lineage, so there's plenty of faith in him as a "can't mi s" prospect. Hughes dominated in the U.S. National Development Program, becoming the all-time leading scorer and pa sing names like , , and . Not bad company to keep, or to beat. He has top-notch speed and an explosive offensive game that could make him a franchise cornerstone for the Devils for years to come, but he'll need to work on putting on size and getting stronger in order to adjust to the NHL game. Still, he'll likely have a big impact for New Jersey right off the bat starting next season. Loser: Cole Caufield Caufield is one of the top goal scorers of this year's cla s -- if not the best in the cla s -- but he took the biggest plummet Friday night. The American winger nearly fell outside of the lottery and went to the at No. 15, which makes the Habs a definite winner with a steal in that spot. However, it's an unfortunate break for Caufield, who deserved better after scoring 72 goals in 64 games for the USNTDP last year. The most likely reason for his fall is his lack of size. At 5-feet-7, he's certainly undersized on the wing and maybe those concerns have merit. But we've seen plenty of small guys slip in the draft only to go on to make fools out of the teams that pa sed on them. The most recent example is , who fell to the second round in 2016 despite putting up huge numbers in juniors. All he did was go on to score 69 goals over his first two NHL seasons. (Nice.) Caufield might be on the losing end now but he has a delicious opportunity to play with a chip on his shoulder and prove the doubters wrong, and do it in a huge hockey market. His numbers as an amateur suggest he has a great chance to do just that. Winner: New York Rangers Jackson Stephens Jersey Like the Devils, the Rangers secured an elite prospect with their top pick. New York becomes a huge winner with the addition of Kaapo Kakko, who will be an integral part of their rebuilding efforts moving forward. The Finnish winger is a tremendous talent on the outside, not only in his ability to score goals but in his ability to see the ice and set up teammates as well. He has a strong all-around game and is a threat pretty from much anywhere on the ice. He also has good size and has been playing against adults overseas for the past year, so that will help him make a quicker transition to the NHL. This draft is largely considered a two-player draft, with Hughes and Kakko being hailed as elite talents that rank significantly above everyone else. As such, the Rangers win big by securing the next potential face of their franchise at a timely juncture. That's not always a luxury that's afforded to the team in the No. 2 spot. Loser: The Red Wings delivered the biggest surprise of the first round when they selected Moritz Seider at No. 6. The German defenseman is seen as a good defensive prospect who has a reputation for being reliable and skilled in his own end, and he brings a lot of size at 6-4. But he's not believed to have a ton of offensive upside outside of being a very good pa ser and, as such, he was ranked outside of the top 10 by most scouts and prospect outlets. The Wings obviously like Seider a lot and there's something to be said about going after the guy you want despite what the rankings say. But the Wings could have gotten him in a lower spot, and that's something they apparently recognized. All quiet on that front. Red Wings still want to move down. They have their eyes on Moritz Seider but don't like the value at No. 6 overall. When a team moves up, it's for a specific player, so don't expect any movement there whatsoever, if at all, until the Draft itself. J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) Unfortunately, they weren't able to trade down and they just had to swallow some value by taking a projected reach at No. 6. It looks like a lo s right now, but be careful when it comes to doubting Steve Yzerman, who is running his first draft since leaving the Lightning to return to Detroit as general manager. Winner: Because the decided to go for a center (Kirby Dach) at No. 3, the Colorado Avalanche lucked into having the best defensive prospect in the draft fall into their lap at No. 4. Bowen Byram is widely considered to be the best blue line prospect of the cla s and a potential first-pairing defenseman down the line. The Canadian prospect should be a high-tier po se sion player, as he's a great skater with the ability to handle and move the puck very well, and is also strong facilitator and has enough offensive ability to finish. He's the type of defenseman that the NHL has seemed to cater more heavily to over the past few years. He should be able to contribute right away for the Avs, who are steadily trending upward in the Western Conference and are approaching "scary" territory with all the young talent they have on that roster. Byram will join a blue line that already includes and Sam Girard, which is one heck of a youth movement on the back end. The only loser here could be , who might now be expendable with the addition of Byram. Loser: Anyone who wanted chaos There were plenty of rumors swirling around the league before Friday's draft. Several general managers talked about an "unprecedented" level of communication during the week, leading us to believe that the first round of the draft could be chaotic and feature a bunch of moving parts. Yeah, that was not the case. There was just one single trade made during Round 1, and it was a pick-for-pick swap. (By the way, the did pretty well to move down from 11 to 14 while picking up a second-rounder and still snagging a really solid prospect in Cam York.) That's right ... a total of zero players were moved during the first round of the draft. Of course, it probably didn't help that next season's final cap number hasn't been announced yet. Somehow. But anyone who was hoping for a wild first round was in for a sore disappointment and an emphatic reminder that talk is cheap. Winner: USA Hockey It was an incredible night for USA Hockey, specifically the United States National Team Development program. Not only did Jack Hughes become the eighth American player to get picked first overall, but the USNTDP squad had a record eight players taken in the first round, with seven of them coming in the top 15. Here's a rundown of the American prospects who were selected Friday: No. 1: C Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils)No. 5: C Alex Turcotte ( )No. 9: F Trevor Zegras ( )No. 12: LW Matthew Boldy ( )No. 13: G Spencer Knight ( )No. 14: D Cam York (Philadelphia Flyers)No. 15: RW Cole Caufield (Montreal Canadiens)No. 30: C John Beecher ( ) It was just an incredible showcase of talent from the budding American program. Loser: Ru sia There was only one Ru sian taken in the first round Friday -- Vasili Podkolzin, who went 10th overall to the . Podkolzin is a really strong prospect who might have potentially been able to have an immediate impact at the NHL level, but he's committed to finishing out the final two years of his current KHL contract. That means that we won't see any Ru sian players coming from this first round for at least a few years, which is pretty wild. Hurston Waldrep Jersey

The Avalanche are one game away from the Stanley Cup Final. They'll try tp get there without one of their biggest stars. Center Nazem Kadri was knocked out of Game 3 in the Western Conference finals against the Oilers on Saturday. A little over a minute into the game, Oilers forward Evander Kane sent Kadri flying into the boards with a cro s-check. Kadri appeared to suffer an upper-body injury and crumbled to the ice before being helped to the locker room. Five minute major to Evander Kane for boarding Nazem Kadri Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) Kane received a five-minute major for boarding but was not also given a game misconduct, despite Kadri's apparent injury. MORE: Kadri didn't return to the game, and he won't be returning to the ice for some time. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar ruled Kadri out for at least the remainder of this series. Jared Bednar: Nazem Kadri is out for the series "at least, if not longer." "The hit, it's the most dangerous play in hockey." Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) The Sporting News has you covered on all things related to Kadri's injury, including a potential timetable Tommy Henry Jersey for his return and his injury history. How long is Nazem Kadri out? Kadri appeared to suffer an upper-body injury after being cro s-checked by Evander Kane and falling into the boards. The injury will keep Kadri out for the remainder of the Western Conference finals, according to Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, who added that Kadri could face a longer spell than that on the sideline. The forward had . A return during these playoffs is not out of the equation, but it is unlikely. Nazem Kadri injury history Kadri has stayed fairly healthy over the course of his career. He played all 56 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, ama sing 32 points. He was on pace for a 100-point season in 2021-22 before mi sing eight games with an upper-body injury. He also mi sed 19 games in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season with a lower-body injury but returned for the playoffs. This season was Kadri's most prolific by far the 2009 Maple Leafs first-round pick racked up 28 goals and 87 points in 71 games. He finished 15th in the league in points. His previous career high was 61 with Toronto in 2016-17. Which players can fill Nazem Kadri's void? The Avalanche are one of the deepest teams in the NHL. They've lost Andre Burakovsky and Darcy Kuemper during their playoff run. They still have been able to race out to a 3-0 lead over Edmonton. One big reason for Colorado's Game 3 victory was center JT Compher. Compher filled in for Kadri after he left the ice, slotting between Mikko Rantanen and Arturri Lehkonen on the second line. The six-year veteran made the most of his increased ice time, winning seven faceoffs and taking three shots. Compher also netted the game-winning goal, wiggling a shot past Mike Smith to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead. Colorado went on to win 4-2. The have the lead again! : : NHL (@NHL) Joc Pederson Jersey

More : | | | | |Many hockey fans around the world have taken to growing playoff beards of their own in solidarity with their favorite team. Dalles Jacobus Jersey One fan, however, took to a new kind of growth to support his favorite team.Frank Miller, of Park Ridge, Ill., was busy dealing with cleaning up a flooded basement and had not had the chance to maintain his yard, which was becoming overgrown. Then Miller realized his beloved local hockey team gave him a rather convenient excuse. :Theyre growing their playoff beards, so I just decided, you know what, it hit me: Im going to make a playoff lawn and Im going to make a sign for it and Im going to embrace it So, embrace my ugly lawn, Miller says.Miller made a sign explaining his scheme, and others soon embraced his ugly lawn.People drive by, they beep, some people get out and take pictures with it. Its amazing to me, he says.Millers sign read, Playoff Lawn. Wont cut until Hawks win Cup!While friends and neighbors may have found the unruly yard clever, charming or funny, the city of Park Ridge did not. Citing that the lawn had become a health risk, due to providing a breeding ground for mosquitos, the city sent Miller a notice to cut it. The letter went ignored, as Miller told CBS 2s Chris Martinez, because he thought it was the water bill.Having not complied with the citys notice, Park Ridge hired someone to cut Millers lawn.More from CBS 2:My son and I are watching the game and I hear a lawnmower going, Miller says. I think its my neighbor cutting their lawn, and it started getting closer. And theres a guy cutting my gra s with this giant industrial lawnmower.I go, Hey, what are you doing! And hes like, The city told me to come by and cut your lawn, and I go, They paid you to? and hes like Yeah. Im like, OK, that was the end of my playoff lawn.And so it was.Could this spell disaster for the Blackhawks, who are about to duel the for the Stanley Cup? Probably not. But it will cost Miller as city officials will be sending him a bill for the forced mowing. (h/t ) Tyler Wiegers Jersey

Alex Ovechkin continues to charge up the NHL's all-time goals scored list. The Capitals captain entered the 2021-22 season sitting on 730 career goals. That put him 164 talliesback of Wayne Gretzky's chart-topping 894. There have been questions about whether he can surpa s "The Great One's" number as "The Great 8" hits the latter years of his career. Butas Gretzky says, he expects him to and hopes he does break the all-time record. NHL POWER RANKINGS: Ovechkin leads surging Capitals As Ovechkin moves through the record book, Sporting News breaks down where he stands and where he's heading as the march to 895 continues in earnest. All stats updated through March 8. NHL's all-time goals leaders Over the course of 1,487 NHL games, Wayne Gretzky scored 894 goals, which averages out to 0.60 goals per game. By comparison, through March 8, Ovechkin has 766goals in 1,253career games, which averages out to 0.61 per game. PLAYER TEAMS GOALS Wayne Gretzky EDM, LAK, STL, NYR 894 Gordie Howe DET, HFD 801 Jaromir Jagr PIT, WSH, NYR, PHI, DAL, BOS, NJD, FLA, CGY 766 Alex Ovechkin WSH 766 Brett Hull CGY, STL, DAL, DET, PHX 741 Alex Ovechkin's next 10 Damian Swann Jersey opponents Over the course of his career, Ovechkin has found the back of the netthe most against the Jets, with 50goals. DATE OPPONENT CAREER GOALS (G/GP) Wed., March 9 at Oilers 13 goals in 19 games (0.68) Fri., March 11 at Canucks 10 goals in 21 games (0.48) Tue., March 15 vs. Islanders 41 goals in 63 games (0.65) Thu., March 17 at Blue Jackets 20 goals in 40 games (0.50) Fri., March 18 at Hurricanes 45 goals in 83 games (0.54) Sun., March 20 vs. Stars 10 goals in 21 games (0.48) Tue., March 22 vs. Blues 18 goals in 21 games (0.86) Fri., March 25 at Sabres 36 goals in 58 games (0.62) Sat., March 26 vs. Devils 36 goals in 67 goals (0.54) Mon., March 28 vs. Hurricanes 45 goals in 83 games (0.54) Splits provided by . Alex Ovechkin's goals per game by season If you think, well, he's 36, can he keep producing? Ovechkin is like a fine wine;he's just getting better with age. SEASON GP GOALS G/GP 2005-06 81 52 0.64 2006-07 82 46 0.56 2007-08 82 65 0.79 2008-09 79 56 0.71 2009-10 72 50 0.69 2010-11 79 32 0.41 2011-12 78 38 0.49 2012-13 48 32 0.67 2013-14 78 51 0.65 2014-15 81 53 0.65 2015-16 79 50 0.63 2016-17 82 33 0.40 2017-18 82 49 0.60 2018-19 81 51 0.63 2019-20 68 48 0.71 2021 45 24 0.53 2021-22 56 36 0.64 Will Alex Ovechkin pa s Wayne Gretzky? Never say never! Entering this season, Ovechkin trailed Gretzky by 164 goals. He got off to a torrid start, but it was unlikely that he'd keep finding the back of the net as often as he was. A reasonable high end might be the 50-goal barrier, which he hit most recently in 2018-19,though he did score at a 50-goal pace during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. Fifty goals over an 82-game season checks in at 0.61 goals per game. If he plays every game moving forward unlikely, to say the least he would need 210 games (as of March 9)to catch Gretzky. That would be sometime during the 2024-25 season. Of course, if he scores at a blistering pace, he could get there sooner. Ovechkin's career high in goals per game is 0.79, which he set in 2008-09. With even the rosiest projection, the earliest Ovechkin could catch Gretzky is midway through the 2023-24 season. It's impo sible to predict health, but needle s to say, that's perhaps the biggest factor in a se sing the 36-year-old's chances of becoming the all-time scoring champ. How many Rocket Richard Trophies has Alex Ovechkin won? Awarded to the NHL's top goal scorer , the Maurice Richard Trophy, commonly called the Rocket Richard Trophy, was provided to the NHL by the Montreal Canadiens in honor of the Hall of Famer.Over the course of 18 seasons with the Canadiens, Richard led the NHL in goals five times, was the first to score 50 in 50 games (in 1944-45) and was the first 500-goal scorer in league history. He finished his career with 544 goals in 978 games. The trophy was first handed out following the 1998-99 season to Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who led the NHL with 47 goals. Ovechkin has captured the trophy a record ninetimes. He could have won it his rookie year but lost out to the Sharks' Jonathan Cheechoo by four goals, and he was a goal short in 2009-10. OVECHKIN: Top sevencareer goals Seasons Alex Ovechkin won the Rocket Richard Trophy SEASON GOALS 2019-20 48 2018-19 51 2017-18 49 2015-16 50 2014-15 53 2013-14 51 2012-13 32 2008-09 56 2007-08 65 Frank Sinkwich Jersey

Body checks in hockey are pretty straight forward. Its usually a split-second collision that is completed just as soon as it begins. That pattern was broken however in the KHLs junior Donovan Stiner Jersey division in a game between HC Riga and Red Bull.In a chippy contest Friday that included several scrums and a few fights, the highlight of the game may have been the hip check delivered by an HC Riga defenseman Kristaps Zile on Red Bulls Domantas Cypas. It is the longest and strangest hip check Ive ever seen.Check it out (volume warning):As Cypas tries to get around Zile on the play, Zile goes for the hip check. Normally, the player getting hit is knocked off his stride, spins off of it or ends up going head over heels. Not this time. Zile ends up carrying Cypas on his back from inside the faceoff circle all the way to the corner where he finishes the check, leaving the Red Bull player in some extreme discomfort.You can check out the original video of the hit here with natural sound. It comes in at about the 0:26 mark.Red Bull won the game 4-3 in a shootout, but Zile gets himself on the highlight reels for years to come with that strangest of hits. Khamal Ellison Jersey

at , 12:30 p.m. ET, NBCAt some point, desperation has to set in for the Penguins. After dropping two straight, including a game to the team they're set to play Sunday, the Penguins must have a realistic fear that the playoffs are no longer a guarantee. They're dead even with the Boston Bruins in the wild card right now with a game in hand. They trail the Washington Capitals by two points for third in the Metropolitan and the Ottawa Senators are three back in the wild-card race. The Pens are unlikely to drop out, but a win will not be easy to come by Sunday afternoon. The Flyers are seeking a season sweep of the Penguins after going 3-0-0 to date Blake Thiry Jersey . Philly earned an emphatic 4-1 win over their in-state rivals Wednesday and now meet with even higher stakes. The Flyers have nothing to play for except to spoil their neighbors' playoff chances, which should be plenty motivating. The Penguins, meanwhile, will hope to get back after he was a late scratch Wednesday and mi sed Saturday's lo s to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They'll need all the help that they can get against a Flyers club that has just plain had their number. Pick: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 at , 5 p.m. ET, NHLNThanks to a game in hand and a big shootout win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Red Wings are still in third place in the Atlantic, but the Bruins are breathing down their necks. Meanwhile, the Capitals mi sed out on a chance to clinch a playoff spot by losing to the Senators in overtime after climbing back from a 3-0 deficit. Washington currently owns third place in the Metropolitan Division, but a win leapfrogs them over the New York Islanders for second, giving them home ice in the first round of the playoffs. The Red Wings just have to keep holding off the Bruins and the Senators, who just won't go away in the wild-card race. These two teams will have just two games to go after this one, so expect an absolute dogfight for the two (or three) points available in this game. Pick: Capitals 4, Red Wings 2 at , 7:30 p.m. ETThe Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday after a 4-0 lo s to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Their reward is playing the Atlantic-leading Canadiens in the second half of a back-to-back. That's a rough way to go. The Habs have a big incentive to try to come away with two points as they're currently tied with the Lightning with 104 points. Even though the Panthers are out of it, don't expect them to mail it in, but they've struggled against Montreal this season. The Habs own a 3-0-1 record against the Panthers and with a lot more on the line, they should be looking to come away with the needed points to keep Tampa (um, there has to be a better way to say this) ... at bay. Pick: Canadiens 3, Panthers 1 at , 7:30 p.m. ETThe Maple Leafs may already be calculating their draft lottery odds, but the Senators could not be facing a bigger game Sunday. After a dramatic 4-3 overtime win over the Capitals, the Senators are still alive in what is a pretty crazy playoff race in the East. They trail wild-card holders Pittsburgh and Boston by three points. They still need help to get into the playoffs, but a big two points would go a long way for Ottawa. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have a small carrot dangling in front of them that may mean something to the players. The Battle of Ontario has been played to a split so far this season with each team having won two games. Sunday is the final meeting and a series win for Toronto might actually generate some positivity inside the Maple Leafs' dre sing room. Both teams are coming off games Saturday night, so there's little time to rest up. The Sens have been a great story, but without getting two points against the Leafs, their playoff chances would take a devastating -- but not yet fatal -- blow. Pick: Senators 3, Maple Leafs 1 at , 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSNSunday marks the first of two gigantic games between these Central Division rivals in just four days. They'll meet again Thursday in what could be another ma sive tilt to help determine playoff seeding and home ice. The Blues lead Chicago by one point for second place in the Central Division standings. However, a win for the Blues also would allow them to overtake the Nashville Predators for first in the division. The Blackhawks could leapfrog the Blues with a regulation win and pull even with the Predators with 104 points. So this is a moderately big game on top of this being one of the league's great modern rivalries. Chicago has won the past two meetings after dropping the first contest. Regardle s of outcome, there's still a good chance these two teams play each other in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. If it happens, that's going to put an awfully good hockey team on the golf course far too early, but that's why both of these teams should be clawing to try to unseat the Preds for first. The Central race is as compelling as ever with just a few games left. Pick: Blues 2, Blackhawks 1Three stars1. , Ottawa Senators: The Senators rookie has been near unstoppable of late. He has points in each of his past five games and 17 points over his past 15. Additionally, Stone has had succe s against the Maple Leafs this season with four points in four games including a pair of goals. It ha s been an incredible run for the 22-year-old forward.2. , Montreal Canadiens: After getting a rare night off, Price should be fresh for his Easter evening tilt with the Panthers. He's 1-0-1 in two appearances against Florida this season and owns a .941 career save percentage in 14 contests vs. the Panthers. Price is playing out the last days of what should be an MVP campaign and could seal it by helping the Habs win the Atlantic. 3. , Washington Capitals: Ovechkin doesn't have any points in his two games against Detroit this season, but has 16 over 13 career games against the Wings. With the Capitals close to clinching a spot in the postseason, expect the Great 8 to do what he does best after getting skunked Saturday night. Devan Boykin Jersey

After a slow start to the 2023-24 season, . He will be replaced immediately by former New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators coach John Hynes, . The Wild have gotten off to a 5-10-4 start this season, and they're currently seven points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Considering the team had playoff expectations coming into the season, that won't cut it, and general manager Bill Guerin decided to make a change. On Chase Moore Jersey Monday evening, Minnesota announced that it was firing Evason, who spent five seasons with the franchise. In that time, Evason compiled a 147-77-27 record. In his first four years behind the bench, Evason took the Wild to the playoffs but they never reached the second round. "Dean did an excellent job during his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, especially as head coach of our team," Guerin said in a statement. "I am very thankful for his hard work and dedication to our organization. Hynes comes in with nine years of head coaching experience, between the Devils and Predators. Hynes coached New Jersey from 2015 to 2019, and he led the franchise to a 150-159-45 record and one playoff appearance. Shortly after Hynes was fired by the Devils in December of 2019, the Predators hired him to replace Peter Laviolette in January of 2020. In his four seasons with Nashville, the team went 134-96-18 and made the playoffs three times. However, the Predators won just three playoff games under his watch. The Predators fired Hynes in the offseason after they failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. Hynes won't have to wait long to face his former team because the Wild pay a visit to Nashville on Thursday night. Spencer Shannon Jersey

Anytime the phrase "wall of snow" starts popping up, odds are something interesting is happening and odds are, it involves Buffalo. With areas south of the city set to get hit with around six feet of snow, the Sabres announced that though their Tuesday game against the Sharks will be played, anyone who doesn't want to combat the aforementioned Snow Wallcan exchange their tickets. Games avail. for exchange: 11/26 WPG 12/2 TBL 12/9 LAK 12/11 CGY 1/15 MIN 2/5 STL 2/10 OTT 2/22 NSH 2/26 VAN 3/16 WSH 3/26 ARI Sabres PR (@SabresPR) Coach Ted Nolan said some members of the team's medical staff were snowed in, as was forward Patrick Kaleta. What and I are dealing with in Hamburg Raef LaFrentz Jersey and it's still coming.. Yes, there is a car under there Ashley Cook (@cookie4789) Meanwhile, the photos coming out of upstate New York remain amazing. 35 floors up, looking south acro s lake. Wall of lake effect snow. Western NY weather (@WNYweather) Whoa RT How about these pictures taken from one of the few flights leaving Buffalo this AM Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) Local areas south of Buffalo, NY, are forecast to get 70 inches of snow through Wednesday evening, says. ABC News Weather (@abcnewswx) Epic shot of the snow squalls earlier this afternoon in Buffalo, NY via Jacob DeFlitch (@WxDeFlitch) Buffalo NY & surrounding area snowed in this morning after heavy lake effect snow (pics from ) Mike Koncan (@MikeOnGlobal) Zach Williams Jersey