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Chris Kreider is one of the top names floating around the NHL ahead of next month's trade deadline, and for good reason. He is an effective scoring winger perhaps playing the best hockey of his career (17 goals, 15 a sists in 48 games); his contract lasts through the 2020-21 season at a team-friendly . Plenty of teams that expect to contend both this spring and next season surely will check on Kreider's availability over the next month, but the Boston Bruins reportedly view him as their over the next month. NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty cited anonymous hockey sources in his , which also noted it remains po sible that New York could hold on to Kreider for the rest of the Travis Mitchell Jersey season. The Rangers (23-21-4, 50 points) are 10 points out of the Eastern Conference through Tuesday's standings, and are unlikely to make the playoffs but general manager Jeff Gorton is still a se sing his roster. As on Wednesday, the Rangers have back-to-back games with the NHL-worst Detroit Red Wings after the All-Star break. An early February surge could to Kreider, even if he does . MORE: Five potential landing spots for Chris Kreider Say Gorton does decide he's willing to move Kreider, though; how likely is he to land in Boston? The game-winner with :25 left, courtesy of Chris Kreider. Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) The Bruins are seemingly in need of help on the wing every season; they have been linked to Kreider before. It symbolically helps that he grew up in Boxford, Ma s., and played at Boston College; the team has already. The Bruins have long had a top line of elite players in Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. It's the second-line wing positions that the club has sought help at consistently in recent years, and it's where Kreider could fit right in. Kreider has a in his contract, but Boston's status as a clear Stanley Cup contender should render it a non-i sue. Sweeney has the first-round draft pick that the Rangers for a Kreider deal; he has younger wingers, , who could grow into the role Kreider may leave behind in Manhattan as well. Boston is right up against the salary cap ( ) which could make a trade difficult to complete, but it hasn't stopped Sweeney and Gorton from dealing before: Boston acquired Rick Nash from the Rangers in a in exchange for a package that included three players, two draft picks, and salary retained on Matt Beleskey's contract to make it all work. The NHL's trade deadline is on Feb. 24. Glenn Resch Jersey

More NHL: | | | | | The are buried in the snow. They have lost five in a row, nine of their last 10 and are three points clear at the bottom of the NHL after losing 3-1 to the Calgary Flames at home on Monday night. Again, they lost to the Flames.This did not make for a happy . At all.Giggy, who has seen his fair share of locker rooms over the years, was just a little frustrated after the game when talking to reporters and he got it off his chest. Longtime Avs beat writer Adrian Dater he referred to as some of the mast damning he's ever seen from an Avs player."Some guys are more worried about their Vegas trip at the end of the season than playing the games, than playing every minute of the games," Giguere said. "Quite frankly, I don't care about your Vegas trip right now.""It's embarra sing. I'm embarra sed to be here right now. It's not even funny."Oh, but he wasn't quite finished there yet, either. "I don't know what it is. I've been around for 15 years in this league and I don't know what it is. I don't know why we seem like we don't care at points. I don't know, I don't know we seem like, you know -- some guys are fighting to show that they belong in the NHL, some guys are fighting for contracts. And it's just embarra sing, the way we, you know, the energy we have in the room and the way we approach practices and the way we approach this game. It' Jack Campbell Jersey s not how you're going to win any games in this league. I mean, this is a team Calgary that we can beat if we set our minds to it, and every day is the same story. I don't know what to say. I'm beyond words right now."Seems like he found plenty of words to talk about it to me.I'm not in that dre sing room so I can't comment as to whether Giguere is on point or not, but judging by the way the team has looked on the ice, I wouldn't bet against him. The Avalanche are not built to be world-beaters or anything, but they aren't this bad, are they? There is some talent there in , and , etc., enough to win some games, right? Not if they're planning what they'll do on the Strip next month.Fair or not, a lot of this speaks to the coaching too and head man Joe Sacco. His seat was already burning hot and so his fate was probably sealed before the lo s to Calgary, but in case there were any lingering doubts this ought to do it. A team's preparation and lack thereof will almost always land squarely on the shoulders of the coach.Sometimes these things need to be said, a team needs the reality check. Perhaps it will go over well, there's always a chance. More likely, though, it's going to be an awkward practice rink for the Avalanche on Tuesday.But the good news in all of this is that the Avs are doing what they need to if they want to secure the best odds in the upcoming NHL draft lottery to be able to select Seth Jones, who got into hockey in part because he lived in Denver and his dad was able to talk to Joe Sakic. Then again, if he or whoever else the Avs draft is coming into a, for lack of a better word, toxic environment, it might not make much difference. Patrick Kane Jersey

had the Montreal Canadiens fearing the worst. No team wants to lose its leading scorer a week-plus before the Stanley Cup playoffs. Coach Michel after Wednesday's practice but also had encouraging news: Pacioretty, a winger from Connecticut who is having a breakout season, could be ready by April 15. MORE: | | "It's a heavy lo s, we won't hide that," Therrien said. "He's a guy that had quality ice time, not only offensively but defensively. At the end of games when we're up a goal, he's the guy we send on the ice. We used him on the penalty kill. But don't make the mistake of to sing him aside. There's a po sibility he plays next week." Therrien was inducted into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Wednesday, so there was good reason to ask what made him happier enshrinement or the latest on Pacioretty Dmitry Orlov Jersey . The Habs had good reason to worry. Pacioretty's head slammed into the end boards early in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Initial thoughts were that Pacioretty had a concu sion. Officially, of course, the Canadiens will say only that Pacioretty has an upper-body injury. The reported it appears Pacioretty is working through the NHL's concu sion protocol. Pacioretty met with team doctors on Wednesday, and they gave Therrien their prognosis. Naturally, Therrien wasn't about to tell the media what he knew. What's clear: Pacioretty will not play Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. That means Therrien had to shuffle lines for an important game. Montreal needs three points in its final two games to secure the Atlantic Division title over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Losing Pacioretty doesn't help. And barring a miracle recovery (not unheard of in hockey), Pacioretty likely won't play in the season finale. The Wings are third in the division, so they would play either the Habs or Bolts in the first round by securing their playoff berth. Their finale is against the Carolina Hurricanes. Remember, Pacioretty is the best scorer on team with a glaring weakne s in scoring. The Habs are 22nd in the league with just over 2.5 goals per game. Pacioretty factored in just under one-third of the Habs' goals. Suck it up, Habs. "I don't think we're too worried," forward Lars Eller said via the team website. "We hope he's going to be back, but if he's not it's not going to crush us. Of course he's a big part of our team and he plays a lot of minutes, but we've seen so many times in the past teams that lose good players along the way and they still find ways to be succe sful. "I have no doubt we can do that here as well if that's going to be the case." Jordan Martinook Jersey

More NHL: | | | | | The disappointment of mi sing your nation's Olympic team can be huge, some guys Brendan Smith Jersey take it a little tougher than others. The usual coping mechanism is to forget about it as soon as you can and simply move on with your NHL season.In many cases that can be easier said than done, especially if there are reminders about the decision to leave a player off the squad all around you. center and Team Canada regular could face that problem.Especially if he likes Honey Nut Cheerios (and really, who doesn't?).At least EStaal made the Cheerios box! Counts for something, right? Ryan Savin (@rsavin91) The pratfalls of special edition boxes, I suppose. The tough part is that Staal isn't even at the top of the list of "snubbed" centers as nor made the team either. It's a tough gig trying to make the Canadian national team, tougher for those in the marketing world trying to predict it. Staal did play for the Canadians in the Vancouver Games but not this time around. Bee happy, Eric. Shane Bowers Jersey

The are only five points out of a wild card spot, but with 14 games left they're running out of time. They'll have to play the next two without first-line winger , by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday for a hit on the ' .Boychuk was injured on the play after slamming his head into Voracek's back. Voracek repositioned himself when he saw Boychuk coming on the forecheck, which led to the collision. Jake Voracek injures Johnny Boychuk with a hit. Boychuk tells him "I will get you" Brady Randy Carlyle Jersey Trettenero (@BradyTrett) Voracek, who has no history of suspensions or fines with the NHL, was given a five-minute major on the ice for the Boychuk hit. Voracek has 18 goals on the year -- good for fifth-most on the team -- so his presence will be mi sed.After the suspension, was announced, Voracek tweeted about it. Jakub Voracek (@jachobe) That was retweeted by the of the , who was given a two-game suspension for a check to the head on the . Buffalo's Jack Eichel received a two game suspension for this hit on Carl Soderberg yesterday. Michael Spencer (@MichaelCBS4) However, hit on Eichel in that same game wasn't reviewed. Replay of Zadorov taking out Eichel. Buffalo Sabres plays and goals (@SabresPlays) While the Sabres are ultimately out of the playoff race at this point, the Flyers are still playing for a spot, even if their road is difficult with the threatening the ' second spot in the East. Voracek will mi s Monday's game against the and Thursday's matchup against the . Syl Apps Jersey

More NHL: | | | | | All eight teams in the Eastern Conference now know who they will face in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. With the win over the , they clinched the first wild-card slot, while the earned a 1-0 overtime win over the to keep their home-ice hopes alive.By taking the top wild-card spot in the playoffs, the Blue Jackets will meet Metropolitan Division winner . Columbus lost all five meetings between the divisional foes this season.As a result of Columbus' win, the will meet Presidents' Trophy winner Boston in the opening round. It's a meeting of Original Six clubs that has not been Andrew Peeke Jersey seen since 1957. The Wings, oddly enough, were one of the few teams that seemed to have the number this year, winning three of the four meetings between the two clubs. Detroit and Montreal are the only teams with more than two wins against the Bruins, in fact. The clinched their spot against the New York Rangers earlier Saturday .We also know that the Canadiens will meet the in the opening round. What won't be known until Sunday is which of those teams will take home ice. Tampa Bay will take on the on Sunday. A win of any kind would give the Lightning home ice against the Habs, while either a regulation or overtime/shootout lo s will start the series in Montreal.There is plenty of intrigue on this side of the bracket, that's for sure. The Stanley Cup playoffs will begin Wednesday. Milan Lucic Jersey

Ru sia's national nightmare has been realized; the men's hockey team has been eliminated at the Olympics prior to the medal round.Facing enormous pre sure to not just medal but win gold at these Olympics, Ru sia faced longtime rival Finland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at Bolshoy Ice Dome and came up short, losing 3-1 to their neighbors to the northwest. It brings a collosally disappointing end to the host nation's medal hopes.Perhaps Alex Ovechkin summed it up best for Ru sia.Alex Ovechkin: Jake Walman Jersey "It sucks. What else can I say?" Crey Masisak (@cmasisak22) Ru sia opened the scoring in the first period on the power play when Ilya Kovalchuk one-timed a pa s from that flew by Finnish goalie and popped the water bottle. He and the crowd went nuts, Kovalchuk jumping into the air as if he were competing in the Summer Games in track and field.That forced Finland to open it up a little and that's when Finland's skill shone through, not Ru sia's. The Finns tied the game a minute and a half later when Juhamatti Aaltonen undre sed Ru sian defenseman and then managed to beat Ru sian goalie short side to take the game into the first intermi sion 1-1.In the second period it was the and Mikael Granlund show. Just 2:22 into the period, Granlund turned on his jets and flew by defenseman in the neutral zone to spring Finland on the rush. He held the puck long enough to draw the defense before he pa sed it over to Selanne who put it between Varlamov's pads for the 2-1 lead. Sochi 2014 Selanne would return the favor in the final five minutes of the period when Finland got a chance on the power play. Selanne's shot was saved by Varlamov but Granlund was there for the rebound to make it 3-1 and set about the panic all acro s the country.A couple of minutes later Varlamov was replaced in the game by Sergei Bobrovsky but that didn't help Ru sia get any offense going against Finland's trap and excellent goaltending. Or at least generate any goals.It was partially the Finnish defense and system, partially Rask in net. The goaltender stopped 37 of Ru sia's 38 shots in the game and looked like the goalie Bruins fans have come to know and love. Many are going to look at this as an upset in in some ways it absolutely is. Ru sia is the host at these Games and was labeled a pre-Olympic co-favorite to win gold. In the truest sense of the word, an entire nation is certainly upset. But Finland is consistently excellent in international tournaments while Ru sia hasn't been. Finland has had Ru sia's numbers in recent years.In addition to no medal this year, this marks the third straight Olympics in which Ru sia will not medal in hockey. In a country that cares about hockey the way Ru sia does, that's not going to be considered acceptable. Adam Graves Jersey

TNT is bringing hockey fans Sunday afternoon action. It starts with a matchup between two Metro Division rivals. The Rangers and Capitals square off today in the nation's capital. Artemi Panarin and New York Martin Havlat Jersey have already clinched a spot in the 2023 postseason, but are looking to move up in the standings. The team still trails the Hurricanes and Devils for the lead in the Metro with only a couple of weeks left in the season. MORE: For Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, Washington remains in the hunt for a playoff spot, but the team is currently outside of the postseason picture, a few points behind a number of teams for the last playoff spot. After the Rangers-Capitals contest is a matchup between the Bruins and the Blues. Boston has already clinched the Atlantic Division and is well on its way to earning the top spot in the East. The Bruins have been the best team in hockey all year, and they look to keep it going against an underwhelming Blues team that is likely going to mi s the postseason. Here is what you need to know to watch the NHL on TNT on Wednesday. How to live stream Capitals vs. Rangerswithout cable Stream: TNT app, Fans can stream Capitals vs. Rangers on the TNT app and Sling TV. Select NHL games on TNT will be available to stream in the United States. In total, 62 regular-season games will be shown on TNT and its networks, including doubleheaders on Wednesday nights. Those games can be streamed through a TV subscription in the TNT app For those without cable, the TNT games are also available to watch on Sling TV. Sling TV offers NHL fans the ability to have acce s to more than 60 percent of the league's nationally televised games which can be streamed on TNT, ESPN and the NHL Network for . What time is Capitals vs. Rangers? Time: 1p.m. ET Location: Capital One Arena The puck drop for the Capitals and Rangers game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in the nation's capital. The game will be played at Capital One Arena, the home of the Caps. What time is Bruins vs. Blues? Time: 3:30 p.m. ET | 2:30p.m. CT Location: Ball Arena The second game of TNT's doubleheader is scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. local time in St. Louis. The Bruins and Blues are playing at the Enterprise Center, the home of the Blues. Clark Griswold Jersey

More NHL: | | | | | KISS does one performance at an outdoor NHL game in Los Angeles and suddenly they are everywhere in the hockey world. The power of makeup and rock is strong.Gene Simmons got to live most hockey fans' dreams by putting NHL Commi sioner Gary Bettman . That made for one heck of a photo that should hang in the NHL offices forever more.Now the NHL is auctioning off custom made KISS goalie masks, each of which was autographed by the band members; Russ Courtnall Jersey Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. From the NHL's auction site, here's a little more information.To commemorate the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium, four goalie masks were designed and painted by renowned sports artist David Arrigo. Each mask features the and logos alongside KISS Imagery and/or the likene s of the four members of the legendary rock band and 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees KISS.Masks will be auctioned one at a time:Mask 1 Tuesday, January 28 2014 Friday, February 7, 2014 Mask 2 Friday, February 7 Monday, February 17, 2014 Mask 3 Monday, February 17, 2014 Thursday, February 27, 2014 Mask 4 Thursday, February 27, 2014 Sunday, March 2 2014Procees of the auction will benefit the Kings Care Foundation and the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, fair considering the were the teams playing the game that the KISS rockers were performing at.These masks aren't going to come cheap. With more than a week left, . That's the cost for awesome masks with rock legends on them. To see all of the masks up close, on artits David Arrigo's website. Brad Richardson Jersey

Sidney Crosby is a pretty good hockey player. Yes, alert the ma ses. But it's not just that the Penguins star has been playing up to his typical high standards during the 2016-17 season he has been better than ever at putting the puck in the net. MORE: Crosby continued to distance himself from the rest of the NHL's top goal scorers with another goal on Tuesday against the Devils in a 5-2 Pittsburgh win. Crosby smacked a shot past Devils goaltender Cory Schneider off a beautiful feed from Conor Sheary. Fun fact: Sidney Crosby has 25 goals this season (an NHL-best). No other player has 20. Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) In addition to the goal, Crosby had two a sists, and finished plus-2 in nearly 17 minutes of ice time. "The Kid" is right in the thick of the points race and Joe Kocur Jersey is on track to score more goals in a single season than he ever has in his 11-year career. MORE: Let's take a look at how Crosby has taken his game to another level: 25 With asecond-period goal against the Devils, Crosby now has 25 goals in 30 games. No other NHL player has scored 20 goals. He alsoholds the No. 1 spot despite mi sing the first six games of the season. 63 At his current pace, Crosby will finish the season with 63goals. That would easily eclipse the highest total of his career (51 goals in 2009-10) and would be the most goals scored in a season since Alex Ovechkinnetted 65 in 2007-08.Crosby would join Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos as the only players to score 60 or more goals in a single season since1997. 23.8 Crosby is also on pace forthe highest shooting percentage of his career. He's currently at 23.8 percent on 105 shots, well ahead of the 19.9 percent he posted in 41 games during the 2010-11 season before symptoms stemming from a serious concu sion kept him off the ice. MORE: 0.53 While Crosby is averaging a career-high 0.83 goals per game, his a sists per game have actually dropped to a career-low 0.53. Evgeni Malkin and Phil Ke sel have picked up the slack in that department, both placing in the top 10 on the NHL a sists list. Those averages would keep Crosby at 1.36 points per game, slightly above his career rate (1.328). Crosby is fifth all time in points per game behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bo sy and Bobby Orr. Aside from the numbers, opposing players have noticed subtle changes in Crosby's evolving game. "You see a lot of his goals this year are deflections and tips," Devils winger Taylor Hall told . "It's obviously something he's worked at, and in the new NHL, teams are so good at defending, you've got to find new ways to score, and he's obviously doing that this year." MORE: Bruins winger Brad Marchandeven went so far as to sayCrosby is "on another level." "Some of the goals he gets now, the goals behind the net,out of the air, some of the plays he makes I think he surprises people every year, especially with the talent that he has," Marchand said (via )."You think you've seen it all until he pulls another trick out of the bag." As mentioned, Crosby's goal pace has kept him firmly in the points race. He is tied with Malkin at 41 points, and is on pace for the sixth 100-point season of his career. The Penguins teammates are right behind Oilers phenom Connor McDavid, who leads the league with 42 points. It should be a fun ride asMcDavid attemptsto hold on to the top spot with Crosby and Malkin chasing him down. Filip Chytil Jersey