Articles in NHL Teams

* The Rangers and Panthers – the top teams in the Eastern Conference – extended their winning streak to eight and six games, respectively.

* Quinton Byfield brought the fans at Crypto.com Arena to their feet with a highlight-reel goal en route to the Kings’ fourth straight victory.

* Auston Matthews enters Wednesday just one shy of his 50th goal of the season and is in striking distance from becoming the fastest player to reach the mark since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. Click here for notes on his path to 50.

* An NHL on TNT and Max doubleheader between the Flyers and Blackhawks as well as the Bruins and Oilers highlight the rest of Wednesday’s five-game slate.

via TSN's YouTube page,

TSN’s Hockey Insiders have more on Flames blueliner Noah Hanifin, how buyers are patiently waiting for the list of sellers to grow, and the latest on the Penguins, Stars and Panthers, the Coyotes in the market for more draft picks.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

Bobby Orr played his last great hockey in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament and it’s far too easy to forget, looking back, that it happened 48 years ago.

Orr won his first NHL scoring title in 1970 — as the first, then later the second, defenceman in hockey history to win an Art Ross Trophy. The first came 54 years ago.

At the height of his brilliance, in an unmatched six-year period, Orr scored 734 points, finished first in NHL scoring twice, second three times, third once. Most of that coming more than 50 years ago.

Why does of any of that matter now? Because at all-star weekend in Toronto, when the subject of Sidney Crosby’s place in hockey history was being discussed and debated by younger chroniclers of the sport in the media room, it was remarkable to me how many influencers in the game had little idea of everything Orr had accomplished in hockey.

So many never saw him play. Unless you’re 60 or above in age, there’s a chance you didn’t see enough of him. And those of us who witnessed history sometimes take for granted that we did.

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Below, dedicate 45 minutes to watching the ESPN SportsCentury feature on Orr.

from Tracey Myers of the NHL's website,

Connor Bedard is a big fan of Patrick Kane, and the rookie center is not surprised the former Chicago Blackhawks forward’s patented “heartbreaker” celebration is still popular more than 10 years after Kane first did it.

“I think when you pioneer something it’s pretty cool, so whenever someone does it, it’s always traced back to him, which I think is pretty sweet,” Bedard said Tuesday.

Kane first did the celebration, drawing a heart in the air before punching it, when he completed a hat trick in a 4-3 double-overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on June 8, 2013.

Bedard paid homage to Kane with his own “heartbreaker” celebration when he scored the winning goal in Canada’s 4-3 overtime victory against Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship on Jan. 2, 2022.

“He's had some cool cellys in his years,” Bedard said of Kane. “He’s an icon in the game. He’s someone who’s going to be remembered forever and he’s still playing at such an elite level.”

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EW YORK (Feb. 20, 2024) – National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman today affirmed the five-game suspension that was assessed to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly for cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig during NHL Game No. 812 in Ottawa on Saturday, Feb. 10.

Commissioner Bettman heard Rielly’s appeal of the original decision, assessed Feb. 13, at a hearing on Feb. 16.

The incident occurred at 19:54 of the third period. Rielly was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for cross-checking.

* Matinee madness! The Wild and Canucks combined for three hat tricks and 17 goals in the NHL’s highest-scoring game of the season so far.

* Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, J.T. Miller and Sean Monahan each potted hat tricks to raise AstraZeneca’s donation to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation by $20,000. After also seeing four three-goal performances on Nov. 4, the 2023-24 campaign became the first season to feature multiple days with at least four hat tricks since 2008-09 (4 on Dec. 11, 2008 & March 7, 2009).

* An eight-game Tuesday features a doubleheader on Sportsnet ONE and TVA Sports that closes with Ryan O'Reilly and the Predators clashing with the Golden Knights.

Scoring by periods and box score is here.

Game highlights are below.

* The Rangers won in overtime to become the first team to rally from a three-goal deficit to win an NHL outdoor game and did so by erasing a two-goal deficit in the final five minutes of regulation.

* More than 150,000 fans attended outdoor hockey at MetLife Stadium within a 24-hour period during the two games as part of the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series to push the total attendance across the NHL’s 41 outdoor games to over two million.

* Nathan MacKinnon became the second player to hit the 90-point mark in 2023-24 and extended his season-opening home point streak to 26 games – the second-longest run in NHL history.

* A busy 10-game Presidents’ Day in the U.S. and Family Day in Canada will see Auston Matthews aim to hit the 50-goal mark during a doubleheader on ESPN when the Maple Leafs visit the Blues at 1 p.m. ET.

via Sportsnet's YouTube page,

Watch as New York Rangers forwards Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad score two power-play goals, with the goaltender pulled, in the final five minutes of their Stadium Series game against the New York Islanders to help force overtime.

Then 10 seconds into OT, the Rangers score again...

#68 goes to the rafters in Pittsburgh.

Watch the 47 minute ceremony below.

NEW YORK (Feb. 18, 2024) – The New York Islanders will host the 2026 NHL® All-Star Weekend at UBS Arena, in Elmont, N.Y., the National Hockey League® announced today. Additional information on the League’s midseason showcase, including its dates, ticketing and broadcast information, will be announced when available. Fans can sign up to receive news and updates on the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend here.

“The National Hockey League is thrilled to have the best and brightest of our game hosted at the spectacular UBS Arena for the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend,’’ NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We have been looking forward to UBS Arena playing host to one of our major League events since before construction of this wonderful arena began. We have every confidence that the Islanders organization, led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, will deliver a celebration that will make the greater New York region and the NHL proud.”

NEW YORK (Feb. 18, 2024) – St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for high-sticking Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista during NHL Game No. 855 in St. Louis on Saturday, Feb. 17, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 19:14 of the third period. Binnington was assessed a minor penalty for high-sticking.

Watch the butt-end below.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- Connor McDavid has played himself into a crowded Hart Trophy conversation that includes Nathan Mac­Kinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Matthews, David Pastrnak, Artemi Panarin, Sam Reinhart, Quinn Hughes and, if Pittsburgh Penguins make the playoffs, Sidney Crosby. And how do you whittle down that list of nine to five on a ballot and eventually three finalists?

- Jason Botterill, former Sabres general managere, former Pittsburgh assistant and current Seattle assistant GM, is an inside hockey favourite to replace the fired Jarmo Kekalainen in Columbus. Other candidates include Chris MacFarland from Colorado and Mathieu Darche in Tampa Bay. And why is it no seems to mention Mike Futa for these jobs when he used to get rumoured for every opening.

- Keefe continues to talk up Tyler Bertuzzi and all that he can do for the Leafs. Which is nice. But if I’m GM Brad Treliving, I’m considering buying and selling at the trade deadline. Buying defensive help: Seeing if you can’t turn Bertuzzi into an asset from another club.

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* Rookie goaltender Nico Daws (45 saves) set the record for most saves in an NHL outdoor game to help propel the Devils to a victory at MetLife Stadium in the first of two contests in the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. The Rangers and Islanders will contest the second half of the event with an afternoon game Sunday.

* A second straight hat trick from Auston Matthews added to AstraZeneca’s donation to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation as the Maple Leafs and Panthers both scored nine goals and combined for a feat last achieved 17 years ago.

* The NHL announced the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State University football team, on March 1, 2025.

* Sunday’s three-game slate also features the Penguins raising a franchise icon’s number to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena.

NEW YORK (Feb. 17, 2024) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ will feature the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State University football team, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Additional details for the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™, including ticketing and broadcast information, and the game’s start time, will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ here.

from Michelle Crechiolo@PensInsideScoop - Penguins Team Reporter

Leading into the ‘Celebrate 68’ festivities, many stories have been shared about Jaromir Jagr from those who know him best.

On Friday in the Rivers Casino ballroom, the Penguins legend himself took to the stage for a fireside chat with longtime Pittsburgh TV and radio personality Paul Steigerwald and former teammates Kevin Stevens, Phil Bourque, and Jay Caufield.

Jagr embraced the more intimate nature of the setting ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, which will take place in front of a sold-out crowd. He was relaxed and easygoing, cracking jokes, laughing easily and offering incredible amounts of insight – intriguing, touching, heartfelt, and funny – into different parts of his journey.

While they discussed many topics during the hour-long conversation, these are the stories that stood out the most.

Bourque talked about going over to see Jagr in Czechia, which was essentially the catalyst for all of this, as he helped his friend realize that Pittsburgh loves him – and said he’s going to feel that on Sunday. After a round of applause – which featured yells of ‘one more year!’ – Jagr shared his emotions surrounding his No. 68 being retired.

I never really played hockey for the trophies. To have a jersey retired was never my goal. Maybe that's the reason why I'm still playing (at 52). I don't think there's anything better in life than to not only play hockey, but if you do something that you love, I wish everybody could do it in their life. If your job is something you hate, and you just hate eight hours of your day, you’ve got 16 left, and you’re just killing your life. I was so lucky and so blessed that God gave me the ability to play, and my parents put me in that position and did everything for me to play hockey. So, that's why I kind of answered that I'm kind of afraid of it, they don't like me here. Plus, I don't really enjoy it… I don't know how to explain it. People will say, oh, he's crazy, why doesn’t he like that? I don't like that. I like to be on this side. I don't have to be seen. I just love the game. But on the other side, I'm so honored. When I think about it, I see how life goes by – people are just going to forget you in five years when you stop playing. That happens, because new guys come in. But this is going to be forever, you know? No matter if it’s 10 or 20 years later, when new fans come in, they’re going to look up and say hey, there was some Jagr that played here in Pittsburgh [laughs]. At least something is going to stay after I’m going to go.

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from Gentry Estes of The Tennessean,

The Nashville Predators weren’t supposed to be any good this season, so now that it’s playing out that way, I wonder why anyone is surprised.

But I know why.

It’s because these rebuilding Predators, for much of the season, didn’t look like a rebuilding team. They became fun to watch under first-year coach Andrew Brunette. They played hard and fast, and while overachieving, kept acting and speaking as if it was no shock to them. Like they knew something about themselves the rest of the NHL did not.

They believed, and that made others believe in them.

Belief is powerful. But fragile. It’ll shatter for teams, and when it does, it’s easy to tell.

This past week with the Predators, it has been easy to tell.

Thursday’s 9-2 blowout loss to the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena was one of the most pitiful performances in franchise history. The Stars scored three times before the Predators’ first shot on goal. At the end of the first period, Dallas had 18 shots to Nashville’s one.

“Embarrassed at home,” captain Roman Josi said.

“Weren’t ready to play,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh added.

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* The 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series gets started Saturday with a pre-game concert from the Jonas Brothers at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by the Flyers facing the Devils outdoors at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN+, SN1, TVAS-D).

* Jordan Martinook jumpstarted a five-goal outburst by the Hurricanes on Friday by scoring the ninth-fastest (tied) goal to start a game in franchise history.

* The NHL, ESPN and Disney Branded Television are once again teaming up to bring fans the second “NHL Big City Greens Classic,” a live, animated NHL game telecast featuring the Penguins and Bruins at 3 p.m. ET on March 9. Click here for details.

* Saturday’s 13-game slate also includes a matinee doubleheader on ABC, ESPN+ and Sportsnet as well as a three-pack of Hockey Night in Canada games including Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin and a showdown between Canada’s top two teams in the overall standings when the Jets visit the Canucks.

from Mollie Walker of the New York Post,

So the Rangers will finish out the regular season without Blake Wheeler, who was placed on long-term injured reserve on Friday following a hair-raising fall in which his right leg bent in a way it isn’t supposed to.

It turned out to be as bad as it looked, but as The Post’s Larry Brooks first reported, a return during the playoffs hasn’t been entirely ruled out.

That will depend on Wheeler’s recovery timeline and how far the Rangers go in the playoffs, the latter of which will be directly dependent on what Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury does before the March 8 trade deadline now that acquiring a top-six right wing is of the utmost importance.

“He’s been amazing since he’s been here,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of Wheeler after the Rangers concluded their outdoor practice on Friday ahead of their Stadium Series matchup with the Islanders at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. “His presence. He comes in to work every day. Positive. Hardworking. You can see it right before even training camp started that he was in there early.

“He was committed to being a part of this team and making it successful. He did that, both in the room and on the ice. When you lose a veteran player like that with such an impact in the room, that’s tough to replace.”

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Watch the incident below.

from Tim Benz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

The Penguins gave up four goals in roughly nine minutes after a scoreless first and ended up losing the game 5-2. It’s the third straight defeat for the Penguins and their sixth in eight tries. Five of those six losses have come in regulation. So the Penguins aren’t even getting loser points.

That’s not good for a team that is struggling to climb the Eastern Conference standings from 12th place into the eighth and final playoff spot. That gap currently stands at seven points, with four teams between the Pens and the East’s second wild-card spot.

And Sullivan was left without answers as to what went wrong in the Penguins’ latest failed attempt to get back on track.

“This one’s a tough one for me to assess coming off the bench. Usually I’ve got a pretty good feel. It wasn’t like we were under siege or anything. We just gave up some untimely goals,” Sullivan said.

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10 saves in 7 1/2 minutes.

from the Columbus Blue Jackets,

The Columbus Blue Jackets have relieved Jarmo Kekalainen of his duties as general manager of the National Hockey League club, President of Hockey Operations and Alternate Governor John Davidson announced today. Davidson, along with the team’s hockey operations management team, will assume general manager’s duties while the club goes through the process of hiring a replacement.

Media availability with Davidson will be streamed live on the Blue Jackets’ YouTube page at 11:30 a.m. ET today and will be recorded and posted afterwards on BlueJackets.com.

“This is one of the hardest days I have had in my career as Jarmo is a friend, someone I have a great deal of respect for and someone who has done a lot of good things during his time here,” said Davidson. “While the future of our club is bright, our performance has not been good enough and it is time for a fresh perspective as we move forward.”

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* The Panthers extended the League’s longest active road win streak to nine games and moved within two points of the Bruins for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with the help of Matthew Tkachuk, who became the sixth player to record 20 career three-point outings with the franchise.

* Connor Hellebuyck hit the 25-win mark for the seventh time in his career with a shutout performance and joined a short all-time list by allowing three goals or fewer for his 30th straight appearance.

* Thursday marks the first day in NHL history to feature five Stanley Cup Final rematches, with one involving the two Art Ross Trophy race leaders going head-to-head at Amalie Arena. The 12-game slate also features the Predators hosting the Stars on ESPN+ and Hulu.

11 minutes long.