A trio of NHLers were slapped with fines for diving/embellishment by the NHL on Friday as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri was fined $5,000 while Arizona Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal and Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov were each fined $2,000.

Kadri was technically fined twice for a pair of citations in the past month. He was fined $2,000 for an incident during a March 12 game against the Ottawa Senators and $3,000 for an incident during a March 21 game against the Calgary Flames.

He received a warning from the NHL after diving during a Feb. 4 game against the New Jersey Devils. Every additional citation following a warning from the league results in a fine under NHL Rule 64.

Citation	Player Fine	Coach Fine
1	Warning	N/A
2	$2000	N/A
3	$3000	N/A
4	$4000	$2000
5	$5000	$3000

If he is cited for embellishment for a fourth time this season, he would be fined $4,000, and Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock would be fined $2,000.

Hanzal and Yakupov were each fined $2,000 as they had both received a warning from the NHL earlier in the season. Both players were flagged for actions during a March 12 game between the Coyotes and Oilers.

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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri, Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov and Arizona Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal were all fined by the NHL on Friday for diving or embellishment in recent games. Kadri was fined US$5,000...

The Colorado Avalanche need help to make the playoffs, and this is a start.

Matt Duchene will be back in the lineup Friday against the Washington Capitals, head coach Patrick Roy confirmed.

"He's ready to go," Roy said.

Duchene hasn't played since March 16 due to a knee injury, and he was hot when he went down. He was riding a four-game point streak (two goals, four assists) and had points in six of seven games in March.

The Avalanche went 3-3 without him, and sit five points back of the Minnesota Wild for the second wild-card spot in the West with five games to play (and one game in hand). The schedule isn't easy, though: Washington, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, and Anaheim.

Duchene has 29 goals and 27 assists.

There's no update on Nathan MacKinnon, who hasn't played since Feb. 18, so it's assumed he's out Friday, and likely Sunday.

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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Pittsburgh Penguins centre Sidney Crosby was named NHL first star of the month Friday after leading all players with 21 points last month. Crosby had seven goals and 14 assists in 16 games to lead the Penguins to a 12-4-0 rec...

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - The Western Hockey League says financial terms for leasing the Canalta Centre where the Medicine Hat Tigers play were settled last June. But the league says in a statement that the city and arena operator have been tryin...

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Anaheim Ducks forward David Perron will be out four to six weeks with a separated right shoulder, and goalie Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely with a concussion. The Ducks announced a surge of injury woes Friday before t...

Sidney Crosby is heating up at the right time for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the wrong time for the rest of the NHL.

No. 87 was named the NHL's first star for the month of March, the league announced Friday. Crosby had 21 points in 16 games - and at least a point in 15 of those 16 games - as the Penguins marched to a 12-4 record.

Crosby's now up to third in league scoring, and has more points than any player in 2016 - 53 (20 goals) in 40 games.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk was named March's second star, thanks to a 10-2-1 record and .927 save percentage in a crucial month for his team.

Dubnyk's followed up on his breakthrough 2014-15 season with a solid campaign for the Wild, becoming a 30-game winner for the first time in his career and tying his career high with five shutouts.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns was named third star for the month of March, helping his club clinch a playoff spot.

Burns' 13 assists and 19 points ranked second among all players in March. He's having a career season on the blue line in San Jose, setting a club record for goals in a campaign by a defenseman (27).

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The Anaheim Ducks have lost arguably their best player over the past three months, as the team announced goalie Frederik Andersen has suffered a concussion.

Andersen was hurt during Wednesday's game against the Calgary Flames. He was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in 11 minutes of action in relief of John Gibson, who was pulled after a collision with defenseman Hampus Lindholm.

The 26-year-old has suffered just one regulation loss in 23 appearances since Jan. 1, recording a pair of shutouts to help the Ducks battle for first in the Pacific Division. Gibson will take the reins in the Anaheim crease, and Anton Khudobin has been recalled from the AHL's San Diego Gulls.

The team also announced the loss of a pair of forwards, as David Perron, who was hurt during a March 20 game against the Winnipeg Jets, will miss four-to-six weeks with a separated right shoulder. Meanwhile, Rickard Rakell will miss a week of action due to appendicitis.

They will also be without Lindholm for Friday's game against the Vancouver Canucks due to illness.

"We have a lot of guys in here who can step up and take advantage of this opportunity," said Ducks leading goal-scorer Corey Perry. The team also recalled forward Chris Wagner from the AHL, and signed him to a two-year contract extension.

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Mark Stone is fine, somehow.

After the Ottawa Senators forward was demolished by Dustin Byfuglien on Wednesday, Stone's been checked out in Ottawa and is dealing with soreness, nothing more, according to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch.

Here's the hit that left Stone with an upper-body injury, if there ever was one:

Unbelievable front row video of Byfuglien's hit on Mark Stone. Now in slow motion. #NHLJets (via @pegcityjay) pic.twitter.com/XPIEXUBe0o

— M Remis (@mremis) March 31, 2016

Stone, who has 23 goals and 61 points in 75 games, won't play Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, but is hoping to get back into games next week.

Ottawa's home to Pittsburgh and Florida on Tuesday and Thursday, before playing game No. 82 in Boston on Saturday.

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