James Neal continues to prove his scoring touch is back.

The Edmonton Oilers forward has passed his goal total from last season after notching his eighth marker of this campaign in the veteran's sixth game on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 32-year-old was traded to Edmonton for Milan Lucic in July after potting just seven goals in 63 games with the Calgary Flames during the first season of a five-year, $28.75 million contract.

Lucic, who scored six goals with the Oilers last season, has recorded zero points and 26 penalty minutes so far this year in six games with the Flames.

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Nikita Kucherov is hungrier for the Stanley Cup than ever before.

The Tampa Bay Lightning star may have taken home the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award last year, but those individual accomplishments alone didn't satisfy him.

"I don't care about the personal stuff, I mean you do care because you want to play well," Kucherov said, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "But at the end of the day, you want to remember the fun part and winning the Cup and having your name on it."

The Lightning were swept at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the 2018-19 playoffs despite putting together one of the most dominant regular seasons in NHL history.

Kucherov only managed two assists in three games during the first-round series after recording 41 goals and 128 points in the regular season.

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The Vancouver Canucks named Bo Horvat the 14th captain in team history prior to Wednesday's home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.

Horvat succeeds Henrik Sedin, who captained the Canucks for eight seasons before retiring at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

"They choose captains because of who you are," Sedin said, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "That's why they didn't name a captain right away; they wait and see what kind of person a guy is and how he handles different situations.

"That's why they picked Bo."

The club previously named Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev, and Brandon Sutter alternate captains on Oct. 1.

Horvat established career highs with the Canucks last season, recording 27 goals and 61 points.

Vancouver selected the 24-year-old with the No. 9 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

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After spending 19 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau is happy to be back in the Bay Area.

"The emotion I felt when that phone call came from Doug was just overwhelming," Marleau said on Wednesday, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. "I'm just very grateful to be back."

The Carolina Hurricanes bought out the veteran forward from the final year of his contract in June after the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him.

Marleau will make his season debut on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks after practicing on the Sharks' top line alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

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San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane isn't changing his stance on NHL referees after serving his three-game suspension for abuse of officials.

"I'm sure you guys have heard my comments about it after the game," Kane said, according to the Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka. "I stand by what I said."

Kane's suspension came after an altercation with a linesman during the team's preseason finale against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 1.

The 28-year-old opted not to appeal the suspension due to the Sharks' busy schedule to start the season and the lengthy process that comes with a formal review.

"That's what's in the CBA, that's what is in the rulebook," Kane said. "No matter what I guess transpires, the player's accountable for it. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is what it is."

The Sharks have opened the season with three straight losses and take on the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

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Patrik Laine is ready to get back to filling opponents' nets over the next two years.

After settling for a two-year, $13.5-million bridge deal with the Winnipeg Jets last week, the Finnish forward is betting on himself to return to his scoring ways.

"I know I'll be good for the next two years," Laine told reporters Monday. "I'm going to score a lot of goals, that's for sure.

"I've always trusted myself ... I'm gonna be betting on myself these two years."

Despite scoring 30 goals last season, Laine's year was widely seen as a disappointment. Eighteen of those tallies came in the month of November, and issues with his 200-foot game became more clear during the season.

"You can always be better, always room to improve," Laine added. "Just play better five-on-five and help my team to win."

The 21-year-old has scored 110 goals in 237 games since being taken second overall in the 2016 NHL Draft.

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Seattle has found a home for its AHL team.

The newest NHL team has been awarded an AHL expansion franchise that will be located in Palm Springs, California, the league announced on Monday.

"Palm Springs has all the makings of an outstanding hockey market, and will further strengthen the growing base of our sport in California," AHL CEO David Andrews said.

The AHL's 32nd team will begin play in fall 2021.

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The NHL is entering a two-year, cross-platform marketing and promotional partnership with the band Green Day, the league announced Monday.

Green Day's new song, "Fire, Ready, Aim," will serve as the opening theme for NBCSN's Wednesday Night Hockey, which debuts on Oct. 9 when the New Jersey Devils take on Philadelphia Flyers.

The song will also be featured on NHL on NBC broadcasts throughout the 2019-20 season.

Green Day will have music from their upcoming album "Father Of All ..." featured throughout the NHL, including game highlights, in-arena content, and on television partners' platforms.

The league also announced that the group will perform at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis on Jan. 25.

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Josh Ho-Sang couldn't crack the New York Islanders' opening-day roster.

The Islanders are placing Ho-Sang, Thomas Hickey, and Tanner Fritz on waivers, general manager Lou Lamoriello told reporters Monday.

Ho-Sang, the 28th overall pick in the 2014 draft, made his NHL debut in 2017 and has appeared in just 53 games for the Islanders, recording 24 points.

The 23-year-old has spent the majority of his pro career in the AHL, where he's appeared in 156 games and racked up 26 goals and 110 points.

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The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Alexander Petrovic to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday.

The one-year contract is reportedly worth $1.95 million, per CapFriendly.

"Alexander is a dependable young defenseman who adds size and physicality to our lineup," said GM Dale Tallon.

Petrovic, 26, appeared in 67 games for the Panthers last season, recording two goals and 13 points and had a team-leading average of 2.1 hits per game.

The former second-round pick was one of four Florida defensemen protected in last year's expansion draft, leaving forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith exposed.

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