The Sabres delayed flying to New York City from Buffalo until Tuesday because of weather conditions Monday. That change affected COVID-19 contact tracing and testing procedures, forcing the league to reschedule the game.
Buffalo split a back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils on home ice Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the NHL postponed the Devils' games through at least next Saturday following an outbreak within the club that caused 10 players to land on the league's COVID-19 protocol list.
Source: "Buffalo is furious. ... They asked for more info from the league and from NJ on both Saturday and Sunday when Zajac and Palmieri went out" and they didn't get it. https://t.co/7sjs5AaHvU
Riga, Latvia, will be the sole host of the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
The IIHF Council has voted to confirm the decision, hockey's governing body announced Tuesday.
The IIHF selected Minsk, Belarus, as one of the event's two host cities alongside Riga in 2017. But the body determined in January that Minsk would no longer serve as co-host due to "safety and security issues that are beyond the IIHF's control."
Widespread protests against the Belarusian government and its authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, have been raging in the country since his re-election in 2020.
Several sponsors threatened to withdraw from the tournament if it remained in Minsk.
IIHF president Rene Fasel previously said awarding the event solely to Riga wasn't an option.
The Golden Knights' games originally scheduled for Jan. 28, Feb. 1, and Feb. 3 (which also involve the Blues and Sharks) were postponed after Vegas experienced a COVID-19 outbreak. Three coaches were forced to isolate and star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo landed on the league's COVID-19 protocol list as a result.
The other three contests were presumably moved to accommodate the new dates for the first three.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Monday the team had four days of exclusively negative tests. Those who tested positive are now doing well, and he expects the team will be able resume playing as planned against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Sunday.
The Montreal Canadiens removed forward Josh Anderson from Saturday's loss to the Calgary Flames due to flu-like symptoms, head coach Claude Julien said postgame.
"They chose to send him home," Julien said. "Obviously, we don't want that spreading, but he's tested negative for (COVID-19 and) he'll be tested again (Sunday). But with everything that's going on right now, it was cautionary measures by our medical staff."
Anderson played seven shifts in the first period of his team's 2-0 loss, but he logged only one in the second frame and one more in the third. The Canadiens then announced he wouldn't return.
The 26-year-old has collected four goals and an assist in his first eight games with Montreal. The club signed him to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract in October after acquiring him in a trade sending forward Max Domi to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Bennett's agent confirmed as much to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
"There was a rumor going around (Saturday) morning that Bennett might want a change of scenery, and I did call his agent, Darren Ferris, who said, 'Yes, that's true, he would like it to be considered,'" Friedman reported on the latest edition of "Saturday Headlines."
The Flames have not commented on the situation, according to Friedman.
"One thing I've gleaned in just calling around is that they're not in any hurry to do it," he added.
Bennett is in his sixth full season with the Flames, who drafted him fourth overall in 2014.
The 24-year-old has failed to live up to the lofty expectations that accompany his draft position. He entered Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with no goals and one assist in six contests.
Bennett posted a career-high 18 markers and 18 helpers as a rookie in 2015-16, but he hasn't matched that output since then. He did produce five points in as many games during the 2018-19 playoffs, though, adding five goals and three assists in 10 postseason contests in 2020.
Konecny is tied as the team's leading scorer with five goals and is second in points with eight through eight games. However, he's taken just one shot on goal and collected only one point - an assist - over his last three contests.
Vigneault acknowledged Konecny is one of the club's best three forwards and is doing some good things, but the bench boss cited both the team's lackluster five-on-five play as well as the 24-year-old forward's struggles in those situations. Vigneault said he spoke to Konecny about it Saturday morning.
"I've been talking to the players about it for some time, areas we need to be better at, areas that we have been good at in the past," the head coach said. "TK is the one tonight who is not going to play. His five-on-five game needs to be better in the areas that he's aware of."
Vigneault added he's asked the club to play better at five-on-five "basically after every game."
Konecny led the Flyers with 24 goals and 61 points in 2019-20.
Sam Morin, a former defenseman who the Flyers converted to forward before the start of the season, will make his 2021 debut with Konecny out.
Fiala was ejected from Minnesota's 5-3 win over Los Angeles in the second period after plowing Roy into the boards from behind.
The NHL's explanation said Fiala was "entirely in control of how this play develops," adding "from the time the puck is dumped in, he sees nothing but Roy's numbers."
The league also added "the onus is on Fiala to create a new angle of approach" to either deliver a clean hit, avoid making it, or reduce the amount of contact and minimize the danger.
Officials gave Fiala a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct.
Roy didn't return to the game, but Kings head coach Todd McLellan said afterward he expected the blue-liner to be able to travel with the club.
It's early in the NHL season, but several players have already begun to separate themselves from the pack in the hunt for the Hart Trophy.
Given the small sample size, there's no shortage of names for which one could make a case. But there are a handful of players who have demonstrated immense value relative to their teammates.
It should also be noted that while a team's position in the standings is generally taken into account when determining the Hart winner, it's not as much of a concern at this juncture.
Here are our top five MVP candidates through the first two-plus weeks of the 2020-21 campaign:
5. Mitch Marner
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
SCF%
9
5
8
23:34
46.26
54.25
Yes, Marner has a deep supporting cast, but the Toronto Maple Leafs forward is one of the biggest reasons his team occupies first place in the North Division.
The 23-year-old ranks near the top of the early goal-scoring race and is tied for second in points among all players. But it's not just his production that's put him in the Hart conversation. It's the way he's produced.
Marner leads all NHL forwardsin average ice time, logging a whopping 23:34 per game so far. He's also tied for the NHL lead in even-strength goals, and his 13 points in all situations are four morethan the next-closest Toronto skater. Marner isn't doing it all by himself, but the Maple Leafs wouldn't be off to such a promising start without the winger's significant contributions.
4. John Gibson
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
Record
SV%
HDSV%
GAA
xGA/60
GSAA
7
3-2-2
.942
.865
1.86
3.01
8.26
Gibson is the early front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, and he deserves some Hart consideration, too. The Anaheim Ducks would clearly be in the NHL's basement without the ever-dependable goaltender.
Gibson is used to a heavy workload by now, but his efforts still warrant recognition, especially with the Ducks in contention amid the parity of the West Division. Anaheim ices the league's worst offense, and the 27-year-old netminder has faced the second-most shots among NHL goalies.
Gibson has kept the Ducks afloat with barely any assistance from his teammates, cementing his status as one of the game's most valuable players.
3. Patrick Kane
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
SCF%
8
3
4
20:31
44.12
43.7
Kane doesn't have the eye-popping numbers of the other forwards on this list, but don't let that fool you. The dynamic winger has carried the Chicago Blackhawks amid the long-term absences of top centers Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach. Kane's skilled linemate, Alex DeBrincat, and an important young defenseman, Adam Boqvist, are also in COVID-19 protocol for at least two weeks.
Despite the Blackhawks' depleted roster, Kane has kept the self-professed rebuilding club within two pointsof first place in the Central Division, albeit among a couple of clubs with games in hand due to postponements.
Rookie pivot Pius Suter racked up a hat trick for his first three NHL goals Sunday, but Kane has been the one providing the most consistent production for Chicago. The 32-year-old superstar notched points in five straight games after being held off the scoresheet in the opener.
Much like Gibson, the 2016 Hart winner has willed his team into the early hunt when no one expected it to be there.
2. Mark Stone
David Becker / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
SCF%
7
2
9
18:48
62.17
54.44
Stone contributes in so many ways for the Vegas Golden Knights. He excels at both ends of the ice and on special teams, and he provides both physicality and offense. The star forward is also proving he can more than handle the added responsibility of being the first captain in franchise history.
The 28-year-old sits among the league scoring leaders despite getting far less ice time than his closest competitors. Stone has also been one of the NHL's most productive players at even strength so far, and his offensive exploits are all the more remarkable considering his dogged dedication to the 200-foot game.
Max Pacioretty's six goals shouldn't be discounted, but Stone has assisted on five of them, with primary helpers on three. The captain has also posted four more points than his next-closest teammate. That doesn't sound like much, but it's illuminating with only seven games played, and it shows how critical Stone is to his squad's success.
1. Connor McDavid
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
SCF%
9
5
9
22:33
67.15
60.87
McDavid is back, folks. He never truly left, of course, but the 2017 Hart Trophy winner has rocketed out of the gate this season after watching teammate Leon Draisaitl claim the honor in 2020.
The Canadian superstar leads theNHL in points in all situations and is tied for first in points at even strength (nine),which means he's not inflating his production on the man advantage. Draisaitl has been great, too, but he's posted only one of his six goals and just sixof his 13 points at evens. Meanwhile, McDavid has notched four of his five goals and nine of his 14 points in non-special teams situations.
McDavid is also getting more ice time than his German teammate, averaging over half a minute more than Draisaitl while ranking among the league's top forwards in that regard. McDavid is also tied for secondin shots among all players, further illustrating the Edmonton Oilers captain is on a mission to capture his second Hart Trophy in five years.
The Oilers haven't played consistently as a team in the early going, but they're still in contention in the North Division, and McDavid is the biggest reason they haven't completely bottomed out.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' search for a new general manager has begun with no shortage of names eyeing the job.
Twenty candidates contacted the club to express interest in the position as of Thursday afternoon, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on the latest edition of "Insider Trading."
Jason Botterill, Chris Drury, Ron Hextall, Mark Hunter, Tom Fitzgerald, Peter Chiarelli, Scott Mellanby, Mike Gillis, Laurence Gilman, John Ferguson Jr., and Mike Futa are all on the Penguins' radar, according to LeBrun.
Patrik Allvin, the Penguins' interim general manager, will reportedly get the first interview. Pittsburgh promoted him to the role when longtime GM Jim Rutherford resigned Wednesday for personal reasons.
Pittsburgh is aiming to have a new GM in place within two-to-three weeks, LeBrun added.
Fitzgerald is the current general manager of the New Jersey Devils. Chiarelli formerly held the same role with the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, while Hextall served as GM of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2014-18. Hextall is currently a hockey operations advisor for the Los Angeles Kings and served as their assistant GM from 2006-13.
Chiarelli and Hextall reportedly interviewed for the Minnesota Wild's GM vacancy in 2019 before the team hired Bill Guerin.
Rutherford began his tenure as Penguins GM in 2014, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017. He previously spent 20 years with the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise, overseeing the Hurricanes' title run in 2006.
