Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is inching closer to a return.

Stone was cleared to practice Friday in a non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a lacerated spleen Feb. 20, the team announced.

The club ruled out Stone for the remainder of the regular season but listed him as questionable for the playoffs.

The two-time Selke Trophy finalist recorded 16 goals and 37 assists in 56 games this season. He tallied 24 points in 22 playoff contests during Vegas' 2023 Stanley Cup run.

Having Stone's $9.5-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve helped the Golden Knights load up at the trade deadline by adding Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, and Anthony Mantha. There's no salary cap in the postseason.

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Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will serve as Canada's general manager for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill will serve as Sweeney's associate GM.

Additionally, Sweeney and Nill were both named assistant GMs for Canada's 2026 Olympics team under GM Doug Armstrong.

Armstrong, the St. Louis Blues executive, was tasked with picking Canada's GMs for the Four Nations Face-Off and the 2024 World Championship. Rick Nash is serving as the latter.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is a new NHL-sanctioned international hockey tournament set for February 2025 featuring teams from Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

Sweeney has worked in Boston's front office since 2006, serving as GM since 2015. The Bruins have been a model of consistency for the better part of two decades, missing the playoffs just four times in the salary-cap era. They won the Stanley Cup in 2011 while Sweeney was assistant GM, and they posted an NHL-record 135 points in 2022-23.

The 57-year-old hasn't worked as an executive for Canada in any international events, but he did don the maple leaf at the 1997 World Championship as a player, winning gold.

Nill is the NHL's reigning GM of the Year. He's been in the position with the Stars since 2013, leading Dallas to a Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and the Western Conference Final in 2023. The 66-year-old held the role for Canada at the 2004 and 2015 World Championships, winning gold in both years.

Canada has been victorious at the last three best-on-best international hockey tournaments: the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

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Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde isn't taking anything for granted heading into Thursday's crucial clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"We may not be here next year," Lalonde said Wednesday, per NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.

The Red Wings, who have been rebuilding for much of the past five-plus years, are in the thick of a race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference as they look to snap a seven-year playoff drought.

"I don't foresee New Jersey not flirting with 100 points (next season)," Lalonde said. "You don't get these opportunities (all the time), and we're in one. So, we had an opportunity (Tuesday); we came up short. We have an opportunity (Thursday) against Pittsburgh; we would like to seize that opportunity."

Detroit enters Thursday with 84 points, one back of the Washington Capitals for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh also has 84 points. Both teams would hold tiebreakers over the Red Wings by virtue of regulation wins. Detroit's playoff odds thus sit at just 24.3%, per MoneyPuck.

The Red Wings have one of the NHL's best farm systems, and 22-year-old Lucas Raymond and 23-year-old Moritz Seider are among the team's best players. However, Detroit also has several aging veterans who could move on this summer as free agents, such as Patrick Kane, David Perron, and Shayne Gostisbehere.

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Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde isn't taking anything for granted heading into Thursday's crucial clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"We may not be here next year," Lalonde said Wednesday, per NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika.

The Red Wings, who have been rebuilding for much of the past five-plus years, are in the thick of a race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference as they look to snap a seven-year playoff drought.

"I don't foresee New Jersey not flirting with 100 points (next season)," Lalonde said. "You don't get these opportunities (all the time), and we're in one. So, we had an opportunity (Tuesday); we came up short. We have an opportunity (Thursday) against Pittsburgh; we would like to seize that opportunity."

Detroit enters Thursday with 84 points, one back of the Washington Capitals for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh also has 84 points. Both teams would hold tiebreakers over the Red Wings by virtue of regulation wins. Detroit's playoff odds thus sit at just 24.3%, per MoneyPuck.

The Red Wings have one of the NHL's best farm systems, and 22-year-old Lucas Raymond and 23-year-old Moritz Seider are among the team's best players. However, Detroit also has several aging veterans who could move on this summer as free agents, such as Patrick Kane, David Perron, and Shayne Gostisbehere.

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The Arizona Coyotes have a Utah-sized elephant in the room, and head coach Andre Tourigny isn't shy about addressing it.

News Wednesday indicated the Coyotes could move to Salt Lake City for next season, and an announcement about the relocation could come as early as April 18.

Ahead of Arizona's contest Wednesday, Tourigny said he believes the rumors about the franchise's possible move proved to be a major distraction when the club first heard the speculation several months ago.

"The first time that (relocation) rumor came, it was Jan. 24, and that's the day we started a 14-game losing streak, so we cannot pretend it did not affect our team," Tourigny said, per Hockey Daily 365. "Unfortunately, that had a huge impact on our season. We did not deal with it the right way at the time."

Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, noted on Jan. 24 that he could immediately bring an NHL franchise to Salt Lake City and formally requested the league to initiate the expansion process.

The Coyotes were two points out of a playoff spot prior to Smith's announcement, but their 14-game losing streak ultimately put a dagger in their season.

Arizona had a chance at redemption Wednesday on the road against the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks and pulled off a 4-3 overtime win.

"We did not manage the distraction really well the first time," Tourigny said postgame. "Not everybody (gets) a second chance, but we had a chance to do better this time, and I really like the attitude."

Rookie forward Logan Cooley played the role of hero by scoring the OT winner.

"It's always tough when media's going around saying we're gonna be here, we're gonna be there. We just need to stick together as a group and that's what we did," Cooley said postgame. "There's no quit in our team all year, whether that was when we were going through that losing streak (or) the arena news. It's a pretty special group we have in there."

The Coyotes have two more games on their current road trip before finishing their season at home against the Edmonton Oilers on April 17, potentially the franchise's last game in Arizona.

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Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli won't play in Columbus' final three games of the season, the club confirmed to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Fantilli suffered a calf laceration from a skate blade Jan. 28 and was projected to miss eight weeks, meaning there was a chance he could've returned in April.

The 2023 No. 3 pick finishes his rookie campaign with 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games.

The Blue Jackets project to have another high selection in the 2024 draft, as they currently sit 29th in league standings.

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The Buffalo Sabres were officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing 3-2 to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, extending their NHL-record postseason drought to 13 seasons.

Buffalo is the youngest team in the NHL, but defenseman Rasmus Dahlin doesn't think that justifies the dubious mark.

"We're a young team, but that shouldn't be an excuse anymore," Dahlin said postgame. "We are looking at ourselves in the mirror and we have to be better."

Dahlin has been with the Sabres for the last six of those 13 years. He's committed to the club for the long haul after signing an eight-year, $88-million extension in October.

"It sucks. We have to get better. We got to make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. "We got some work to do and the group is all-in for it."

Dahlin is tied for the team lead in points with 58 and fifth with 20 goals. Only the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks employ leading scorers with fewer point totals.

Buffalo ranks 13th in goals against per game but 22nd in goals for per contest. It was completely different a year ago when the Sabres owned the league's No. 3 offense but the No. 26 defense and missed the playoffs by a point.

Forward Alex Tuch, who co-leads the Sabres in points, believes there are multiple issues with the team.

"Power play could've been better. PK could've been better. We could've won more than two-to-three games in a row at a time. We could've played better shift after shift. We could've done a lot of things better, honestly," Tuch said.

Special teams have been a problem, as the Sabres rank 29th with the man advantage and 15th on the penalty kill. Their longest win streak of the season is three games.

"We've gotta look upon ourselves. There was no one else besides the guys in this room that put us in the position that we're in now," Tuch continued. "Myself definitely included."

Despite the disappointing season, Buffalo's future could be bright. In addition to having a young roster anchored by two former No. 1 picks on the back end in Dahlin and Owen Power, the Sabres have arguably the NHL's top farm system. They're on the cusp.

"We want to do something special in Buffalo," Dahlin said.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, head coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest.

McDavid is questionable for Edmonton's next game, a clash with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

"The most important thing is playoffs, that we are ready," Knoblauch told The Associated Press. "I think we've got depth. You're never going to replace Connor, but we've got healthy bodies. We want to make sure everyone is healthy as much as possible going into the playoffs."

The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner is one assist away from 100 on the season - a feat that's only been achieved by three other players in NHL history: Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Bobby Orr.

McDavid has 130 points in 74 games this season, the third-most in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon (133) and Nikita Kucherov (136).

The Oilers have already clinched a playoff spot but still have a 17.7% chance to win the Pacific Division, per MoneyPuck.

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Montreal Canadiens center Christian Dvorak will make a surprising return to the lineup Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced.

Dvorak was expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn pec on Dec. 30.

He's recorded seven points in 25 games this season. The 28-year-old has one more year on his contract with a $4.45-million cap hit. Montreal has five games left in its season.

However, defenseman Arber Xhekaj will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery Wednesday.

The 23-year-old is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Xhekaj finishes his sophomore season with 10 points, 81 penalty minutes, and 125 hits in 44 games. He averaged 15:56 of ice time per contest.

The Hamilton, Ontario, product is a pending restricted free agent but is under team control until 2028.

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Tampa Bay Lightning's Mikhail Sergachev returned to practice Monday in a red non-contact jersey for the first time since suffering a leg injury, but head coach Jon Cooper poured cold water on the idea that the defenseman is nearing a return.

"He's making progress, but don't read into it that he's going to be a first-round playoff participant because he won't be," Cooper said, per NHL.com's Chris Krenn. "But who knows? We win a round or two, never say never. Like I said, great to have him out there."

The Lightning clinched a playoff berth for the seventh straight year Friday.

Sergachev hasn't played since fracturing his tibia and fibula on Feb. 7. That game was his first after he suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss nearly two months.

The 25-year-old has recorded 19 points in 34 games this season as Tampa's No. 2 defenseman behind Victor Hedman.

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