Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced Wednesday that winger Alex Killorn is doubtful to play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens.

Killorn blocked a shot in Game 1 and has missed the subsequent three contests despite being a game-time decision for Game 4.

The 31-year-old has recorded eight goals and nine assists in 19 games this postseason.

Mathieu Joseph has been inserted into the lineup in Killorn's absence, registering a pair of assists in three tilts.

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Paul McFarland and Jay Leach were named the first two assistant coaches in Seattle Kraken history Tuesday.

McFarland and Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol served as assistants together with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20. McFarland was previously the assistant coach of the Florida Panthers from 2017-19 and head coach of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs from 2014-17. He left the Leafs last offseason to reprise his role with the Fronts before COVID-19 wiped out the campaign.

Leach spent the last four seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Providence Bruins, compiling a 136-77-26 record and never missing the playoffs.

"We're very excited to add two talented hockey minds in Paul and Jay to our inaugural staff," Hakstol said. "Paul's work ethic and ability to communicate with players to give them the tools to be at their best, along with Jay's leadership and ability to coach and develop NHL talent, will be great additions to our team."

McFarland will focus on forwards and the power play. During his last season in Florida, the Panthers owned the second-best power play in the league. In his one season in Toronto, the Leafs ranked sixth with the man advantage.

Leach will be responsible for the defense corps. He played 70 games in the NHL as a defenseman from 2005-2011.

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The Montreal Canadiens are pulling out all the stops for their do-or-die Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme announced pivot Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be scratched in favor of Jake Evans, according to Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press. Additionally, Alexander Romanov and Brett Kulak will draw in on defense for Erik Gustafsson and Jon Merrill.

The Canadiens are also promoting Tyler Toffoli to the top line and bumping up Josh Anderson to the second line. Here's the projected lineup:

Kotkaniemi, the 2018 third overall pick, has recorded five goals and three assists in 19 games this postseason. However, he's scored just once in his last 12 contests.

"It's nothing against (Kotkaniemi) or anything else, but we have depth and we have options," Ducharme said, according to TSN's John Lu.

"Again, it's not punishment ... sometimes as a hockey player you face these moments," Ducharme added. "He's a good team guy and understands the situation even though nobody wants to sit."

Evans morphed into a lineup fixture until suffering a concussion on a hit by Mark Scheifele during Round 2. He's skated in just one game since then.

Meanwhile, Romanov and Kulak have skated in two and 11 games, respectively, in these playoffs.

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Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has died at age 24, the team announced Monday.

Kivlenieks suffered an apparent head injury during a fall. Medical personnel were called immediately, but he died a short time later.

“We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Matiss Kivlenieks, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his mother, Astrida, his family, and friends during this devastating time," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said. "Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile, and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten."

Kivlenieks appeared in two games with the Blue Jackets in 2020-21 and six contests the season prior. He spent most of the past two campaigns with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters.

The native of Riga, Latvia, also represented his country on the international stage. He posted a .922 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average in four games at the 2021 World Championship in his hometown, including a 38-save shutout over the heavily favored Canadian squad.

Columbus originally signed Kivlenieks as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

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The Arizona Coyotes are set to hire Andre Tourigny as their next head coach, reports Craig Morgan of azcoyotesinsider.com.

The team will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on Thursday to announce the decision.

Tourigny has a wealth of experience in junior hockey. He's been the head coach of the OHL's Ottawa 67s since 2017. Prior to that, he was the bench boss of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads for one year and the head coach/general manager of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for 11 seasons.

The 47-year-old has some experience at the professional level, too, with stints as an assistant coach with both the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche from 2013 to 2016.

The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, native has also coached on the international stage. He was the head coach for Team Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championship, at which the nation won a silver medal. He also served as an assistant on Gerard Gallant's gold-medal-winning staff at this year's World Championship in Latvia.

Tourigny will be the eighth head coach in Coyotes history since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996. He'll succeed Rick Tocchet, who guided the club to a 24-26-6 record in 2020-21.

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It appears Duncan Keith's days with the Chicago Blackhawks could be numbered.

"One of the things that Chicago is doing is they are working with Keith now to try and facilitate a trade to either the Pacific Northwest or western Canada," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during the second intermission of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

He added: "Now we'll see where this goes, but Keith has family in western Canada and he'd like to go closer there. The Blackhawks are trying to work with him to get it done."

Keith has two seasons remaining on the 13-year, $72-million contract he signed with the Blackhawks in 2009. The deal carries a full no-movement clause and an annual cap hit of $5.54 million, though there's only $3.6 million remaining in actual salary, according to CapFriendly.

The future Hall of Famer's play has declined of late. He recorded just 15 points in 54 games during the 2020-21 campaign while averaging 23:25 per contest. The underlying numbers weren't great, either.

Keith is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, but his family lives in Penticton, British Columbia, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The teams that fit the criteria include the Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and perhaps the San Jose Sharks.

Keith has spent his entire 16-year career in the Windy City. He's won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, and a Conn Smythe Trophy.

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There won't be a half-full Bell Centre for the Stanley Cup Final.

Quebec Public Health authorities rejected on Wednesday the Montreal Canadiens' proposal to increase capacity to 50% (10,500) for Games 3 and 4, as well as a potential Game 6, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.

The Habs are permitted to allow only 3,500 fans, the same number they hosted for Round 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper actually advocated for an increase in capacity.

"This game was meant to be played in front of fans," he said after his team punched its ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Bolts filled Amalie Arena with 18,600 fans for Game 2 on Wednesday.

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The Chicago Blackhawks will apparently be big-game hunters on the blue-line market this offseason.

"I do know that (general manager) Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks are trying to add an elite-level defenseman," TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Carolina Hurricanes blue-liner Dougie Hamilton and Columbus Blue Jackets rearguard Seth Jones are the two most prominent defensemen available this summer.

The Hurricanes reportedly granted Hamilton, a pending unrestricted free agent, permission to speak to other teams to negotiate a potential extension. Carolina can trade away his rights prior to free agency. However, Hamilton could potentially re-sign with the Canes if he gauges the market and realizes they're making him the best offer.

The 28-year-old received down-ballot Norris Trophy votes in each of the last five years, finishing a career-best fourth place this past season.

Jones, meanwhile, reportedly told the Blue Jackets that he won't sign an extension when he's eligible. He has one year left on his contract with a $5.4-million cap hit before he's scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency.

The 26-year-old is coming off a rough campaign, but he also received down-ballot Norris votes for four straight seasons from 2017-2020, finishing as high as fourth place in 2018.

Those appear to be the only two high-profile D-men available this summer. However, it's possible more trade candidates haven't been made public.

In addition to Hamilton, the UFA defense market is highlighted by Alec Martinez, Tyson Barrie, Adam Larsson, Mike Reilly, Jamie Oleksiak, Alex Goligoski, and more.

The Blackhawks have eight notable defensemen under contract for next season: Duncan Keith, Calvin de Haan, Connor Murphy, Riley Stillman, Ian Mitchell, Adam Boqvist, Nicolas Beaudin, and Wyatt Kalynuk. Nikita Zadorov is also a pending restricted free agent. The team has $6.2 million in projected cap space, per CapFriendly.

Chicago finished sixth in the Central Division with 55 points this past campaign. The team possessed a league-average offense but allowed the seventh-most goals against.

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As part of its awards night on Tuesday, the NHL announced the first and second All-Star teams, as well as the All-Rookie team.

Connor McDavid, who won both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, headlines the first All-Star team.

1st All-Star team

Vasilevskiy was named a first-team All-Star despite finishing second to Marc-Andre Fleury in the Vezina Trophy voting.

The second All-Star team is led by Auston Matthews, who finished as the runner-up to McDavid for the Hart.

2nd All-Star team

Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov headlines the the All-Rookie team.

All-Rookie team

The rosters were voted on by representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

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It's not just fans who are in awe of Nikita Kucherov.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, a two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard winner himself, couldn't help but gush about his teammate's incredible postseason run after Kucherov's three-point effort Monday night.

"That's one of the best players in the world," Stamkos said, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith. "He's playing like a beast right now. He's so, so good."

With two goals and an assist during Tampa Bay's 5-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the finals, Kucherov is now up to 30 points across 19 contests in these playoffs. The 28-year-old also recorded 34 points in 25 games last year as the Lightning won the Stanley Cup.

Kucherov is now one of three players to ever notch 30 or more points in consecutive postseasons, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Remarkably, Kucherov's exploits have come despite offseason hip surgery preventing him from playing a single regular-season game. There's also speculation that he's currently playing hurt after he was limited to just 46 seconds in Game 6 of the third round against the New York Islanders.

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