Injured Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser was a full participant in practice on Sunday, and he's hoping to return to the lineup ahead of schedule.
"It's always exciting to skate with the guys and it feels good to be back out there," Boeser said, per the team. "I felt pretty good out there so hopefully I'll be back soon."
General Manager Jim Benning announced Feb. 18 that Boeser was expected to miss at least eight weeks due to a rib cartilage fracture.
Boeser had notched 16 goals and 29 assists in 56 games before being sidelined. His return to the lineup would be a huge boost for the Canucks, who enter Sunday's tilt versus the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Western Conference's first wild-card spot with 76 points.
After two meetings in less than a week, it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins are a little sick of each other.
"There's some bad blood brewing," Lightning forward Pat Maroon told The Athletic's Joe Smith following his team's 5-3 victory on Saturday night.
But the final score was largely an afterthought following a frantic end to the second period that began when the play was blown dead to review a potential Bruins goal, and a line brawl ensued.
The madness began after Sean Kuraly's rebound attempt slid through Andrei Vasilevskiy's legs and barely over the goal line. The net-side referee signaled the puck didn't go in, and after the Lightning moved the puck to the other end of the ice, a siren blared indicating the Bruins actually scored (the goal was later confirmed).
That's when all hell broke loose.
Lightning forward Pat Maroon confronted and ultimately fought Zdeno Chara, who was talking to officials about Mikhail Sergachev's prior hit from behind.
Maroon's altercation was the catalyst for the chaos, and the veteran winger thinks a rivalry began between the two squads Saturday night.
"We're starting to stir the pot, which is fun going into meaningful games down the stretch. Boston is the team, what they accomplished last year and what they accomplished this year. That's the team to beat," Maroon added.
Maroon familiarized himself with Boston last spring as a member of the St. Louis Blues, who beat the Bruins in seven games during the Stanley Cup Final.
The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division by seven points and are on track to win the Presidents' Trophy. The Lightning and Bruins don't square off again this season, but as the top two clubs in the Atlantic, there's a good chance they renew hostilities in the playoffs.
The NHL will close dressing rooms to the media to combat the spread of the coronavirus, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Players will now be available to the media in a formal press conference area. MLB, MLS, and the NBA are expected to follow suit on the new protocol, Friedman adds.
Only a "couple of teams" are closing their dressing rooms for the time being, but it could become a league-wide practice over the next 48 hours or so, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported on the latest edition of "Saturday Headlines."
The NHL asked teams for available building dates later in April in case of postponements, lined up potential neutral-site venues in the event that only certain regions become unsuitable to host games, and discussed playing in empty arenas as a worst-case scenario, Johnston added.
The league sent a memo Friday to all teams, urging players to limit contact with fans as concerns about the virus grow. The league also ordered its employees to stop all business-related travel outside North America.
Santa Clara County in Northern California has recommended the cancellation of large events, including San Jose Sharks home games, but the team announced Friday that all scheduled affairs at SAP Center will proceed as originally scheduled.
The International Ice Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada are expected to cancel the 2020 Women's World Championship in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, due to the growing threat of the coronavirus, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
The tournament was scheduled to begin March 31. Six other IIHF events scheduled this month were canceled earlier this week due to the virus, and the focus will now shift to whether the World U-18 Championship in April and the men's worlds in May can go on as originally planned, Dreger adds.
Numerous sporting events around the world have recently been canceled, postponed, or played without fans in attendance in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.
The NHL sent a memo to all teams Friday to remind players to limit contact with fans and also order league employees to stop all business-related travel outside North America.
The Women's World Championship was set to feature a 10-team field: Canada, the United States, Finland, Russia, and Switzerland made up Group A, while Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Hungary were in Group B.
In 2019, Team USA defeated Finland to claim its fifth consecutive gold medal at the event.
It carries an average annual value of $1.5 million, TSN's Ryan Rishaug reports. That's a modest raise on the one-year, $1-million pact Archibald signed with the Oilers last July.
Archibald was set to be a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The 27-year-old has matched a career high with 12 goals this season, while also chipping in eight assists across 59 games.
Richard played 20 seasons with the Canadiens, winning a remarkable 11 Stanley Cups - an NHL record for a player. He joined the Habs during the 1955-56 campaign and was on five consecutive championship-winning teams to begin his career.
He served as Montreal's captain from 1971 to 1975, and the organization retired his No. 16 before Richard was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. Richard finished his career with 1,046 points in 1,258 games.
A four-time postseason All-Star and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner, Richard was the younger brother of fellow Canadiens legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard.
New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk needed 90 stitches to repair a cut to his face after being struck by a skate during Tuesday's game, general manager Lou Lamoriello announced Wednesday.
Boychuk only suffered damage to his eyelid, not his eye, Lamoriello added. There is no timetable for his return, but Boychuk is expected to make a full recovery.
The incident occurred in the third period of the Islanders' game against the Canadiens. Montreal forward Artturi Lehkonen fell to the ice in front of New York's goal and clipped Boychuk on the way down.
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) March 4, 2020
Boychuk, 36, is in his sixth season with the Islanders. The veteran blue-liner has posted two goals and nine assists in 64 contests in 2019-20 while averaging over 17 minutes per night.
The NHL salary cap could increase significantly for the 2020-21 season, as deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced Wednesday that the expected range is between $84 million and $88.2 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The current cap is $81.5 million, a figure determined last June that came in $1.5 million lower than the estimate commissioner Gary Bettman shared in December 2018.
The exact cap figure will be negotiated between the NHL and NHLPA. Daly also said that a multi-year salary cap has been discussed in CBA talks to help teams plan for the future, LeBrun added.
The NHL introduced a hard salary cap following the 2005 lockout. The initial figure was $39 million and has risen each year since.
The Ottawa Senators fired CEO Jim Little less than two months after he was hired, the team announced Wednesday in a statement on Canada Newswire.
"The decision was made as a result of conduct inconsistent with the core values of the Ottawa Senators and the National Hockey League. Mr. Little's departure is effective immediately," the statement read.
The Senators will also begin their search for a replacement immediately.
Little joined the team on Jan. 10. His role was focused on business strategy, with an emphasis on trying to boost attendance at Canadian Tire Centre.
"Frankly, over the last few years there have been some areas where - as every company goes through - you lose sight of the customer. My first and foremost job is to get the customer back," Little told TSN's Ian Mendes in February.
Prior to working for the Senators, Little held positions with Shaw Communications, Royal Bank of Canada, and Bombardier.
New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider suffered a fractured foot while blocking a shot in the first period of Friday's contest versus the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced.
Kreider signed a seven-year, $45.5-million extension with the Rangers on Monday after being rumored throughout the season to be one of the top candidates to be moved at the trade deadline.
New York entered Friday's game having won nine of its last 10 contests and sits two points back of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It would be a huge blow to the team's playoff hopes if Kreider is forced to miss significant time.
Kreider has posted 24 goals and 21 assists in 63 games this season.