Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton has the support of his core players amid a horrendous start to the 2021-22 campaign.

"100% this team has faith in Jeremy," defenseman Seth Jones said, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "I've been here a short time but his message has been great for us. ... This isn't a coaching problem. This is a locker room thing, the players on the ice playing the game."

The club lost its sixth consecutive game Sunday night, setting a record for the longest streak (360 minutes) without holding a lead to open a season since at least 1979-80.

Chicago made significant roster changes this offseason, landing Jones, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Tyler Johnson. The failure to live up to heightened expectations has put Colliton's job security in question early on, but Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews also backs his head coach.

"Of course," Toews said. "There's details to our game that when we've done them and we've stuck to them, we have four lines rolling and doing it the right way. It's a fun way to play and everyone feeds off it, we just haven't done it enough."

Colliton replaced Joel Quenneville as Chicago's coach during the 2018-19 season. He owns an 86-88-25 record over that span.

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray left Saturday's clash versus the New York Rangers late in the third period after sustaining an apparent injury.

Anton Forsberg replaced Murray in the contest.

The 27-year-old left immediately after Chris Kreider scored to make it 2-1 Senators. Kreider collided with Murray's head after tapping home a feed from Artemi Panarin.

The Rangers scored twice following Murray's exit and won in regulation.

Murray missed the first week of the campaign due to an illness. He made 22 stops for a loss in his first start of the season Thursday versus the San Jose Sharks.

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is in COVID-19 protocol and unavailable for Saturday's contest versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, head coach Mike Sullivan announced.

Letang returned a positive test and is in the process of getting that result confirmed, added Sullivan. Letang opened his 2021-22 campaign with four assists through four games.

The star blue-liner is the latest Penguins player to be sidelined early in the season. The club is already without Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust due to injury, while Jeff Carter is also in COVID-19 protocol.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry produced a false positive test earlier this week but will start Saturday against Toronto.

The shorthanded Penguins have started the season 2-0-2.

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The Winnipeg Jets placed star Mark Scheifele in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, the team announced Thursday.

Jets captain Blake Wheeler was placed in protocol earlier this week and later tested positive.

Scheifele tested positive Wednesday but is asymptomatic and has since tested negative, according to TSN's Chris Johnston. He'll be eligible to play Thursday versus the Anaheim Ducks if he produces another negative test.

Players are typically required to isolate for 10 days when entering protocol.

Scheifele led Winnipeg with 63 points over 56 games last season and has notched two assists across two contests in 2021-22.

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New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes suffered a dislocated shoulder Tuesday versus the Seattle Kraken but doesn't require surgery, the team announced Thursday.

Hughes will be re-evaluated next week to determine a more definitive timeline for his return. The Devils placed the 20-year-old on injured reserve.

The injury occurred during the first period when Kraken defenseman Jeremy Lauzon hit Hughes along the boards in the corner. Hughes landed hard and immediately left the ice.

Hughes, the first overall pick in 2019, has notched three points in two games this season.

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The New Jersey Devils have opened preliminary extension talks with forward Jack Hughes, sources told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Hughes is in the final year of his entry-level contract and will be a restricted free agent at season's end.

The Devils drafted Hughes first overall in 2019. The 20-year-old ranked second on the team with 31 points in 56 games last season, and he looks poised to breakout early in 2021-22 with two goals and an assist through three contests. However, he could miss time with an injury suffered during Tuesday's win over the Seattle Kraken.

New Jersey projects to have over $33 million in cap space next season, according to Cap Friendly. Currently, the team only has 12 players under contract for 2022-23.

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Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray will make his regular-season debut Thursday versus the San Jose Sharks, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Murray was placed on injured reserve last week with an illness. The Senators have started the season 2-1.

Ottawa acquired Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to last season. The two-time Stanley Cup winner went 10-13-1 with a .893 save percentage in his first campaign with the club.

The Senators will also welcome Brady Tkachuk back to the lineup Thursday. The star forward missed training camp and the preseason while negotiating a new contract.

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed defenseman Travis Hamonic on a mutually agreed-upon temporary leave of absence due to personal matters, the team announced Monday.

Hamonic, 31, wasn't with the Canucks for training camp, the preseason, or the first week of the regular season. Vancouver waived him earlier in October and subsequently assigned him to the Abbotsford Canucks, but he wasn't on the AHL club's opening-night roster.

Vancouver signed Hamonic to a two-year deal in July. He recorded 10 points in 38 games with the club last season.

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Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper isn't expecting to see the injured Nikita Kucherov back on the ice anytime soon.

"It's definitely not a day-to-day thing, so we'll wait until we get an official word, but he's definitely out," Cooper said Monday, per NHL.com. "He's going to be out for a while here."

Kucherov exited Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals in noticeable discomfort during the third period after a collision with Washington forward Garnet Hathaway.

The Lightning defeated the Capitals in overtime with Kucherov sidelined to improve to 2-1 on the young season.

Kucherov missed the entire 2020-21 regular season while recovering from hip surgery. He returned in time for the playoffs, posting 32 points in 23 games to help Tampa Bay capture its second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The 28-year-old has led the Lightning in scoring in each of the past five seasons he's been healthy. Kucherov has four points in three games this campaign.

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Ilya Kovalchuk has been named the Russian Olympic Committee's men's hockey general manager for the 2022 Beijing Games, the organization announced Monday.

The ROC will rely on former NHLers behind the bench, too. Alexei Zhamnov will take on head coaching duties, while Sergei Fedorov, Evgeni Nabokov, and Sergei Gonchar will work as assistants, the team announced.

Kovalchuk last played in the NHL in 2019-20, when he suited up for the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals. He competed in the KHL last campaign, winning the Gagarin Cup and recording 17 points in 16 regular-season games.

The 38-year-old played 14 NHL campaigns and nine in the KHL. He's represented Russia several times in international tournaments and won a gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Superstars Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy were the first three players named to ROC's roster.

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