Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk became the first NHLer to release a minted non-fungible token (NFT) - a piece of digital memorabilia that's taken the sports world by storm largely due to the success of NBA Top Shot.
He explained the idea on Twitter:
Excited to try this out and release a special 1/1 NFT - a first for our great sport! Most importantly 100% of the proceeds will be donated to @ACHFKids and @STLChildrens! Check it out on @mintable_app - thanks to @marvelgd for the design. Auction ends April 1. Link in my replies! pic.twitter.com/gleKasoKHH
The starting bid on the collectible was set at just over $5,100. All proceeds will be donated to children's hospitals in Calgary and St. Louis, the latter of which is Tkachuk's hometown.
The winning bidder will also receive an autographed stick, jersey, and virtual meet-and-greet with Tkachuk.
"This team has really lost its identity," Gostisbehere told reporters. "From where we were at the beginning of the year to where we are now. It sucks right now.
"It's just unacceptable. It's just straight not good enough right now. We're letting guys just absolutely f------ beat us up right now in front of the net. It makes our goaltenders look like absolute shit. It's not fair."
Philadelphia's loss Thursday was its fourth in a row and 10th in 14 games. The defeat also marked the second time in a week the Rangers blew out the Flyers, as Philly suffered a 9-0 beatdown to New York on March 17.
The Flyers entered March with an 11-4-3 record and now sit sixth in the East Division, three points outside the playoff picture with three more games played than the fourth-place Bruins.
Gostisbehere is in his seventh season with Philly. The 27-year-old has notched five goals and five assists in 23 games in 2021 while averaging over 20 minutes per contest.
Brian Burke is approaching his first trade deadline as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins' front office, and he's ready to make some moves.
"We have an agreement with ownership," Burke told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "And part of that agreement is to see how much we can help this group win right now."
Burke was hired as Pittsburgh's president of hockey operations in February. He was brought in with general manager Ron Hextall - who was appointed in the aftermath of Jim Rutherford's surprise resignation - and many wondered what approach the duo would take for an aging Penguins core struggling to string together wins in 2021.
"We are looking to do something, very much. Hexy is working the phones hard right now," Burke said.
He continued, "We like our group. We'd like to make it better. Here's the thing: We don't have any picks left. We aren't putting our top kids in play. So, we don't necessarily have certain things to offer that other teams do. The things we can offer are a little different than other teams, maybe. But if we can add, we're going to add."
Pittsburgh has one of the league's emptiest prospect pipelines and only owns one pick in the first four rounds of the 2021 draft. The club is also right against the $81.5-million salary cap, making a move of significance before the April 12 deadline difficult.
The Penguins boast the league's third-best record since their front-office shakeup at 15-6-1. They currently sit third in the East Division with 42 points but have played five more games than the fourth-place Bruins.
Andersen played Friday versus the Calgary Flames but didn't dress Saturday due to the ailment. Jack Campbell will assume the starter's role, with Michael Hutchinson serving as his backup.
The Maple Leafs play four games over the next seven days without any back-to-backs, so it's likely Campbell gets the nod in each contest. He's battled injury this season, as well, but is 4-0 in 2021 with two shutouts and a .965 save percentage.
Andersen's managed a 13-8-2 record this season but owns a save percentage of .897. He's won only one of his six latest appearances, with a .862 clip over that span.
Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews has seen his torrid goal-scoring pace dip recently, but he isn't going to change his approach.
Despite being in the midst of a four-game goalless drought, Matthews believes the bounces will go his way again if he sticks to his game.
"I think you go through stretches like that. You try not to get too frustrated and just continue to do the things that make me successful," Matthews said, per TSN.
He continued: "When the puck's not going in the net, I think it's important to find other ways to be effective. For me, I'm just going to keep shooting."
After bagging 18 goals in his first 18 games, Matthews has found the back of the net only four times in his last 11 contests.
He missed two games with a lingering wrist injury earlier this month. Head coach Sheldon Keefe previously said the ailment is affecting Matthews' play.
Toronto's top pivot long held a commanding lead in the league's goal-scoring race. However, his recent drought allowed MVP favorite Connor McDavid to tie him at 21 tallies apiece.
We feature three new rookies in the third edition of theScore's 2021 Calder Trophy Power Rankings, while the runaway favorite for the award remains in the top spot.
5. Oliver Wahlstrom, Islanders
Previous Ranking: Not ranked
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
xGF%
26
15
11:44
54.00
Wahlstrom has come on strong with the Islanders lately and rocketed up our rankings as a result. The 11th overall pick in 2018 scored the second-most points among all freshmen since our February installment, with 12 in the last 15 games. He's managed to produce despite logging minimal minutes in a defense-based system under head coach Barry Trotz.
Wahlstrom is also among rookie leaders in several underlying metrics, including points per 60 minutes at five-on-five (1.84), and has even dropped the mitts to further endear himself to Isles faithful.
4. Jason Robertson, Stars
Previous Ranking: Not ranked
Glenn James / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
xGF%
23
17
14:50
59.94
Robertson is another rookie that firmly established himself as an NHLer this past month with impressive play. The 21-year-old is tied for third on the Stars in scoring and has collected 11 points - 10 at even strength - since the last edition of the rankings. Dallas' youngster drives offense very well and is developing into a promising piece for the future on a roster built around an aging core.
3. Tim Stutzle, Senators
Previous Ranking: 2
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
xGF%
31
19
15:51
44.04
Stutzle remains in the mix as a finalist for rookie of the year despite registering just one goal this past month. The Senators phenom ranks second in scoring among first-year players this season and routinely shows off his dynamic skill set with dazzling passes or strong drives to the net. He's only going to keep getting better as he gains more experience. An uptick in shooting percentage over the rest of the season - he's converted just 5.2% of shots this month - could drastically enhance his raw totals.
2. Kaapo Kahkonen, Wild
Previous Ranking: Not ranked
Michael Martin / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
W
SV%
GSAA
17
12
.921
6.30
Kahkonen makes his debut on our list after a dominant month between the pipes for the Wild. The 24-year-old recently had a nine-game win streak snapped, and he posted a .947 save percentage over that span. Kahkonen ranks 10th among all netminders in goals saved above average this season and is the main reason Minnesota is in good shape to qualify for the playoffs in the top-heavy West Division.
1. Kirill Kaprizov, Wild
Previous Ranking: 1
Bruce Kluckhohn / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
P
ATOI
xGF%
30
25
18:15
49.17
It's going to take something significant to knock Kaprizov off his perch as the Calder Trophy favorite. He still leads his competition in every category by significant margins. The winger has exceeded expectations in his first year in North America and almost single-handedly transformed into must-watch TV. Kaprizov is one of the league's most dynamic skaters, and his vision and hockey IQ in the offensive zone makes him a truly special player.
There may be criticism at season's end about a 23-year-old with multiple years of pro experience winning the Calder Trophy, but one thing is undeniable: the NHL is a better place with talents like Kaprizov in it.
Toronto's decision to waive Boyd is primarily focused on preserving cap space ahead of the April 12 trade deadline, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Boyd can be shifted to the Maple Leafs' taxi squad if he goes unclaimed, which would allow the team to accrue daily cap space while carrying a 20-man roster, notes Johnson.
Boyd, 27, signed a one-year deal with Toronto this past offseason. He's been a quality depth piece on the Maple Leafs' fourth line, chipping in eight points in 20 games.
The Blues buried their goal 12 seconds into the ensuing man advantage and didn't relinquish the lead.
"There's really no explanation for it there," head coach Bob Boughner said, according to Alex Espinoza of NBCSN. "Just a horrible call. I guess he spun too early or something? I don't know. I've watched it three times. It's completely fine. It's Patty Marleau by the way. The guy's going to set Gordie Howe's (games played) record and you threw him in the box and it affected the whole game. Just use your head.
"It's frustrating for me and I don't want to say the wrong thing. But what went on there was a travesty."
Sharks netminder Devan Dubnyk didn't hold back either.
"It's embarrassing," he said. "It's Mickey Mouse. I don't care if you want to say 'follow the rule book.' It's completely ridiculous to make a call like that in a 2-2 hockey game in the third period in the middle of the season. I don't know what to say. It's incredible."
The Blues added two more goals in the third period to claim a 5-2 victory. San Jose sits 11 points back of St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the West Division after the loss.
The Buffalo Sabres have fired head coach Ralph Krueger amid their 12-game losing streak, the team announced Wednesday.
Don Granato has been named the club's interim bench boss, according to The Athletic's John Vogl.
General manager Kevyn Adams said he'll immediately begin a thorough search for a permanent coach.
"There will be lots of people that I will speak to," Adams said. "What I don't want to do is rush into anything. ... This is about getting it right."
Krueger was hired before the 2019-20 campaign. He had logged one prior season of NHL head coaching experience with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012-13, and the 51-year-old worked as director and chairman of the EPL's Southampton during his gap between hockey roles.
There's one more season left on his contract, and the Sabres owe him $3.75 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Krueger was the Sabres' fifth head coach since 2013. Buffalo was expected to make significant strides this campaign after landing Taylor Hall - whom Krueger coached in Edmonton - and Eric Staal in the offseason.
The Sabres have fallen far short of those expectations, and they sit dead last in the NHL while on the verge of extending their playoff drought to 10 seasons.
"You name it, we need to do it better," Adams said.
The tightly-contested clash between division foes featured two hits - one by each team - causing injuries, but referees only deemed Brandon Tanev's blow illegal.
The Penguins forward received a five-minute major and was ejected in the second period for the following hit on Bruins blue-liner Jarred Tinordi.
Tinordi's hit on Evgeni Malkin in the opening frame went uncalled by refs.
"I hope as players we get some clarity on what's a good hit and what's not," Crosby said postgame, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It's tough to really gauge when you're out there. I know it's fast, but right now, it's really hard to know what is, in fact, clean and what's not. And when you're out there playing, it's important to know that."
Both Tinordi and Malkin left the game with injuries. There's been no update on either player's status, but Crosby made it clear he hopes the Bruins defender isn't seriously hurt.
"I don't think he (Tanev) had any intent there," Crosby said. "I hope Tinordi's OK. He went in pretty awkward. But I don't think there was any intent. I thought he hit him clean. He hit him timely as far as the puck being there. (Tinordi) did go in awkwardly, so you never like to see that. But I didn't think it warranted a five-minute (major penalty)."
Boston won the game 2-1. The Bruins sit in fourth place and trail the Penguins by three points in the East Division with two games in hand.
