The NHL released the full schedule for the 2020 Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars moments after the Bolts punched their ticket to the series with a Game 6 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

The battle begins Saturday evening.

* - If necessary

The teams will have one day off between each contest except Games 4 and 5, which are scheduled for back-to-back nights.

The Lightning will be considered the home team in Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 after earning more points than the Stars in the regular season.

Dallas has been idle since Sept. 14 after eliminating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the Western Conference Final.

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The Philadelphia Flyers signed forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a two-year contract extension worth $2.15 million, the team announced Thursday.

Aube-Kubel was scheduled for restricted free agency this offseason.

The 24-year-old was drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2014 draft. He established a role in Philadelphia's offense this season, recording 15 points in 36 regular-season games before adding three more in 12 playoff contests.

The Flyers have a projected $7.8 million in available cap space with Aube-Kumel signed. Defensemen Philippe Myers and Robert Hagg, as well as 2017 second overall pick Nolan Patrick, are also due new contracts as RFAs.

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The Montreal Canadiens signed recently-acquired blue-liner Joel Edmundson to a four-year contract worth $14 million, the team announced Wednesday.

The Habs acquired Edmundson's rights from the Carolina Hurricanes last week in exchange for a fifth-round pick. His new deal features a 10-team no-trade clause, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Edmundson was set to become an unrestricted free agent if a deal with the Canadiens wasn't reached. He signed a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the St. Louis Blues last summer before the reigning champions flipped him to Carolina.

The 27-year-old appeared in 68 games for the Hurricanes in 2019-20, recording 20 points, 118 hits, and 91 blocks while logging over 18 minutes per contest.

With Edmundson signed, the Canadiens have roughly $9 million in available cap space. Their top in-house priority is a new contract for restricted free agent Max Domi.

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The St. Louis Blues hired former Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery as an assistant, the team announced Wednesday.

Montgomery signed a two-year deal and will replace Marc Savard on the Blues' bench.

"My family and I are very grateful to Mr. (Tom) Stillman (owner), Doug (Armstrong, general manager), and Craig (Berube, head coach) for this opportunity to be part of the Blues organization," Montgomery said. "This is an extremely talented group of players and staff and I am looking forward to assisting in any way to help the Blues regain the Stanley Cup."

The Stars fired Montgomery earlier this season for unprofessional conduct. The 51-year-old later admitted he checked into rehab for alcohol addiction less than a month after his dismissal.

Montgomery coached 113 games with Dallas, leading the club to a 63-40-10 record over parts of two seasons. Prior to securing his first NHL coaching job with the Stars, he led the University of Denver to a national championship.

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Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has gauged the market for defenseman Mathew Dumba.

"Guerin has not only gotten a lot of calls on Dumba this offseason, he has even actively shopped him," sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The Wild signed defenseman Jonas Brodin to a seven-year, $42 million extension, which includes a no-movement clause, on Tuesday. That makes him, along with fellow blue-liners Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon, automatically protected in next year's expansion draft - and Dumba potentially expendable in a trade.

Dumba has three seasons remaining at a $6 million cap hit, and as a 26-year-old right-handed shot, he should have plenty of suitors.

The Saskatchewan native was drafted seventh overall by the Wild in 2012. He's suited up in 411 games with the organization and is coming off a season in which he recorded 24 points while averaging over 22 minutes per night and chipped in 98 hits and 88 blocks.

Dumba won the King Clancy Trophy earlier in September, an award given annually to the player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

He received the honor after co-founding the Hockey Diversity Alliance and giving an impassioned speech addressing racial issues before a playoff game between the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks. He then became the first NHL player to kneel during the "Star-Spangled Banner."

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final without their leading scorer.

Lightning forward Brayden Point is unavailable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, head coach Jon Cooper announced, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Point suffered an injury in Game 2, missed Game 3, then returned for Game 4. Holding a 3-1 series lead, Cooper said his team is trying to "manage" the undisclosed ailment.

The 24-year-old center has been sensational this postseason, notching 25 points in 16 games.

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Florida Panthers assistant coach Mike Kitchen won't return to the club next season, the team announced Tuesday.

The reason wasn't specified, but TSN's Frank Seravalli reports the veteran coach's dismissal comes after he allegedly kicked a Panthers player on the bench during a game this season.

The alleged incident occurred in the third period of Florida’s win in Minnesota in January after an unidentified player threw a water bottle on the bench, soaking Kitchen, according to Seravalli's sources.

"This certainly wasn’t a friendly tap of encouragement," the source said. "There’s no place for anything like that in the game."

Former Panthers general manager Dale Tallon and head coach Joel Quenneville were notified of the incident after the game, but no disciplinary action took place.

Kitchen remained behind the bench for the season's duration leading up to the pause but opted out of traveling to the bubble with the Panthers for their qualifying-round series versus the New York Islanders.

Earlier in September, the NHL and NHLPA announced it will launch a hotline, run by a third party, to allow those working in the game to report "unethical behavior and misconduct."

The idea was first proposed in December after a series of incidents involving coaches surfaced, including former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan saying then-head coach Bill Peters - who was dismissed by the Calgary Flames earlier this season for past racial and physical abuse of players - kicked him in the back during a game when they were together in Carolina.

Along with Kitchen's dismissal, newly-minted Panthers GM Bill Zito announced Rick Dudley and Paul Fenton joined the club as senior advisors, while Gregory Campbell, Blake Geoffrion, and P.J. Fenton were also added to the front office.

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The Dallas Stars finished off the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 on Monday night to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2000.

Stars forward Denis Gurianov scored on the power play in overtime to seal the 3-2 comeback victory. The opportunity came after Golden Knights blue-liner Zach Whitecloud took a delay of game penalty when he shot the puck over the glass in the defensive zone.

Vegas held a 2-0 lead early in the third period before Stars captain Jamie Benn cut the advantage in half. Round 2 hero Joel Kiviranta netted the equalizer in the dying minutes of the final frame to send the game to overtime.

Dallas netminder Anton Khudobin made 34 stops on the night, strengthening his case to be a Conn Smythe candidate at 34 years old.

The Stars will participate in their third Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. They defeated the Buffalo Sabres in 1999, then fell to the New Jersey Devils one year later.

Dallas awaits the winner of the Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Islanders series, which Tampa currently leads 3-1.

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Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Point returned to the lineup for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the New York Islanders after a one-game absence.

Point was injured during the second period of Game 2 and didn't return to the contest. He was sidelined for Game 3, which Alex Killorn also missed due to a one-game suspension. Captain Steven Stamkos remains out, too.

The Islanders won Game 3 to go down 2-1 in the series.

Point is in the Conn Smythe conversation, as he leads the Lightning with 23 points in 15 games.

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Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson helped rescue the pilot of an amphibious plane that crashed into a lake in Quebec on Saturday, a club spokesperson confirmed to Marian Scott of the Montreal Gazette.

Molson was in his boat on Lake Massawippi when a small aircraft crashed into the water. He helped the pilot out of the water and into his boat before taking him to paramedics who were on the scene.

The pilot suffered minor injuries.

Molson, along with his brothers, assumed ownership of the Canadiens in 2009.

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