Boston Bruins blue-liner Torey Krug is after long-term security this offseason, saying Thursday that he's against the idea of signing a one-year contract as he enters unrestricted free agency.

"I'm very opposed to that," Krug said, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. "I've bet on myself and I've taken shorter-term deals and less amount of money my whole career now, so this is my time in terms of my value at its peak."

Krug, 29, signed a four-year, $21-million contract with the Bruins in 2016. His $5.25-million cap hit was well under market value considering his offensive abilities from the back end, and he's one of the top defensemen set to hit free agency.

The Bruins have over $15 million in projected cap space next season, according to CapFriendly. Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk are in need of new contracts as restricted free agents, while captain and UFA Zdeno Chara confirmed Thursday that he wants to return for a 23rd NHL campaign.

Krug said in April, in the midst of the NHL's coronavirus-induced pause, that he hoped he hadn't played his last game with the Bruins. In mid-July, before Boston returned to the ice, the defenseman admitted he'd probably have to prepare to enter free agency.

Krug joined the Bruins for his first full season in 2013-14. Since then, he ranks seventh among all defensemen with 335 points in 520 contests while averaging over 20 minutes per night.

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All signs point toward Zdeno Chara returning to the Boston Bruins for the 2020-21 campaign.

The towering 43-year-old blue-liner conducted his season-ending press conference Thursday, and as a pending unrestricted free agent, was asked what his future holds.

"I feel strong physically," Chara said, per NBC Boston's Joe Haggerty. "I'm positive and feel like I can still play and contribute to this team. I want to be a Boston Bruin. That hasn’t changed."

Chara added what comes next is up to management and his agent, but he appears fully committed to returning for a 23rd NHL season.

In an Instagram post Thursday thanking Bruins' fans for their support this season, part of Chara's caption read: "See you next season, hopefully with a full stadium of passionate Boston Bruins fans cheering us on."

Chara is currently 15th on the all-time games played list, but he isn't interested in chasing individual accolades. His focus is solely on helping Boston win.

"My dreams are not reaching stats. My dream is to compete and be in the ice in crucial situations and defend when it matters," Chara said, according to Michael Hurley of CBS Boston.

Chara has signed a one-year contract in each of the past two offseasons, with his most recent deal paying him $2 million. The Bruins have over $15 million in projected cap space next season, according to Cap Friendly. However, Torey Krug is a UFA, while Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk are both in need of a new contract as RFA's.

Chara signed with the Bruins for the 2006-07 season and has suited up in over 1,000 games for the club. He's a five-time All-Star since joining Boston, while also capturing a Norris Trophy and Stanley Cup. This past season, he notched 14 points in 68 games while averaging over 21 minutes per contest.

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Both the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are shaking things up in goal for Game 5 on Monday night.

Michael Hutchinson will start for the Avs with their season on the line, while Ben Bishop will return to the crease for the first time since Game 2 of Dallas' first-round series versus the Calgary Flames.

Hutchinson relieved Pavel Francouz - who was deemed unfit to play Monday - in Game 4 but hasn't started a game since March 2. Hunter Miska will serve as the backup.

Colorado's usual starter, Philipp Grubauer, was injured in Game 1 versus the Stars and has no timeline on a potential return.

Hutchinson began his 2019-20 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting an .888 save percentage in 16 appearances. He got a win in his only start after joining the Avalanche at the trade deadline, and Game 5 will be his first-ever playoff start.

Dallas holds a 3-1 series lead and can advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2007-08 with a victory.

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Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov didn't come out for the third period of Monday's Game 5 versus the Boston Bruins.

Kucherov was high-sticked by Zdeno Chara in the opening frame.

The Lightning winger left the game after Chara's four-minute penalty and briefly returned only to exit again late in the second period.

Kucherov has been the driving force of Tampa Bay's offense so far in the postseason, recording 16 points in 12 contests entering Monday's pivotal contest.

The Lightning can ill afford an absence of any sort for Kucherov, as the club is already without captain Steven Stamkos.

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Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy believes goaltender Tuukka Rask's sudden departure from the Toronto bubble has played a role in his club's slump midway through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Rask opted out of the postseason on Aug. 15 to tend to a family emergency, with backup Jaroslav Halak starting each game since.

"Listen, we've said it before: We support Tuukka's decision 100%," Cassidy said Monday, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press.

He added: "It does affect you mentally and it affects how you sort of construct your lineup when you had those back-to-backs."

Rask played in the round robin and two games during Boston's first-round series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Halak has posted a 4-3 record with a .906 save percentage in the seven games since, and the Bruins face a 3-1 series deficit against the Tampa Bay Lightning with Game 5 scheduled for Monday night.

Dan Vladar made his NHL debut in relief of Halak during a blowout loss in Game 4. Cassidy said the Bruins didn't expect to be dealing with such uncertainty between the pipes when they entered the postseason.

"It's a tough spot for him to go in," Cassidy said. "We saw that when he had to go in in the middle of a game. Then the mental part of it as a group, yeah, you get down. Do you believe you have all the pieces to win? You'd have to ask the players that. I always do."

The Bruins were the NHL's No. 1 team in the regular season with Rask and Halak splitting starting duties.

Rask has made 93 career postseason starts, owning a 51-42 record and a dominant .926 save percentage.

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The New York Islanders are on the cusp of moving on to the Eastern Conference Final after dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers by a final score of 3-2 on Sunday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

The Islanders haven't reached the conference final since the 1992-93 season.

More to come.

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The Carolina Hurricanes are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

However, Toronto won't move its starter unless an upgrade is available, and a strong group of free-agent goaltenders this offseason could factor into its decision, Friedman adds.

It was reported earlier in August that the Leafs are exploring Andersen's trade market - along with those of other players - after they were eliminated by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round this summer.

Andersen has been the Leafs' No. 1 netminder since joining the club via trade from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the 2016-17 campaign. He's posted a .916 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average in 244 appearances in Toronto, though he's coming off his worst season with the club, owning a .909 percentage in 52 games.

The Hurricanes drafted Andersen in 2010, but he never signed and re-entered the draft two years later. The soon-to-be 31-year-old will enter the final year of his contract and carries a $5-million cap hit.

Carolina ran with a tandem of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer in goal this past season, and the duo ranked 26th in the NHL with a combined .912 save percentage at even strength. Both netminders are under contract for the 2020-21 campaign.

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The Vegas Golden Knights claimed a 2-1 series lead over the Vancouver Canucks with a 3-0 victory Saturday night.

Alex Tuch and Zach Whitecloud propelled Vegas with first-period goals before Mark Stone provided the dagger with a power-play tally in the third.

Robin Lehner was Vegas' player of the game, as he made 31 saves - including several key early stops - to earn his second shutout of the series.

The Canucks came out strong, outchancing the Golden Knights 6-3 and holding a 5-1 edge in high-danger opportunities in the opening frame, but they were unable to convert. The Knights wound up finishing the contest with a .80 advantage in expected goals and 56.67% of the shot attempts at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The two clubs now face a quick turnaround, as Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday night.

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Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault was critical of his star players after they failed to pack any offensive punch in a Game 3 loss against the New York Islanders.

"We need to be a lot better than we were tonight, especially our top-end guys," Vigneault said, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Flyers took their foot off the gas and fell into the Islanders' stout defensive trap. Philly only produced eight high-danger chances and 1.59 expected goals at five-on-five in the eventual 3-1 defeat, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Vigneault was particularly displeased with how Leo Komarov's second-period game-winner transpired.

"It was 1-1, 25 seconds left in the period, faceoff in the offensive zone - I put my top players on the ice ... and to give up that late goal, you just can't do that at this time of the year," he said, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

The Flyers have struggled offensively the entire series and were shut out in Game 1. Much of the blame is falling on their big guns, as star forwards Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek combined for just four points in the three contests.

For Giroux, the playoff drought extends well beyond this series. He's collected just one goal and nine assists over his last 25 postseason games. The captain hopes he and his teammates can reverse their fortunes.

"Guys are frustrated," Giroux said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "We've got to take that frustration and bring it as energy."

The Flyers boasted the league's seventh-most prolific offense in the regular season, and they'll need to rediscover their old form quickly, as they trail the series 2-1 heading into a critical Game 4 on Sunday night.

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Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper believes the players' league-wide unification - which paused games for two days to help combat racial injustice - is a big step in the right direction for the NHL.

"The league's learning just like everyone else, and the league's in a better place today than it was a couple months ago, and definitely than it was a couple years ago," Cooper said during his media availability Friday.

The NHL was under fire Wednesday night after proceeding with it's scheduled games despite the NBA, WNBA, and MLB calling off contests to protest the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Lightning played Game 3 of their series versus the Boston Bruins that night, and after Tampa's win, Cooper said the NHL needs to take notice of racial injustice.

He added Friday that since the victory, his club hasn't focused on hockey at all.

"I'll tell you one thing, after coming off back-to-back wins over the Bruins, I don't think we've even talked about that, which is rare in a playoff year," Cooper said. "Clearly our attention has been elsewhere, and justifiably."

Players from all the active second-round teams, along with the Hockey Diversity Alliance, opened dialogue Thursday and opted to delay playing all games until Saturday.

Afterward, there was a press conference in each bubble city where several players delivered powerful messages, including Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves, who said he believes the statement he and his peers made is "going to last."

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