Phil Housley is exasperated with his last-place Buffalo Sabres.

The first-year head coach was not mincing words following a loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, especially after having played only one other game this week.

"We just got outbattled, outworked and outcompeted tonight" he said, per Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. "At times we even looked slow and I don't know why that is. We played one game in six nights. It's disappointing."

The loss kept the Sabres two points behind Florida in the Eastern Conference basement, and dropped their goal differential to minus-23, ranking them 30th in the NHL.

The Sabres won't have much time to regroup as Buffalo hosts Carolina on Saturday.

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A scary scene developed during ECHL action Friday.

A game between the Quad City Mallards and the Tulsa Oilers - a St. Louis Blues affiliate - was postponed after Oilers coach and former NHL forward Rob Murray suffered a medical emergency during the second period.

An update was later offered by the team's vice president of communications:

Murray, 50, appeared in 107 NHL games and spent the majority of his career in the AHL. He previously served as head coach of the ECHL's Alaska Aces, leading the team to a league championship in 2013-14.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas will have a phone hearing Sunday after waiving his right to an in-person meeting with the NHL's Department of Player Safety, the league announced.

Due to the timing of the hearing, Gudas will not play Saturday against Calgary, per John Shannon of Sportsnet. The missed game will be factored into the looming suspension.

Gudas was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for slashing Winnipeg's Mathieu Perreault in the head at 9:50 of the first period Wednesday against the Jets.

Here's a look at the incident:

The offer of an in-person hearing generally indicates a suspension of at least five games.

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Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames has reportedly been suspended one game for his actions during Wednesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, according to Sportsnet's John Shannon.

Tkachuk was assessed a five-minute major for spearing and a game misconduct after striking the back of Luke Witkowski's leg with his stick, thereby inciting a line brawl.

Witkowski was heading to the locker room at the time, as a result of a game misconduct of his own, and has since received a 10-game suspension in accordance with NHL Rule 70.6.

This marks the second suspension of Tkachuk's young career after he sat two games in 2016 for elbowing Los Angeles' Drew Doughty.

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Finally, some positive news on the goaltending front for the Vegas Golden Knights, as the club has activated netminder Malcolm Subban from the injured reserve.

Subban had missed 11 games with a lower-body injury.

In a subsequent move, the Golden Knights assigned 19-year-old Dylan Ferguson to the WHL's Kamloops Blazers. Ferguson played nine minutes Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers following an injury to starter Maxime Lagace.

Lagace returned for Thursday's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

As for Subban, he returns to the crease after appearing in just three games with Vegas, who claimed him off waivers from the Boston Bruins last month. Subban has two wins and a .936 save percentage since joining Vegas.

The Golden Knights' next game is Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings, and Subban is a good bet to get the call between the pipes.

While Subban has returned from injury, the team is still waiting on a clean bill of health for goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Oscar Dansk. Dansk left an Oct. 30 contest against the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury, while Fleury hasn't played since Oct. 13 after suffering a concussion.

The Golden Knights sit second place in the Pacific Division with an 11-6-1 record through 18 games.

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Luke Witkowski might want to brush up on the NHL rule book.

The Detroit Red Wings winger was suspended 10 games - based on Rule 70.6 - for his role in a brawl that took place during Wednesday's tilt with the Calgary Flames. The rule reads as follows:

Any player who has been ordered to the dressing room by the officials and returns to his bench or to the ice surface for any reason before the appropriate time shall be assessed a game misconduct and shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10) regular League and/or Play-off games.

Witkowski was making his way to the locker room with a game misconduct following a fight with Brett Kulak when he was speared in the back of the legs by Matt Tkachuk, prompting him to return to the ice and kick off a further ruckus.

He now admits he would have done things differently if he knew the impending punishment for his actions.

"It's unfortunate," Witkowski said Friday, per the Wings' website. "Honestly, I didn't know that was a rule. I obviously, I know now. I knew it was a rule you couldn't jump the boards. It's kind of a gray area with still being on the bench and the door being open. But lesson learned, I guess. Move on from here."

Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill added he doesn't believe the punishment fits the crime, and the NHL should have taken into account the fact Tkachuk - who could also be further disciplined for his action - initiated the incident.

Per Cap Friendly, Witkowski will forfeit $40,322.58 in salary as a result of the suspension, and can return to the lineup on Dec. 11.

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Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson told the city's chamber of commerce Friday he would be supportive if the NHL wanted a team in Quebec City, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Molson was adamant that the club wouldn't ask for any additional compensation if a franchise were to move into their territory.

Quebec City hasn't housed an NHL club since the Quebec Nordiques were relocated in May of 1995 and became the Colorado Avalanche.

There has been a strong movement in support of the NHL expanding to Quebec and an official bid was made in 2015 before the league ultimately decided on Las Vegas instead.

The return of a franchise to Quebec City could reignite a heated rivalry with the Canadiens.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets may not be done making moves.

Now that Cam Atkinson has signed a seven-year contract extension, the club has intensified efforts across the NHL to land a center, The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reports.

Nick Foligno is the Blue Jackets' top-line center, and he's followed on the depth chart by Brandon Dubinsky, rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Jordan Schroeder.

Boone Jenner can also play up the middle, but he's been lining up on the left wing alongside Dubinsky and Atkinson on the second forward unit.

The Blue Jackets traded former top-line center Ryan Johansen to the Nashville Predators for top-pairing defenseman Seth Jones in January 2016.

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Cam Atkinson is officially on the Columbus Blue Jackets' books for the long term.

The club made his seven-year, $41.125-million extension official Friday, meaning he's now under contract with Columbus through the 2024-25 campaign.

Atkinson is in the final season of the three-year, $10.5-million deal he signed with the Blue Jackets in the spring of 2015.

The 28-year-old forward ranks second on the franchise's all-time goals list (125) behind Rick Nash (289), and is coming off a career year in which he poured in 35 goals and 62 points while playing all 82 games.

Atkinson has notched at least 20 goals in each of the last four seasons, and his goal production has improved in each of the last three campaigns.

He has four goals and six points in 15 games so far this fall.

The deal was first reported Thursday night.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas was offered an in-person hearing for his slash on Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

The specific date and time are still to be determined.

Gudas was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for slashing Perreault midway through the first period of Thursday night's game.

As Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman points out, an in-person hearing gives the NHL the option to suspend him for five or more games.

Gudas is a repeat offender, having been suspended during the preseason on Oct. 10 of last year for interference on Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik.

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