A change of scenery has done wonders for Robin Lehner.

After being non-tendered by the Buffalo Sabres last year, Lehner is enjoying a career season with the New York Islanders after signing a one-year, $1.5-million contract this summer.

Lehner is in a clear state of mind after his alcohol and sleeping pill addiction, as well as his bipolar disorder, almost led to his own suicide. While those are certainly contributing factors to his performance, Lehner credited his new organization - and atmosphere - for his turnaround.

“It’s a different feeling this year in general,” Lehner told Newsday's Andrew Gross. “We’re having fun. It’s a positive atmosphere. It’s not surrounded by negativity. That was one of the hard things when I was in Buffalo, just this cloud and atmosphere of negativity.”

The New York media market has a reputation of being hard on athletes, but Lehner claims it's a cakewalk compared to Buffalo.

“No, Buffalo prepared me,” Lehner said. “It couldn’t be any worse. Buffalo would prepare me to go to Toronto. It was so bad there sometimes. You would walk out to games and the game hadn’t started and people are already booing. It’s an incredibly passionate fan base and they’re filling that building but it can be miserable in that rink."

Now, Lehner may need to begin clearing his trophy shelf. He's New York's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, but he could also take home the Jennings Trophy along with fellow Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss.

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Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was back in the lineup Friday against the Arizona Coyotes after missing nine games with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Landeskog was originally given a four-to-six-week timetable on March 8.

The Avalanche hold the Western Conference's second wild-card spot, with the Coyotes just two points behind.

Landeskog was playing his best hockey prior to the injury, tallying 33 goals and 69 points - both career highs - in 68 games.

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The Calgary Flames are nearing an agreement with KHL goalie prospect Artyom Zagidulin on a one-year, entry-level contract, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Zagidulin was the backup to KHL legend Vasili Koshechkin this past season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In 25 games, the 23-year-old posted a 1.96 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

The goaltending duo of Mike Smith and David Rittich has led the Flames to first place in the Western Conference this campaign, but the former is 37 years old and without a contract next season.

Tyler Parsons, a second-round pick in 2016, is considered the Flames' top goalie prospect, but he's struggled in the AHL this season with a 3.83 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw won't have a hearing for Thursday's hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam McQuaid, a league spokesperson told TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Shaw was handed a two-minute minor for interference on the play, while McQuaid, who has a history of concussions, left the game and didn't return.

After the game, Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella called the hit "ridiculously suspendable."

Shaw has been suspended three times in his career, most recently in 2016.

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Former Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault will be behind the bench for Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The rest of the coaching staff is expected to be announced early next week, Dreger added. Jason Botterill, Ron Francis, and Ron Hextall have already been tasked with selecting the team's roster.

Vigneault has been out of coaching since being fired by the Rangers after missing the playoffs in 2017-18, the last of his five seasons in charge. New York is still on the hook for one more year of his contract, which pays him $4.1 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Prior to his stint in the Big Apple, Vigneault coached the Canucks from 2006-2013, which was the club's most successful era. Along the way, he won five straight division titles, took home the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year in 2006-07, and brought the team to within one game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Vigneault also coached the Montreal Canadiens from 1997-2001.

The 57-year-old could potentially be handed a loaded World Championship roster, as some of Canada's brightest stars - including Connor McDavid, Claude Giroux, Jonathan Huberdeau, Jonathan Toews, Bo Horvat, and Drew Doughty - could miss the NHL playoffs.

The tournament will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia, from May 10-26.

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Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella had some choice words for Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw following Columbus' 6-2 victory Thursday.

The 27-year-old agitator caught defenseman Adam McQuaid with an errant elbow to the head in the second period, drawing the ire of the outspoken bench boss.

"Suspendable. Ridiculously suspendable," Tortorella said after the game, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Shaw was handed a two-minute minor for interference on the play:

McQuaid, who has a history of concussions, did not return to the game.

Shaw has been suspended three times over his eight-year career, most recently in 2016 when he received a three-game ban for boarding.

With two points on the night, the Blue Jackets now occupy the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with five games remaining.

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The defending Stanley Cup champs are heading back to the dance.

With a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the Washington Capitals officially clinched a playoff berth for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.

The victory brought the Capitals to 100 points on the season, making them the fourth team in 2018-19 to hit the triple-digit milestone. It also strengthened Washington's lead atop the Metropolitan Division, which is now a five-point gap over the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.

In all likelihood, Washington will claim the second seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning it will take on the higher ranked wild-card team.

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The Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames are among the teams trying to lure Sweden's Joakim Nygard to the NHL, TSN's Darren Dreger reported during Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment.

Who is Nygard, exactly?

"He's a 26-year-old forward who's had a very good year in the Swedish Elite League playing with Farjestad," Dreger said. "His agent, Matt Keator, has been fielding interest from NHL clubs for several months now, to be frank. Of the teams interested: Ottawa, Calgary - they're both in on this guy hard."

Nygard's notched 21 goals and 14 assists this season and is drawing interest from scouts for his incredible speed, Dreger added.

As a 26-year-old, Nygard would have to agree on a one-year entry-level contract if he were to sign in the NHL.

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