Report: Canucks working to extend Edler
The Vancouver Canucks are progressing toward an extension with defenseman Alexander Edler, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.
With a playoff berth not guaranteed and Edler's contract set to expire at the end of the season, the veteran blue-liner might have garnered outside interest ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline. However, his current deal contains a no-trade clause, and both team and player were hoping to continue their long-standing relationship, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Since being selected No. 91 overall in the 2004 draft, Edler has yet to call another NHL team home. He became the Canucks' longest-tenured player after the retirements of his countrymen Daniel and Henrik Sedin last summer. In 796 regular-season games, the Swede has notched 89 goals and 265 assists.
The 32-year-old has 20 points through 38 appearances this season but has been on the injured reserve for most of February after suffering a concussion against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 4.
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McDavid to have hearing for high hit on Islanders’ Leddy
Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid will have a hearing Friday for his hit to the head of New York Islanders blue-liner Nick Leddy, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.
McDavid skated into Leddy during the first period of Edmonton's 4-3 overtime victory Thursday, making contact with the defenseman's head just as Leddy released the puck:
First suspension of McDavid’s career coming?pic.twitter.com/FwmIAXTwsv
— NHL Nosebleed (@NHL_Nosebleed) February 22, 2019
McDavid earned a two-minute penalty on the play for an illegal check to the head.
After potting the overtime winner, McDavid didn't shy away from discussing the sequence.
"Obviously, it's not a great check, it's not what I was trying to do," he told reporters after the game, according to TSN. "I was just trying to finish my check on him and he stopped a little earlier than I thought, and maybe I clipped him a little bit too high and that was obviously not the intent at all."
Islanders head coach Barry Trotz confirmed after the game that Leddy had cleared concussion protocol but offered no further comment on the hit, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross.
McDavid has never been suspended in his four-season career. The Oilers' 22-year-old captain has amassed just 88 career penalty minutes to date with no more than 26 in a single campaign.
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NHL Rumor Mill (Part Two) – February 22, 2019
Report: Sens put Stone, Dzingel on trade block
The Ottawa Senators appear to be readying for a possible fire sale ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
After holding them out from the team's 4-0 blowout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, the Senators made right winger Mark Stone and center Ryan Dzingel available for trade, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
Stone and Dzingel are the Senators' highest-scoring forwards with 62 and 44 points, respectively, after center Matt Duchene (58 points) was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. Both are scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
The loss to New Jersey drops Ottawa to 22-33-5 on the campaign. The Senators rank last in the entire NHL and are on pace to finish the year with their worst points percentage (40.8 percent) since the 1995-96 season.
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NHL Rumor Mill – February 22, 2019
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – February 22, 2019
Predators take down Kings to move atop Central Division
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Roman Josi had a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 Thursday night to move atop the Central Division with their third win in four games.
The Predators now have 77 points to edge ahead of Winnipeg (76), though the Jets have three games in hand on Nashville.
Kyle Turris scored a goal for Nashville, which also swept the season series with Los Angeles.
Goalie Pekka Rinne made 28 saves for the win.
Michael Amadio scored a goal for the Kings, who now are 0-4-2 in losing their sixth straight.
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette mixed up his top two lines a bit looking to spread out the offense. He moved Viktor Arvidsson, who has 21 points in his past 25 games since returning from a broken thumb, to the second line with Turris and Calle Jarnkrok while moving Kevin Fiala to the top line with Filip Forsberg and center Ryan Johansen.
Turris scored the first goal, his first since returning from injury Feb. 7 and seventh of the season, on the power play where Nashville has struggled. His snap shot from the left circle beat Jonathan Quick at 8:50 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Rinne kept the Kings scoreless 70 seconds later after a turnover behind the net, scrambling back to stop Trevor Lewis' shot from the slot.
Josi put Nashville up 2-0 with his 14th goal this season within the first minute of the second. Arvidsson, who did not take part in the morning skate, sent a backhanded pass to Josi, who went top shelf with his wrister from the left circle.
Amadio pulled Los Angeles within 2-1 scoring off a rebound at 9:24 of the third, and the Kings got the man advantage 25 seconds later when Turris went to the box for hooking Ilya Kovalchuk. But the Predators killed the penalty, keeping the Kings 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
Johansen hit the post with five minutes left , missing an insurance goal for Nashville that Rinne wound up not needing.
NOTES: Josi now has 21 points in his last 19 games for Nashville. He also became the first defenseman in franchise history with four seasons with at least 50 points. ... Before the game, the Predators put forward Craig Smith on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and recalled Taylor Gaudet from AHL Milwaukee. ... Nashville improved to 27-3-1 when scoring first and 16-1-1 when leading after the first period.
UP NEXT
Kings: Visit Florida on Saturday.
Predators: Host Colorado on Saturday.
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Blues’ 11-game winning streak snapped by Stars
DALLAS (AP) Stars captain Jamie Benn had his first multi-goal game since early October and Dallas beat St. Louis 5-2 on Thursday night, ending the Blues' franchise-record 11-game winning streak.
When Benn scored the game's first goal 3:46 into the second period, the Blues trailed for the first time since Feb. 5 - a span of more than 517 minutes on the ice over 10 games.
Radek Faksa and Alexander Radulov put Dallas up 3-0 with goals in a 65-second span midway through the second period.
The Stars snapped a three-game losing streak in which they were shut out twice.
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington entered the game with a 13-1-1 record and was riding a nine-game winning streak that was a rookie team record. The only other time he allowed four goals was Jan. 21 against the Los Angeles Kings, 4-3 in the last loss for him and the team.
Anton Khudobin stopped 43 shots while starting his seventh consecutive game for the Stars. Regular starting goaltender Ben Bishop, who missed the previous six games with an upper body injury, was active and on the bench as the backup after going through an optional practice Wednesday.
Benn scored his second goal of the night, and 21st of the season, when he redirected a flying puck with his stick with four minutes left in the second period to make it 4-1. His only other multi-goal game this season came Oct. 6, when he scored twice in a win over Winnipeg in the second game of the season.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 27th goal for the Blues on an assist from Ryan O'Reilly, who got his 24th goal of the season in the closing seconds of the second period.
Except for Tyler Seguin's empty-net goal in the final minute, all of the scoring was in the second period.
NOTES: The Blues were without C Brayden Schenn, who sustained an upper-body injury in their 3-2 overtime win against Toronto on Tuesday night. Coach Craig Berube isn't sure how long the injury will keep Schenn (11 goals, 28 assists) out of the lineup. ... Blues D Joel Edmundson broke his stick in two when he slammed it across the post following Benn's second goal. Edmundson had Benn pushed into the corner just before the score. ... Brett Ritchie of the Stars and Colton Parayko got five-minute majors for fighting after trading several hard punches in the second period.
UP NEXT
Blues: At Boston on Saturday.
Stars: Play their third home game in a row, Saturday against Carolina.
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Stone, Duchene, Dzingel scratched ahead of trade deadline
Ottawa Senators forwards Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel were scratched Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
The three won't see the ice for precautionary reasons, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.
Each player will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has been rumored to be on the move ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline.
Stone, Duchene, and Dzingel rank first, second, and third, respectively, among forwards in team scoring.
Despite a tumultuous campaign for Ottawa, Dzingel has already set a career high in points with 44, and both Stone and Duchene are on pace to best their previous highs for points in a season.
After their tilt with the Devils, the Senators head home to play the Columbus Blue Jackets Friday and the Calgary Flames Sunday ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
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