Shayne Gostisbehere is giving his alma mater a special opportunity in the wake of a tragedy.

The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman has invited the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hockey team to Sunday's game between the Flyers and the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Fla., according to Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gostisbehere has been impressed by his alma mater's hockey team, which upset a pair of higher seeds to win the state championship last weekend, less than two weeks after a gunman killed 17 people in the Parkland, Fla. school.

Related - Luongo gives powerful pregame speech on Parkland shooting: 'Enough is enough'

“The way they handled themselves was pretty cool to see,’’ Gostisbehere said before Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes. “Obviously the circumstances were a little rough. And what they did with their medals, bringing (them) to the school for the memorial, was pretty cool. They handled themselves like adults. It was pretty cool to see.’’

He said he's also been impressed by how the students have made their voices heard on the issue of gun control.

"It’s cool to watch these guys stand up for what they truly believe. Obviously, they want some change. It’s cool to see how some of the kids who survived are coming through it and … handling themselves as young adults.’’

Gostisbehere spent two years as a student at Marjory Stoneman before transferring to South Kent, Conn. He'll return home Sunday for the first time since the tragedy.

On the day after the shooting, Gostisbehere - from nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla. - lamented the tragedy, told reporters that he lived 10 minutes from the school, and said his grandparents still live about a mile away.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators' comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday gave Predators architect and general manager David Poile his 1,320th regular-season win, moving him into first on the all-time regular-season wins list for GMs.

Poile, who surpassed Hall of Fame GM Glen Sather (1,319 wins), racked up 594 career wins as the Washington Capitals' GM before taking the reins in Nashville for another 726 and counting.

The 68-year-old Toronto native is also the reigning NHL General Manager of the Year.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Taylor Hall. So ridiculously hot right now.

The New Jersey Devils forward continued his torrid pace Thursday night against the Florida Panthers, notching his 28th goal to extend his point streak to 23 games.

With the goal, Hall became only the 10th player in the last 30 years to record at least one point in 23 or more games.

He has 16 goals and 17 assists to his credit over that span and now has 69 points on the season.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If you weren't lucky enough to be tuned into the Eastern Conference heavyweight clash between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins on Thursday night, you missed quite the first period.

It certainly wasn't a night for the goaltenders, as the Pens and Bs combined for a ridiculous eight goals before the first intermission.

Boston notched an impressive five goals and got two-point periods from newly acquired forward Rick Nash (goal and assist), as well as David Pastrnak (goal and assist), Torey Krug (goal and assist), and Riley Nash (two assists), chasing Pittsburgh start Casey DeSmith after three goals on five shots. DeSmith was replaced by Tristan Jarry, who promptly allowed two goals on the next nine shots.

Here's a look at Boston's first goal:

As for Pittsburgh, the Penguins got three past Bruins' No.1 Tuukka Rask on only seven shots, which included this clapper from Riley Sheahan:

The record for most goals scored in one NHL game sits at 21, so the two Eastern contenders will have to take the scoring to the next level if they want to make a bit of history.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings have signed 2017 first-round draft pick Gabe Vilardi to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

Vilardi was drafted 11th overall after posting 61 points in 49 games with the Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires in 2016-17.

In 23 OHL contests this season, the 6-foot-3 pivot has registered 14 goals and 29 assists.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk shed some light on his future plans for the organization in a letter sent to its fans Thursday.

"This has been a disappointing season for our team," Melnyk said in the letter, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun. "Our place in the standings speaks for itself. Trust me, no one is more aware of this - and more frustrated by it - than I am."

The Senators sit 29th in the league and have endured a difficult season that began with the optimism of building off last season's run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

"Enduring a tough year has given us a chance for clear-eyed evaluation," Melnyk said. "This is an ongoing process, but I can tell you one thing: We are not looking to tweak our lineup, nor mortgage our future for stop-gap solutions."

"As a team, we need to get younger, faster, and more skilled."

Ottawa has undergone plenty of roster change over the course of the season, acquiring Matt Duchene for Kyle Turris and shipping off Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, while holding off on a potential Erik Karlsson deal that had the hockey world on the edge of its seat.

Melnyk made it clear he wants to shift the focus to his club's future, including developing a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats and making the Senators competitive once again.

"On a personal level, let me repeat that I have every intention of rebuilding the Senators to become the finest team in the NHL and bringing a Stanley Cup to Ottawa."

Melnyk's entire message can be read here.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Vancouver Canucks will be without forward Loui Eriksson for the remainder of the season as he deals with a fractured rib, head coach Travis Green announced Thursday.

Eriksson has only suited up in 50 games in 2017-18, in which he's recorded 10 goals and 13 assists. He also missed four weeks from mid-October because of a knee sprain.

The 32-year-old is in the second season of a six-year, $36-million contract he signed with the Canucks in 2016.

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tim Leiweke says hockey fans in Seattle made a big-time statement Thursday.

The CEO of Oak View Group, which is overseeing the renovation of KeyArena, implied as much to Sportsnet's Irfaan Gaffar after fans made 10,000 season-ticket deposits in the first 12 minutes of the ticket drive and 25,000 overall on Thursday.

"Congratulations to Seattle. The fans have spoken, and now we'll go through the process with (NHL) Commissioner (Gary) Bettman to hit the other milestones that we need to hit and hopefully by June (we'll) be able to deliver a team to this town, because I think today they proved they want it and they're worthy of it, "Leiweke said.

The longtime sports executive admitted he was surprised by how quickly the goal of 10,000 was met after the season-ticket drive opened at 10 a.m. PST.

"I'm shocked ... 12 minutes, that's pretty amazing. It shows you the pent-up demand for hockey in the Northwest," Leiweke said, before adding that he really shouldn't have been too shocked considering the rapid growth of the Seattle market.

"We have 35 million people that are part of our base here, and so we're really excited about the ability to (possibly) be the regional team, but I think it also shows you how quickly Seattle's (growing)," he said.

"It's the fastest growing city in North America. When you drive around this city and you see the cranes, I don't think you should be surprised and shocked. It's an amazing place, it's an amazing city, and it has an amazing future in front of it, and we couldn't be prouder to be a part of it."

Leiweke also expressed pride in Seattle's hockey fans, specifically.

"(I'm) really proud of the marketplace. What a resounding message they (sent) back to the other 31 (team) owners and to Commissioner Bettman, but now the exciting part gets to start."

The prospective Seattle ownership group, which also includes renowned Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and investment company billionaire David Bonderman, submitted its formal NHL expansion application last month.

O

Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.