Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin suffered an apparent left wrist or hand injury in a collision along the boards Friday night with Columbus Blue Jackets defender Dalton Prout.

The Penguins did not offer a detailed update after the game, aside from head coach Mike Sullivan saying afterward that Malkin will be re-evaluated Saturday.

He returned for a shift after the incident, which occurred early in the second period, but then headed down the tunnel and did not return.

Sidney Crosby double-shifted for the remainder of the contest, which the Penguins won 3-2.

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The long and disorganized Dennis Wideman saga is over.

The Calgary Flames defender will return to the lineup versus the Arizona Coyotes on Friday after an independent arbitrator reduced his 20-game ban for cross-checking an official by half.

With the disciplinary matter closed six weeks after the fact and a small victory earned (Wideman still missed 19 games), Flames president Brian Burke came to the defense of the team and its training staff in a brief press conference before the game.

"I believe (Calgary's medical personnel) acted properly at all times and in all respects through this process," Burke said.

"Our protocol was followed to the letter," he later added.

Burke said Wideman "did not fall through the cracks" in terms of the training staff's execution of the NHL-mandated concussion protocol because Wideman first complained of symptoms after the game, not during.

Wideman was hit by an opposing player moments before he collided with linesman Don Henderson, who suffered a concussion as a result. Wideman was later diagnosed with a concussion himself.

Burke also wished Henderson a speedy recovery.

The NHL said it "strenuously" disagreed with the neutral arbitrator's decision in a statement Friday, promising the league would be "reviewing the opinion in detail to determine what next steps may be appropriate."

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The St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Carl Gunnarsson to a three-year contract extension worth $8.7 million Friday, the club announced.

Acquired by the Blues along with a draft pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Roman Polak in June 2014, Gunnarsson, 29, has two goals and five assists in 62 games. He's averaging 17:36 in ice time.

Gunnarsson was a seventh-round pick, 194th overall, by the Maple Leafs in 2007. He spent five seasons in Toronto and is in his second season with the Blues.

The Swedish defender has been a negative possession player for the majority of his career. He has a 48.4 percent Corsi For rating this season, up from his career 46.6 mark, according to Hockey Reference.

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The Washington Capitals are going through California on a road trip, and great things are happening.

By that, we mean Alex Ovechkin, "The Great Eight," and Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One," hung out. And they posed for a great (sorry) photo.

Ovechkin - perfectly - used "gr8" in the caption.

While it wasn't the first time Ovechkin and Gretzky met, it was the first time they got to talk extensively, and they spoke about "hockey, life, all of the different things," Ovechkin said, according to The Washington Post's Isabelle Khurshudyan.

"It’s a great experience," Ovechkin said about hanging out with Gretzky and his wife, Janet. "I had a great time. When you’re a little kid, you have a dream to meet him and talk to him. Obviously, it was a great time."

Janet posted a photo on her Instagram account of what appears to have been a double date:

A great double date, clearly.

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The San Jose Sharks' dull bellyaching about their SAP Center ice came to a head Thursday, and after a shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils, when it was suggested to coach Peter DeBoer that the team may need to simplify its approach.

"Maybe we fix the ice," DeBoer responded. "How about that?"

Swiftly, Sharks COO John Tortora has responded to the complaint, writing in an email to CSNCalifornia.com that steps are being made to improve the surface that the Sharks share with their American Hockey League outfit, the San Jose Barracuda.

"The increased rains the Bay Area has received this year, along with the humidity that comes with it, has made it more challenging to keep building conditions at an optimal level," Tortora wrote, according to CSN's Kevin Kurz.

"We made the decision to implement a supplemental dehumidification system, much earlier than we have in the past. The system is expected to be installed and online within the next two weeks."

And in time for the postseason. How about that?

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Gary Bettman is fed up with criticism of the NHL's new overtime.

In his speaking appearance at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and the morning after Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask became the latest NHL player to critique the format, the NHL commissioner was a touch sour in his response to the idea that 3-on-3 is not "real hockey."

"Shut up. Don't complain," Bettman said, according to NESN's Nicholas W. Goss. "Why would you demean your own product?"

It's been a rough day for Bettman, who in addition to having his engagement picked apart online, saw his 20-game suspension levied to Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman chopped down to 10 by a neutral arbitrator.

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