Penguins’ Aston-Reese out with broken jaw, concussion after hit from Wilson

Zach Aston-Reese suffered a broken jaw that will require surgery, as well as a concussion from a hit delivered by Tom Wilson during Game 3, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan announced.

The check was delivered during the second period; Aston-Reese was bloodied and skated off to the locker room in obvious frustration, while Wilson was not penalized.

Sullivan and Capitals coach Barry Trotz had different takes on the hit:

George Parros, who declined to suspend Wilson after a high hit in Game 2, was in attendance Tuesday and will likely be speaking to the Washington forward prior to Game 4.

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

Watch: Wilson levels Aston-Reese with another questionable high hit

Tom Wilson is under scrutiny once again.

The Washington Capitals winger was on the giving end of another crushing check during Game 3 against Pittsburgh, this time at Zach Aston-Reese's expense.

Aston-Reese left the ice bleeding while throwing his glove into the bench. Wilson did not receive a penalty on the play.

Wilson caught Brian Dumoulin with a high hit in Game 2 that also went unpenalized in any fashion.

Interestingly, NHL Department of Player Safety head George Parros was in the building for Game 3, and may be in contact with Wilson afterward.

Aston-Reese was not on the ice to begin the third period.

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

Report: Wild interviewing Ferguson Jr., Fitzgerald, Zito for GM job

The Minnesota Wild have extended their search for a new general manager.

According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, John Ferguson Jr., who serves as the Boston Bruins' director of player personnel, spent Tuesday in Minnesota interviewing with Wild owner Craig Leipold and president Matt Majka.

On Wednesday, New Jersey Devils assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald is expected to go through the same process, and last week, Columbus Blue Jackets assistant general manager Bill Zito was in Minnesota for an interview.

All this after Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton also traveled to Minnesota to put his hat in the ring.

The Wild fired longtime executive Chuck Fletcher after being eliminated from the playoffs in five games at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, marking the third consecutive season that Minnesota has been set aside in the first round.

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

Predators’ Jarnkrok won’t play Game 3 vs. Jets due to injury

Nashville Predators forward Calle Jarnkrok won't be in the lineup for Game 3 against the Winnipeg Jets due to an apparent injury, according to the Tennessean's Adam Vingan.

Miikka Salomaki draws into the lineup in place of Jarnkrok. He skated with Mike Fisher and Ryan Hartman in the pregame line rushes.

Jarnkrok missed the first three games of Nashville's opening-round series against the Colorado Avalanche due to an upper-body ailment.

He has one point through five playoff appearances after he wrapped up the regular season with 16 goals and 19 assists.

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

Malkin returns from injury for Game 3 vs. Capitals

Help is on the way for the Pittsburgh Penguins, as forward Evgeni Malkin will play against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury.

Malkin returned to practice Saturday in a full-contact jersey, and resumes game action after missing Game 6 of the Penguins' series versus the Philadelphia Flyers and the first two games of their second-round series against the Capitals.

Pittsburgh is looking to gain a series lead by defending home ice Tuesday night.

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

PETA calls out Titans’ O-line for drinking from catfish ‘corpse’ before Preds-Jets Game 3

If you haven't heard by now, hockey fans in Nashville have developed a fairly fishy fascination with heaving dead catfish on the ice at Predators home playoff games. But not everyone is thrilled about it.

One of the groups opposed to the act is PETA, which lashed out at the Tennesse Titans offensive line on Monday after some of the players fired up the Nashville crowd during Game 3 on Sunday using a massive catfish.

PETA didn't appreciate the pregame performance, prompting this response to the Titans and their celebration:

Whether you agree with PETA's statement or not, you have to admit that hockey in Nashville looks like a pretty wild ride.

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

Report: Montgomery among candidates to be next Stars coach

Count Jim Montgomery among the candidates to become the next head coach of the Dallas Stars.

The University of Denver bench boss is in the mix to fill the Stars' coaching vacancy, reports TSN's Frank Seravalli. But it's a crowded field, with TSN's Pierre LeBrun adding that Dallas has about 10 names on its wishlist.

The Stars are in search of a new head coach following the retirement of Ken Hitchcock, who called it a career after one final season in Dallas.

The search reportedly included Bill Peters prior to his hiring as the new coach of the Calgary Flames. Peters spent the last four seasons behind the bench of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last offseason, Montgomery received consideration by the Florida Panthers before Bob Boughner was ultimately named head coach.

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

Tallon: Panthers have budget to pursue big free agents

Dale Tallon will have money to spend this summer.

The Florida Panthers general manager confirmed Tuesday that he'll be able to pursue major free agents once the signing period begins July 1.

"We’ve identified and we like certain players," Tallon told Matthew DeFranks of the Sun-Sentinel. "We have it in our budget. We’re going to do what we can to improve our team."

His statement comes as the expansion Golden Knights roll on in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with two former Panthers on the top line, namely Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. The latter was believed to have been offered to Vegas as an incentive to take on the former's cap hit, leading to fears of a self-imposed salary cap.

That appears neither here nor there at the moment for Tallon, who'll be looking to upgrade both up front and on the blue line.

"My preference would probably be both, but it depends on what it is, and who it is, and when it is," he qualified. "I think our goals against has got to get better as well. I think it can improve. I guess defense, probably. I would like to address both needs possibly."

Florida finished 16th overall in the NHL standings but failed to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot, finishing a point behind New Jersey.

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

Bills, Sabres president Brandon resigns after reported internal investigation

Russ Brandon, who serves as the president of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, resigned from his with both teams, Terry and Kim Pegula stated in a press release.

Brandon resigned following an internal investigation into his workplace behavior and allegations of personal misconduct, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News reports. The executive also served as the president of the AHL's Rochester Americans.

Pegula Sports and Entertainment own all three franchises. Terry and Kim released the following statement confirming Brandon's resignation Tuesday:

"We have a tremendous amount of confidence in the strong leadership teams we have built within each of those entities over the last several years. We are excited about the direction of our teams, especially after this past weekend's NFL draft and NHL lottery results. Our focus remains on building championship teams on and off the field for our fans and community."

More to come.

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

Sens GM Dorion: Coaching staff will return next season

Ottawa Senators head coach Guy Boucher and his staff will return next season, general manager Pierre Dorion told TSN 1200, according to TSN's Ian Mendes.

Dorion went into detail, noting that Boucher will run the team's power play (ranked 27th in the NHL this season), Rob Cookson will be behind the bench as an assistant, Martin Raymond would become the club's "eye in the sky," and that Marc Crawford will remain behind the bench as an assistant.

A year after a double-overtime goal in the Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins brought their season to an end, the Senators failed to build off that strong showing in the playoffs and finished with the second-worst record in the league.

The Senators' 67 points this season was their lowest total in a full 82-game season since the 1995-96 campaign.

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