Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after colliding with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3, head coach Jim Montgomery announced Saturday.

Here's another look at the play.

Marchand was eventually forced to exit Friday's contest.

Montgomery believes there was intent on Bennett's end.

"In real time, my eyes weren't on there. Having seen it, there's a history there with Bennett," Montgomery said, per Ty Anderson of 985 Sports. "There's clearly evidence of what went on."

Bennett will not face any supplemental discipline for the play.

The Panthers center has been suspended twice in his career: three games in 2022 for a hit to the head and one game in 2021 for charging. Bennett also notably avoided a suspension during last year's postseason despite cross-checking Michael Bunting in the neck.

Marchand has arguably been the Bruins' best skater this postseason, leading the team with 10 points in as many games. It's unclear if he'll be ready for Sunday's pivotal Game 4.

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Victor Hedman doesn't want his contract situation to drag out the way Steven Stamkos' has.

The Tampa Bay Lightning stalwart defenseman said he hopes to sign an extension in the offseason that could be the final contract of his illustrious playing career.

"We've been here from Day 1, and I've been here for almost half my life," Hedman told The Athletic's Joe Smith. "I couldn't picture anything else. It's a process. It's a business. And just moving forward here, my thought process is on next season, and, hopefully, I won't be in the same position as Stammer, but you never know. My plan is to retire a Bolt, and I hope that will come true."

Stamkos, Tampa Bay's captain, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Hedman can be a UFA in 2025.

Though Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois wanted to let the season play out before giving Stamkos a new deal, he appears more willing to negotiate with Hedman this offseason.

"We'd love to keep Victor going forward," BriseBois said, per Smith. "He's an elite, elite defenseman. He's one of the special all-time players, an all-time Tampa Bay Lightning Bolt who is still super productive. There's no reason to believe that won't be the case going forward."

Injuries littered the Lightning's blue line in 2023-24, but Hedman was the lone constant. The former Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner produced 76 points in 78 games, good for fifth among NHL defensemen.

However, Hedman showed signs of regression, with the 33-year-old recording minus-6.9 defensive goals above replacement, tied for the second-worst among NHL blue-liners, per Evolving-Hockey.

Despite Hedman saying he believes he has "a lot of good hockey left" in him, he added, "I'm not going to play until I'm 40."

But the Swede said he wants to represent his home nation at the 2026 Olympics, one of the lone feats Hedman has yet to accomplish in his career.

The Lightning drafted Hedman second overall in 2009. He ranks second on the franchise's all-time games played list (1,052), third in assists (572), and fifth in points (728).

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is out until at least Game 5 of his team's Round 2 series against the Edmonton Oilers, sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet already ruled out Demko for Wednesday's Game 1 but didn't comment on his status beyond the series opener.

Demko started Vancouver's Round 1 opener versus the Nashville Predators before missing the remaining five games of the series due to a knee injury. Though it's apparently not the same injury that caused Demko to miss 14 games late in the regular season, it's the same knee that's ailing.

The 28-year-old was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after posting a .918 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in 51 games during the 2023-24 regular season.

Arturs Silovs, who entered the postseason as Vancouver's third-string goalie, projects to start Game 1 against Edmonton. The 23-year-old rookie recorded a .938 save percentage in three Round 1 appearances against the Predators, including a 28-save shutout in the series-clinching Game 6 victory.

Veteran Casey DeSmith is another option to tend goal and started Games 2 and 3 in Round 1. However, the Canucks rode with Silovs to close out the series despite DeSmith being available for Games 5 and 6.

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The St. Louis Blues removed the interim tag from head coach Drew Bannister on Tuesday, signing him to a two-year contract to be the team's permanent bench boss.

Bannister guided the Blues to a 30-19-5 record after taking over on an interim basis after St. Louis fired Craig Berube in December.

The Blues missed the Western Conference playoffs by six points, though they boasted a better record than the Eastern Conference's second wild-card team, the Washington Capitals.

The biggest improvement for the Blues after the coaching change was with the man advantage. St. Louis' power play was operating at just 8.4% under Berube but converted at 22.8% after Bannister took over.

The Blues also made strides defensively, allowing 3.32 goals per game with Berube compared to 2.87 with Bannister.

Before the Blues promoted him, Bannister was the head coach of St. Louis' farm teams, the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds (2021-23) and San Antonio Rampage (2018-20). He also served as the head coach of the OHL's Soo Greyhounds from 2015-18.

Bannister played in 164 NHL games between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and New York Rangers from 1995-2001.

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The Ottawa Senators hired former Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils bench boss Travis Green as their next head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

Green's contract will keep him in Canada's capital through the 2027-28 season.

"After speaking to several highly qualified candidates, it became clear that Travis is the right fit to lead our group," president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said. "As we've routinely stated, developing a winning culture is paramount to our aspiration of achieving sustained success.

"Travis has a burning desire to win, is passionate about teaching, and holds his players to a very high standard. We're excited to welcome he and his family to the Ottawa-Gatineau community."

An introductory press conference is expected to take place Wednesday.

Green served as head coach of the Canucks from 2017-22, making the playoffs in 2020. Vancouver won its qualifying-round series over the Minnesota Wild that year and upset the reigning Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in Round 1 before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 2.

The Devils hired the 53-year-old as an associate coach in 2023, and he took over as interim head coach after the team fired Lindy Ruff in March.

Green owns a career record of 141-159-35 as an NHL head coach.

He also enjoyed a 14-year playing career with the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins.

He'll take over a Senators team with a promising young core that has yet to break through and make the playoffs. The Sens are riding a seven-year postseason drought, the NHL's third-longest active skid.

D.J. Smith coached the Senators for parts of five seasons before the team fired him after an 11-15-0 start to the 2023-24 campaign. Interim bench boss Jacques Martin didn't fare much better, going 26-26-4.

Green is the first permanent head coach hired by Staios since the latter was named full-time GM in December and since Michael Andlauer completed his purchase of the franchise in September.

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Mitch Marner wants to stick with the Maple Leafs for the long haul despite speculation that he could be the odd man out if Toronto elected to break up its core.

"I've expressed my love for this place, this city," Marner said Monday. "Obviously, I grew up here. We'll start thinking about that now and try to figure something out."

The Thornhill, Ontario, product received heavy scrutiny from Leafs fans after managing just a goal and two assists in the seven-game Round 1 loss to the Boston Bruins. It's the seventh time in eight years with largely the same core that Toronto failed to advance past the first round.

Marner gave a simple response when asked why he thinks the Leafs' core should remain together.

"Because we're great players," he said.

He added: "Challenges build adversity, and we've been through a lot of that, and it's only going to make us better."

Each member of Toronto's Core Four has a full no-movement clause.

Auston Matthews and William Nylander both inked long-term extensions within the past year. They were arguably Toronto's best performers in Round 1 despite both missing time.

"In my time here, I've learned that there's always a scapegoat, there's always a narrative, there's always something," Matthews said. "We love Mitchy. He's a great teammate, he's a great friend, and a competitor."

Marner is entering the final season of a six-year, $65.4-million contract he signed 2019. His $10.9-million cap hit was the ninth-highest among NHL players in 2023-24.

John Tavares is also entering the final year of his deal, but he'll be 34 years old next season, and his production has declined.

Marner, though, is 27 years old and tallied 85 points in 69 games this past season. He finished third in Selke Trophy voting in 2022-23 and 13th in Hart Trophy voting after a 99-point campaign.

"I think he's an amazing human and a great hockey player," defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "So any heat or anything like that, I believe would be undeserved."

Both Marner and Tavares are eligible to sign extensions July 1.

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Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness announced his retirement Monday.

Bowness is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year after leading the Jets to a 52-24-6 record in 2023-24. The club lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games in Round 1.

The 69-year-old took a month-long leave of absence from the team early in the season after his wife, Judy, was hospitalized by a seizure.

Bowness and Hall of Famers Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn are the only bench bosses to hold an NHL head coaching position in five different decades. His first NHL job was as an assistant coach with the original Winnipeg Jets franchise for the 1984-85 campaign. He eventually became the head coach of the Jets for one season in 1988-89.

"Bones" also served as head coach of the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, and Dallas Stars. The pinnacle of Bowness' coaching career came in 2020 when he led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Bowness also went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011 as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks and in 2015 as an associate coach with the Lightning.

His 2,726 games as an NHL head coach or assistant are the most by anyone in league history.

The Jets are now one of seven NHL teams without a full-time head coach.

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It's safe to say Matthew Tkachuk didn't BeLeaf.

The Florida Panthers forward wasn't surprised that the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1 and admitted that his team were anticipating the outcome.

"Without this coming out too badly, I think we all knew it was probably going to be Boston the way that series was going," Tkachuk told reporters Sunday. "I'm sure a lot of people expected that at the beginning of the series.

"Playoffs, I guess you never know. But I think throughout the whole series we were probably expecting they were going to come out and win it one way or the other."

The Maple Leafs fought back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game 7 before the Bruins prevailed via David Pastrnak's overtime winner on Saturday.

Toronto has now been eliminated in Round 1 of the postseason in seven of the last eight years. The lone exception was in 2023 when the Leafs advanced to Round 2 before falling to the Panthers in five games.

Tkachuk's Panthers will now play the Bruins in Round 2 - a rematch after the underdog Cats clawed back from a 3-1 hole to beat a historically great Boston team in Round 1 a year ago.

However, the Bruins got the better of the Panthers during the 2023-24 regular season, winning all four meetings. That doesn't overly concern Tkachuk, though.

"They definitely got us in the regular season," he said. "I think if you ask them they're probably using that for confidence going into this series. We're like 'regular season doesn't matter, we got them in playoffs.'"

Game 1 goes down Monday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will miss Game 1 of Round 2 against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Sunday, per Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor.

Demko's status beyond Game 1 is unknown.

The 28-year-old started Vancouver's playoff opener against the Nashville Predators but missed the remaining five games of the series due to a knee injury. While it's not the same injury that caused Demko to miss 14 games late in the regular season, it is the same knee that's ailing him.

Backup goalie Casey DeSmith started Games 2 and 3 against the Predators before suffering an injury of his own. He was healthy enough to return for Game 5, though rookie third-stringer Arturs Silovs started over the veteran to close out the series.

The 23-year-old Silovs performed admirably despite entering the postseason with just nine games of NHL experience. He posted a .938 save percentage in three postseason appearances, including a 28-save shutout in the series-clinching Game 6 victory.

However, the Oilers present an entirely different challenge than the Predators. Edmonton boasted the NHL's No. 4 offense and power play in the regular season and put up 22 goals in five games in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Demko was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after posting a .918 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in 51 games during the 2023-24 regular season.

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, and Carolina Hurricanes veteran Jordan Staal were named the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy on Sunday.

The Selke Trophy is awarded "to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game," as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.

Barkov is the favorite to take home the honor after leading all full-time NHL centers in Evolving-Hockey's defensive goals above replacement in 2023-24. He won the award in 2021 and has been a finalist three times.

The 6-foot-3 Finn was a major reason the Panthers tied for the league lead in goals-against per game. While Barkov was on the ice at even strength, the puck was in the defensive zone just 35.3% of the time, which ranks in the 97th percentile of NHL skaters, per NHL EDGE tracking data.

This marks Matthews' first time as a Selke finalist after regularly contributing to the penalty kill this campaign for the first time in his career. He ranked fourth among full-time centers in defensive goals above replacement, second among NHL skaters with 85 takeaways, and tied for second among forwards with 93 blocked shots.

Matthews may need a bigger trophy case, as he also won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy by leading the league with 69 goals and is nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy. Matthews is the first player to win the "Rocket" and be nominated for the Selke in the same season. He's also expected to be a Hart Trophy finalist.

Staal has long received down-ballot Selke votes, but this is the 35-year-old's first time being a finalist since his age-21 season in 2009-10 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That 14-year gap is the longest in NHL history for a voted award.

The rugged veteran was a key cog in Carolina's No. 1-ranked penalty kill, logging the most shorthanded minutes of the team's forwards. Staal also ranked sixth among full-time centers in defensive goals above replacement and fourth in faceoff percentage among players who took at least 1,000 draws this campaign. He took the ninth-most defensive zone draws in the NHL but ranked second among all skaters in five-on-five shot-attempt percentage.

Future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron won the Selke for a record sixth time in 2023.

The 2024 winner is expected to be announced on June 27.

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