Barry Trotz continues to add to his illustrious career.

The New York Islanders bench boss picked up win No. 850, passing Ken Hitchock and moving into third on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list on Monday with the club's 2-0 win over the New York Rangers.

Trotz now needs 81 wins to pass Joel Quenneville, who's second behind Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman (1,244).

The 58-year-old owns an 88-54-19 record as New York's head coach since the club hired him ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. He's led the Islanders to the playoffs in consecutive seasons and captured his second Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach in 2019.

The Winnipeg native previously coached the Nashville Predators from 1998-2014 and is the franchise's winningest bench boss. He then served as Washington Capitals head coach from 2014-18.

Trotz also ranks 15th all time with 72 playoff victories and won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Newly acquired Columbus Blue Jackets superstar Patrik Laine was benched for nearly half of Monday's 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Laine's final shift came with 6:19 remaining in the second period, and he didn't see any action in the third frame. He was on the ice for Carolina's second goal, and the sniper finished the contest with no points or shots over 11:31 of action.

The 22-year-old was playing his fourth game with his new club since being acquired for Pierre-Luc Dubois, whose tenure with the Blue Jackets came to an unceremonious end after he demanded a trade, and head coach John Tortorella later benched him for a lack of effort.

Laine had recorded three goals with Columbus heading into Monday's game.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL has postponed more games involving the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, and New Jersey Devils due to COVID-19 concerns, the league announced Monday.

Three Devils games (Feb. 11, 13 vs. Philadelphia, and Feb. 15 against Boston), two Sabres games (Feb. 11, 13 vs. Washington), and two Wild contests (Feb 11. vs. St. Louis and Feb. 13 vs. Los Angeles) have been pushed to a later date.

The league’s, NHLPA’s, and clubs’ medical groups will decide on the teams’ resumption of practice and play in the coming days.

The Devils, who had their previous two games postponed, had 16 players on the COVID-19 protocol list as of Sunday. New Jersey's last game was against the Sabres on Jan. 31, and the club has now had five games pushed back.

Buffalo had several players put on the COVID-19 list after that contest with the Devils and had four matchups delayed last week. The Sabres now have six games in total to make up.

Minnesota had three games postponed last week and have not played since Feb. 2. The club now has five games to make up.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin apologized for being late to practice Saturday, which ultimately resulted in him being benched for Sunday's game.

"I'm happy to be back," Khudobin said Monday, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "Yes unfortunately, that happened, but it's not really a big deal. I talked to the coaches, it's all fine, all settled, so I'm back."

Khudobin revealed he missed his alarm on Saturday morning and showed up late to practice. Head coach Rick Bowness said he doesn't have many rules "but you damn well better follow them."

Despite the incident, Bowness made it clear on Monday that it's now water under the bridge.

"It's over," Bowness said. "We've dealt with it, we move on. That's yesterday's news."

Khudobin wasn't dressed for Sunday's tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks, as Jake Oettinger took the crease with Landow Bow serving as backup. Dallas lost 2-1 in overtime.

Bowness reaffirmed his trust in Khudobin as the team's current No. 1 goaltender with Ben Bishop sidelined, but declined to say whether it will be him or Oettinger in the crease for Tuesday's game.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Washington Capitals got two key players back Monday.

Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov resumed practicing for the first time since the NHL placed them on its COVID-19 protocol list along with Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and defenseman Dmitry Orlov on Jan. 20. Ovechkin and Orlov returned to the lineup Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, respectively.

Kuznetsov isn't sure whether he'll play Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

"We're day-to-day, you know, and it's all about how I'm gonna feel (Tuesday)," he said after the on-ice session. "I'm just happy I'm alive today, and (to) be able to practice with the team is just a big step for me."

The star forward centered the fourth line at practice Monday, while Samsonov served as the team's third goaltender behind Vitek Vanecek and Craig Anderson, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell.

Samsonov contracted the virus but said he's on the mend.

Kuznetsov confirmed he experienced COVID-19 symptoms but quipped that he wasn't afraid because of his country of origin.

"No, no, I'm from Russia," he said with a laugh. "And there is not a lot that can scare me."

Kuznetsov tallied a goal and two assists in four games before being forced to miss time. Samsonov went 1-0-1 with seven goals allowed in two contests.

Samsonov began the season as the Capitals' starting netminder. Washington leaned heavily on Vanecek in Samsonov's absence and the first-year puck-stopper initially excelled, earning the NHL's Rookie of the Month honors for January. However, Vanecek has lost his last three games and was pulled from Sunday's 7-4 defeat after allowing the Philadelphia Flyers to score four goals on 14 shots.

The NHL fined the Capitals $100,000 for violating the league's COVID-19 protocol Jan. 20. Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Samsonov, and Orlov landed on the list shortly thereafter, and the team admitted its players had failed to adhere to the rules when they interacted in a hotel room.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds suffered a broken wrist on Saturday and is expected to miss six weeks, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The 32-year-old left Saturday's contest against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period after taking a clearance attempt off his hand. He scored twice in the game.

Simmonds has been a key player for the Leafs early in the season, recording five goals in 12 games. Three of his tallies have come on the power play, which Toronto ranks No. 1 in the league with a 38.5% success rate.

The Leafs are having some bad injury luck to start the year, as Joe Thornton, Nick Robertson, Jack Campbell, and Travis Dermott are all currently sidelined with ailments.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the third edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2020-21 season. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.

In this edition, we provide one incredible stat from each team during the early part of the season.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-1-1)

Previous rank: 3

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been a workhorse this campaign, as he's played every minute of the Lightning's nine games. The Bolts lead the NHL with a .949 save percentage at five-on-five.

2. Vegas Golden Knights (7-1-1)

Previous rank: 1

Sophomore blue-liner Nic Hague is turning into a stud for the high-powered Golden Knights. The club owns a 73.29% share of expected goals for at five-on-five when he's on the ice this season, which is the best mark among all defensemen.

3. Boston Bruins (8-1-2)

Previous rank: 5

The Bruins are the NHL's best faceoff team, winning 56.7% of their draws.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (9-2-1)

Previous rank: 4

The Maple Leafs' power play is operating at a league-best 38.5%. They've scored on the man advantage in 11 of their 12 games this season.

5. Montreal Canadiens (8-2-2)

Previous rank: 2

You could make the case the Habs should be higher on this list, as they lead the NHL with a plus-17 goal differential.

6. Colorado Avalanche (7-3-1)

Previous rank: 6

The Avs own the NHL's best penalty kill at 89.7%.

7. Florida Panthers (6-1-2)

Previous rank: 19

With Sergei Bobrovsky struggling in net once again, goaltender Chris Driedger has been red hot. Despite entering the season with 15 career appearances, he has a minuscule 1.97 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in five games this year.

8. Carolina Hurricanes (7-2-0)

Previous rank: 11

The budding Hurricanes are off to a torrid start. They won six of their opening seven contests in consecutive seasons for the first time since the franchise moved to Carolina in 1997-98.

9. Winnipeg Jets (7-3-1)

Previous rank: 12

Adam Lowry has enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Jets. The 27-year-old had four goals and 10 points through 49 games in 2019-20 and has already tallied four goals and nine points through 11 contests this season.

10. Philadelphia Flyers (8-3-2)

Previous rank: 15

James van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch at times last campaign, but he's collected 18 points in his first 13 games of 2020-21, putting him on pace for 114 in 82 games. The 31-year-old's best season of his career was 62 points in 2016-17 with Toronto.

11. Washington Capitals (6-3-3)

Previous rank: 10

After blasting the 710th goal of his career past Carter Hart on Sunday, Alex Ovechkin has now scored against 144 different goaltenders since breaking into the league.

12. Dallas Stars (5-2-2)

Previous rank: 13

The Stars entered Sunday with the fewest slap shots taken in the NHL (17), but they've converted on them at a league-best 17.7%.

13. St. Louis Blues (7-4-1)

Previous rank: 7

The Blues have the worst net penalties in the league with a minus-14 rating. They've drawn 45 penalties but have taken 59.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-5-3)

Previous rank: 18

The Blue Jackets have been outshot in all five of their wins this season. In fact, Columbus has outshot its opponent just once in 13 outings.

15. Calgary Flames (5-5-1)

Previous rank: 14

Johnny Gaudreau became the fifth-fastest left winger in NHL history to reach 300 career assists on Saturday.

16. Minnesota Wild (6-5-0)

Previous rank: 17

Minnesota's defense has been rock solid at limiting opponents' opportunities to start the season. At even-strength, the Wild have allowed the second-least amount of high-danger scoring chances against (56).

17. Pittsburgh Penguins (5-5-1)

Previous rank: 9

The Penguins have saved their best hockey for last. Pittsburgh has won three of its five games when trailing after two periods, which is the most in the league.

18. Buffalo Sabres (4-4-2)

Previous rank: 23

Jeff Skinner has managed to collect just one assist and no goals through his first 10 games of 2020-21. Since his rookie year, he's averaged 8.4 points over the first 10 games of a season.

19. New Jersey Devils (4-3-2)

Previous rank: 16

Mackenzie Blackwood's .982 save percentage at five-on-five leads all goaltenders.

20. New York Islanders (4-4-2)

Previous rank: 8

The Islanders are one of the best at closing out games. In 10 contests, they've allowed just four goals in the third period, which tops the NHL.

21. Arizona Coyotes (5-5-1)

Previous rank: 20

The Coyotes own the best penalty kill on the road (96%), giving up just one power-play goal away from home.

22. New York Rangers (4-4-2)

Previous rank: 24

The Rangers aren't going anywhere this season if they can't muster more offense late in games. Of the club's six third-period tallies, a pair has been deposited into an empty net, and only two have come at even strength.

23. Edmonton Oilers (6-7-0)

Previous rank: 21

Connor McDavid leads the NHL with 26 points in 13 games. This puts him on pace for 112 over 56 contests or 164 over 82 games. The latter would be the most in a season since Wayne Gretzky (168) and Mario Lemieux (199) in 1988-89.

24. Nashville Predators (5-6-0)

Previous rank: 22

The Predators' offense has been almost non-existent until the final frame on most nights. Nashville has scored just five goals in each of the first and second periods compared to 16 in the third.

25. Chicago Blackhawks (5-4-4)

Previous rank: 29

Rookie puck-stopper Kevin Lankinen's sparkling .928 save percentage has kept the Blackhawks afloat early on this season.

26. Anaheim Ducks (5-5-3)

Previous rank: 27

Ducks goalie John Gibson has been busy to start the campaign. He's faced the most high-danger shots against (102) in the league and has the second-highest expected goals against (28.68).

27. San Jose Sharks (4-5-1)

Previous rank: 25

Patrick Marleau can move into sole possession of third place on the NHL's all-time games played list on Tuesday.

28. Vancouver Canucks (6-9-0)

Previous rank: 28

The Canucks have allowed the most goals against (60) and shots per game (35.7) in the entire league so far but have also scored the most at five-on-five (35).

29. Los Angeles Kings (3-6-2)

Previous rank: 26

Anze Kopitar entered the season needing 50 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone. His scorching start has seen him rack up 14 points in 11 games, putting him on pace to easily get the mark.

30. Detroit Red Wings (3-8-2)

Previous rank: 30

The last time a goaltender other than Jonathan Bernier won a game for the Red Wings was on Oct. 29, 2019 - or 467 days ago. Thomas Greiss helped snap that streak Sunday with a win against the Panthers.

31. Ottawa Senators (2-9-1)

Previous rank: 31

Brady Tkachuk continues to be the focal point of Ottawa's offense, leading the team with seven points. His continuous effort on the ice is evident, and he leads the league in shots on goal (51) and has also drawn the most penalties (15).

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.