Akim Aliu had a positive outlook following a meeting at the NHL offices in New York on Tuesday.

"I want to thank everyone for their support. It obviously means a lot to me," the former player said, according to TSN's Matthew Scianitti. "It's been a tough week, but we had some great discussions with (NHL commissioner) Gary (Bettman) and (deputy commissioner) Bill (Daly). They couldn't have been kinder and receptive to the message we're trying to bring."

He added, "I think there is some big change coming. It's long overdue, and I'm excited to see it come to fruition."

The 30-year-old also expressed his optimism on Twitter.

Bettman and Daly shared Aliu's sentiment, releasing a joint statement that described Tuesday's meeting as a "productive and candid conversation" that is "part of a broader, thorough review and process that the league is undertaking."

The league won't comment further until after the Board of Governors meetings next Monday and Tuesday.

On Nov. 25, Aliu tweeted that now-former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters repeatedly directed the N-word toward him regarding the player's choice of music while the two were with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs in 2009-10.

The next day, two of Aliu's former teammates corroborated his more detailed account of the incident. Peters then acknowledged using "offensive language" and said he had apologized to the IceHogs at the time.

However, Aliu called Peters' apology "misleading, insincere, and concerning," adding that Peters had never apologized prior to last week.

Peters resigned last Friday after the Flames opened an investigation into the matter.

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Auston Matthews didn't mince words when assessing the Toronto Maple Leafs' late-game effort in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

"We just folded, kind of just quit," Matthews said postgame, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Matthews added, "We can't be doing that, not to a guy like (Frederik Andersen), not to our starting goalie. Have to have a little more pride than that."

The Leafs allowed five third-period goals, with four coming in the final 3:28. The Flyers scored an empty-netter to extend their lead to 4-1 then, with Andersen back, added two more just 12 seconds apart to complete the blowout.

"We have to play to that last minute, because that's just unacceptable," Matthews said. "We just left him out to dry ... suddenly the score's 6-1 so that's on us. That just can't happen."

It was the Maple Leafs' worst showing under new head coach Sheldon Keefe, who denounced the way his team closed out the contest.

"Our response, our reaction after giving up the empty-net goal is not what we want to be about," Keefe said, per Masters.

"We want to be a team of high character and (a group) that cares for one another and we just left our goaltender completely out to dry there and stopped playing," Keefe added.

Toronto will look to bounce back Wednesday when they host Nazem Kadri and the Colorado Avalanche.

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New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero has seen enough.

After the 57-year-old executive fired head coach John Hynes on Tuesday following Monday's embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, he ripped into his players for their role in the club's 9-13-4 start.

"The Ranger game was disconcerting as well, but the Buffalo (loss), I'm not even sure how to explain that one," Shero said.

"We can't make a 5-foot pass," he added.

The Devils have failed to meet expectations after a busy offseason, during which they added forwards Nikita Gusev and 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes along with All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban.

"Collectively ... I don't think there's any one player that is performing even at the level, let alone above, that we'd expect or maybe they'd expect and that's the thing that's disappointing," Shero said.

When asked about the slow start form star winger Taylor Hall, who has been mentioned in reported trade rumors, Shero reiterated he expects more out of everyone.

"It's not even one particular player, it's almost everybody, and that's the frustrating and confounding thing for both the players and us," he added.

Assistant Alain Nasreddine was named interim head coach following Hynes' dismissal.

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Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed Tuesday that defenseman Duncan Keith will be sidelined for at least two more games, according to team insider Carter Baum.

Keith, 36, suffered a groin injury Nov. 29 against the Colorado Avalanche and has missed the club's last two contests.

The two-time Norris Trophy winner has declined offensively but remains the Blackhawks' most steady fixture on the blue line. Keith has logged a team-high 23:51 of ice time per game and ranks second on the club with 44 blocked shots through 25 outings this season.

Keith joins a few other key pieces on the injury list, as forwards Dylan Strome, Drake Caggiula, and Andrew Shaw are all in concussion protocol.

The Blackhawks have lost six of their last seven games and travel to Boston for a matchup with the league-leading Bruins on Thursday.

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Details about Patric Hornqvist's latest injury are crystalizing.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is dealing with a knee injury and is expected to miss around a month, The Athletic's Josh Yohe reports.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday that Hornqvist would be out "longer term" with what he deemed a lower-body ailment after falling in practice Monday.

The 32-year-old has contributed 11 points in 20 games in 2019-20. He missed seven contests in November with a separate ailment.

Pittsburgh has been ravaged by injuries this season. Sidney Crosby, Justin Schultz, and Brian Dumoulin are among the Penguins players currently on the shelf, while Evgeni Malkin was forced to miss 11 games earlier in the campaign, and Kris Letang returned to action last Wednesday after sitting out eight contests.

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The New Jersey Devils have dismissed head coach John Hynes and named Alain Nasreddine interim bench boss, the club announced Tuesday.

The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Devils 7-1 on Monday night, dropping New Jersey's record to 9-13-4 ahead of Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Hynes was in his fifth season behind New Jersey's bench. During that span, the Devils went 150-159-45 and missed the playoffs in all but one campaign, in which the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked them out of the first round in five games.

Expectations were high in New Jersey following an active summer. The club landed P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev on the trade market and drafted Jack Hughes first overall.

However, the Devils stumbled out of the gate, losing their first six games and nine of their first 11 contests to start the season.

The New Jersey job was Hynes' first as an NHL head coach.

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The Winnipeg Jets' shorthanded defense corps will now be tested even further.

Head coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday that Dmitry Kulikov will be out "until around the All-Star break" with the injury he suffered during Friday night's win over the Anaheim Ducks. This year's All-Star weekend takes place Jan. 24 and 25 in St. Louis.

Kulikov left that game after Ducks forward Carter Rowney hit him hard in the first period. The veteran kept his left arm down at his side while skating off, according to the Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck.

The Jets called it an upper-body ailment at the time, and Kulikov didn't play in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

The 29-year-old, who's not known for his offense, has recorded four points in 25 contests this season. He ranks third among Jets blue-liners in ice time while logging nearly 20 minutes per game.

Winnipeg's back end has already been thinned out after an injury to Nathan Beaulieu, the offseason departures of Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot, and Dustin Byfugilen being away from the team all season amid his uncertain future.

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Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames forward Matt Stajan officially announced his retirement from professional hockey on Tuesday after 14 NHL seasons.

"Thank you to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames organizations for giving me the opportunity to play and compete in the best league in the world," Stajan said. "I wore both jerseys with great pride, and I will be forever grateful for the experiences that came along with that. Also, thank you EHC Red Bull Munich - it was a great experience to play overseas for such a great organization."

Drafted 57th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2002, Stajan spent five full seasons in Toronto before a midseason trade to Calgary, where he played eight-plus campaigns for the Flames. He concluded his pro career in Germany, playing 52 games for Munich in 2018-19.

Stajan suited up in 1,003 NHL games, posting 147 goals and 264 assists.

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