Kyle Palmieri's season has been a classic case of Jekyll and Hyde.

For the first half of the 2016-17 campaign, it didn't seem at all likely that the New Jersey Devils forward would replicate the 30-goal, 57-point effort that earned him a five-year extension last July.

Then came the second half.

Palmieri hit the 25-goal mark with a pair of markers in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night, notching a third straight multi-point game and his second multi-goal outing in the last three contests.

The 26-year-old winger has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise disastrous season for the Devils, leading the club in goals and points.

Palmieri has been on fire since the latter half of the 2016-17 campaign officially began.

It's been like an entirely new season for him compared to his first-half production.

It initially appeared as though the Devils' five-year commitment might have been a mistake, but Palmieri is now on pace to score about 29 goals and 56 points, which would all but equal his output from 2015-16.

New Jersey has lost 11 of its last 12 games, and the Devils sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, but at least they can take comfort in knowing a major part of their core has rediscovered his stellar form.

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Move over, No. 9.

Jaromir Jagr continued his remarkable assault on the record books Friday night, collecting a pair of assists against the New York Rangers to pass Gordie Howe for the most points in NHL history by a player after turning 40 years old, according to TSN.

Jagr picked up a primary assist on Jonathan Huberdeau's second-period goal and set up Aleksander Barkov's third-period marker to accomplish his latest milestone.

The 45-year-old forward has 1,907 points in 1,699 career regular-season games, ranking second on the NHL's all-time points list.

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The U.S. women's hockey team dismissed its governing body's latest claims in a pointed statement Friday night.

"USA Hockey has issued a press release with patently false information about the status of its negotiations with the players of the women's national hockey team," the players fired back, via TSN's Bob McKenzie.

"The players are disheartened by the response, which fails to distinguish between funds from the U.S. Olympic Committee and funds from USA Hockey."

Management released a long FAQ-style statement earlier Friday, detailing what it claims are the differences between what the players are asking for and what its providing.

U.S. team member Hilary Knight piled onto the players' official response, lobbing another shot at the governing body.

"There's a reason why we haven't won a(n Olympic) gold medal in 20 years," Knight told Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "They need to step up. Who does USA Hockey aspire to be?"

Related: Hilary Knight tweets 3-letter word after USA Hockey's lengthy statement

The players' latest reply alleges USA Hockey only offers financial support during a six-month period surrounding the Olympics, and that the organization pays the players "virtually nothing" outside that time frame.

"Noticeably absent from USA Hockey's press release is a breakdown of what it has offered the players for its commitment during the 3.5 years out of the Olympic period," the latest retort reads. "The players encourage the public to seek clarity on this issue."

It also points out that USA Hockey disregards the non-Olympic period while expecting women's national team members to train on their own time and play in tournaments like the upcoming World Championship, which the players are threatening to boycott if significant progress in negotiations over wages doesn't occur.

Training camp for the upcoming tourney begins Tuesday, and the tournament opens March 31 in Plymouth, Mich.

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Kyle Palmieri can't stop scoring.

The New Jersey Devils forward potted his 24th goal of the season Friday, beating Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Matt Murray with a nifty deke.

The tally marked the fourth goal in three games for Palmieri, who scored versus the Flyers on Thursday and twice against the Coyotes on Saturday.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The Arizona Coyotes will have fewer tickets to sell next season.

That's because the team will section off the four upper corners of Gila River Arena for most home games in 2017-18, a move that will reduce seating capacity to 15,869. Only the MTS Centre of the Winnipeg Jets and the Barclays Center of the New York Islanders have smaller capacities.

"Removing some of this excess inventory and concentrating our great fans closer together represents an opportunity to improve the fan experience," Coyotes spokesperson Rich Nairn told Brahm Resnik of 12 News on Friday.

It's familiar territory for the NHL. In 2010, the Florida Panthers closed off nearly 2,500 seats in Sunrise's BB&T Center, described as an effort to create a more intimate fan experience.

The Coyotes have the league's second-lowest attendance, according to ESPN, averaging just under 13,000 fans per game, ahead of only the Carolina Hurricanes. Arizona also ranks 29th in percentage capacity, at 75.7 percent.

The Coyotes have a lease agreement at Glendale's Gila River Arena through next season, while efforts continue to build a new arena in the East Valley or downtown Phoenix.

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One of the U.S. national women's hockey team's most vocal members tweeted a familiar three-letter acronym Friday in what surely seemed like a response to USA Hockey's latest offering.

The governing body of American hockey issued a long, detailed statement earlier in the day in the latest effort to publicly negotiate with members of the women's team who are threatening to boycott the upcoming World Championship over what they consider unfair wages.

USA Hockey's statement laid out what it claims are the differences between what the players are asking for and what the organization is providing, while reiterating its intent to continue discussions.

Knight and the rest of the players let management's deadline to revoke the boycott pass without action Thursday, saying afterward they stand by their intention to stay home from the tournament - for which training camp begins Tuesday - unless significant progress is made in their quest for equitable compensation.

This isn't the first time Knight has voiced her opinion about the ongoing struggle. On Wednesday, she all but challenged USA Hockey to go to the tourney without the players involved in the dispute.

"Good luck getting a suitable No. 1 competition to represent our country on a world stage," Knight said. "I kind of dare them."

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If the NHL doesn't go to the Olympics, neither will Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson.

That's the stance of team owner Eugene Melnyk, who on Friday stated the star defenseman won't have his blessing to go to Pyeongchang in the absence of NHL participation at the Winter Games.

"No, no, it would be no, a flat no," Melnyk told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. "I talked to (former Senators captain Daniel) Alfredsson about it and he understands the player would want to (attend), but I'm not going to risk that."

Melnyk referenced former Senators goaltender Dominik Hasek, who participated in the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, only to suffer an injury and never return to the Ottawa crease.

"Can you imagine if (Karlsson) goes and he gets a permanent injury? You know what I'm saying? That's my view," Melnyk added.

Melnyk's statement differs from at least one of his NHL brethren. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has said he'll allow superstar Alex Ovechkin to leave the Capitals to play for Team Russia, even if the NHL opts out of Pyeongchang.

As for the NHL, negotiations between the league, the IIHF, and the IOC appear to be at a stalemate. Earlier this month, commissioner Gary Bettman described the owners' position on the Olympics as "somewhere between fatigue and negativity."

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Auston Matthews has gone seven games without collecting a point, but the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't hitting the panic button.

Whether it's a case of hitting the "rookie wall," or simply a standard drought that all players go through in an 82-game season, the rookie phenom's most intimidating teammate says he isn't concerned.

“Auston has been - I don’t want to say carrying us all year - but he’s scored a lot of goals for this team,” Matt Martin told The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran. “He’s got 30-plus on the season, he’s been a catalyst offensively all year."

Despite the seven-game slide, Matthews still ranks eighth in the NHL and second among all rookies in goals (31).

The 19-year-old is tied with teammate Mitch Marner for second in points (55) among those in the rookie class. He leads the Leafs in goals and is also tied with Marner for the club lead in points.

Toronto won four of the seven games in which Matthews failed to register a point, and vaulted back into the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot with a shutout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.

Martin potted a rare goal in the victory, his fifth of the season and first since Jan. 21.

“We’re getting offensive production from other guys when (Matthews isn't) scoring," Martin said. "He’s still playing well. The puck’s not going for him. We have to find ways to win. I’m confident he’ll get back on track.”

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a body from overseas, announcing the entry-level signing of 23-year-old forward Miro Aaltonen on Friday.

Aaltonen is a former sixth-round draft selection of the Anaheim Ducks. He's spent the last six seasons playing professionally overseas, most recently leading the KHL's 24-and-under class in scoring with 19 goals and 44 points in 59 games with Chekhov Vityaz.

He's 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, and TSN's Kristen Shilton describes the forward as a good puck-mover.

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Chris Pronger is the latest on-ice legend plotting a transition to a high-profile managerial role in the NHL.

The Hall of Fame defenseman, who will continue collecting a player's salary from the Arizona Coyotes until the end of this season on top of his role with the NHL's Department of Player Safety, told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that he wants to assume the role of a general manager down the line.

"I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM," Pronger said. "I have a lot to learn and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing.''

LeBrun notes Pronger has already sought the advice from former players currently climbing the corporate ladder, like Rob Blake, as well as Steve Yzerman, who the Tampa Bay Lightning hired after a mentorship program with the Detroit Red Wings.

Pronger's experience with Player Safety should help him land an opportunity down the line. Brendan Shanahan became the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs after almost three years in the department.

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