Since ending a two-month goalless drought on Jan. 16, Dallas Stars forward Ales Hemsky has five goals in his last 14 games, and head coach Lindy Ruff is rewarding him for his efforts.
The 32-year-old veteran skated with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn on the team's first line during Friday's practice and is expected to remain on the top unit for Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins.
Hemsky is in the midst of his most productive stretch of the season, with four points in his last five games, and he credits his recent success to being more relaxed.
"Confidence helps for sure," he said, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. "Sometimes, you just have to stop thinking so much and just try to play your game. I think I'm skating better, and when you get a role that's more involved, that helps you. It feels good."
Though Hemsky's recent surge has come playing alongside youngsters Mattias Janmark and Valeri Nichushkin, Ruff is hopeful the Czech Republic native will continue to make plays with the team's pair of All-Stars.
"When Hemmer is skating the way he's skating, he's creating a lot of his own chances," Ruff said of the lineup shuffle. "It's an option I would like to try. I like where he's at. It's an opportunity to see if we can find something that's really dynamic."
The Stars will look to end a two-game losing skid Saturday as they sit one point behind the Chicago Blackhawks for the division lead.
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Claude Giroux will not be playing in his native province on Saturday.
The Philadelphia Flyers' star center will miss the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury and is considered day to day, the team announced.
Giroux was the recipient of a P.K. Subban hit late in the third period of Friday's game in Montreal. He left the game briefly, but was able to return for overtime and participated in the shootout. No penalty was called on the play.
The Hearst, Ontario native and Flyers captain has appeared in all 57 games this season, and leads the team in scoring with 49 points.
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Kris Letang's attempt to make lemonade out of lemons backfired in a big way.
After the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman's stick was slashed out of his hands by Cedric Paquette, he proceeded to grab hold of the Tampa Bay Lightning forward's twig and skate down the ice to help defend his net.
His punishment was two minor penalties: one for playing with an illegal stick and one for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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The NHL's latest outdoor adventure is set to take place Sunday, and the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks took some time to get acquainted with their temporary surroundings with respective practices.
The Wild, who will host the game at the University of Minnesota's TFC Bank Stadium, took to the ice first in advance of what will be the first outdoor game in franchise history.
They're ready for practice! #mnwild #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/GNC5tdRVSF
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 20, 2016
.@rsuter20 getting ready. #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/LcjnQLutC6
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 20, 2016
Minnesotans skating outdoors, so natural. #mnwild #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/urikvqukO0
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 20, 2016
Group photo time! #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/XbeyhyJSDL
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 20, 2016
For Chicago, it will be their fifth outdoor game, but the novelty doesn't appear to be wearing off.
#SHOWTIME heading out for #StadiumSeries practice time. pic.twitter.com/T4gIEbV0KI
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2016
A few more shots of today's practice on the outdoor rink at @TCFBankStadium! #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/FUZMHxVa9P
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2016
What's "Say cheese!" in Czech and Slovak? #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/q3nUJO4k1C
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2016
Once again, the Blackhawks invited the USA Warriors - a hockey program for injured and disabled veterans - to join them on the ice.
What a save by Darling!
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2016
Always fun scrimmaging with the @USAWarriors! pic.twitter.com/pVW3PyXvE7
The actual Stadium Series game is set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Steven Stamkos knows how to put the puck in the net.
The Tampa Bay Lightning captain recorded his 300th career goal with a first-period tap-in against the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the third player in team history to reach that mark, following Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
Congrats Stammer! That's career goal #300. #TBLvsPIThttps://t.co/vCJKRStxvi
— NHL (@NHL) February 20, 2016
Only Alex Ovechkin accomplished the feat faster among active players.
At 26 years, 13 days, @EliasSports says Stamkos (@TBLightning) is 2nd-youngest active player at time of his 300th goal (Ovechkin: 25y, 200d)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 20, 2016
The goal came in his 550th game, giving him a career average of 0.54 per contest.
The impending unrestricted free agent now has 24 on the season, a pace that puts him on track for one of the lowest single-season totals of his career.
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