Anders Nilsson is a lot more than a Buffalo Sabres goaltender.

The 26-year-old is enjoying a strong season - he has a .934 save percentage in eight games and seven starts - but he's making headlines for sporting a pride flag in support of the LGBT community on the back of his helmet.

Nilsson spoke about the flag with The Buffalo News' John Vogl, saying gay friends and witnessing their struggle was the impetus behind the decision.

"Life hasn't been easy for them growing up," Nilsson said. "It's time that hockey starts to pay some attention to that.

"This summer, I thought, why not be the first goalie to put (the pride flag) on the helmet and raise some awareness?"

Nilsson was the recipient of very high praise from Wade Davis, a former NFL player who came out after his playing career was over and who now serves as director of the You Can Play organization.

"Anders Nilsson is courageous beyond the understanding of many," Davis said. "He is taking a risk on multiple fronts and is standing up for something that he believes in, knowing the backlash that could come his way. He's my hero."

Nilsson said a lot's been done by You Can Play, hockey, and by the sports world in recent years, but much work needs to be done. With the flag on his helmet, he's doing his small part to keep progress moving forward.

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Eric Semborski feels like he owes the Chicago Blackhawks some money.

The 23-year-old had the Saturday of all Saturdays, after it appeared to be any other regular Saturday. Working at the Philadelphia Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., Semborski got a call from a member of the Chicago Blackhawks - they needed a goalie.

Corey Crawford couldn't make the club's 1 p.m. ET start against the Flyers - he had appendicitis. Chicago's minor-league team was in Grand Rapids, Mich., and the Blackhawks had no salary cap space to work with.

Enter, Semborski.

"Oh, Chicago needs a goalie," is what Semborski was told on the phone, writes NHL.com's Adam Kimelman, after he was asked about his time in the crease over the years.

"Go home, get your stuff, and if they're going to use you, they'll call you," Semborski was told.

His phone rang shortly after, and that's when Semborski realized he had to get his gear and head to the Wells Fargo Center; to the Blackhawks' dressing room, specifically. And he showed up late, not wearing a suit or tie, after being stuck in traffic, Kimelman writes.

Sleeping with the enemy - in a good way

"We let him slide," said Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling, who got the start against Philly, adding the digs at Semborski's expense were meant to lighten the mood and make him feel welcome. Semborski's a Flyers fan, after all.

Watching the Blackhawks beat the Flyers in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final "was one of the hardest things I ever watched," Semborski told The Chicago Sun Times' Mark Lazerus.

"That's all forgotten," Semborski added. "I'm a Hawks fan today."

Yeah, there are no more hard feelings.

"They put my number on the board and said I was throwing in 200 bucks for the holiday party," Semborski said about his tardiness. "That was pretty good. I told them, 'You'd better take credit, because that's all I've got.'"

On the topic of money: Semborski didn't collect a dime from the Blackhawks. Hopefully he got to take home Corey Crawford's No. 50 jersey, which had Semborski's name sewn on it before the former Temple University goalie took to the rink for pregame warmup.

"I should be paying them," Semborski said of "the best 20 minutes of my life."

And as those 20 minutes came to an end, he stopped a wrist shot by Patrick Kane, the 2016 Art Ross Trophy winner, one of the few pucks not to find the net. That's a story to keep in your back pocket.

"Dream come true," Semborski told CSNPhilly.com's Jordan Hall.

And it happened on Semborski's father's 58th birthday.

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson will miss the next six-to-eight weeks after breaking his fibula in Saturday's loss to the Dallas Stars.

It's believed Johnson suffered the injury blocking a shot from Tyler Seguin.

The club's best possession defender through 23 games, Johnson has taken a team-high 30 shifts per game for the Avalanche. He has a goal and a share of the team lead in assists with 10.

A mid-January return is the best-case scenario for the 28-year-old top-pairing defenseman.

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Nobody earned their paycheck more on Saturday than Mike Smith.

The Arizona Coyotes backstop turned in the goaltending performance of the season making an ridiculous 58 saves against the Columbus Blue Jackets - the most of any goaltender this year - through 65 minutes of play.

Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it going in the shootout allowing both shots he faced as this club ultimately fell 3-2 in an unfortunate losing effort. Meanwhile the 60 shots fired his way subsequently set a new franchise record for the Blue Jackets.

The performance also sets a career high for Smith, who has been no stranger to busy nights, having averaged 42 shots against per game over his last five starts.

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There were (actual) pleasantries in lieu of death threats after Erik Gudbranson and Matt Martin settled their dispute with an exchanging of fists Saturday in the highly-anticipated rematch between the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I have a lot of respect for him," Martin said of Gudbranson after Vancouver's shootout win, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

"He wears his heart of his sleeve. He's a guy I'd have in my corner any day."

Instead, the two came out of separate corners. And with a nod of approval, the heavyweights effectively put a stop to the acrimony between the two clubs after combining for 171 penalty minutes in a Maple Leafs win last month.

"I think we kinda both knew it was going to go down at some point," Gudbranson said. "Then it went."

It did appear as though the two were still yapping at one another while serving their five-minute majors, but as Gudbranson explained, the two were actually talking strategy.

"I asked him why I couldn't hold onto his shoulder pads, if he has them sewn shut or something," Gudbranson said. "That was about it."

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Markus Granlund and Bo Horvat scored in the shootout, Ryan Miller was solid at the end of a busy night in goal and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday.

Miller had 38 saves and stopped 2 of 3 attempts in the shootout, backing regulation goals from Daniel Sedin and Sven Baertschi.

James van Riemsdyk and Auston Matthews scored for Toronto. Frederik Andersen turned away 22 shots.

Mitch Marner scored in the shootout for Toronto, but Miller stopped Matthews and Tyler Bozak to clinch it.

Down 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Leafs came out flying in the third period and tied it on Matthews' 11th of the season after the Canucks were punished for successive icings. Zach Hyman collected a deflected point shot behind the Vancouver net and fed the 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick in front. Matthews fired a quick wrist shot past Miller for his fifth goal in the last five games at 1:56.

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Don't expect the Vancouver Canucks to tear it down as long as Henrik and Daniel Sedin are in town.

Canucks president Trevor Linden did a Q-and-A with Sportsnet's Luke Fox where he admitted that his loyalty to the franchise's all-time leading scorers takes priority over a potential rebuild.

"We have Daniel and Henrik Sedin here, who are very important to this organization and icons in the city. They're not going anywhere. I don't know how I walk into the room and tell these guys, 'Strip it down.' I'm not sure it's fair to these guys," said Linden. "There's different circumstances, be it in Toronto or Carolina or Vancouver, that require different routes. It's not perfect, but I'm encouraged by the young players we've introduced, and we've got some young prospects."

After amassing 101 points in 2015, the Canucks took a dive in the standings finishing with 75 points last season, a total they are on pace to only slightly edge with 78.

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Patrik Laine can do more than score.

After nabbing a share of the league-lead with his 16th snipe, Laine delivered the Winnipeg Jets the extra point in overtime with a silky smooth backhand dish to Bryan Little, who scored the game winner versus the St. Louis Blues.

Laine now has 16 goals and 23 points in 27 games, keeping his nose out in front in the Calder Trophy race.

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