New York Islanders veteran Zdeno Chara broke the NHL record Thursday for games played by a defenseman.

Chara also tied Mark Recchi for seventh on the games played list among all skaters. Patrick Marleau holds the all-time mark at 1,779.

The 44-year-old joined New York on a one-year contract in the offseason. The Islanders drafted Chara in 1996, and he played four seasons with the club before really making his mark on the NHL with the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.

His 14-year run in Boston ended prior to the 2020-21 campaign when he joined the Washington Capitals in free agency.

Chara is one of the most accomplished blue-liners of his generation. He claimed the Norris Trophy in 2009 and is a five-time finalist for the award. He won a Stanley Cup in 2011 and has registered 674 career points.

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The Montreal Canadiens stepped way out of the box earlier this month when they hired the inexperienced Martin St. Louis as interim head coach, and it appears their creative approach is here to stay.

The Habs will continue to shy away from the typical rebuild model and are planning to be competitive when free agency opens in July, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday's "Insider Trading."

"What we're hearing is that, yes, the Canadiens are still on the lookout for picks and prospects in their roster makeover. But further proof that this is not necessarily a traditional rebuild and more of a roster transformation is that I'm told the Habs intend to be pretty aggressive in free agency come July 13," LeBrun said.

"They hope to be a player. While they want to get younger in some parts of the team, they also want to lure a big star or two to Montreal as part of this roster transformation."

St. Louis could potentially attract free agents to Montreal if he stays on as head coach beyond this season, another NHL club told LeBrun. The basement-dwelling Canadiens lost their first three games under the Hall of Famer's tenure after taking the reins on Feb. 9, but they've since rattled off four straight victories, including a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his introductory press conference, St. Louis said that he didn't come to Montreal "to be a substitute teacher" and planned on being with the team for "a long time."

The Canadiens have been at the heart of a handful of rumors, with the March 21 trade deadline nearing. Veteran defenseman and pending unrestricted free agent Ben Chiarot has reportedly drawn interest from contending teams, while general manager Kent Hughes said the club would move on from blue-liner Jeff Petry if there's a fit.

Hughes said in January that the Habs aren't feeling any pressure to get everything done by the trade deadline, but they're open to all potential deals, according to The Athletic.

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It appears Mark Giordano's tenure with the NHL's newest franchise will be a short one.

The veteran defenseman and Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis recently met to discuss Giordano's future, and the pending unrestricted free agent is expected to be moved ahead of the March 21 trade deadline, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday's "Insider Trading."

"What the two have decided is that Seattle will explore the trade market for their veteran captain, see what's out there, and most likely move him," LeBrun said.

Seattle selected Giordano from the Calgary Flames in the previous offseason's expansion draft and subsequently named him captain. The 38-year-old was left exposed after playing 15 seasons in Alberta.

The Kraken sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division with 36 points through 53 games.

"In general, I'm told the Kraken hope to be aggressive with all their cap space in terms of making other moves," LeBrun said.

Seattle projects to have over $34 million in deadline cap space, according to Cap Friendly.

Giordano carries a $6.75-million cap hit, but the Kraken could easily accommodate salary retention in any potential deal.

The 2019 Norris Trophy winner has registered 531 points in 996 career games and averaged more than 20 minutes per contest in each season since the 2009-10 campaign.

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo will miss about a month with an injury to his midsection, head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.

DeAngelo's first season with the Canes has been a successful one. He's recorded 40 points in 43 games - tied for third-most on the team and tied for eight-most among NHL defensemen.

The 26-year-old has been playing on the top pair with Jaccob Slavin. Here's how the defense looks with DeAngelo sidelined:

DeAngelo signed a one-year, $1-million contract with Carolina in the offseason after he was bought out by the New York Rangers.

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We have a busy eight-game slate to look forward to on Thursday night. Let's waste no time diving into the best way to attack it.

Devils (+260) @ Penguins (-325)

The Devils are on the best 2-8-0 run you'll ever see. At five-on-five, they've controlled 52% of the expected goals and 53% of the high-danger chances. They've routinely gotten better chances but haven't had the firepower to finish them. Meanwhile, seemingly every chance New Jersey has conceded has ended up in the back of the net.

While there isn't much reason to expect the latter to change - not with Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier both sidelined - the Devils are getting some significant reinforcements to help their offense.

The team's extended pause has given plenty of time for their players to recover from injuries and get healthy again. Dougie Hamilton, Jesper Bratt, and Andreas Johnsson are all expected to return to the lineup Thursday night. That's a No. 1 defenseman, a near point-per-game winger, and a middle-sixer producing at a 46-point clip over 82 games.

If the Devils can keep things relatively even in the chance department, which they've done of late, they now have the firepower to keep this game within striking distance.

At plus money, I'm happy to roll the dice with this Devils team getting a goal cushion.

Bet: Devils +1.5 (+105)

Stars (+130) @ Predators (-155)

The Stars and Predators are known more for their defense than offense, but I think this game has sneaky scoring potential.

With Jake Oettinger getting the nod in goal Wednesday night, it's reasonable to assume the Stars will turn to Braden Holtby. That hasn't been a recipe for success, as his play has fallen off following a strong start to the campaign.

Holtby owns a woeful .898 save percentage over his last 12 appearances and has conceded just under three goals per game in that time. The Predators, fresh off an impressive six-goal showing against the Panthers, should be able to net a few in this game.

I think the Stars will be able to hold up their end of the bargain as well. They have been awfully good at generating high-danger chances of late, sitting seventh - just below the Avalanche - in five-on-five chances per 60 over the last 10 games.

Projected starter Juuse Saros will see his fair share of difficult shots. Based on the level of play we've seen from him of late, that could be more problematic than we've come to expect. He has conceded 15 goals over his last four starts and posted an .880 save percentage in that time.

Expect both sides to do their share of damage while pushing this game over the number.

Bet: Over 5.5 (-110)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Wednesday was a solid 2-1 night for our player props. Nikita Kucherov and Alex Tuch came through for us, while Drew Doughty was a couple of shots shy in a smash spot against the Coyotes.

We'll look to put together another profitable night as we comb through the best values for Thursday's slate.

Dougie Hamilton over 2.5 shots (-134)

Hamilton has played but one game in 2022 due to injury. It would seem his extended absence caused everyone to forget just how effective he is as a shot generator because this line is far too low.

If you exclude the game Hamilton left after playing just two minutes, he registered at least three shots on goal in seven straight games prior to his absence. Hamilton put up four shots or more five times in that span. He wasn't just scraping by; he was hitting overs with room to spare.

While the Penguins are an above-average shot suppression team, that hasn't stopped Hamilton from enjoying success against them. He has eight shots in two games versus Pittsburgh this season, hitting the over (2.5 shots) in each meeting.

Expect him to pick up where he left off in this game.

Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shots (+100)

You don't generally want to target Islanders with shot props. However, Barzal has been a pretty consistent shot generator - especially on the road.

Barzal has averaged a full three shots per game on the road this season. He has a hit rate of 62% away from home soil and has registered three shots or more in six of the last eight games (75%).

He seems likely to continue his hot streak against the Sharks. Why? They're playing truly putrid defense right now.

Over the last 10 games, they rank dead last in shot attempts against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. No other team has come close to allowing the volume San Jose has. For perspective, the gap between the 32nd-placed Sharks and 31st-placed Coyotes (7.33 attempts per 60) is larger than the one between the Coyotes and Lightning (6.0).

Suffice to say, the Sharks are a team we want to target on a nightly basis right now - and Barzal stands out as the best way to do that.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs moved Jake Muzzin to long-term injured reserve Wednesday, according to CapFriendly.

The defenseman must miss 10 games and 24 days, during which time the club can acquire players up to a maximum of his $5.625-million cap hit.

Muzzin exited during the second period of the Maple Leafs' loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday after inadvertently colliding with opposing blue-liner Chris Wideman.

The Leafs held Muzzin out for the remainder of that contest as a precaution, and he stayed in Montreal overnight for observation and testing.

He then missed Tuesday's defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Before that matchup, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said Muzzin was back home in concussion protocol and that the 33-year-old had a "positive day."

Muzzin missed seven games earlier this season after sustaining a concussion in January, and he returned on Feb. 10.

The veteran is in his third full campaign with the Maple Leafs, who acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19. Muzzin has collected 12 points while averaging 21 minutes of ice time over 41 contests in 2021-22.

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Calgary Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy isn't concerned about signing pending unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau to an extension.

"That's a done deal; we're going to get that done," Conroy told "Boomer in the Morning" on Sportsnet 960.

Gaudreau is enjoying his best season. He leads the Flames in assists (44) and points (64) through 49 appearances. Gaudreau's 1.31 points per game is a career high, while he also leads the NHL with a plus-41 rating.

The Flames project to have $27 million in cap space for next season, according to CapFriendly. However, Calgary has several players on expiring contracts, including key restricted free agents Matthew Tkachuk, Andrew Mangiapane, and Oliver Kylington.

Gaudreau's current contract - a six-year pact signed in 2016 - contains a $6.75-million cap hit.

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