Finland defenseman Henri Jokiharju had high praise for his teammate Kaapo Kakko following a 6-1 semifinal dismantling of Switzerland on Friday, comparing the 17-year-old to one of the most lethal goal scorers in the NHL.

"He seems a little bit like Auston Matthews," Jokiharju said of Kakko, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "Short stick, quick hands, he's a good skater, and he can make some good plays in tight areas.

"(Kakko's) going to be No. 1 (pick in 2019 draft)," he added, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale.

If anyone on Finland has the right to make such comparison, it's certainly Jokiharju. The 19-year-old spent 32 games with the Chicago Blackhawks this season before joining Finland for the world juniors, and in just his second NHL game, he got a front-row view of Matthews' brilliance, as the Maple Leafs' superstar picked up two goals and two assists en route to a wild 7-6 overtime win for Toronto.

Kakko is widely considered the second-best project eligible for the 2019 NHL Draft, and many believe he could push American Jack Hughes for the first overall slot.

Kakko has an impressive 20 points in 27 games in Finland's top professional league, but he could truly leave his mark on the hockey world with a standout performance in Saturday's gold-medal game against Hughes and the United States.

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The trio of entities involved in the Ottawa Senators' ongoing arena impasse will head to mediation to try to salvage a bid for a new downtown facility.

GBA Development and Project Management president Graham Bird was able to get the three parties - including Senators owner Eugene Melnyk's Capital Sports Management, and Trinity Development Group's John Ruddy - to agree to mediation, according to The Canadian Press.

Bird did that on Friday, which is when he also filed a statement of defense against Melnyk's lawsuit.

Melynk is suing the Trinity Group and Bird for $700 million over the LeBreton Flats project, which he deemed a "failed" venture in November.

Mediation with members of RendezVous LeBreton is scheduled to take place before a Jan. 19 deadline imposed by the National Capital Commission for the parties to reach an agreement.

The crown corporation will look into other options if no agreement is reached before the deadline.

The Senators have played at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ontario since 1996.

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Sidney Crosby has got Maxime Comtois' back.

The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar stood up for the forward, who was denied on a penalty shot in overtime during Canada's quarterfinal loss to Finland at the World Junior Championship and subsequently cyberbullied.

"I feel bad," Crosby said Friday, according to TSN. "That's immediately what I thought of when I saw the penalty shot and just the amount of pressure that's on a young kid. It's too bad that people have to react that way and with social media, it kind of gives them that opportunity."

Crosby offered some words of wisdom to Comtois - namely, not to fixate on it.

"My advice to him would be just to ignore it. He's a great player and he's going to have a great career and that's not going to define who he is - that penalty shot. The real fans and the people that are behind you, I think everybody is there to support him. Anything can happen in hockey and in a quarterfinal game like that. You see the stick break - it's one of those things."

He also had a message for anyone who was quick to criticize the Anaheim Ducks prospect.

"It's easy to be a good fan when you're winning, but it's a little tougher when you lose and I think everyone should keep that in mind," Crosby said.

The agency that represents Comtois, Roy Sports Group, said in a statement Thursday: "It is shameful and incomprehensible that a few cowards who can hide behind social media could make such vicious attacks on these young men's character after they have battled their hearts out for their country."

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The Toronto Maple Leafs will turn to Michael Hutchinson again.

The club's new acquisition will start Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks, head coach Mike Babcock told reporters, including NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger, on Friday.

Meanwhile, the team revealed Garret Sparks has been diagnosed with a concussion, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. Sparks went through protocol following Wednesday's practice.

Hutchinson stopped 30 of 34 shots in his Leafs debut Thursday, a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Toronto acquired the 28-year-old in a trade with the Florida Panthers on Dec. 29.

Frederik Andersen will miss his fifth straight game with a nagging groin injury. He was placed on injured reserve Thursday, retroactive to Dec. 23.

The Leafs reassigned netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo to the AHL's Toronto Marlies earlier Friday.

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Now that we're essentially at the midpoint of the NHL season, the MVP race is really getting interesting.

Despite a crowded field with many qualified candidates, several superstars have managed to separate themselves by cranking it up a notch. Here are our top five contenders for the Hart Trophy as things stand right now:

5. Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche

Mikko Rantanen's been piling up points in his own right, but MacKinnon's the primary reason that the Colorado Avalanche's top line has been so explosive, even now that it no longer includes Gabriel Landeskog.

It would be tough to argue that Rantanen wouldn't see a significant drop in production without MacKinnon as his center, whereas MacKinnon would still produce at an elite level regardless of his linemates.

MacKinnon, last year's Hart Trophy runner-up, ranks fifth in points and sits top 10 in both goals and assists. He's posted six goals and 13 helpers across his last 15 games, and he's recorded at least one point in five straight contests.

4. Nikita Kucherov, Lightning

The league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning are absolutely loaded with talent, but Kucherov is on another level right now.

He's posted at least four points in three of his last five contests, he's scored in five consecutive games, and he's riding a 12-game point streak that includes eight goals and 19 assists.

Kucherov might not get as many Hart votes due to all the help around him, but he's putting himself in the conversation with this dominant run.

3. John Gibson, Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks currently sit in a playoff position, but they would be a basement dweller without Gibson, who's played exceptionally well despite getting absolutely bombarded.

Anaheim's allowed the second-most shots against per game, yet Gibson's produced the league's best goals saved above average at five-on-five to go along with a stellar .924 save percentage. And somehow, he's allowed more than three goals in just two of his last 20 games.

Meanwhile, only the lowly Los Angeles Kings have scored less than the Ducks, so Gibson's not getting any help at the other end.

With all that considered, the 25-year-old is starting to make a pretty convincing case that he's been the best netminder in the league this season and deserves to be a Hart finalist.

2. Connor McDavid, Oilers

While McDavid's probably been the most valuable player to his team this season (which we've said in the past - twice), the Edmonton Oilers have taken a nosedive recently, losing six straight games before snapping that skid Wednesday. And while those woes aren't McDavid's fault in the least, voters will likely penalize him if the Oilers continue to plummet.

Edmonton currently ranks in the bottom third of the league in goals, but McDavid's figured in on an astounding 54 percent of them (61 of 113) and has scored 20 percent of them himself.

If the Oilers are anywhere near a playoff spot in April, McDavid will warrant serious Hart consideration, but he'll be hard-pressed to claim the honor if Edmonton bottoms out, regardless of how unfair that might be.

1. Alex Ovechkin, Capitals

The NHL's goals leader had been mired in a six-game drought before Thursday night, but Ovechkin busted out while etching his name in the record books, becoming only the second player in league history to begin a career with 14 straight 30-goal seasons.

The 33-year-old is carrying the first-place Washington Capitals, having scored nearly 22 percent of their goals and figuring in on one-third of them. He's also potted more than double the amount of goals than his closest teammate, Jakub Vrana (12), while only three other Capitals besides Ovechkin and Vrana have reached double-digits.

Ovechkin's shooting percentage will likely regress closer to his career average by season's end, but what he's doing at this age is utterly remarkable.

Honorable mentions: Rantanen, David Pastrnak, Elias Pettersson, Jack Eichel.

ATOI = Average time on ice
SCF% = Percentage of scoring chances generated by the player's team with him on the ice at 5-on-5
CF% = Percentage of shot attempts generated by the player's team with him on the ice at 5-on-5
HDSV% = Save percentage on high-danger shots
GSAA = Goals saved above average (calculated by applying a goaltender's save percentage and total shots faced to the league average save percentage)

(Analytics courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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Vancouver Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson will have an MRI on his right knee Friday, the team confirmed.

"I’m walking fine," he said Friday, adding that he feels better than he did after sustaining the injury.

Pettersson hurt his right knee Thursday night after getting tangled up with Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the second period. Pettersson immediately reached for the knee after the collision. He left the game and didn't return.

Canucks head coach Travis Green said postgame that he didn't expect Pettersson to play Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but didn't think he'd be out for long.

Pettersson, who was named to the Pacific Division All-Star team Wednesday, leads all rookies with 22 goals and 42 points.

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Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak showed no remorse when discussing a matchup with his former team, the Los Angeles Kings, on Thursday.

Cernak, a second-round pick by the Kings in 2015, was sent to Tampa Bay as a key part of a deal that brought goaltender Ben Bishop to Los Angeles in 2016-17.

"I was pretty happy when they traded me," Cernak told The Athletic's Joe Smith. "I came to development camp and everyone was friendly to me. It was much different than L.A."

Cernak has carved out a nice role for the first-place Lightning. Entering Thursday, the 21-year-old had seven points in 21 games in his rookie season and has most recently found himself in the team's top-four on defense, playing alongside veteran Ryan McDonagh.

The Kings, meanwhile, have 35 points - tied for the fewest in the NHL.

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