If Morgan Rielly wanted a goal for his birthday, he got one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday in offensive fashion by punching in his seventh goal of the season, beating New York Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss blocker side with a rising wrist shot.
Now blow out the candles, Morgan.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins will face their Pennsylvanian rivals the Philadelphia Flyers for an outdoor game on Feb. 18, 2017 at Heinz Field as part of the Stadium Series, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Wednesday.
The 2017 season will mark the 50th anniversary of both franchises. For the Penguins, the matchup represents the team's fourth time participating in an outdoor game, while the Flyers will do so for the third time.
"I think it'd be a really neat experience," said Flyers goaltender Steve Mason. "It's something I've never been a part of. Growing up in Canada you play on the outdoor ponds and that's always fun. To potentially have a chance to do that in the NHL would be pretty cool."
Since the clubs entered the league, they've met 274 times. The Flyers hold the series edge with a 150-86-38 record against the Penguins.
The outdoor game will also mark the first time the two teams have played each other on an outdoor rink.
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The St. Louis Blues will finally play outdoors.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, St Louis will host the Chicago Blackhawks at Busch Stadium at the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2017, the league confirmed Wednesday.
Let's take it outside. https://t.co/8ecFHLVYoW #WinterClassichttps://t.co/D7S3vjNPHy
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 10, 2016
The NHL's annual marquee event is usually reserved for New Year's Eve, but the Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, also announced Wednesday, will take priority next season.
Related: Maple Leafs to host Red Wings in Centennial Classic at BMO Field
Playing in their record fifth outdoor game and third Winter Classic, the Blackhawks will have a decided experience advantage. But upwards of 50,000 fans are expected to be in attendance, and the majority of them will be wearing blue.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs will indeed celebrate their centennial season with an outdoor game.
In a rematch of the 2014 Winter Classic, and as part of its season-long centennial celebration, Toronto will host the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field on Jan. 1 in the first-ever NHL Centennial Classic, the league confirmed Wednesday.
The Leafs will host the Red Wings in the 2017 @NHL #CentennialClassic. #TMLtalk
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 9, 2016
INFO: https://t.co/KeBe7uzdTa pic.twitter.com/J6kg707kvu
Though BMO Field is currently undergoing expansion, the open-air facility cannot house the over 105,000 people who attended the Maple Leafs' 3-2 shootout win over the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor back in 2014.
The home to Toronto FC, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, and the 2016 Grey Cup, fits almost 31,000, and will serve as a rather intimate setting for a colossal event.
In addition to the outdoor showcase, Toronto will host the NHL-branded 2016 World Cup of Hockey next fall, an event that will effectively kick-start a season aimed to celebrate 100 years of Maple Leafs hockey.
The St. Louis Blues are expected to host the Chicago Blackhawks at Busch Stadium in the annual Winter Classic. It's unclear, as of now, how the NHL will schedule its two marquee events.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman T.J. Brennan from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis.
Brennan is expected to fill in for the injured Viktor Loov when the Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders on Wednesday, according to Leafs TV's Paul Hendrick.
Brennan is once again leading the AHL in scoring by defensemen with 22 goals and 55 points, and ranks third overall.
The 26-year-old dressed in six games with the Maple Leafs last season, managing just one assist.
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Barry Trotz stays up late.
The Washington Capitals coach - who's perhaps had an observant eye on the Western Conference heavyweight Los Angeles Kings all season long - was the latest hockey mind to weigh in on the enduring Drew Doughty-Norris Trophy debate ahead of their marquee clash Wednesday night.
And he heaped strong praise onto the Kings' workhorse.
"He's probably been the best defenseman this year in my opinion," Trotz said, according to Yahoo's Josh Cooper.
The debate, and this line of thinking, is nothing new, of course. Doughty is objectively great and universally extolled, especially by those inside the sport.
But with volume-scoring Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson having a career season offensively, it appears likely that Doughty will once again finish in the bridesmaid position.
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New York Islanders netminder Jaroslav Halak will miss a minimum of six weeks after suffering an injury in Tuesday's win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team announced.
Backup Thomas Greiss will start Wednesday night versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, and shoulder the bulk of the duties down the stretch with Halak out for at least the rest of the regular season.
Greiss has been quite useful for the Islanders in what's been the busiest campaign of his seven-year career. He owns a .930 save percentage in 29 total appearances, with 18 wins to his credit.
Halak suffered the apparent lower-body injury late in what proved to be his 200th NHL win when he made a push to get in position to defend a shot from Penguins defenseman Trevor Daley.
New York has a five-point lead and two games in hand on the Penguins for the final guaranteed postseason spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Jean-Francois Berube represents the Islanders' third option in goal.
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