The Buffalo Sabres have nabbed a high-scoring forward from the college free-agent ranks.
The club announced the signing of UMass Lowell forward C.J. Smith to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Smith tied for eighth among all NCAA players with 23 goals this past season, and ranked 12th in total points with 51 in 41 games.
Named the Hockey East Tournament MVP after leading the event with eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games, he finished his college career with 56 goals and 69 assists in 120 games over three years.
Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Calgary Flames
The Flames missed a prime opportunity to clinch a playoff berth Wednesday night, but their 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings likely only delayed the inevitable.
Calgary holds an 11-point lead over Los Angeles, the last Western Conference team outside the postseason picture with any hope of getting in. Time is running out on the Kings, who need to go perfect over their final six games - and even that wouldn't guarantee them a spot.
It's essentially not a matter of if, but when for the Flames, which is commendable considering where they were last season, and earlier in this one.
Brian Elliott wasn't great Wednesday night, but he's improved as the season's progressed, and Calgary could certainly do worse than having a playoff-tested netminder in the fold as it prepares to make its return to the festivities for the first time in three seasons.
▼ New York Islanders
The post-Jack Capuano honeymoon is over for the Islanders, who got off to a great start in the Doug Weight era, but have plummeted since.
New York has lost two in a row and won only four of its last 10 games. While the Islanders still have a shot to squeeze into an Eastern Conference wild-card position, it's unlikely.
It's not impossible, but it sure looks like the team that plays in Madison Square Garden will be the lone New York representative in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
▲ Montreal Canadiens
No Atlantic Division club has booked a ticket to the postseason dance yet, but that could change Thursday night.
The Canadiens can lock up a spot with a regulation or overtime win against the Florida Panthers, and while Montreal has basically gone wire-to-wire atop the division, it's closing out the regular season the right way.
A three-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators during an eight-day stretch earlier this month opened up some breathing room for Montreal in the Atlantic, and the Canadiens appear primed to put last season's disaster fully behind them with another playoff run.
▼ Florida Panthers
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The Panthers haven't been lucky this season, but they also haven't been good.
Still, the Panthers have been surpassed by most of their Eastern Conference rivals because they simply haven't been able to score all year (23rd in goals per game at 2.53), and because their rate of power-play success has been woeful at 16.9 percent, sixth-worst in the NHL.
Florida's lost two straight and six of its last 10 games. And while the Panthers haven't yet been officially eliminated, that day is certainly coming soon.
After a historic campaign in 2015-16 and an active offseason spent locking up their core, it's surprising to see the Panthers' hopes all but extinguished this spring.
Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.
Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Calgary Flames
The Flames missed a prime opportunity to clinch a playoff berth Wednesday night, but their 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings likely only delayed the inevitable.
Calgary holds an 11-point lead over Los Angeles, the last Western Conference team outside the postseason picture with any hope of getting in. Time is running out on the Kings, who need to go perfect over their final six games - and even that wouldn't guarantee them a spot.
It's essentially not a matter of if, but when for the Flames, which is commendable considering where they were last season, and earlier in this one.
Brian Elliott wasn't great Wednesday night, but he's improved as the season's progressed, and Calgary could certainly do worse than having a playoff-tested netminder in the fold as it prepares to make its return to the festivities for the first time in three seasons.
▼ New York Islanders
The post-Jack Capuano honeymoon is over for the Islanders, who got off to a great start in the Doug Weight era, but have plummeted since.
New York has lost two in a row and won only four of its last 10 games. While the Islanders still have a shot to squeeze into an Eastern Conference wild-card position, it's unlikely.
It's not impossible, but it sure looks like the team that plays in Madison Square Garden will be the lone New York representative in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
▲ Montreal Canadiens
No Atlantic Division club has booked a ticket to the postseason dance yet, but that could change Thursday night.
The Canadiens can lock up a spot with a regulation or overtime win against the Florida Panthers, and while Montreal has basically gone wire-to-wire atop the division, it's closing out the regular season the right way.
A three-game sweep of the Ottawa Senators during an eight-day stretch earlier this month opened up some breathing room for Montreal in the Atlantic, and the Canadiens appear primed to put last season's disaster fully behind them with another playoff run.
▼ Florida Panthers
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
The Panthers haven't been lucky this season, but they also haven't been good.
Still, the Panthers have been surpassed by most of their Eastern Conference rivals because they simply haven't been able to score all year (23rd in goals per game at 2.53), and because their rate of power-play success has been woeful at 16.9 percent, sixth-worst in the NHL.
Florida's lost two straight and six of its last 10 games. And while the Panthers haven't yet been officially eliminated, that day is certainly coming soon.
After a historic campaign in 2015-16 and an active offseason spent locking up their core, it's surprising to see the Panthers' hopes all but extinguished this spring.
Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.
David Clarkson is doing what he can to remain involved in the game he likely won't resume playing.
The veteran winger has been sidelined for over a year by a chronic back injury. Now he's been named the boys' hockey coach at Upper Arlington High School, located in a Columbus suburb, according to Aaron Portzline of The Dispatch.
Clarkson remains under contract with the Blue Jackets through the end of the 2019-20 campaign at a cap hit of $5.25 million, but he's been placed on long-term injured reserve and hasn't skated with the team this season. He's been seeing a back specialist in New York, Portzline adds, but his chances of resuming his career don't appear high.
Clarkson served as a volunteer assistant for the high school squad this past season. His hiring as head coach still requires approval by the Upper Arlington school board.
As a result, normal backup Darcy Kuemper has been essentially bumped out of the goalie rotation for the time being in light of his general ineffectiveness this season.
Stalock signed a one-year deal with the Wild last summer, and then a two-year, two-way contract extension in February. He has yet to debut with the team, but has posted a .924 save percentage in 45 appearances with the AHL's Iowa Wild.
He last appeared in the NHL on Feb. 11, 2016, allowing five goals on 22 shots in an overtime loss to the Flames as a member of the San Jose Sharks.
Dubnyk, meanwhile, has had an awful March, winning three of 14 games on a .889 save percentage. He's only had one game off since Feb. 16.
Dmitry Orlov won't be adding this one to his personal highlight reel.
The Washington Capitals defenseman was caught staring at the puck as Nathan MacKinnon gathered a full head of steam at the blue line, and the Colorado Avalanche speedster made him pay with a slick between-the-legs deke before burying a perfect backhander.
Jarome Iginla made what could be his final game in Calgary one to remember.
The 39-year-old Los Angeles Kings forward picked up a goal, an assist, and a fight - otherwise known as a "Gordie Howe hat trick" - in a 4-1 defeat of the Flames.
Here's how it all went down:
Iginla got things started by dropping the gloves with Flames heavyweight Deryk Engelland. The veteran reigned victorious, leaving Engelland with a nice gash over his eye.
He got lucky late in the second period, as Mark Giordano helped push the puck into his own net.
Finally, he picked up an assist on Jeff Carter's 32nd goal of the season.
Letang has been absent from the Penguins' lineup since suffering an upper-body injury on Feb. 21. The injury has been a huge loss for the Penguins as Letang has been incredibly productive when healthy this season, having amassed 34 points in only 41 games.
With just six games and a week-and-a-half remaining on the schedule, the news could not have come at a better time for Sullivan's crew.
