Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno will miss Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins due to a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday.
Foligno has recorded two assists in the series.
Veteran forward Scott Hartnell will draw into the lineup in his place.
Hartnell was a healthy scratch for Game 4 after registering zero points through the first three games of the series.
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With no shortage of star rookies to choose from, three have risen to the top as the NHL's Calder Trophy finalists.
Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets, and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets are all in the running for the award given to the most proficient player in his first year of competition in the NHL.
Matthews and Laine were drafted first and second overall, respectively, at the 2016 draft, and finished in the same positions in regards to the rookie scoring race.
The Toronto center recorded 40 goals and 29 assists in 82 games, and while Laine, a winger, trailed in total numbers (36 goals, 28 assists in 73 games), his 0.88 points per game was slightly higher than Matthews' 0.84.
Werenski, the eighth overall selection at the 2015 NHL Draft, led rookie defensemen in goals (11), assists (36) and points (47) in 78 games.
The NHL Awards will be handed out on June 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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University of Denver coach Jim Montgomery will be among the candidates to interview for the head coaching job with the Florida Panthers.
"I have spoken to Florida and I will meet with Florida over the next week to 10 days," Montgomery told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.
Tom Rowe coached the Panthers last season but has since moved into an advisory role with the organization. The shakeup also saw Dale Tallon re-appointed as general manager.
Rowe replaced former bench boss Gerald Gallant in November, posting a 24-26-10 record as interim coach. The Panthers missed the postseason by 14 points.
Montgomery, 47, has coached Denver the last four seasons, winning the Frozen Four earlier this month. A former NHL center, Montgomery last skated in 2002-03 with the Dallas Stars.
"In life there are only so many opportunities and you have to listen. But it's going to have to take the perfect situation for me to leave Denver," Montgomery added. "There is no indication from Florida that I'm their No. 1 guy - or No. 2 or No. 3 guy. I'm just going to sit and talk with them."
Panthers prospect Henrik Borgstrom, who the club selected 23rd overall in last year's draft, is already familiar with Montgomery, having played under him this year at Denver. Borgstrom finished the season with 43 points in 37 games.
Montgomery wouldn't be the only bench boss to make the jump from the collegiate ranks in recent seasons. Philadelphia Flyers coach Dave Hakstoll was head coach at the University of North Dakota for more than a decade before accepting Philadelphia's top job in 2015.
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The gamesmanship continues in what's become a hotly contested playoff series both on and off the ice.
Prior to Game 4, the Edmonton Oilers were forced to practice in the dark and without nets in San Jose. With the series shifting back to Alberta for Game 5, it appears as though the home team may have cracked back.
Several Sharks just informed me that the ice was still wet at 1130 when their practice was supposed to start. Asked me to tweet it.. so..
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) April 20, 2017
But hey, at least the visibility was up to par.
Admiring the bright lights, probably. pic.twitter.com/TAopGFuwjj
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) April 20, 2017
The Sharks and Oilers both look to take a 3-2 series lead in Thursday's Game 5.
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Former NHL linesman Don Henderson has filed a $10.25-million lawsuit against the Calgary Flames and defenseman Dennis Wideman, reports TSN's Rick Westhead.
The suit is in response to an incident that occurred last season, where Wideman hit Henderson from behind:
Wideman was suspended 20 games for the incident, however an appeal later reduced his time away to 10 games. At the time of the appeal ruling, Wideman had already served 19 games. The forfeited salary for the additional nine games was returned to Wideman.
Henderson did not return to the ice after the hit and missed the remainder of the season with a concussion. Henderson has not officiated any games this season.
These are injuries claimed by referee Don Henderson in lawsuit (as well as head injury and concussion) #nhl pic.twitter.com/T980Bl1FEc
— CTV - Chris Epp (@CTVchrisepp) April 20, 2017
Wideman appeared in 57 games with the Flames this season.
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It's probably going to be spun as wiping the slate clean, but the firings of Dan Bylsma and Tim Murray only make the future murkier in Buffalo.
Sabres owner Terry Pegula hit the reset button Thursday, jettisoning the head coach and general manager in a shocking double whammy that disrupts the club's ongoing rebuild and only creates more uncertainty going forward.
Bylsma is gone after only two seasons behind the Buffalo bench, with three years left on his contract. The Sabres missed the playoffs in both of those campaigns, but his departure is particularly eye-opening given Wednesday's report that young star Jack Eichel was prepared to walk if Bylsma was retained.
Murray lasted less than four years in his role as Sabres GM, and his dismissal is by far the more surprising move, especially considering he signed a multi-year extension in October.
The now-former GM stripped down the roster to kick-start the rebuild upon being hired midway through the 2013-14 season, then selected Sam Reinhart and Eichel second overall in back-to-back drafts, brought in Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Robin Lehner, and Dmitry Kulikov in trades and signed Kyle Okposo to a long-term deal in free agency.
His tank-and-load-up rebuild plan was derailed by several factors.
The Sabres "lost" two straight draft lotteries and missed out on top picks Aaron Ekblad and Connor McDavid. Kane was allegedly involved in multiple off-ice incidents and O'Reilly got himself into one of his own. Lehner was dogged by injuries that limited him to only 80 games combined in the last two seasons.
The bigger issue, though, is that the Sabres didn't improve fast enough. Given their talent, they should have been a playoff team this spring. By all accounts, the players never collectively embraced Bylsma's coaching style. He came to "develop a winning culture," but couldn't win consistently in a brief but revealing two-year stint.
But canning a GM who completely retooled the roster while letting go of an experienced coach this quickly represent shortsighted decisions that reek of a familiarly fast trigger-finger from Pegula, the same man who dismissed Bills head coach Rex Ryan after less than two seasons and may not have even consulted GM Doug Whaley about it.
Pegula hasn't been afraid to fire members of his front office and coaching staffs, meaning continuity hasn't exactly been a hallmark of his ownership.
Lindy Ruff, Darcy Regier, Ron Rolston, Pat LaFontaine, Ted Nolan, Ted Black, Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma let go by Pegula since 2011
— John Vogl (@BuffNewsVogl) April 20, 2017
It's easy to say the Sabres' rebuild is stalling, and that it has failed so far, but to fire both Bylsma and Murray in one fell swoop implies a level of frustration from Pegula that few expected.
He's shown impatience with futility in the past, and the hockey club has certainly been futile, but in Eichel, Reinhart, Kane, defensive stud Rasmus Ristolainen, and 19-year-old prospect Alexander Nylander, there are plenty of encouraging pieces in the organization.
The problem appears to be that most of these core members of the Sabres future have required some time to develop, and Pegula doesn't seem to enjoy waiting.
It didn't help Murray or Bylsma that the Toronto Maple Leafs' well documented "Shanaplan" has already landed them back in the playoffs with sky-high hopes for the future buoyed by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Nylander's brother, William, and the rest of a prospect pool oozing with talent.
But comparing one rebuild to another isn't a productive endeavor, and while the Sabres' plan hasn't gone as swimmingly as their counterparts up the QEW, there are still reasons to be optimistic in Buffalo.
Whether or not Pegula realizes that fact - or has the restraint to let the next GM and coach carry out their plans completely - are other matters entirely.
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Max Pacioretty hasn't scored a goal through four games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but he isn't too concerned.
"I know it's something you guys enjoy writing about and talking about, even before the playoffs, but for me it's not a storyline," the Montreal Canadiens captain told TSN ahead of Game 5 against the New York Rangers on Thursday.
"I've been here for a long time now and I don't care really what the opinions are other than my teammates and my coaches and the management."
Pacioretty, who's reached the 30-goal mark in each of his last five full seasons, is one of eight Canadiens forwards unable to crack Henrik Lundqvist through four games, but leads all Habs players with 19 shots on goal.
In 36 career playoff games, Pacioretty's recorded 10 goals and nine assists, and he'll look to add to those totals in a crucial Game 5 at Bell Centre.
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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, April 20 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):
(Photos courtesy Action Images)
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See ya, Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma.
The Buffalo Sabres fired their general manager and head coach Thursday, proving that Jack Eichel is the sheriff in town, and that losing will no longer be tolerated, no matter the cost - both Murray and Bylsma had years and millions of dollars left on their contracts.
The names of potential replacements for the pair are already flying around, and we're putting them in one place for you here.
As always, it's important to remember that a GM hires a coach, so that's the job that will likely be filled first - and may be the most important as the Sabres' rebuild continues.
This one's easy, because of Drury's history with the Sabres.
He'll be 41 this summer and is currently serving as the assistant general manager with the New York Rangers, under Jeff Gorton.
Gorton, who will be 49 later this month, has been with the Rangers a long time and succeeded Glen Sather, and it appears the gig's Gorton's until it isn't. Drury, meanwhile, is thought to be an up-and-comer in the managerial industry, and was part of a couple of deep playoff runs with the Sabres in 2006 and 2007.
If you're looking for a nostalgia pick, it's Drury.
Julien BriseBois has been learning from one of the league's best GMs, Steve Yzerman, down in Tampa Bay.
And Yzerman's on record in 2014 singing the praises of his assistant GM.
"It's only a matter of time before (BriseBois) gets his opportunity," Yzerman said, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. "He's going to have a long and outstanding career as a GM."
BriseBois is only 40, was a candidate for the Pittsburgh Penguins' vacancy before they hired Jim Rutherford, and has been working with Yzerman since 2010.
If the Sabres want to go the more traditional route, Dean Lombardi was recently fired by the Los Angeles Kings, and he's got two Stanley Cups on his resume.
Lombardi was at the helm of the Kings for a long time, and put together those Cup-winning teams. He knows how to get it done.
And if he still wants to work with Darryl Sutter, perhaps the pair could be hired as a package, although working with a young team would certainly be a change of pace for Sutter, who dealt primarily with veterans in Hollywood.
Forget about Drury, if the Sabres really want to turn back the clock, Lindy Ruff is on the market after being fired by the Dallas Stars.
Now 57, Ruff spent 14 seasons and change in Buffalo, winning his only Jack Adams Award with the Sabres. He was behind the bench when Buffalo made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, losing to - oddly enough - the Stars in six games.
Ruff's record with the Sabres:
Many former players have transitioned to the front office after their playing career, and another name that will be tossed around with respect to Buffalo's openings is Bill Guerin.
A veteran of 1,263 NHL games and a two-time Cup champion, Guerin is currently one of two assistant general managers of the Penguins. (The other is Jason Botterill, who played a key role in hiring Mike Sullivan to coach the Baby Pens, and we know how that turned out.)
Guerin's 46 and is also part of the braintrust putting together the U.S. team for the coming world championships.
Same deal: Fitzgerald's transitioned from his playing days, trading in his skates for a suit and tie. He's currently the assistant general manager of the New Jersey Devils, working under Cup winner Ray Shero.
Fitzgerald, 49 this summer, was part of the Penguins' front office in 2009, when Shero's Pittsburgh team won its first Stanley Cup since the Mario Lemieux days. (Oddly enough, Bylsma was the coach of that team.)
This is a recording.
Former longtime NHL center Craig Conroy, 45, enjoyed his most fruitful years with the Calgary Flames, the team he now works for as assistant GM.
Interestingly, Flames GM Brad Treliving's contract is set to expire after this season, and Calgary's campaign officially came to an end Wednesday night. But it's expected Treliving will be re-upped in Calgary, so Conroy's the play here, should the Sabres look west. And, like the other former players mentioned, he's thought to be a rising star in the managerial ranks.
The Flames have put together a team with some strong young talent, something the Sabres have done as well, and Conroy could provide guidance with respect to taking things to the next level.
Another former Sabre that could take over behind the bench is Phil Housley.
Now 53, the longtime smooth-skating defenseman has been an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators since 2013, and, let's face it, one reason they're a perennial playoff contender is their coaching staff - especially considering the Preds are forever on a tight budget.
Housley was the head coach of the U.S. junior team in 2013 (it won gold), and served as an assistant on the national team at the worlds that same year. He was also an assistant for Team USA at last year's World Cup.
A first-round pick of the Sabres back in 1982, Housley spent the first eight seasons of his career in Buffalo.
He's got the experience, and the history.
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Gatorade has Patrick Kane showing off some smooth moves in the latest ad for its new product line, Flow.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be looking for a big performance from Kane on Thursday night as they look to avoid a sweep in their first-round series against the Nashville Predators.
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