Nathan MacKinnon appears to have avoided a major scare.

The Colorado Avalanche forward's teammates, Tyson Barrie and Gabriel Landeskog, told reporters postgame that he'll be fine and that the eye injury he suffered in Friday's win over the Anaheim Ducks is not serious, according to the Denver Post's Mike Chambers.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar confirmed those assessments, telling Chambers and other reporters that MacKinnon will "probably" play Saturday night against the Dallas Stars.

The 22-year-old center left Friday's game and didn't return after taking Derek Grant's stick in the eye.

MacKinnon posted four assists in the first four games, before being held off the score sheet on an abbreviated Friday night for the 2013 first overall pick.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin is still red-hot, and even though Evgeny Kuznetsov didn't help him score Friday night, the younger Washington Capitals forward deserves some credit for aiding the captain's explosion out of the gate.

Ovechkin notched his ninth goal of the season in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, continuing the best start of his career through five games, while Kuznetsov made some history of his own.

The 25-year-old picked up two assists in the win, becoming the first player in Capitals history to notch 10 helpers through the club's first five contests.

While he's certainly benefited from playing alongside Ovechkin on both the top line and top power-play unit, Kuznetsov is a major reason for his countryman's rejuvenation.

The less experienced Russian star has assisted on seven of Ovechkin's nine goals, and six of those helpers were of the primary variety.

While all of those connections came in the Capitals' first two games, Kuznetsov is proving both that he can produce regardless of his linemate, and, more importantly, that he has undeniable chemistry with Ovechkin that should ensure head coach Barry Trotz keeps the two together.

Kuznetsov put up a respectable 59 points while appearing in every regular-season game last season, but that output was mildly disappointing after the 77-point campaign he authored in 2015-16.

It's way too early to project he'll pile up 164 assists based on his two-per-game pace, but Kuznetov's early production is encouraging, particularly considering how well he's clicked with Washington's best and brightest star.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We will give you a chance right now, go ahead and Google what a "Gila monster" is.

If you're short on time, or perhaps more importantly, data, we'll save you the hassle, as the Vegas Golden Knights unveiled their team mascot Friday night and opinions on the selection were somewhat mixed.

Chance, the Gila monster, was not well received by folks on Twitter.

Here are a few solid chirps from people who were - like us - a little bit confused with the Knights' choice:

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon left Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks after taking a stick blade to the eye.

MacKinnon was caught with Ducks pivot Derek Grant's stick and fell to the ice holding his eye in obvious pain.

The Avalanche later confirmed MacKinnon's injury was indeed an eye issue, and that he wouldn't return to the game.

No timetable for his return nor severity of the injury was given.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mark Streit reportedly isn't keen on being demoted.

The veteran defenseman won't report to the Laval Rocket and will take the next few days to evaluate his options, according to TVA's Renaud Lavoie.

Streit was loaned to the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate after clearing waivers Friday.

The 39-year-old was reportedly shopped by the NHL club before being put through the waiver process.

He underwhelmed in the Canadiens' first two games after signing a one-year deal in July.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild left Chicago on Thursday night with two points, but it cost them three of their top-six forwards, as the team announced Friday that Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, and Marcus Foligno will all miss time due to injury.

Foligno and Blackhawks forward John Hayden got into a spirited scrap in the second period, with Foligno taking a few vicious blows. After serving his major, Foligno left the ice and didn't return. The team later reported he suffered a facial fracture, with details emerging today that he'll undergo surgery and miss at least a week.

Meanwhile, Niederreiter suffered a high ankle sprain after taking a hit from Hawks center Tanner Kero.

Kero tried to check Niederreiter and instead landed on his left leg, resulting in Niederreiter hobbling down the tunnel to the dressing room. He was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss a minimum of three weeks.

As for Coyle, he'll miss the most significant chunk of time, as he'll be placed on long-term injured reserve and miss six-to-eight weeks. With Coyle's LTIR designation, Minnesota is able to recall at least three players from its AHL affiliate in Iowa.

Since the Wild were already playing without top scorer Mikael Granlund - who is also out with injury - or an extra forward due to salary cap restrictions, the loss of three of their best forwards could be a crippling blow to the start of the club's 2017-18 season.

Minnesota next takes to the ice Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Curtis Lazar is paying his respects.

The Calgary Flames forward will sport a helmet decal honoring former Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray when the two teams face off Friday.

Murray, who died in August following a longtime battle with cancer, was at the helm of the Senators when the club selected Lazar with the 17th pick in the 2013 draft. He was shipped to the Flames at last year's trade deadline.

The Senators and the Detroit Red Wings - coached by Murray from 1990-93 - wore the same sticker earlier this season.

As for Lazar, the 22-year-old has appeared in two games this season, picking up a single point. He should have a good chance to add to that total Friday, as Flames coach Glen Gulutzan has elected to pair him with top-line forwards Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.

The Flames enter Friday's contest carrying a 3-1-0 record through four games.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Buffalo Sabres are off to a 0-3-1 start this season, and after finishing with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference a year ago, Jack Eichel's patience is growing thin.

"We've got to just figure a way to be sick of losing," Eichel said, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. "I know I'm sick of losing. There's a lot of guys that are sick of losing. There's a difference between playing hard and playing hard and smart. We've got to execute our game all the way through the lineup, myself included."

The Sabres haven't held a lead since the mid-way mark of the third period in their season-opener against the Montreal Canadiens. The club is averaging just 2.25 goals per game, tied for the third-worst mark in the league, and are conceding the third-most goals (4.25 goals per game) as well.

What's more shocking is that Evander Kane, Jason Pominville, and Eichel have combined to score all nine of the team's goals, meaning there is a desperate demand for secondary scoring.

"We all need to relax," Eichel said. "We have a lot of good players on this team. It will come. It will come. It's frustrating it's not coming right now. We want to see results. We're working hard but sometimes working hard is not enough."

After dropping a 3-2 decision to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, the Sabres will be back in action on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings where they will look to finally get into the win column.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With Steve Mason struggling, Connor Hellebuyck is making the most of his opportunity in the crease.

The Winnipeg Jets backup netminder picked up his second straight win Thursday as he turned aside 30 shots to help secure a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

"He's had two really, really good nights where he's looked the same," Jets coach Paul Maurice told reporters following the victory. "His positioning is real strong and he's seeing the puck. He looks good."

Hellebuyck's quick shift into the starting role comes as a bit of a surprise after Winnipeg made a two-year, $8.2-million commitment to Mason this offseason.

The thinking was Mason would help shore up the Jets' biggest weakness - between the pipes - after Hellebuyck failed to claim the top job last season. But the early returns from the new addition have been ugly - Mason holds a .831 save percentage and 6.56 goals-against average through two games - leaving Maurice little choice but to call on Hellebuyck.

Winnipeg's next game comes Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes, and while the team has not yet announced its starter, it's up to the recently-extended Maurice to stick with the hot hand in Hellebuyck.

It's early in the season, but every point is crucial for the high-flying Jets, especially for a team that missed last year's postseason due to the handful of points squandered from poor goaltending. In the here and now, Hellebuyck offers the Jets their best chance to turn the tide.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens loaned defenseman Mark Streit to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Friday after the 39-year-old cleared waivers, the team announced.

On Thursday, Montreal placed Streit on waivers after it was reported that the club was actively shopping him.

Given his age, the news has sparked discussion as to whether Streit might elect to return to his native Switzerland to potentially play in the Olympics.

Streit was signed for a second tour of duty with the Canadiens this offseason (one year, $700,000), but underwhelmed in two games played. He's a mins-2, with no points, while playing an average of 14:13.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.