The Edmonton Oilers' season just went from bad to worse.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be out for five to six weeks due to an injury the club would only classify as an "upper body" ailment. Head coach Todd McLellan confirmed to reporters the issue is cracked ribs, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector.

The 24-year-old forward left Saturday's win over the Vegas Golden Knights after being hit hard by defenseman Brayden McNabb.

Nugent-Hopkins leads the Oilers with 16 goals and ranks third with 31 points this season.

The Oilers have been on their bye week since last Saturday's victory but return to action this Saturday at home against the Vancouver Canucks.

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Seattle doesn't have an NHL team yet, but the group that's expected to submit a bid for an expansion franchise may have already begun the process of securing a name.

38 domains representing 13 different Seattle team names were purportedly registered Thursday by Oak View Group, as discovered by Clark Rasmussen of DetroitHockey.net.

The names are:

• Seattle Cougars
• Seattle Eagles
• Seattle Emeralds
• Seattle Evergreens
• Seattle Firebirds
• Seattle Kraken
• Seattle Rainiers
• Seattle Renegades
• Seattle Sea Lions
• Seattle Seals
• Seattle Sockeyes
• Seattle Totems
• Seattle Whales

Rasmussen, who previously unearthed domain names registered during the Vegas Golden Knights' formative days in the summer of 2016, noticed the domains representing these Seattle names were registered by Christina Song. A woman with an identical name serves as general counsel for OVG, the group that won the bid to redevelop Seattle's KeyArena.

The domains were registered using an email address for a lawyer at Gibson Dunn, the firm that helped OVG in the KeyArena bidding process, according to Rasmussen.

These names are by no means official and are not confirmed to be among the ones considered for the hypothetical Seattle franchise by the group that has yet to submit a formal application.

- with h/t to SportsLogos.net

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Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown will have a hearing for his cross-check on Pittsburgh Penguins blue-liner Justin Schultz, the Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

Here's the play in slow motion, which clearly shows Brown following through on a hit while Schultz was in a vulnerable position.

Brown was ejected and assessed a major penalty for the play. He's been suspended once previously in his career.

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New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk needs surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee and will be out indefinitely with the injury, the team announced Friday.

Shattenkirk played over 17 minutes in Thursday's win over Buffalo, but won't be available for the stretch run, making matters worse for the Rangers, who have also dealt with recent injuries to Ryan McDonagh, Chris Kreider, and Kevin Hayes.

New York signed Shattenkirk to a four-year, $26.6-million contract in July. In his first season with his hometown team, the 28-year-old has produced 23 points in 46 games while playing top-four minutes and quarterbacking the Rangers' top power play unit.

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The NHL is defending its decision to tab Kid Rock as the headlining performer at the upcoming All-Star Game, despite the uproar the move elicited.

Steve Mayer, an executive vice president with the league and its executive producer for programming and creative development, told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski that Kid Rock's value as an entertainer and his history as a hockey fan outweighed the singer's slew of controversial comments and views.

"Most of the time, our acts are passionate hockey fans," Mayer said. "It's all about the entertainment at the end of the day for us, and this selection was purely based on that, and the fact that Kid Rock is a hockey lover. That's simply the background here."

The Detroit native performed at the opening of the Red Wings' new facility, Little Caesars Arena, back in the fall. The NHL's decision to hire him for the All-Star festivities drew widespread criticism when it was announced earlier this week.

Kid Rock, whose most recent hit record came six years ago, has made anti-transgender remarks, has displayed the Confederate flag at his concerts, and has criticized quarterback Colin Kaepernick multiple times for peacefully protesting police brutality and racial injustice.

The 47-year-old performer has also been arrested twice on alcohol-related charges and once on an assault charge.

The 2018 NHL All-Star Game, a 3-on-3 divisional tournament, will take place on Jan. 28 in Tampa Bay.

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This year marks the fifth anniversary of Budweiser's famous Red Light, which has commemorated thousands of goals since its inception.

In celebration of that, Budweiser is teaming up with a man whose goal-scoring prowess is second to none, Wayne Gretzky, to make goal celebrations even bigger with limited-edition Wayne Gretzky Gold-Synced Lights, marked with his legendary No. 99 and replica signature, along with a certificate of authenticity.

"Goals are the most exciting part of any hockey game, and as someone who has played hockey at all levels of the game, including the international stage, there's no better feeling than having the country celebrate those moments with you," Gretzky said. "I'm excited to light these limited-edition lamps to celebrate our country's biggest goals. Let's bring it home!"

Budweiser will turn the iconic Red Light and Goal-Synced Glass gold in a 30-second TV spot called "Bring it Home" that will air during Super Bowl LII.

Watch the video below to see Gretzky alongside other hockey greats, with gold-synced lights in hand. Must be legal drinking age.

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Jonathan Bernier is brilliantly backstopping the Colorado Avalanche to many a victory of late.

Last season's last-place club extended its win streak to eight games courtesy of a 5-3 decision over San Jose on Thursday, and Bernier has been between the pipes for the past seven victories.

The win over the Sharks was the first time he allowed more than two goals over the course of the streak, but he did stop 45 of 48 shots, good for a .938 save percentage.

That single-game success rate is actually Bernier's second-lowest over his past seven starts.

Bernier was signed to a one-year, $2.75-million contract last summer with a view to spotting starter Semyon Varlamov. With the latter shelved with an injury, Bernier is certainly providing excellent value for a club surprisingly in playoff contention.

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