Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall pulled the trigger on a necessary trade Monday night.

Related: Red Wings trade Mrazek to Flyers for conditional draft picks

With both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth expected to be out weeks, Hextall did what he could to help aid his club, which currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division, by acquiring netminder Petr Mrazek from the Detroit Red Wings.

For Hextall, the move was one his players earned.

"This is a sign that our players have done a really good job," Hextall said. "They've worked extremely hard. We're in a tough situation - you lose your top two goalies when you're fighting for a playoff spot, and our players have worked hard for a long time now, and I didn't feel like it was fair to not have a proven NHL goaltender for this team. That's the reason we acted. Our focus right now is to make the playoffs, and if we make the playoffs, then we’ll go from there."

Mrazek will become a restricted free agent at season's end. And while his age and potential could be intriguing to the Flyers, Hextall admits he has no idea whether the team will re-sign him or not, according to Dave Isaac of the Courier Post.

The 26-year-old Mrazek could potentially make his first start with his new team Tuesday when the Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens.

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Ron Hextall desperately needed a goalie.

After pulling off a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for Petr Mrazek, the Philadelphia Flyers general manager revealed Michal Neuvirth will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

"Michal’s out long-term," Hextall said. "We’ll let you guys know probably (Monday), try to give a definitive timeline. But it is longer-term, not short-term."

Hextall added: "It’s not days, it’s weeks - I know that much."

Neuvirth's injury comes with starter Brian Elliott already on the shelf for an extended period of time.

Mrazek will now assume starting duties with Alex Lyon serving as backup for the time being.

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The Detroit Red Wings have traded goaltender Petr Mrazek to the Philadelphia Flyers for an initial conditional fourth-round pick in 2018, the team announced.

The terms of the trade could be greatly improved for Detroit, however. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, if the Flyers make the playoffs and Mrazek wins five regular-season games, the 2018 fourth-round pick becomes a third-round selection. If the Flyers can advance to the conference finals and Mrazek wins six playoff games, that pick would upgrade again to a second-rounder. Separately, if the Flyers re-sign Mrazek next season, Detroit will also get Philadelphia's third-round pick in 2019.

The deal comes with the Flyers desperate to do something following injuries to goaltenders Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth. Last week it was announced Elliott would miss five to six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. Meanwhile, Neuvirth left Sunday night's game against the New York Rangers with a lower-body injury and his status has yet to be updated.

Mrazek, a pending restricted free agent, has been steady for the struggling Red Wings, having gone 8-7-3 in 22 games while posting a .910 save percentage, a 2.89 goals-against average, and three shutouts.

The move proves the Flyers don't plan on throwing away what has been a strong season just because of injuries to their goalies. The club is in the thick of it in the Metropolitan Division, holding down third spot, just four points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins with two games in hand.

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On a point-per-game basis, Brad Marchand is more productive than any player around the NHL not named Nikita Kucherov.

The Boston Bruins winger scored the overtime game-winner in Calgary on Monday, giving him 22 goals and 33 assists for 55 points through 44 games. That puts him well down the list of scoring leaders, but a quick look at the points-per-game pacesetters paints a different picture.

There, Marchand ranks second only to hockey's current points leader:

Altogether, Marchand has missed 13 games for the Bruins this season: six with an upper-body injury, two with a lower-body issue, and five due to suspension.

Still, he's on pace for 35 goals and 52 assists, and those 87 points would top last season's career high of 85 recorded in 80 games.

Injuries are one thing, but Marchand would be higher up the scoring list had he not been ruled out for that handful of games due to reckless behavior.

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Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno is expected to miss one to two weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, the team announced.

Foligno recorded 13 goals and 13 assists in 59 appearances prior to the injury, and could miss as many as seven games if out for the full two weeks.

The Blue Jackets sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division but are only a point out of a wild-card playoff spot.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have banned the fans who made racist remarks toward Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly on Saturday from attending future games.

"We have contacted the select individuals involved in the incident on Saturday to notify them that they are no longer welcome at our home games," a team spokesperson said, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. "Racist comments and other inappropriate behavior are not tolerated by the Chicago Blackhawks."

Related: Bettman condemns 'reprehensible' racist taunts toward Smith-Pelly

After dropping the gloves with Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy in the third period of Saturday night's contest, nearby fans uttered chants of "basketball, basketball, basketball" toward Smith-Pelly as he entered the penalty box.

On Sunday, Smith-Pelly spoke to the media regarding the incident, stating: "We can't brush it under the rug."

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The San Jose Sharks have recalled veteran defenseman Paul Martin from the AHL.

Martin has appeared in only three NHL games this season due to injury, and the Sharks placed him on waivers Jan. 15.

The 36-year-old is in the third season of a four-year contract that carries a cap hit of $4.85 million. He posted two assists in 18 games while playing for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda this season.

Forward Rudolfs Balcers was also recalled Monday, while forwards Joel Ward and Tomas Hertl have been placed on injured reserve. Both of the latter have already missed time due to various injuries.

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Alex Ovechkin is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Washington Capitals' superstar winger scored during the second period of Monday's game in Buffalo to give him 35 on the season, the most in the NHL to this point.

The goal was scored on a net-front deflection, not a typical goal for Ovechkin. It was briefly reviewed for a potential high stick, but was ruled good, allowing him to reach the milestone for the 10th time in his career.

Ovechkin is now on pace for 49 goals, and is in line to push for his seventh Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer.

Here's a look at his totals from previous award-winning seasons:

• 2008 - 65
• 2009 - 56
• 2013 (lockout shortened) - 32
• 2014 - 51 goals
• 2015 - 53 goals
• 2016 - 50 goals

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New Jersey Devils rookie center Nico Hischier has been named the NHL's first star of the week, followed by Arizona Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta and Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele.

Hischier scored a goal in each of his four games from Feb. 12 to Feb. 18, adding three assists for seven points in four straight wins for the Devils.

Here's a look at Hischier's latest goal, scored Sunday against Carolina:

Raanta stopped 123 of 126 shots faced over four appearances last week, posting a 3-0-0 record, .976 save percentage, and one shutout (1-0 vs. Edmonton).

Scheifele also chipped in seven points (three goals, four assists), but only needed three games to do so. His best performance came in a comeback win over Washington on Feb. 13.

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Colorado Avalanche defensemen Erik Johnson and Anton Lindholm are both out indefinitely with upper-body injuries, the team announced.

Johnson, arguably the team's top blue-liner, leads the Avalanche in time on ice and ranks second in hits (103) and blocked shots (117). The former No. 1 overall pick by the Blues in 2006 has also chipped in offensively with 22 points.

Lindholm has been used in a more limited role. In 43 games, he's collected three points while averaging 13:26 of time on ice.

The Avalanche are three points out of a playoff spot, so any significant time missed by their top minute-logger on the back end would provide a serious blow to their postseason aspirations.

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