Hockey's most infamous beard almost fell prey to an errant high stick.
Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine suffered a gash on his chin during Sunday's game against Nashville, but he made it clear the facial hair is there to stay.
"I let them know right away that I'm gonna keep it and don't touch it," he said, according to Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun. "It was pretty much what they had to work with.
"I didn't stitch it up so I have no idea how they did that. But they are professionals and they did great work with it so they were able to save my beard. It was fantastic work."
Here's a look at what the beard looked like on opening night:
Here's a more recent look:
Laine has scored 43 goals in 75 games while developing this look.
Shea Weber played on a fractured foot for more than two months.
Speaking Tuesday in the Montreal locker room, the Canadiens defenseman admitted he suffered the injury that later required season-ending surgery while blocking a Jack Eichel shot during the first game of the season back on Oct. 5, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
Weber kept playing until Dec. 16, recording six goals and 10 assists in 26 games while averaging more than 25 minutes a night.
Eventually, he recognized something wasn't quite right.
Shea said his injury was tough to detect on original MRI-- "There's a lot of gray area with that," and he felt it was wise to get a new set of eyes on things after being in a walking boot for six weeks didn't change his situation.
Still, he claims he would've kept playing for as long as possible even if he knew his foot was fractured, saying, "I've played through fractures before."
Weber added he expects to go through his regular summer training and is confident he'll be ready for training camp.
For now, he needs some help getting around:
Shea Weber rencontre les médias, avec son moyen de transport temporaire.
It's arguably the most important position in sports, so it should come as no surprise that San Jose Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer thinks goaltender Martin Jones deserves much of the credit for his team's eight-game winning streak.
"We wouldn't be where we're at and we sure wouldn't have an eight-game winning streak (without him)," DeBoer said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "He's been our best player a lot of nights here the last month and that's where it starts. When you get goaltending like that, you have the confidence to take a few more chances offensively, and it usually leads to a few more goals. He's been great."
On Monday night, the club rattled off its eighth straight win with a shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. San Jose now sits comfortably in second in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks have earned six of their eight wins against non-playoff teams, so with games against the likes of the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights on the horizon, DeBoer knows their upcoming road trip will be a real test.
"You look at our schedule, the opponents we have coming up are all quality, quality teams," DeBoer said. "We've done a good job of banking the points we should regardless of how it looks. It was an important two points to start this trip."
Each NHL club's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy was unveiled Tuesday.
The award is given out by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and recognizes the player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
This year's nominees include Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who returned with a vengeance after being limited to just 17 games last season with a knee injury. He's put up 86 points in 75 games - his most productive campaign since 2011-12, when he captured the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy with 60 goals.
Among the other nominees is New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle, who was diagnosed with leukemia in September.
After missing the first month of the season, Boyle made a triumphant return to the lineup on Nov. 1. The 33-year-old was ultimately named an All-Star, replacing injured teammate Taylor Hall, and has posted 13 goals and 23 points in 62 games.
As NHL teams are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown takes a look back at the highs and lows of their season, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The sixth edition focuses on the Edmonton Oilers.
The Good
Connor McDavid. There's much debate about whether he belongs in the Hart Trophy discussion as the best player on a non-playoff team, but McDavid is making an incredible case. He leads the Art Ross Trophy race, is a cinch to collect 100 points, and should also reach the 40-goal plateau. But the odds are against him, as only three other players in NHL history have won the Hart despite missing the postseason. A generational talent, McDavid is far and away the best thing about the Oilers - and has been since the day he first pulled on an Edmonton sweater.
McDavid and Draisaitl are signed through their primes.Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $8.5-million contract in August, and McDavid's eight-year contract kicks in for the 2018-19 season. Having them both locked up through their prime years is a wonderful development for the Oilers; now it's time to build a better team around them.
Ethan Bear.Bear got his call-up on March 1 and might be here to stay. He's been on the top power-play unit and has averaged 18:12 of ice time per night through his first 12 games. All indications are that he'll remain with the Oilers through the end of the season. As Edmonton's top defensive prospect, he's expected to be in the running for a full-time stay in the NHL next fall. His development shouldn't be rushed, but his progress is encouraging.
Center depth. To win in today's NHL, center depth is vital. That's one thing the Oilers don't have to worry about; there's a good chance they'll have McDavid, Draisaitl, Ryan Strome, and Jujhar Khaira manning the middle in 2018-19. That's not bad at all.
The Bad
Losing Jordan Eberle. Looking at Eberle's first season with the New York Islanders, you can't help but wonder what might have been. Eberle was traded one year after Taylor Hall was shipped to New Jersey - and the Oilers felt the effects of both those deals this year with the overall lack of skill in the lineup outside McDavid and Draisaitl. Eberle's 25 goals would rank second on the Oilers, behind only McDavid; Strome, the player Eberle was traded for, has just 13.
Oscar Klefbom's regression. The Oilers were banking on Klefbom to take the next step, but he fought a nagging shoulder injury that resulted in season-ending surgery in March. With 21 points in 66 games, he was well off the pace of his 38 points over a complete 2016-17 campaign, and his struggles are emblematic of the Oilers as a whole. His recovery time isn't expected to be long, so Klefbom should have ample opportunity to prepare for training camp in the fall and hopefully rebound next season.
Not-so-special special teams. The Oilers have the NHL's worst power play at 14.5 percent, well below the league average of 19.9 percent. At 75.2 percent effectiveness, their penalty kill is 29th (only the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens are worse), and their 63 percent mark at home is the worst in NHL history.
Cam Talbot.Talbot's third year with the Oilers is one he'd like to forget. The team's generally poor defensive play and disastrous penalty kill contributed to his current .909 save percentage, the worst of his five seasons in the NHL. He’s another player the Oilers can expect to bounce back, as long as they improve the team in front of him. With one year left on his contract, it doesn't make sense to part with him because of one bad season.
The Questions
What does the future hold for Chiarelli and McLellan? The Oilers are a mess. General manager Peter Chiarelli is more likely to survive the offseason than coach Todd McLellan, but it's also possible that both stay. Or both could go. It may depend on who else is available this summer - and whether ownership thinks those options are clearly superior to what the franchise already has. McLellan's done little to remedy the Oilers' consistently abysmal special-teams play, and Chiarelli hasn't effectively addressed their overall needs, trading away high-end offensive talent and getting little in return.
How do they fix this mess? For the seventh time in eight years, the Oilers are a lottery squad. They've had the first overall pick four times in six years. They've also missed the playoffs 11 times in 12 years. It's hard to believe that this is the same team that started the season with the second-best odds to win the Stanley Cup. How many times can they repeat this cycle?
If they get the No. 1 selection, Rasmus Dahlin might be the answer to every question about the Oilers' defense. He's a great fit for what they need. But Edmonton also needs to add depth on the wing. Clearing some cap space by trading Kris Russell or Milan Lucic would provide some wiggle room to pursue free agents. Sure, those contracts might look untradeable, but it's been done before.
Instead, as the team makes a push for a playoff spot, the goaltender finds himself on the bench. He hasn't won a game since Dec. 27 and has failed to recapture his high-end form since returning from an injury that kept him out for 16 games.
Based on the way Keith Kinkaid has been playing in his stead, not even Schneider can argue with the decision.
"At this time of the year, it's not about any one individual player, it's about the team and whatever is best for the team and Keith has been playing fantastic the last month and a half," Schneider said, according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com. "Even if I was playing well, Keith would give us a good decision to have in net one way or another."
Kinkaid's been dialed in this month, posting a record of 6-3-0 with a .931 save percentage. Meanwhile, the Devils sit in the second wild-card spot, one point up on the prowling Florida Panthers.
For his part, Schneider is doing his best to remain prepared if and when he's called upon.
Cory Schneider and goalie coach Rollie Melanson discuss matters as Keith Kinkaid takes shots prior to start of morning skate. Kinkaid to make 3rd straight start tonight pic.twitter.com/1xKFjANJIA
"For me, it's about working hard, competing, and being ready when it's my turn," he said. "You look at the past two Stanley Cup championships by the Penguins, and they needed both guys (Matt Murray and Marc-Andre Fleury) down the stretch, so you never know what could happen."
Through 39 appearances this season, Schneider has posted a save percentage of .909, well below his career average of .920.
Scoring big goals appears to be in the Selanne genes.
Leevi Selanne, son of Hall of Fame winger Teemu, scored the overtime winner for Santa Margarita Catholic High School on Monday to clinch the Division I title at the 2018 USA Hockey national championships.
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
While the Vegas Golden Knights stole headlines by qualifying for the postseason in their inaugural campaign, there was some considerable changes in the odds for the bubble teams vying for playoff position.
