Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy is hopeful he will have his top line back intact for Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Patrice Bergeron was announced as a scratch minutes before puck drop of Game 4 with an upper-body injury. He's listed as day to day with the ailment, and Cassidy is hopeful he'll be ready to go for Game 5 on Saturday, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.
Cassidy also noted the decision to scratch Bergeron came "just before game time," and the injury is something that he's been dealing with for a while.
Boston fared well in his absence, taking Thursday's contest by a 3-1 score. The Bruins will now head home where they'll have the chance to advance to the second round.
Doughty led the NHL in average ice time this season (26:50) while ranking seventh among blue-liners with 60 points. Hedman posted 46 points in 77 games while ranking fifth in ice time (25:51 per game), and Subban collected 59 points while logging just over 24 minutes per contest.
The Norris is awarded annually to the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability in the position.
With Bergeron out, Riley Nash will take his spot on the top line between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Here's a look at the Bruins' combos amid the shakeup.
The loss is obviously a huge one for the Bruins, as Bergeron is the league's premier two-way pivot, and has contributed five points through the series' first three contests on a line Toronto struggled mightily to contain in Games 1 and 2.
Moxley and her family will be guests of Capitals owner Ted Leonsis.
Connolly told Gulitti that his wife, Katrina, has been in touch with Moxley's mother, Lauren, and Katrina has been filling him in on what Keelan has been up to since the clip went viral Sunday.
By now, you've probably seen the video of Moxley trying and finally succeeding in getting a puck from Connolly during the warmup before Game 2, despite the efforts of a nearby man and two boys.
The clip was shown on NBC Sports Washington, and it later became the most streamed NHL video on Twitter of all time after being shared by the league's official account.
"I'm sure I'll get to meet her," Connolly said before Game 4 on Thursday. "I'll sure we'll do something for her. It's pretty cool. She seems like a great young kid with a ton of energy and a good attitude and a good little sense of humor. I'm excited to see where that all goes."
He was also impressed with how articulate Keelan is for her age.
"It's really, really cool just to see something little that you can do for a young kid, a young girl," he said. "I saw her interview. She's extremely well spoken for a young kid. I think she's a fan favorite now, so she's getting a little bit of recognition, too. So, she's having fun with it. That's what her mom was saying. She's just having the best time ever. All her classmates think she's famous."
The incident marks the fourth suspension of the playoffs so far, as Hartman joins Drew Doughty (one game), Nazem Kadri (three games), and Josh Morrissey (one game).
Here's a look at the play, which occurred in the third period of Nashville's 3-2 victory.
Vatanen collected 28 points in 57 games after being traded to New Jersey from the Anaheim Ducks, and finished as the Devils' leader in average ice time.
Game 5 is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The Devils trail 3-1 in the series.
"We told Hank that if he didn't want to ride it out through this process, we'd find a good landing place for him," James Dolan, executive chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company, told the New York Post's Larry Brooks. "But he said he wanted to stay and see it through.
"I'm very happy thats the way he feels. I think with him at the top of his game, that gives us our best chance of competing for a playoff spot next year."
Even prior to the Rangers announcing their rebuilding plans in February, Lundqvist remained committed to the team, stating, "I want to be here and battle through the ups and downs."
The goaltender is signed through the 2020-21 season with an $8.5-million annual cap hit and a full no-movement clause, per Cap Friendly.
Despite turning 36 on March 2 and having a poor defensive team in front of him, Lundqvist still managed to post a .915 save percentage this past season.
Hammond entered Game 4 in relief of Bernier early in the third period and stopped all eight shots he faced in the Avs' 3-2 loss.
Despite starting just five games over the past two seasons, the 30-year-old Hammond does have prior playoff experience. After his miraculous run to lead the Ottawa Senators to the postseason in 2014-15, he started two playoff games, going 0-2 with a .914 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average.
However, he'll certainly be in tough against the top team in the league in a hostile road environment for a netminder.
The Winnipeg Jetsrecalled defenseman Sami Niku from the AHL's Manitoba Moose on Thursday with Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild looming Friday.
The Jets' blue line is awfully thin at the moment. Josh Morrissey is suspended for Game 5, Tyler Myers was injured in Game 3 and missed Game 4, Toby Enstrom hasn't been cleared to play yet, and Dmitry Kulikov isn't expected back for at least another month.
If Myers and Enstrom are unable to go Friday, the Jets could be forced to ice the following defensive pairings:
LD
RD
Joe Morrow
Dustin Byfuglien
Ben Chiarot
Jacob Trouba
Sami Niku
Tucker Poolman
The 21-year-old Niku showed promise with the Moose this season, scoring 16 goals with 54 points in 76 games. However, the former seventh-round pick has just one game of NHL experience under his belt.
The Carolina Hurricanes have named Paul Krepelka vice president of hockey operations, the team announced Thursday.
Krepelka previously served as director of player development with the ECHL's Norfolk Admirals, and worked as a sports agent for 20 years. He will be primarily responsible for handling contract negotiations and other hockey operations matters.
"Paul has been involved in professional hockey for nearly 30 years, developing experience and relationships that will be of great value to the Hurricanes," said Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.
Despite hiring Krepelka, the Hurricanes are still on the hunt for a general manager.
Don Waddell is currently their interim GM, but with the draft and free agency fast approaching, Carolina has yet to place someone in charge for the long term.
Whoever takes on Ron Francis' former duties could immediately have a lot on their plate, as head coach Bill Peters has until Friday to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract.