Hoffman’s point streak snapped in loss to Hurricanes

All good things must come to an end.

On Friday, for the first time in 18 games, Florida Panthers forward Mike Hoffman failed to pick up a point. Over that stretch, dating back to Oct. 13, Hoffman collected 10 goals and 10 assists.

The 28-year-old wasn't without his chances, as he put four pucks on Carolina Hurricanes netminder Curtis McElhinney, only to have each shot turned aside.

Acquired in an offseason deal with the San Jose Sharks, Hoffman's had an instant impact in Florida, as he leads all Panthers in scoring, one point ahead of teammates Keith Yandle and Evgenii Dadonov, both of whom have 19 on the season.

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Thornton passes Lemieux on all-time assists list

Joe Thornton continued his ascent up the all-time leaderboards Friday night, moving past Mario Lemieux for the 11th-most helpers in NHL history.

The San Jose Sharks forward set up Timo Meier's power-play goal with nine seconds left in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks.

It was Thornton's 1,034th career assist, and he accomplished the feat in his 1,507th career game. Lemieux required only 915 contests to collect his 1,033.

Next up for "Jumbo Joe" is Marcel Dionne, who notched 1,040 in 1,348 games.

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Luongo day to day after suffering injury vs. Hurricanes

Roberto Luongo left Friday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes after sprawling out in a failed effort to prevent a goal late in the first period.

The Florida Panthers later ruled him out for the remainder of the contest with what the club classified as a lower-body injury, and The Athletic's George Richards reported that the veteran goaltender is day to day.

Panthers head coach Bob Boughner confirmed Luongo's status Saturday, according to Richards.

Luongo departed after allowing Jordan Martinook's marker with about 38 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

James Reimer replaced him in the Panthers' crease.

Luongo was playing his ninth game of the season after missing time earlier in the campaign with a knee injury suffered in Florida's season opener.

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Tiger rocks flashy Nike shoes at The Match in honor of Golden Knights

Tiger Woods gave a nod to the Las Vegas faithful with his shoe selection for his match against Phil Mickelson on Friday, saying his gold-accented kicks are a tribute to the NHL's Golden Knights.

Of course, Tiger also wore his usual championship outfit - a red shirt and black pants - with the flashy shoes.

The Match is being held at Shadow Creek Golf Course, a short drive from the Las Vegas Strip.

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Senators owner Melnyk suing partner over failed downtown arena bid

The Ottawa Senators' plans for a new downtown arena will need to come via a different path.

Capital Sports Management, which is led by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, is suing Trinity Group, its partner in the redevelopment of downtown Ottawa neighborhood LeBreton Flats, the team announced Friday. The suit claims a conflict of interest caused the venture to fail.

The lawsuit is for $700 million, according to Shaamini Yogaretnam of the Ottawa Citizen. John Ruddy, Graham Bird Associates, and Graham Bird are also named in the suit.

The Senators and Trinity Group told the National Capital Commission that they've "not been able to resolve their internal partnership issues," NCC board members heard during a public meeting Thursday.

During the meeting, the NCC said it would give the Senators and Trinity Group until their next meeting in January to resolve these problems before the board begins looking for other groups to take over the project.

Commencing legal proceedings is perhaps not what the NCC had in mind.

"The two companies were not able to finalize a master development agreement that would have resulted in the construction of a new sports and entertainment arena, as well as a mix of residential, retail, commercial, and hotel properties in Ottawa's downtown core," the Senators release states. "... A number of breaches, all arising out of a conflict of interest ... directly resulted in the failure of the partnership."

According to the lawsuit, Trinity Group executive chairman Ruddy started developing a housing property on a nearby street, which put that development in "direct competition" with LeBreton, Yogaretnam adds.

"Ruddy and Trinity misused confidential inside information about the LeBreton Project and abused the trust (Capital Sports Management) had placed in them," the lawsuit states, according to Yogaretnam.

The NCC said it knew in the planning stage of the project that having one side work alone on the redevelopment would not be possible.

Following Thursday's meeting, Ottawa mayor Jim Watson voiced his frustration over the "challenging" relationship between Melnyk and Ruddy, saying the two must "get their acts together."

"We have given the partners one last time to come together," said Watson, a non-voting member of the NCC.

Driving from downtown Ottawa to the Senators' current arena - Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata, Ontario - can take up to 45 minutes during rush hour.

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Former ref Mick McGeough to be taken off life support following stroke

Former NHL referee Michael "Mick" McGeough will be taken off life support, his family stated on a GoFundMe page.

McGeough was taken to a hospital in Regina on Sunday with the early signs of a stroke, and his condition worsened while waiting for tests. He met with a neurosurgeon in Saskatoon to see if clots in the back of his brain could be removed. Unfortunately, the damage caused by the stroke was irreversible.

The 62-year-old has now returned to Regina to be with his family.

McGeough officiated 1,083 games during his career and another 63 playoff games, including the 2006 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes.

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Devils’ Vatanen, Boyle back in lineup vs. Islanders

The New Jersey Devils will get a boost to their lineup on Friday afternoon.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen and forward Brian Boyle were activated off injured reserve and will be in the lineup against the New York Islanders.

Vatanen had missed the past three games with a lower-body injury and Boyle was sidelined the previous five contests with an upper-body injury.

In 17 games this season, Vatanen has one goal and seven points, while Boyle is tied for fourth on the club with six goals in 15 games.

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Brian Burke: Hurricanes’ post-win surge is ‘peewee garbage’

Former NHL general manager and current Sportsnet analyst Brian Burke isn't a fan of the Carolina Hurricanes' post-win surge.

After every home victory this season, the Hurricanes have performed some variation of this celebration:

"I don't like it, I don't think it's professional, I don't think it belongs in our league," Burke said on "Prime Time Sports" on Thursday, adding that he likes the clap but not the surge.

"I'm not saying the league should abolish it, I'm not saying no one should enjoy it, I'm saying I don't like it, and I don't care if you agree or understand with that viewpoint," he added.

Burke said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell told him the celebration is something the players want to do and the fans enjoy it, so he won't interfere.

"I turn the TV off when they win, I switch to another game," Burke continued. "I think it's absurdly amateur-ish, pewee garbage stuff."

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Babcock confident Nylander will sign with Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock believes William Nylander will sign with the club before it's too late.

Nylander and the Maple Leafs remain locked in a contract stalemate. The restricted free agent has until Dec. 1 to sign a new deal or he'll be forced to sit out the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign. But Babcock thinks the 22-year-old's love of the game will lead him back to the Maple Leafs.

"I'm confident, hopeful," Babcock said, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. "I mean Willy loves hockey. I know Willy good - he's a great teammate and a good person - and he loves hockey. He wants to play hockey. So I'm betting on that. How's that?"

Many took notice at Thursday's practice when Babcock quipped: "We have significant pieces not here and they will be here." Those "pieces" were believed to be Auston Matthews, who remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, and Nylander.

Despite missing Nylander for all 22 games and Matthews for the past 11, the Maple Leafs sit just one point back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Blues place Schwartz on injured reserve, activate Maroon

The St. Louis Blues placed forward Jaden Schwartz on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the team announced Friday.

In a corresponding move, forward Pat Maroon has been activated off injured reserve.

Schwartz has been out of the lineup since Nov. 16. He's off to a slow start this season by his standards, picking up just two goals and seven assists in 15 games.

Maroon, a St. Louis native, inked a one-year deal with the Blues this offseason. He's goalless on the campaign but has tallied seven assists in 14 contests.

The 7-10-3 Blues take on the league-leading Nashville Predators on Friday.

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