Journeyman netminder Michael Leighton announced his retirement Monday after 18 seasons of professional hockey.

"This is a really hard thing for me to say: I'm done playing because I've done this my whole life," Leighton told The Athletic's Scott Powers. "Since I was four or five years old, I've played hockey. It's been my life. For me to just say I'm done playing is a tough decision. It's just one that has to be made at this time."

Leighton, 38, dressed for 21 different teams throughout his career, spending most of his time in the AHL. Drafted in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Draft, he played in a total of 126 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) and is best remembered for his role in the Philadelphia Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009-10.

Leighton entered his age-28 season with 69 career games under his belt but had never enjoyed much success. The Flyers claimed him off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes after he began the year with a 4.28 goals-against average and an .848 save percentage.

Leighton became the Flyers' starter, going 16-5-2 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average during the regular season. He parlayed that strong play into a miraculous postseason run, recording a .916 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average as the Flyers fell two games short of winning the Stanley Cup against the burgeoning Chicago Blackhawks. He was in goal for Patrick Kane's famous overtime winner in Game 6.

"There's obviously a lot of disappointment still that burns inside of me that wishes I could have won and brought the championship to Philadelphia," Leighton said. "But that whole playoff experience, that whole season, was definitely a positive for me.

"Got a lot of NHL games, playing in the semifinals, getting three shutouts against Montreal in a playoff series, just playing in the Stanley Cup Final. There's a lot of goalies who play 15, 20 years in the NHL and never make it to the Stanley Cup Final. That's still a great accomplishment for me personally. It obviously sucks we didn't win, but still a highlight of my career to play in the playoffs and have a chance to play for the Cup."

Leighton would start just five more NHL games after the Flyers' run, making his final appearance in the league during the 2016-17 season.

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Journeyman netminder Michael Leighton announced his retirement Monday after 18 seasons of professional hockey.

"This is a really hard thing for me to say: I'm done playing because I've done this my whole life," Leighton told The Athletic's Scott Powers. "Since I was four or five years old, I've played hockey. It's been my life. For me to just say I'm done playing is a tough decision. It's just one that has to be made at this time."

Leighton, 38, dressed for 21 different teams throughout his career, spending most of his time in the AHL. Drafted in the sixth round of the 1999 NHL Draft, he played in a total of 126 NHL games (regular season and playoffs) and is best remembered for his role in the Philadelphia Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009-10.

Leighton entered his age-28 season with 69 career games under his belt but had never enjoyed much success. The Flyers claimed him off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes after he began the year with a 4.28 goals-against average and an .848 save percentage.

Leighton became the Flyers' starter, going 16-5-2 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average during the regular season. He parlayed that strong play into a miraculous postseason run, recording a .916 save percentage and a 2.46 goals-against average as the Flyers fell two games short of winning the Stanley Cup against the burgeoning Chicago Blackhawks. He was in goal for Patrick Kane's famous overtime winner in Game 6.

"There's obviously a lot of disappointment still that burns inside of me that wishes I could have won and brought the championship to Philadelphia," Leighton said. "But that whole playoff experience, that whole season, was definitely a positive for me.

"Got a lot of NHL games, playing in the semifinals, getting three shutouts against Montreal in a playoff series, just playing in the Stanley Cup Final. There's a lot of goalies who play 15, 20 years in the NHL and never make it to the Stanley Cup Final. That's still a great accomplishment for me personally. It obviously sucks we didn't win, but still a highlight of my career to play in the playoffs and have a chance to play for the Cup."

Leighton would start just five more NHL games after the Flyers' run, making his final appearance in the league during the 2016-17 season.

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The Vancouver Canucks have traded defenseman Alex Biega to the Detroit Red Wings for winger David Pope, the Red Wings announced Sunday.

Biega, a 31-year-old right-handed shot, played 41 games with the Canucks in 2018-19, registering 16 points. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, Biega has 179 NHL games under his belt.

Pope, a fourth-round pick of Detroit in 2013, split time between the AHL and ECHL last season. He only managed three points in 28 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins but mustered 13 points in 20 playoff contests with the Toledo Walleye.

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Detroit Red Wings winger Anthony Mantha beat the Dallas Stars all by himself on Sunday night, burying four goals during the club's 4-3 victory.

Mantha potted a natural hat trick in the second period, then added his fourth goal of the contest with less than a minute to go in the final frame.

Here's a look at each tally from his otherworldly performance.

A one-time blast:

A beautiful individual effort:

A lucky bounce:

And the game-winner:

Mantha's efforts marked Detroit's first four-goal game from a single player since Johan Franzen notched five versus the Ottawa Senators in 2011, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.

Mantha now sits atop the NHL in goals with five through two games, tying him with Auston Matthews.

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The Winnipeg Jets' depleted defense has taken another hit, as top-pairing rearguard Josh Morrissey missed Sunday's contest versus the New York Islanders after suffering an upper-body injury during the pregame warmup.

However, the ailment doesn't appear to be serious, as Jets head coach Paul Maurice said sitting the defender was precautionary, and Morrissey is listed as day-to-day, according to Mitchell Clinton of JetsTV.

Carl Dahlstrom replaced Morrissey while making his Jets debut. Here's the lineup Winnipeg rolled out:

Morrissey, 24, is Winnipeg's top defender after an offseason of turnover among the club's blue-liners. Jacob Trouba was sent to the New York Rangers in a trade, Tyler Myers signed with the Vancouver Canucks as an unrestricted free agent, and Dustin Byfuglien is currently inactive as he mulls his future in the sport.

The new-look defense has performed poorly to open the season, as the Jets had allowed 10 goals in two contests entering Sunday's game.

Morrissey averaged just over 26 minutes of ice time in his first two games while registering one assist.

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The mighty Tampa Bay Lightning offense was no match for the Carolina Hurricanes in the second period of Sunday's contest, as the home side held the Bolts without a single shot on goal in the middle frame.

The Canes outshot the Lightning 17-0 in the second. It was the first time Carolina's held an opponent to no shots in a period since 2004, according to Hurricanes PR.

Conversely, it also marked the first time Tampa Bay failed to record a shot on goal in a single period since 2013, according to Bryan Burns of the team's website.

It was a dominant showing in the second for the Hurricanes, who recorded 85% of the period's shot attempts, 93% of the scoring chances, and 95% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Carolina outshot Tampa Bay 44-13 for the contest and recorded a 70-26 advantage in five-on-five attempts. The Hurricanes ultimately won the game 4-3 in overtime, marking the club's first 3-0 start since the 1995-96 season.

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