Keith to miss at least 2 more games with groin injury

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed Tuesday that defenseman Duncan Keith will be sidelined for at least two more games, according to team insider Carter Baum.

Keith, 36, suffered a groin injury Nov. 29 against the Colorado Avalanche and has missed the club's last two contests.

The two-time Norris Trophy winner has declined offensively but remains the Blackhawks' most steady fixture on the blue line. Keith has logged a team-high 23:51 of ice time per game and ranks second on the club with 44 blocked shots through 25 outings this season.

Keith joins a few other key pieces on the injury list, as forwards Dylan Strome, Drake Caggiula, and Andrew Shaw are all in concussion protocol.

The Blackhawks have lost six of their last seven games and travel to Boston for a matchup with the league-leading Bruins on Thursday.

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Report: Penguins’ Hornqvist likely to miss about a month with knee injury

Details about Patric Hornqvist's latest injury are crystalizing.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward is dealing with a knee injury and is expected to miss around a month, The Athletic's Josh Yohe reports.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Tuesday that Hornqvist would be out "longer term" with what he deemed a lower-body ailment after falling in practice Monday.

The 32-year-old has contributed 11 points in 20 games in 2019-20. He missed seven contests in November with a separate ailment.

Pittsburgh has been ravaged by injuries this season. Sidney Crosby, Justin Schultz, and Brian Dumoulin are among the Penguins players currently on the shelf, while Evgeni Malkin was forced to miss 11 games earlier in the campaign, and Kris Letang returned to action last Wednesday after sitting out eight contests.

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Devils fire head coach John Hynes

The New Jersey Devils have dismissed head coach John Hynes and named Alain Nasreddine interim bench boss, the club announced Tuesday.

The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Devils 7-1 on Monday night, dropping New Jersey's record to 9-13-4 ahead of Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Hynes was in his fifth season behind New Jersey's bench. During that span, the Devils went 150-159-45 and missed the playoffs in all but one campaign, in which the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked them out of the first round in five games.

Expectations were high in New Jersey following an active summer. The club landed P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev on the trade market and drafted Jack Hughes first overall.

However, the Devils stumbled out of the gate, losing their first six games and nine of their first 11 contests to start the season.

The New Jersey job was Hynes' first as an NHL head coach.

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Maurice: Kulikov out until ‘around the All-Star break’

The Winnipeg Jets' shorthanded defense corps will now be tested even further.

Head coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday that Dmitry Kulikov will be out "until around the All-Star break" with the injury he suffered during Friday night's win over the Anaheim Ducks. This year's All-Star weekend takes place Jan. 24 and 25 in St. Louis.

Kulikov left that game after Ducks forward Carter Rowney hit him hard in the first period. The veteran kept his left arm down at his side while skating off, according to the Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck.

The Jets called it an upper-body ailment at the time, and Kulikov didn't play in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

The 29-year-old, who's not known for his offense, has recorded four points in 25 contests this season. He ranks third among Jets blue-liners in ice time while logging nearly 20 minutes per game.

Winnipeg's back end has already been thinned out after an injury to Nathan Beaulieu, the offseason departures of Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot, and Dustin Byfugilen being away from the team all season amid his uncertain future.

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Matt Stajan retires after 14 NHL seasons

Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames forward Matt Stajan officially announced his retirement from professional hockey on Tuesday after 14 NHL seasons.

"Thank you to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames organizations for giving me the opportunity to play and compete in the best league in the world," Stajan said. "I wore both jerseys with great pride, and I will be forever grateful for the experiences that came along with that. Also, thank you EHC Red Bull Munich - it was a great experience to play overseas for such a great organization."

Drafted 57th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2002, Stajan spent five full seasons in Toronto before a midseason trade to Calgary, where he played eight-plus campaigns for the Flames. He concluded his pro career in Germany, playing 52 games for Munich in 2018-19.

Stajan suited up in 1,003 NHL games, posting 147 goals and 264 assists.

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Canadiens’ Kinkaid assigned to AHL after clearing waivers

Keith Kinkaid will try to rediscover his game in the minors.

The Montreal Canadiens have assigned the veteran goaltender to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Kinkaid went unclaimed on waivers before Tuesday's deadline.

Montreal placed him on the wire Monday. Afterward, Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said this would give Kinkaid the opportunity to play more often and "hopefully get his game back in sync."

The 30-year-old backup has an .875 save percentage and just one win in six NHL games this season.

On July 1, Montreal signed Kinkaid to a one-year, $1.75-million contract.

The Canadiens recalled their top goaltending prospect, Cayden Primeau, from Laval on Monday.

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