Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault cleared the air one day after his outburst about catching an uncalled elbow to the head made waves.

Perreault was incensed when asked about a hit from Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen on Tuesday, and he called out the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

"Player safety, my ass" Perreault said afterward. "This is literally an elbow to the face of a guy that didn't have the puck."

"I can't really protect myself if the league's not going to protect me," Perrault continued. "I'm the smallest guy (on) the ice so I can't really fight anybody. The only thing I can do to defend myself is use my stick, so the next guy that does that to me is gonna get my f------ stick. And I better not get suspended for it."

On Friday, Perreault showed remorse for his comments.

"My emotions got a little high there," he told reporters. "I obviously wouldn't slash anybody in the face."

"That's just not who I am," he added. "I've never done anything like that in my career. So yeah, that was probably a little too much for me to say. I've always played a hard game between the whistle within the rules and never done anything to anybody really. That's just not who I am, so I wouldn't do anything like that. I'd like to take that back for sure."

The 32-year-old wasn't injured on the play, but Perreault has a concussion history and he was forced to miss time in December following a late hit from Joel Farabee that warranted a three-game suspension.

Perreault has appeared in 41 games for the Jets this season, posting six goals and six assists.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have been dealt a significant blow, as defenseman Dougie Hamilton suffered a broken left fibula Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to team writer Michael Smith.

Hamilton is being evaluated by doctors and could undergo surgery as early as Friday evening, with a recovery timeline to follow.

Hamilton, 26, is in the midst of a Norris Trophy-caliber season with 14 goals and 40 points through 47 games. He was named to the Metropolitan Division All-Star squad, but will teammate Jaccob Slavin will now replace him.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, find themselves in a heated playoff race; they enter Friday in a three-way tie with the Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers for the Eastern Conference's two wildcard spots.

Thankfully, the club has ample depth on the blue line. The Canes have been carrying seven capable NHL defensemen on their roster for the bulk of the season, and both Haydn Fleury and Trevor van Riemsdyk should expect to watch fewer games from the press box moving forward.

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The on-ice rivalry between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames has been well-documented this season, but the Battle of Alberta could extend beyond the playing surface over the next five weeks.

Both clubs are looking to add a top-six forward before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger.

The Flames cleared $4.3 million in cap space when they dealt Michael Frolik to the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 2. LeBrun noted that finding a right-handed shooter is a "key" for Calgary general manager Brad Treliving.

Rental forwards that could be on the trade block ahead of the deadline include Tyler Toffoli (R), Chris Kreider (L), Jesper Fast (R), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (R), Tyler Ennis (L), Vladislav Namestnikov (L), Ilya Kovalchuk (R), Mikael Granlund (L), Rocco Grimaldi (R), Craig Smith (R), Wayne Simmonds (R), Alex Galchenyuk (L), Conor Sheary (L), and Jimmy Vesey (L).

Among players set to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2021, Tomas Tatar (L), Eric Staal (L), Kyle Palmieri (R), and Marcus Johansson (L) are intriguing names on clubs currently outside the playoff picture that could become sellers ahead of the deadline.

Whether many of the aforementioned players could hold their own in a top-six role is up for debate, but it's clear Treliving and Oilers GM Ken Holland have options at their disposal.

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Brad Marchand has had some trouble handling the puck lately, and he's hoping somebody can help him find his hands again.

After overskating the puck on a shootout attempt earlier this week, the Boston Bruins forward fumbled the rubber once again on a clearcut breakaway during Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Marchand had Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry beat, but he simply mishandled the puck and missed out on an easy goal. With 21 tallies and 64 points on the season, mishaps like these are rare for the 31-year-old.

On Friday, Marchand took to Twitter in an attempt to solve his recent woes:

Hopefully, an upstanding citizen finds and returns them as soon as possible so Marchand can get back on track.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Brad Marchand has had some trouble handling the puck lately, and he's hoping somebody can help him find his hands again.

After overskating the puck on a shootout attempt earlier this week, the Boston Bruins forward fumbled the rubber once again on a clearcut breakaway during Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Marchand had Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry beat, but he simply mishandled the puck and missed out on an easy goal. With 21 tallies and 64 points on the season, mishaps like these are rare for the 31-year-old.

On Friday, Marchand took to Twitter in an attempt to solve his recent woes:

Hopefully, an upstanding citizen finds and returns them as soon as possible so Marchand can get back on track.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.