Sabres’ Bogosian assigned to AHL after clearing waivers

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian cleared waivers Saturday and was assigned to the AHL's Rochester Americans, the team announced.

The 29-year-old has one year remaining on his contract carrying a $5.14-million cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Bogosian was selected third overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008 - one pick after Drew Doughty and one selection before Alex Pietrangelo. Injuries, including multiple hip surgeries, played a part in derailing his career.

He signed a seven-year, $36-million contract with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013 but was traded to Buffalo in a 2015 blockbuster along with Evander Kane and Jason Kasdorf for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux, and a first-round pick (that became Jack Roslovic).

Bogosian has been lost in the shuffle in Buffalo this season, tallying just five points in 19 games. He reportedly requested a trade in December.

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Maurice disputes upheld Sharks goal: No way that’s not goalie interference

Paul Maurice was none too thrilled with the officiating crew Friday night.

The Winnipeg Jets head coach sounded off about Marcus Sorensen's goal that opened the scoring for the San Jose Sharks, and the fact that it was upheld after Maurice challenged for goaltender interference.

Sorensen jammed the puck under Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck amid what Maurice considered egregious contact with his netminder late in the first period of San Jose's 3-2 victory.

"I'm making that call (to challenge it) all day long, and it really doesn't matter what they say to me," Maurice told reporters postgame. "There's no way they can tell me that's not goalie interference. He has two sticks into his pad that push him behind the line. I understand that the puck goes five-hole on him, but that's the reason why. He's spread open on the two sticks that pushed him behind the goal line. It's not incidental contact."

"It's not going to matter (if) I don't understand it," he added. "I'm not going to agree that they're right ever on that call."

The Jets have now lost two consecutive games and sit 2-2-0 on a six-game homestand that concludes with matchups against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday and the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

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Kassian suspended 7 games for kicking Cernak

Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian has been banned seven contests for kicking Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

Kassian extended his leg toward Cernak's chest in the first period Thursday night. The Edmonton winger wasn't penalized for the incident.

It's the second suspension for Kassian in 2020. The league handed him a two-game ban in January for his role in an altercation with Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk.

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AHL names Oilers exec Howson new president, CEO

Edmonton Oilers director of player development Scott Howson will be the next chief executive officer of the American Hockey League.

The AHL's Board of Governors unanimously elected the former Columbus Blue Jackets general manager as its incoming president and CEO, the league announced Friday.

Oilers chairman Bob Nicholson said in a statement that Howson will remain with the club in his current role through the end of April.

The 59-year-old will become the 10th AHL president since the league was formed in 1936, and he'll succeed David Andrews, who is retiring after 26 years. Andrews will continue on as chairman of the board after his tenure as president and CEO ends June 30.

Howson has served several roles in the Oilers' front office since Edmonton hired him in 2013.

He handled the Blue Jackets' GM duties for nearly six years beginning in 2007.

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NHL weekend betting preview: Senators will find scoring touch

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

We couldn't quite follow up a perfect Wednesday with an unbeaten Thursday, but we did take home a slight profit despite a 2-2 record with our official bets.

We also improved to 7-3 on our last 10 best bets, though our trend of the day was a loser. It was a case of two steps forward, one step back.

Moving forward, there are a ton of games this weekend, so let's have at it.

GOATs and scapegoats

There are a number of GOATs we could pick from the St. Louis Blues-Vegas Golden Knights matchup that soared over the six-goal total, but Zach Sanford takes the cake with his four-goal effort. A player scoring four times when you bet the over is pretty spectacular.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets let us down. They held a 2-0 lead late in the second period before losing 4-3 in overtime. Matiss Kivlenieks allowed three goals on the Buffalo Sabres' final 10 shots of regulation. That one hurt.

Weekend bets

Saturday: Edmonton Oilers

Sooner or later, you'd expect Joel Quenneville to pull the Florida Panthers out of their funk, but until we see signs of a turnaround, let's keep taking advantage of them. The Panthers have now lost five of their last six, including three in a row on home ice, while the Oilers are still playing some very good hockey in the absence of Connor McDavid. Edmonton's on an 11-3 run in road games against Eastern Conference teams and should be targeted on Saturday at plus-money.

Saturday: Dallas Stars

The look-ahead line for this game at Bell Center has the Stars at -115. The Montreal Canadiens will first play Friday night in Pittsburgh, so we could see goalie Charlie Lindgren start Saturday, though with the Habs' playoff hopes hanging by a thread, it's possible Carey Price starts both games. Regardless, Montreal has been struggling on home ice and seems to be running out of steam while being hit hard by the injury bug. The Stars have won eight of their last 11 on the road and should comfortably take care of business Saturday night. Don't hesitate to grab them at such a short price.

Sunday: Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have won nine of their last 10 games at Prudential Center, with the New Jersey Devils hardly lighting the lamp in those contests (more on that later). Elvis Merzlikins owns a .947 save percentage in 2020 and should have no problem leading the Jackets to continued dominance over their Metropolitan Division foes.

Best bet

Saturday: Ottawa Senators' team total over 2.5

You might be surprised that the Senators have won eight of their last 10 home games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa has scored at least three goals in 10 of its last 11 contests versus the Leafs in the nation's capital, including 10 goals combined in the two meetings there last season. Toronto's defensive issues don't seem to be improving, and with the Leafs in action on Sunday as well, we could see Jack Campbell start the first game of the back-to-back - a move coach Sheldon Keefe's been making of late. Regardless of the starter, Ottawa's the play.

Trend of the night

The Devils have scored just 12 goals in their last 10 home games against the Blue Jackets. They've scored one goal or fewer in seven of those 10 contests.

Meanwhile, Merzlikins is in top form and the Blue Jackets are conceding very few goals these days, so a play on the Devils' team total under 2.5, as well as under 1.5 - which can likely be had at around +200 - are both in the cards for Sunday's game.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Leafs’ Johnsson to miss at least 8 weeks with knee injury

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson will require surgery on his knee and will be out at least eight weeks, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Johnsson suffered the injury Thursday against the Dallas Stars after colliding with teammate Kasperi Kapanen.

More to come.

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