New Jersey Devils defenseman Will Butcher underwent surgery to repair ruptured thumb ligaments from an injury he sustained Feb. 18, according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein. He is expected to make a full recovery in three-to-four months.

Butcher finishes this season with four goals and 17 assists in 56 games. He recorded four goals and 26 assists in 78 contests last season, and five goals and 39 assists in 81 games the season before.

The 25-year-old inked a three-year, $11.2-million contract with the Devils last summer. His injury timeline puts him on track to be ready for training camp in September.

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Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk suffered a broken hand after blocking a shot during Wednesday night's game against the Washington Capitals, head coach Alain Vigneault said postgame, according to NBC's John Clark.

No timetable has been given for van Riemsdyk's return. Joel Farabee, the Flyers' 2018 first-round pick, will be recalled from the AHL in a corresponding move. The rookie has produced 20 points in 49 games with the big club this season.

JVR struggled to start the campaign, scoring just four times in his first 24 games. The 30-year-old has come on of late, however, recording 15 goals and 31 points in his last 41 contests.

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Only a few years removed from being perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Los Angeles Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty find themselves at the bottom of the league's standings for the second consecutive season.

Doughty said he's trying to keep a positive attitude while the club toils through the rebuilding process.

"It's very hard, but it's the position I'm in, and I gotta try to stay positive every day, as hard as it is," Doughty said Wednesday, per TSN. "Coming to the rink, trying to have fun, trying to help guys get better and help myself get better - it's a difficult process. But like I said, I'm in the position I'm in so I have to make the best of it and just try to get better every day, both as a team and individually."

Doughty seemed slightly underwhelmed when asked if his team is beginning to turn a corner.

"I mean, yeah, 'cause we got a lot of picks, I guess, so (I'm) happy to see all that, get some prospects," Doughty said. "I guess a little bit. We've had flashes of seeing it getting better and then we go into a hole and get worse for a little bit so we need to stay consistent with it and keep running with it."

"I'm getting there," Doughty added when pressed by a reporter if he's satisfied with the team's trajectory. "We're getting better, no doubt about it. ... We're going to have some good, young talent on this team and we need to build the team back up."

Doughty, 30, has been a member of the Kings since being taken second overall in the 2008 draft. He helped the club take home two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014, and he also took home the Norris Trophy in 2016.

The Kings shipped out a number of veteran players this season, including Alec Martinez and Tyler Toffoli, to load up on draft picks. They currently hold eight selections over the first four rounds of the 2020 draft and seven picks across the first four rounds in 2021.

Doughty has appeared in 915 games with the Kings over his career, recording 117 goals and 382 assists. He's in the first year of an eight-year, $88-million contract extension that he signed in 2018.

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New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk needed 90 stitches to repair a cut to his face after being struck by a skate during Tuesday's game, general manager Lou Lamoriello announced Wednesday.

Boychuk only suffered damage to his eyelid, not his eye, Lamoriello added. There is no timetable for his return, but Boychuk is expected to make a full recovery.

The incident occurred in the third period of the Islanders' game against the Canadiens. Montreal forward Artturi Lehkonen fell to the ice in front of New York's goal and clipped Boychuk on the way down.

Boychuk, 36, is in his sixth season with the Islanders. The veteran blue-liner has posted two goals and nine assists in 64 contests in 2019-20 while averaging over 17 minutes per night.

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

It was a rough outing Tuesday after a great couple of days, as we finished 1-3.

Let's put this train back on its tracks.

GOATs and scapegoats

Alex Stalock was a horse for the Minnesota Wild last night, making 37 saves on 38 shots to help them beat the Nashville Predators and ensure we at least cashed one of our Tuesday bets.

A big reason why we didn't win a second was Martin Jones. Since when did he remember how to play hockey? He looked like Evgeni Nabokov last night, stonewalling the Toronto Maple Leafs. That's what I get for betting on the Leafs.

Wednesday bets

Columbus Blue Jackets (+150)

The Blue Jackets visit the Calgary Flames, with both teams clinging to a playoff spot. The Flames are developing a reputation as road warriors because their play away from home has kept them in the postseason picture. They've lost six of their last seven on home ice, though - only beating the Anaheim Ducks - and 11 of their last 15 at the Saddledome. They've lost four of their last five at home to Eastern Conference teams, as well.

Columbus hasn't played its best hockey of late, but the team snapped a run of 11 games - 1-5-5 over that span - without a regulation win Sunday. The Blue Jackets have lost five in a row on the road but they're playing tight games, as three of those defeats came in overtime or a shootout. They're playing teams tough regardless of recent results, and it's possible Sunday's outstanding comeback win has officially broken them out of this slump. Regardless, there's no way the Flames should be laying -170 given their track record on home ice. There's too much value with the Blue Jackets here to pass up.

Best bet

Arizona Coyotes (+100)

There's something fishy about this line. The Coyotes have lost 10 of their last 11 on the road and the Vancouver Canucks are 20-7-4 at home this season. All logic states the Canucks should be, at the very least, -135 in this spot, not -115. So, why is the line so low, and dropping?

Well, Vancouver has lost three in a row, letting in 14 goals over that span. The Canucks have allowed at least three goals in seven straight contests. They're also 1-4 at home this season in their first game back from a road trip of at least three games. They're struggling defensively, and that should be the perfect remedy for a Coyotes offense that's been sputtering on the road. You can't love the idea of betting against the Canucks on home ice, but sometimes you have to trust what a line is telling you.

Trend of the night

The Philadelphia Flyers are on a 12-1 run to the over on the road, while the Washington Capitals are on an 8-0-1 run to the over on home ice.

It's a high total of 6.5 tonight, but all signs point to plenty of goals in D.C. The Capitals have allowed at least three goals in five straight at home, while the Flyers have scored three or more in 10 straight on the road. Perhaps Philadelphia's team total over of 2.5 is in play, as well?

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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The NHL salary cap could increase significantly for the 2020-21 season, as deputy commissioner Bill Daly announced Wednesday that the expected range is between $84 million and $88.2 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

The current cap is $81.5 million, a figure determined last June that came in $1.5 million lower than the estimate commissioner Gary Bettman shared in December 2018.

The exact cap figure will be negotiated between the NHL and NHLPA. Daly also said that a multi-year salary cap has been discussed in CBA talks to help teams plan for the future, LeBrun added.

The NHL introduced a hard salary cap following the 2005 lockout. The initial figure was $39 million and has risen each year since.

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