With the pandemic suspending sporting events worldwide, athletes suddenly have tons of time on their hands. In the latest installment of our weekly NHL series, we look at how they've been keeping themselves entertained - and in shape - while self-isolating.

Ovechkin flexes on The Great One

Typically, if you're going toe to toe with the greatest hockey player of all time, you might want to be a little reserved. That is, unless you're Alex Ovechkin. While the two faced off in a couple of games of NHL 20, raising over $40,000 for charity in the process, Ovechkin celebrated a buzzer-beater game-tying goal the only way he knows how - by screaming at the top of his lungs. Never change, Ovi.

Kendall Coyne Schofield did what?!

Kendall Coyne Schofield measures in at 5-foot-2 and 125 pounds while her husband, Michael Schofield - an NFL player - clocks in at a towering 6-foot-7, 310 pounds. Kendall shows off some incredible strength by somehow doing a few squats with her husband on her back. Beast mode.

Marner is a different breed

The Maple Leafs forward is surely missing his teammates on the ice, but is making the most of what he has available to him. Here, he shows off his slick stickhandling on his driveway while teasing his dog in a long game of keep-away.

Marleau fails miserably at lipreading

Patrick and his wife Christina Marleau took some time to take on the whisper challenge, and Patrick didn't bode well at all. After two minutes of trying to guess a pretty simple - but odd - phrase, Patrick had to give up. Maybe stick to hockey.

Keith Tkachuk: Official pickleball commentator

The Tkachuk brothers have been keeping busy with each other at home. This week they tackled a game of pickleball and had a tightly contested match while father Keith watched and provided some entertaining play-by-play.

Hughes brothers take to the streets

Imagine going outside to play some road hockey with your neighbors and you're met by two NHL stars and a future top prospect? That would be the Hughes brothers - Quinn, Jack, and Luke. The trio laced up their blades and took to the streets just like the good old days.

Scheifele's hair is going rogue

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

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Mats Zuccarello doesn't appreciate the way his former team, the New York Rangers, have treated franchise legend Henrik Lundqvist.

"It's disrespectful," Zuccarello said, according to Roy Kvatningen of VG, as translated by Danny Abriano of SNY. "He is getting older, yes, and they have another good keeper, but then they could let him play the games (Igor) Shesterkin doesn't play."

Lundqvist saw a drastic dip in his playing time this season after rookie phenom Igor Shesterkin was promoted from the AHL. Fellow youngster Alexandar Georgiev played the majority of games Shesterkin missed. Lundqvist started just four of a possible 29 contests after Shesterkin was recalled on Jan. 6.

"It is absolutely haunting that he is treated that way," Zuccarello said. "Did anyone ever think that this was going to happen Henrik Lundqvist? None."

With three goaltenders on board, the Rangers have some decisions to make this summer. Shesterkin and Georgiev are both 24 years old, but Lundqvist, 38, is under contract for one more season with a hefty $8.5-million cap hit. It's possible he could be bought out, especially considering the club is up against the cap.

Zuccarello sees some similarities to how the Rangers treated him - New York dealt the winger to the Dallas Stars at the 2018 trade deadline. Lundqvist got choked up when discussing the move afterward.

"I never thought it would happen to me, either. In my eyes, I was about to end (my career with the Rangers). I think Hank would, too," said Zuccarello. "Everything was going to be fine and great, but then the management decided (something else), and then you are not worth a damn."

Lundqvist, who sits sixth on the all-time wins list, owns a .905 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average in 30 games this season.

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The Carolina Hurricanes' unlikely run to the conference finals in 2009 may not have happened if it weren't for Jussi Jokinen's heroics.

In the opening round of the playoffs that year, the sixth-seeded Hurricanes were pitted against the third-seeded New Jersey Devils. With New Jersey leading the series 2-1, Jokinen scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 with 0.2 seconds left on the clock in the third period. It stands as the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history.

Watch the entire contest at 8 p.m. ET:

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Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper has experience coaching hockey in an empty arena.

Cooper was the head coach of the Norfolk Admirals - the organization's former AHL affiliate - in 2012 when they were forced to play a playoff game at a neutral site without fans due to scheduling conflicts.

"The first five minutes everybody gets a shift in and there are no fans in the stands, there will probably be a little bit of sarcasm going on the bench like there is on every single NHL bench about what's going on," Cooper told NHL.com's Bryan Burns. "But I'm telling you, once the banging starts and the competitive juices kick in, I don't think guys will even notice."

If the NHL is able to resume its season at some point this summer, it's highly unlikely fans will be allowed to attend games. Cooper believes the intensity among players will still be there, knowing what's at stake.

"It didn't change a thing," Cooper said of the 2012 contest. "Guys were battling it out, gaming it out. That's the only thing I can reflect on when I was a part of something like that at kind of a crucial time in the second round of the playoffs. It was still one hell of a hockey game.

"I think the guys will get over (not having fans in the stands) pretty quick knowing what's at the end of the rainbow if you keep winning those games."

The NHL abandoned its plan to hold games at non-league arenas, and Toronto and Columbus have reportedly emerged as leading contenders to serve as two of the league's host cities if play resumes. Florida Panthers president Matthew Caldwell said Wednesday the league is targeting a July return.

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The NHL and NHLPA have intensified talks about a potential plan to resume the season, and Toronto and Columbus are the leading contenders to become two of the host cities, according to the New York Post's Larry Brooks.

Initial reports indicated that as many as 12 NHL cities were being vetted as possible destinations.

The latest proposal floating around this week discussed the idea of the NHL using up to four hub cities and bringing teams to station in each of them to play out the remainder of the games. The cities will need to have an existing NHL team, rather than using neutral sites that were talked about earlier.

Commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet's Ron MacLean Wednesday that the cities they're looking into need to meet certain requirements in order to be considered. The city can't be a hotspot for COVID-19, arenas would need at least four NHL-caliber dressing rooms and practice facilities nearby that meet NHL standards, and there would need to be a suitable four- or five-star hotel nearby to house the players.

Within the framework of this idea, teams will hold training camps for up to three weeks at their assigned centralized locations before games begin.

The NHL will need to listen to local governing bodies when making decisions as well. After the league began exploring Edmonton and Calgary as potential destinations, Alberta's chief medical officer clarified that gatherings of more than 15 people will be prohibited until at least September, ultimately ruling out the two cities.

One of the glaring issues on the NHLPA's agenda for a return to play amid the pandemic is the concern for a number of players with pre-existing health issues. That includes players such as Max Domi, who has Type 1 diabetes, and Brian Boyle, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2017 but has been in remission since 2018.

There are also a number of questions that remain unanswered. A decision needs to be made regarding European players and whether they will be able to return, what the daily lives of players quarantined in hotels for weeks will be like, and how the league will handle the testing of its players and staff. Brooks added that these questions will all be a part of discussions in the coming days.

The NHL and NHLPA will continue to hold conference calls in the near future to determine if a return is a plausible scenario.

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Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby offered a message of support to his fellow Nova Scotians while his home province continues to grieve the deaths of 22 people lost in a shooting last week.

"I'm in Pittsburgh, but being from Nova Scotia, my heart and mind is home with all of you," Crosby said. "I'd like to extend my condolences to all the family and friends affected by this tragedy, as well to the family of Constable Heidi Stevenson from Cole Harbour, who sacrificed her life protecting others. I’d like to thank all the first responders and, as well, the medical personnel that faced this nightmare head on to keep us all safe.

"I know we’ll stick together as we always do through challenging times, and help support those who need it the most. I’m sending all my love and support back home."

Crosby, who was born in Halifax, grew up in Cole Harbour - a town where one of the victims, Constable Heidi Stevenson, was from. He was one of several Nova Scotian athletes to offer thoughts and prayers to the province.

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The NHL should be deep into postseason action, but with the start of the 2019-20 playoffs delayed, theScore's hockey editors are picking their favorite Game 7s from years past.

We're now looking back at how one of the biggest recent playoff upsets concluded. The Montreal Canadiens, with goaltender Jaroslav Halak leading the way, walked into Washington to defeat the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in a thrilling Game 7 during the opening round of the 2009-10 playoffs.

The setup

The Capitals just finished their most dominant regular season of all time, winning the team's first Presidents' Trophy. A young Alex Ovechkin was fresh off a 50-goal, 109-point campaign, and he was looking to keep things rolling in the postseason, with the Capitals entering as the No. 1 seed in the East.

The 2009-10 season was a special one for the Canadiens, as it was their 100th anniversary. After hosting the 2009 NHL Draft and All-Star Game, Montreal managed to squeeze into the playoffs as the eighth seed, beating out the New York Rangers by one point.

The Capitals couldn't have asked for a better first-round matchup on paper. They had scored 99 more goals than the Canadiens that season while racking up 15 more regulation wins, and they were 33 points ahead of Montreal in the standings.

However, what should have been an easy series win was far from it.

The series

The Canadiens' Carey Price and Halak split starts in goal evenly all season long. But come playoff time, Halak was given the nod, helping to stun the Capitals in Game 1 while stopping 45 of 47 shots. But the Canadiens went on to drop the next three games to go down 3-1 in the series.

On the brink of elimination, Halak went superhuman. He stopped 37 of 38 shots in Game 5 to keep the Habs alive, and the then 24-year-old one-upped his performance by stopping 53 of 54 shots in Game 6 to force a Game 7.

Through six games, Washington was outshooting Montreal 250 to 178, but only outscoring the Habs 21 to 18. With Halak playing on another level and the Capitals unable to solve him, Montreal headed to Washington ready to steal the series.

The game

The star: This one is a no-brainer, and it's evident who the game's single star was just by simply looking at the box score. Halak gets all the credit again after stepping up when it mattered most against the league's best offensive team.

Facing pressure all night long, he stopped 41 of 42 shots and blanked the Capitals on their three power-play opportunities. He helped steer the Canadiens, who mustered just 16 shots on goal, to an improbable victory.

The X-factor(s): Canadiens defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron played just 4:06 in Game 7. But he made the most of his limited ice time, blasting home a power-play goal in the dying seconds of the first period to give the Habs a 1-0 lead they didn't relinquish.

The Canadiens' defense was abysmal in the series. However, the team blocked an incredible 41 shots from the Capitals in Game 7, with big-bodied Hal Gill leading (six blocks).

The key moment: To start the third period, the Capitals were still trying to figure out how to get one past the brick wall standing in the Canadiens' net. Minutes into the frame, Ovechkin thought he tied the game with a wicked wrist shot.

While the team and fans were busy celebrating, they all failed to realize the referee waived the goal off due to Mike Knuble's goaltender interference. The Capitals returned to square one with their backs against the wall.

The highlight

Dominic Moore, one of Montreal's trade-deadline acquisitions that season, proved the deal to get him was absolutely worth it by potting the most crucial goal of the series. With Washington pressing hard, the Canadiens broke out, and Moore pounced on the opportunity.

The Canadiens knew that with three-and-a-half minutes left, their 2-0 lead wasn't necessarily safe. The Capitals' Brooks Laich scored one minute later, but the Canadiens were able to hold onto the lead and close out the game, with Moore's tally standing as the series-winner.

The fallout

After stunning the Capitals in the first round, the Canadiens took on the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. With gas still left in the tank, the Canadiens and Halak also upset the Penguins in seven games. Then things fell apart when the Philadelphia Flyers dropped Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.

That summer, both Halak and Price became restricted free agents. Price was clearly the goalie of the future in Montreal, but Halak's playoff performance still made the decision between the two extremely tough.

Ultimately, the Canadiens rolled the dice and stuck with Price, trading Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. Eller quickly became a fan favorite and spent six seasons in Montreal, while Schultz never suited up in an NHL game.

Halak has enjoyed success with the Blues, New York Islanders, and Boston Bruins since being dealt. His departure ushered in a new era for the Canadiens, with future Hart Trophy winner Price anchoring the team. Montreal has returned to the conference final once with Price, but otherwise the club hasn't accomplished much.

The Canadiens' 2009-10 playoff run may not have resulted in a Stanley Cup, but Halak put together one of the most memorable postseason performances we've seen in a long time.

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Boston Bruins president Cam Neely still believes there's a great possibility this NHL season can be completed without affecting next year.

"I can tell you this. Both the players and NHL ownership want to do whatever possible to get this season completed," Neely said, according to NBC Sports Boston's Joe Haggerty. "If that means playing into the summer then we're all willing to do that. The feeling is there’s an opportunity to be able to push next season back and still get an 82-game schedule in next year. Everything is on the table to try and get the (2019-20) season completed."

The most recent idea that has been floated around is using hub cities to host the remainder of the season's games. There was also a report earlier this week that an NHL team told its players to plan to return for workouts starting May 15.

Neely added he believes the NHLPA wouldn't approve a scenario to resume the season if it meant it had to jump directly into the playoffs, and that regular-season games will be needed to ramp up to the postseason.

The Bruins stood atop the league's standings with a 44-14-12 record and were primed for another deep playoff run after making the Stanley Cup Final last season.

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