Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is well aware he's playing through one of the worst stretches of his young career.

"I just need to find more ways to stop pucks. Just go out and play," Hart said, according to The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor. "Not overthink things and just trust my game. It's just shitty right now. I don't feel like myself, and I've got to find a way to get back into playing the game that I love and trusting the game I've built."

The 22-year-old was pulled from Tuesday's contest against the Buffalo Sabres after allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period. Brian Elliott saved 11 of the 12 shots he faced in relief while helping to backstop the Flyers to a comeback win.

Hart had dropped four of his last five appearances prior to Tuesday's game, including a matchup against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21 when he was yanked after allowing six goals on 23 shots.

Alain Vigneault knows Hart is early in his career, and the head coach maintains faith that the goalie will rebound.

"Carter is a very young goaltender. We all believe in him, we all think that he's got a tremendous amount of potential," Vigneault said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "But it's a tough position. He's going to learn from this, he's going to get better."

Hart has posted a 6-5-3 record with a .888 save percentage and a 3.61 goals-against average this season. He's also produced the league's fifth-worst goals saved above average rating (-8.18).

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Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel will miss an additional week at minimum, head coach Ralph Krueger said after Tuesday's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, according to The Athletic's John Vogl.

Eichel did not suit up Tuesday due to an upper-body injury. Krueger said the star forward returned to Buffalo early, and he will still need further evaluation.

It's unclear when exactly Eichel suffered the injury, but he did appear to experience discomfort in his neck late in Sunday's loss to the New York Islanders.

Eichel missed two games earlier this season due to a lower-body injury. The 24-year-old hasn't put up his usual point totals to this point of the season, registering just two goals and 16 assists in 21 contests.

The Sabres are in last place in the NHL with six wins through 24 games.

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Buffalo Sabres forward Eric Staal has indicated he's open to being traded to a contender, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

The Edmonton Oilers are one club possibly interested in adding the veteran, LeBrun adds.

"I'm told that he (Staal) would be open to a deal to a contender. He has a partial no-trade, 10 teams on it, but for the right team he would certainly go," LeBrun said.

"Keep an eye on Edmonton," he continued. "The Oilers would have to be dollar in, dollar out - they're right at the cap, they're in LTIR, but they are looking to upgrade their third line, and I'm told that Eric Staal is a name that has been mentioned internally by the Oilers brass."

The Sabres dealt Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Staal prior to this season. The pending unrestricted free agent carries a cap hit of $3.25 million.

Since arriving in Buffalo, Staal has recorded three goals and five assists over 23 games. The 36-year-old center strung together some productive seasons with the Wild in recent years, scoring 42 goals during the 2017-18 campaign, and finishing with 47 points over 66 games in 2019-20.

Buffalo is last in the league with a 6-14-3 record.

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ESPN reached a seven-year deal to become one of the NHL's broadcast partners, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The agreement is expected to give ESPN rights to broadcast four Stanley Cup Finals between 2022-28, along with streaming capabilities for Disney, Johnston adds.

The deal's financial details aren't known. It's also unclear which other media company will be involved with ESPN in the venture.

NBC currently pays $200 million per year for NHL broadcast rights that expire at the end of the 2021 season.

ESPN hasn't aired NHL games since before the 2004-05 lockout, but it was involved in broadcasting the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

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Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the team announced Tuesday.

It's unclear when the injury occurred as the defenseman finished Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars and also scored the winner in the shootout.

Josi has amassed two goals and 14 assists in 25 games so far this season. The 30-year-old took home the Norris Trophy last season after accumulating 65 points in 69 games.

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Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson will likely miss at least three more games with the injury he sustained earlier this month.

Pettersson is "probably going to be (out) at least another week," Canucks head coach Travis Green said Tuesday. Vancouver will host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday before playing a road affair against the Ottawa Senators next Monday.

The Swedish star has missed the last three contests with an upper-body injury.

Pettersson had rediscovered his form before being forced out of the lineup. He'd notched 10 goals and 10 assists in his last 20 games after collecting a lone assist over his first six contests this season. Pettersson also buried five goals in as many games before missing time.

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