The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Eric Staal from the Buffalo Sabres on Friday for a third- and fifth-round pick in 2021, the team announced.

The Sabres are retaining 50% of Staal's salary in the deal, according to Cap Friendly.

Montreal still has two picks in both the third and fifth rounds of the upcoming draft to run its total to 12.

Staal is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Minnesota Wild dealt him to Buffalo during the offseason, and he posted 10 points in 32 games in 2021 for the last-place Sabres, who are expected to be major sellers prior to the April 12 trade deadline.

The 36-year-old has 51 points in 62 career playoff games and won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He provides the Canadiens with quality depth at center down the stretch and into the postseason.

The Canadian government and seven teams north of the border reportedly agreed to lower the mandatory quarantine for U.S. players from 14 to seven days, and though it's not official yet, Staal is expected to be eligible for the new rule, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

On Thursday, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said it's "very unlikely" he makes a trade due to salary-cap constraints. Montreal is projected to have just over $800,000 in deadline cap space after the Staal trade, according to Cap Friendly.

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Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will miss both of the club's games this weekend due to an upper-body injury, head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed Friday, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin.

Rask was hurt in Thursday's loss to the New York Islanders. He played the first period but was unable to return after the intermission.

"Hopefully there's (nothing) major there, but obviously something's going on where he had to leave the game again with a similar injury the last time," Cassidy said.

Rask's start versus New York was his first since March 7 due to a previous injury.

The 34-year-old has appeared in 15 games in 2021, posting eight wins with a .907 save percentage.

Boston plays the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon before hosting the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. The Bruins currently sit fourth in the East Division but hold games in hand on every team ahead or behind them in the standings.

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Welcome to the 10th edition of "Looking North," our weekly Friday dive into the all-Canadian division. This installment dates back to March 19.

The rundown

It was a relatively quiet week up north with some teams only playing a handful of games due to scheduling, and in the Montreal Canadiens' and Edmonton Oilers' cases, COVID-19 postponements.

The Calgary Flames had a glorious opportunity to make up some ground in the division but squandered it, losing three straight games - two of them to the last place Ottawa Senators. The Flames scored just twice in those three contests.

The stars

Forward: Andrew Copp scored four goals for the Jets on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks, winning a Winnipeg resident $100,000. He also chipped in with a goal and assist in the Jets' other two games. The gritty forward is now up to 10 goals and 15 assists in 33 contests.

Defenseman: Jeff Petry has put together a season worthy of Norris Trophy consideration, but he's played especially well as of late. In his last three games, he's amassed two points and a 73.3 expected goals percentage at five-on-five.

Goalie: Filip Gustavsson may have entered the campaign as the Sens' fourth goalie, but the rookie has shined since being called upon. In two starts this week - both wins against the Flames - the 2016 second-round pick stopped 63 of 65 shots for a .969 save percentage.

Canadian of the week

Jason Spezza is aging like a fine wine. The 37-year-old has potted goals in three straight games. He's now up to eight goals and 11 assists on the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs despite averaging just 10:33 per contest. Talk about efficiency.

The moments

J.T. Miller produces candidate for OT winner of the year 🤯

The Canucks forward scored a highlight-reel OT winner Friday against Montreal, blowing past Tomas Tatar, undressing Nick Suzuki, and beating Jake Allen. Miller's versatility has been integral to Vancouver; primarily a winger, he's filled in at center with Elias Pettersson out.

Blake Wheeler displays frustration 😠

The Jets captain showed off his arm strength by heaving a puck into the stands after the final horn in Saturday's loss to the Oilers, earning himself a game misconduct. Maybe the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers should give Wheeler a call.

Rasmus Andersson causes a stir 🥄

Perhaps it's been slightly overblown, but the Flames defenseman created controversy Monday when he took the game puck after losing to the Senators. This wouldn't normally create headlines, but it happened to be Gustavsson's first career win. Andersson tossed the puck back onto the ice before heading to the dressing room and said afterward that he wasn't aware of Gustavsson's milestone.

The question

The Flames have easily been the division's most disappointing team, sitting in sixth place with 33 points. They trail Montreal by just four points for the fourth and final playoff spot, but the Habs have three games in hand. It begs the questions: Will Calgary be a deadline seller, and does the club need an offseason overhaul?

Calgary's coaching change has not panned out as hoped. After winning its first three games under Darryl Sutter, the team has dropped four of its last five. If the issue isn't the coach then it's the roster.

The Flames don't have many appealing UFA rentals ahead of the deadline (David Rittich, Josh Leivo, Derek Ryan), so it's hard to imagine they'll do anything major during the season, but it could be an interesting summer in Calgary. Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau will be UFAs after 2022, so it seems possible that two of the team's key players could potentially be moved out to spark a rebuild.

Stat of the week

It would feel wrong not to mention Connor McDavid's brilliance. The Oilers captain has collected seven goals and 13 assists during his nine-game point streak. With 60 points in 34 contests, he's on pace for 99 in 56 appearances this year. That's the equivalent of 144 over 82 games. Just absurd.

Game to watch

The Maple Leafs and Oilers are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Matthews versus McDavid is always must-see TV, but Edmonton should come out hard after being swept - and outscored 13-1 - by Toronto in their recent three-game set.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk became the first NHLer to release a minted non-fungible token (NFT) - a piece of digital memorabilia that's taken the sports world by storm largely due to the success of NBA Top Shot.

He explained the idea on Twitter:

The starting bid on the collectible was set at just over $5,100. All proceeds will be donated to children's hospitals in Calgary and St. Louis, the latter of which is Tkachuk's hometown.

The winning bidder will also receive an autographed stick, jersey, and virtual meet-and-greet with Tkachuk.

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Warning: Story contains coarse language

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere didn't mince words after an embarrassing 8-3 defeat to the New York Rangers on Thursday.

"This team has really lost its identity," Gostisbehere told reporters. "From where we were at the beginning of the year to where we are now. It sucks right now.

"It's just unacceptable. It's just straight not good enough right now. We're letting guys just absolutely f------ beat us up right now in front of the net. It makes our goaltenders look like absolute shit. It's not fair."

Philadelphia's loss Thursday was its fourth in a row and 10th in 14 games. The defeat also marked the second time in a week the Rangers blew out the Flyers, as Philly suffered a 9-0 beatdown to New York on March 17.

The Flyers entered March with an 11-4-3 record and now sit sixth in the East Division, three points outside the playoff picture with three more games played than the fourth-place Bruins.

Gostisbehere is in his seventh season with Philly. The 27-year-old has notched five goals and five assists in 23 games in 2021 while averaging over 20 minutes per contest.

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