The NHL has postponed the next three games on the Colorado Avalanche's schedule after a third Avalanche player entered COVID-19 protocols, the league announced Friday.
The Avalanche canceled their morning skate Friday after a COVID-19 test came back positive from Thursday's testing. Colorado goaltender Philipp Grubauer reportedly tested positive earlier this week and joined defenseman Bowen Byram on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday he expects Grubauer to miss "more than 14 days."
Colorado was scheduled to play the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Sunday before facing the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The league expects the Avalanche to re-open team facilities on April 21 and return to action against the Blues the following night.
The Winnipeg Jets signed forward Adam Lowry to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $3.25 million, the team announced.
Lowry, 28, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Jets since being selected by the club in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft. He has eight goals and 12 assists in 44 games this season.
Adam Lowry, signed $3.25Mx5 by WPG, is a bottom-six defensive centre who's trusted in tough matchups but is no longer the analytical darling he was in his early 20s. #GoJetsGopic.twitter.com/ngfQ9OtWDZ
The Senators inked the Hobey Baker Award finalist to a three-year, entry-level contract earlier in April. Pinto recently wrapped up his second season at the University of North Dakota, racking up 15 goals and 17 assists in 28 games.
Ottawa also previously signed Jacob Bernard-Docker - the 26th pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and Pinto's teammate at North Dakota - to an entry-level deal. The defenseman debuted with the Senators on Wednesday.
Pinto was selected by Ottawa with the 32nd pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Welcome to the 13th edition of "Looking North," our weekly Friday dive into the all-Canadian division. This installment dates back to April 9.
There's no shortage of North Division plots to follow heading into the final stretch of the season. With many fresh faces entering the race following the trade deadline, we're in for quite the finish.
The Calgary Flames kept themselves in playoff contention with three straight wins last week. Calgary is 8-10-1 since hiring Darryl Sutter, but perhaps this group is starting to find its legs under Sutter's approach. Has the club found another gear? Or will it cool off and fizzle out down the stretch?
Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets tightened the gap behind the first-place Maple Leafs with a big win over Toronto on Thursday. After losing three straight games, the Leafs are just three points ahead of Winnipeg with three contests remaining between the sides.
The Ottawa Senators continue to show signs of improvement, while the Montreal Canadiens have struggled to gain momentum. Montreal picked up an impressive 4-2 victory over Toronto before laying an egg against Calgary at home two nights later.
With just one game on their schedule, the Edmonton Oilers have been idle since Saturday's loss to the Flames, and the Vancouver Canucks remain sidelined due to the club's COVID-19 outbreak.
The rundown
Team
Points over last week
Flames
6 (3-0-0)
Jets
6 (3-1-0)
Maple Leafs
3 (1-2-1)
Canadiens
2 (1-2-0)
Senators
2 (1-2-0)
Oilers
0 (0-1-0)
Canucks
0 (0-0-0)*
*The NHL postponed all of the Canucks' games since last Friday.
The stars
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Forward: Nik Ehlers was dynamite once again last week for the Jets. The 6-foot winger led the club with four goals, including a pair of tallies in Winnipeg's big win against the Maple Leafs on Thursday.
Defense: Like a true captain, Mark Giordano got the Flames rolling with time running out to salvage their season. The veteran rearguard tallied two goals and five points, and Calgary owned an expected goals for percentage of 57.52 at five-on-five with him patrolling the ice.
Goaltender: Jacob Markstrom has started to look more like the $36-million netminder the Flames were expecting. The Swedish puck-stopper collected all three wins for the club last week and allowed just three goals on 70 shots for a sparkling .967 save percentage. If Markstrom can catch fire down the stretch, Calgary's playoff hopes are still very much alive.
Canadian of the week
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Mark Scheifele has been invaluable to the Jets' success all season, but the 28-year-old has taken his game up another level with captain Blake Wheeler sidelined with a concussion. Scheifele, who sits seventh in league scoring, added to his team-leading point total with two goals and four helpers through four outings last week. The Ontario native is also riding a six-game point streak. Winnipeg is tough to stop when Scheifele is at the top of his game.
The moments
Lucic celebrates game No. 1,000 the old-fashioned way 🥊
Milan Lucic had a milestone night to remember. The veteran set up the club's first goal before dropping the mitts with Leafs forward Scott Sabourin. Lucic picked up a trophy scar in the seemingly commemorative tilt, which seems only fitting for one of his generation's toughest competitors.
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) April 13, 2021
Matthews makes goal-scoring history🚨
Auston Matthews was firing on all cylinders once again this week, and his hat trick against the Senators was one for the record books. On his second tally of the night - which came just 39 seconds after his first - Matthews became the first U.S.-born player to net 30 goals in each of his first five campaigns.
Former Flames netminder David Rittich knows all about Johnny Gaudreau's world-class mitts, and it took less than one minute into overtime for "Johnny Hockey" to put them on display. Gaudreau beat Rittich with a silky dangle, which the Czech netminder had likely seen plenty of times in practice, to lift the Flames over the Leafs and spoil Rittich's debut with Toronto.
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) April 14, 2021
The question
Will the Canucks finish their season? They've endured a difficult COVID-19 outbreak and some players have voiced the need for more recovery time. The NHL can only expand its window so long, and Vancouver is already all but out of the playoff race.
Stat of the week
Rittichbecame the first goalie since Steve Passmore in March 2001 to be traded and play his former team in his first game with his new club. The Czech puck-stopper was steady in his Maple Leafs debut, turning aside 25 of 28 shots in the overtime loss to Calgary.
Games to watch
The Flames can move within two points of the Canadiens when the clubs meet in Montreal on Friday. The Habs have a few games in hand, but they can't afford to get too comfortable down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the Jets continue their push for the top spot in the division with a matchup with the Oilers on Saturday before opening a critical three-game set at home against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.
Stamkos has missed the club's past three games. He'll be forced to miss at least 10 contests total and won't be eligible to return until May 5, per Smith.
The Lightning have 13 games remaining this season. They currently sit tied atop the Central Division with the Carolina Hurricanes with one extra game played.
Stamkos has notched 34 points in 38 games in 2021.
