The Ottawa Senators are bringing back goaltender Filip Gustavsson on a two-year contract.

Gustavsson was a restricted free agent. The first year of his new deal is of the two-way variety, but the second is one way at an $825,000 cap hit.

The 23-year-old went 5-1-2 with a .933 save percentage over nine games with Ottawa as a rookie last season. He also posted a .910 save percentage in 13 contests with the Senators' AHL affiliate in Belleville in 2021, having spent parts of the last four campaigns with the farm club.

Gustavsson will likely enter the 2021-22 campaign behind Matt Murray and Anton Forsberg on Ottawa's goaltending depth chart.

The Senators have three remaining RFAs in forwards Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and Logan Brown.

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The NHL is eyeing a matinee NHL Heritage Classic game between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs in Hamilton, Ontario, this season, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

The target date is March 13. Toronto and Buffalo were previously scheduled to play an afternoon game that day at the KeyBank Center, but the contest was absent from the Sabres' two half-season ticket options revealed last week.

The game would be held at Tim Hortons Field, which plays host to the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It has a capacity of about 23,000 but can be expanded to approximately 40,000 for special events. The Sabres would be the home team.

Two outdoor games are scheduled for next season so far; the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues will square off in the pandemic-postponed Winter Classic, while the Nashville Predators face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stadium Series.

The Canada-based Heritage Classic was most recently held in Saskatchewan in 2019. The Leafs are the only Canadian team who haven't participated in the Heritage Classic, but they've played in three outdoor games.

Including the inaugural Winter Classic in 2008, the Sabres have played in two outdoor contests.

Back in June, the NHL announced plans to schedule a Tim Hortons Heritage Classic in March 2022. If the game is played between the Sabres and Leafs, Buffalo would be the first non-Canadian team to participate.

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No matter what happens between New York and Washington Capitals pest Tom Wilson next season, new Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is confident his side can remain cool.

"It's not going to overtake the team," Gallant said, according to Larry Brooks of The New York Post. "Fortunately for me, I got the opportunity to be the coach and we're going to change it a little bit, the way the team is going to play and respond to issues like that. I don’t think they're going to happen anymore."

Wilson infamously punched Pavel Buchnevich while he was down and rag-dolled a helmetless Artemi Panarin during a tense contest on May 3. A fight-filled affair followed two days later, and Brendan Smith made sure to drop the gloves with Wilson.

The Rangers' offseason additions - namely Ryan Reaves and Barclay Goodrow - will undoubtedly add some grit to the team's lineup and help protect its stars this season.

"You knew whoever was going to be with the Rangers this year was going to change the complexion of the team a little bit, there was no doubt," Gallant said.

The Rangers are set to face off against Wilson and the Capitals in their first game of the season on Oct. 13. Gallant, who didn't like what he saw from the "hard-nosed" Wilson during that May 3 contest, said the Rangers will likely address their recent history with Washington before puck drop.

"I think our team is going to play a good, solid game and we've got the guys who are going to play a physical game and a good brand of hockey. That's the brand that wins hockey games when you can get your top players playing the way they want to play and don't have to worry about stuff," he said. "That's going to go a long way with the New York Rangers hockey team this year."

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Natalie Spooner scored twice and added an assist as Canada cruised to a 7-0 victory over Germany in the Women's World Hockey Championship quarterfinals on Saturday night in Calgary.

Melodie Daoust tallied one marker and two helpers, while team captain Marie-Philip Poulin provided a goal and an assist during her return from injury. Sarah Fillier and Ashton Bell matched Poulin's production in the contest. Brianne Jenner scored the other goal.

Canada outshot Germany 52-3.

The Canadian squad's semifinal opponent will be determined following the quarterfinal matchup between Finland and the Czech Republic on Saturday night. The United States and Switzerland also moved on to the semis with victories earlier Saturday.

Canada kept rolling Saturday after going 4-0 in the preliminary round. The hosts dispatched the U.S. 5-1 on Thursday for their first victory over the Americans during the tournament since 2013. The Canadians also snapped their archrivals' 29-game win streak at the event.

The semifinals are scheduled for Monday.

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The Carolina Hurricanes filed an offer sheet for Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Saturday.

It's a one-year, $6,100,015 contract. The Canadiens have seven days to match, and will get a first- and third-round pick if they choose not to do so.

Kotkaniemi is a restricted free agent.

The Hurricanes' social media staff clearly enjoyed the move, tweeting "LOL" with the accompanying press release, following that up with a tweet in French, and then making it clear this was payback for Montreal tendering an offer sheet for Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho in 2019.

The Kotkaniemi offer sheet does indeed come with a $20 signing bonus. Aho wears No. 20.

In addition, Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell's quote in Saturday's press release bears a striking resemblance to what Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said two years ago.

Montreal tendered Aho a five-year offer sheet with an average annual value of $8.454 million on July 1, 2019. Carolina matched it one day later.

Kotkaniemi, who turned 21 last month, recorded five goals and 15 assists while playing all 56 regular-season games for Montreal last season. He added five markers and three helpers across 19 playoff contests.

The Canadiens drafted him third overall in 2018.

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