The Columbus Blue Jackets opened their 2021-22 campaign by honoring late goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks.

Kivlenieks was killed this summer in a fireworks accident at 24 years old. Some of his family members were in attendance for the ceremony as a banner with the goalie's No. 80 was unveiled.

Current Blue Jackets starter Elvis Merzlikins also took the ice wearing his best friend's number.

Merzlikins recently said he's going "all-in" to win the Vezina Trophy this season in Kivlenieks' memory.

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Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was suspended two games for boarding Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday.

The questionable contact occurred late in the third period of Colorado's 4-2 victory Wednesday.

Landeskog received a double minor on the play. Dach was able to stay in the game.

Prior to this incident, Landeskog had been suspended three times in his career. He will forfeit $70,000 in salary.

The 28-year-old re-upped in Colorado this offseason, inking an eight-year, $56-million deal. He will miss Saturday's clash against the St. Louis Blues and a matchup against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 19.

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The Ottawa Senators re-signed forward Brady Tkachuk to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $8.214 million, the team announced Thursday.

"This is an exciting day for the Ottawa Senators," general manager Pierre Dorion said. "Brady possesses a very dynamic skill set and is a prototypical power forward in today's NHL. He scores goals, he plays physical, and (he) exemplifies what it means to be a pro for all players in our organization."

Tkachuk was the NHL's last restricted free agent without a contract.

Contract negotiations lasted throughout the summer between the two sides. It was reported earlier this month that Tkachuk wanted a short-term deal, while the club wanted a seven- or eight-year agreement.

The 22-year-old led the team in points last season for a second consecutive campaign, recording 36. He also ranked second in the league in shots on goal (220), sixth in penalty minutes (69), and second in hits (248) last season.

The Senators selected Tkachuk with the fourth pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

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The New York Islanders have inked defenseman Ryan Pulock to an eight-year contract extension worth approximately $50 million, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.

It includes a full no-trade clause in the first five years and a limited one over the final three, Dreger adds.

Pulock, 27, was a pending unrestricted free agent. He's in the final season of a two-year pact carrying a $5-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.

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Alex Ovechkin is one step closer to making history.

The Washington Capitals superstar took sole possession of fifth place on the NHL's all-time goals list, putting away his 732nd tally to surpass Marcel Dionne.

Ovechkin tied Dionne earlier in the third period, but quickly potted a second to accomplish the feat.

More to come.

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Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson isn't thinking about dropping the gloves against the New York Rangers when their season kicks off on Wednesday night.

In fact, he's looking at the bigger picture.

"Having a big, physical first night with the Rangers isn't where we want to be this year," Wilson said Wednesday, according to The Athletic. "We have a lot of goals. I want to score goals. I want to be a leader. I want to take on more responsibility and get our team to the playoffs and hopefully more."

The last two meetings between the Capitals and Rangers were tense. Wilson punched Pavel Buchnevich while he was down on the ice and rag-dolled a helmetless Artemi Panarin during a testy contest on May 3. When the squads squared off again two days later, then-Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith and Wilson got into a tussle.

The Rangers made some additions this offseason to get tougher up front, mainly Ryan Reaves, who's available for tonight's clash after nursing a lower-body injury, and Barclay Goodrow.

"They got a lot of new faces, new personnel that I'm sure are going to try and make an impact on the game. ... If you ask them, this is a big rivalry now so we will expect that," Wilson added, according to Samantha Pell of The Washington Post.

New Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said in August that emotions won't "overtake" his team regardless of what Wilson has in store.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is scheduled to be in attendance for the potentially heated matchup, according to The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir.

The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET in Washington.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs could be rather shorthanded for their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

With Auston Matthews already sidelined, Mitch Marner will be a game-time decision, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters Wednesday morning, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

Keefe noted that the forward had a positive optional morning skate.

Wayne Simmonds tripped up Marner at practice on Tuesday, according to Shilton, and Marner left the ice not much later. Keefe said after the practice that pulling Marner was "precautionary" and he'd be re-evaluated Wednesday.

Marner paced the Maple Leafs last season with 67 points in 55 games. Toronto was eliminated by its Montreal rivals in the first round of last year's playoffs.

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The Nashville Predators re-signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a four-year contract with an average annual value of $6.25 million, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Ekholm was set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season. The Predators were reportedly shopping him for the majority of last season but a deal never came to fruition. Instead, they shipped veteran blue-liner Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers over the summer.

Last season, Ekholm ranked third on the team in time ice (22:52), fourth in shots on goal (110), and fifth in blocked shots (46). He had six goals and 17 assists in 48 contests.

The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Predators since making his NHL debut in 2011. He's collected 51 goals and 168 assists in 586 games.

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