The Carolina Hurricanes might not be a complete bunch of jerks after all.

Despite an ongoing feud between Carolina and the Montreal Canadiens, the Hurricanes announced Saturday they have made a donation to the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation in honor of World Kindness Day.

The Hurricanes have poked fun at the Canadiens on social media all season, beginning when Carolina signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet. The contract included a $20 signing bonus - likely alluding to Sebastian Aho's number - after the Canadiens signed Aho to an offer sheet in 2019.

Carolina temporarily launched a website titled www.didthehabslose.com after the Hurricanes defeated Montreal in October. The site featured a video of Aho scrolling on his phone and nodding to answer the question. There were also Aho and Kotkaniemi T-shirts on sale under the promo code "OUI."

"The Hurricanes may battle teams across the league on the ice, but improving communities throughout the U.S. and Canada is a goal everyone can get behind," read a statement from the team.

It added: "The Canes encourage all fans to make a donation to the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation, the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation, or the foundation of any other NHL team as we aim to spread kindness throughout the NHL community."

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom will miss six-to-eight weeks with a broken hand, head coach D.J. Smith said Saturday, according to TSN 1200.

Brannstrom may need surgery, but a decision hasn't been made yet.

The 22-year-old has gone pointless in two contests with the Senators this season. He's managed three points in nine games with the AHL's Belleville Senators.

Ottawa has been hit hard by a recent wave of COVID-19 cases as well as injuries. The team removed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev from the COVID-19 protocol list earlier Saturday, but eight players remain on it.

Drake Batherson - who leads the Senators with 12 points - missed practice Saturday due to a positive test. Smith added that Batherson hasn't been placed in the protocol yet and that the team is retesting him to make sure it wasn't a false positive.

Shane Pinto and Artem Zub are both game-time decisions for Saturday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Smith confirmed. Pinto hasn't played since Oct. 21, while Zub sustained an injury during Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Ovechkin keeps on climbing the ladder.

The Washington Capitals captain passed Brett Hull and took sole possession of fourth place on the NHL's all-time goals list after lighting the lamp for the 742nd time of his illustrious career Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 36-year-old has enjoyed a blistering start to the 2021-22 campaign, erupting for 12 goals and 11 assists in 14 games. He's now just 24 tallies behind Jaromir Jagr in third place and 59 behind Gordie Howe for No. 2 on the list.

As for Wayne Gretzky's all-time record? Ovechkin sits 152 goals behind The Great One's mark of 894.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We had a solid night on the ice Thursday. Powered by a 3-0 record on shot props, we finished with a 4-2 record across our best bets.

We'll look to build on that with our favorite plays for the weekend ahead.

Flames (+145) @ Maple Leafs (-165)
Nov. 12, 7 p.m. EST

The Maple Leafs are better than their record indicates. They rank second in the NHL in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five. No team has generated more scoring chances or high-danger opportunities than the Leafs. It's not even close, really; they're 66 clear of Florida in the former and 21 ahead of Detroit(!) in the latter.

Despite that, they actually have a negative goal differential at full strength. A big reason why is their team shooting percentages. They rank 27th overall and 26th on high-danger shots. That's not going to continue given all the high-end talent they possess.

What could help them get right in this spot is a Daniel Vladar start. Jacob Markstrom (6.1 goals saved above expectation thus far) is expected to get the night off. But no official announcement has been made, Markstrom's started seven in a row, and this is Calgary's third game in four nights. We're going to put two and two together here.

Vladar isn't as equipped to slow Toronto's attack. He owns a .887 save percentage through seven career games and has allowed 1.5 more goals than expected over his first couple of contests with Calgary.

The Flames are a good team, but the Leafs are playing very well right now, they're rested, and they have the edge in goal based on projected starters (Vladar versus Jack Campbell).

Bet: Leafs in regulation (-115)

Canadiens (+100) @ Red Wings (-120)
Nov. 13, 7 p.m. EST

The Canadiens were an absolute tire fire to start the year, but they appear to be righting the ship.

They own a respectable 2-2-1 record over their last five games and have downright dominated at five-on-five in that span. They've controlled 60% of the expected goals and won the high-danger chance battle 61-38.

Dictating play is half the battle. The other is capitalizing on the chances generated. Right now, the Canadiens are doing both, as Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, and the team's stars are starting to pile up the points and perform up to expectations.

The Red Wings are a fun story, and they're playing well. But they still have shortcomings defensively and on the penalty kill.

I expect Montreal to get the better of play at five-on-five and its power play, which is trending upward, is in a good spot to do some damage as well.

Bet: Montreal -110 or better.

Quick hit: With Joonas Korpisalo expected to start tonight, back the Washington Capitals (-125).

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tucker Poolman was ejected in the third period of Thursday's contest versus the Colorado Avalanche for swinging his stick at forward Kiefer Sherwood's head.

Referees handed Poolman a 10-minute match penalty. Sherwood managed to stay in the game.

Here's a slowed-down look at the play:

Poolman joined the Canucks this past offseason. The Winnipeg Jets drafted him in the fifth round in 2013.

The Avalanche won the contest 7-1.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Tortorella believes Connor McDavid will have to alter his game come playoff time if he's to lead the red-hot Edmonton Oilers to the promised land.

The longtime NHL head coach, now working as an analyst on ESPN's "The Point" says that despite McDavid's skill, a commitment to defense is the only thing that will get the league's most dynamic player a Stanley Cup.

"I do think he has to change his game a bit. Not turn into a checker, obviously," Tortorella said, per ESPN. "He's talked about culture, he's talked about standards, he's talked about winning. You're not just going to fill the net during the playoffs and outscore teams. You have to play on the other side of the puck. You have to have that business-type attitude of, 'Nothing's going to bother me, no matter how you're going to check me.'

"Don't talk about it, just play hard, play through it, but the other side of the puck is that important too come playoff time."

McDavid and fellow Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl lead the league with 23 points apiece early in the 2021-22 season and have galvanized Edmonton to a scorching 9-2-0 start.

Expectations to deliver in the playoffs are sky-high given the form of the Oilers' top two players, both of whom were placed under the microscope after Edmonton was swept by the underdog Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the North Division playoffs this past spring.

"I think he's learning," Tortorella said. "(Head coach Dave Tippett) is going to have to get that whole group - if they're talking about a Stanley Cup - they're all going to have to play a little bit of a different way, not just try to outscore teams."

Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, did go on to admit he's been wrong before.

"Ovechkin - I didn't think they were ever going to win in Washington, but Ovi changed his game a bit and they ended up winning a Cup," he said.

The Oilers have advanced past the first round just once in the McDavid era (2016-17). In 21 career postseason games, McDavid's put up 22 points.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.