Goaltender Joseph Woll recorded his first NHL shutout in just his second career start in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-0 win over the New York Islanders on Sunday.

The 23-year-old didn't take much of the credit after stopping all 20 shots he faced, instead pointing to his team's effort in front of him.

"It was unbelievable, especially when you see guys going down and blocking shots when it's 3-0 towards the end of the game," Woll said, according to The Hockey News' David Alter. "I think that's really special. I think that's a testament to how strong the culture is and how everyone really likes to support everyone."

His teammates wasted no time to celebrate the accomplishment with Woll both on and off the ice.

Mitch Marner, who scored two goals in the contest, also recognized that the team was on its A-game to make Woll's life a bit easier.

"It's amazing. We talked about how we weren't great last time he was in that net. We gave up a lot of opportunities and didn't really help him much," Marner said.

"Tonight we wanted to come in with a different attitude. I thought we did a pretty good job of that. He still made some very key saves and some big saves on those power plays for them. It's great seeing a kid like that get rewarded. His work ethic is extremely high, he's a great kid to be around and (has) a lot of energy. He deserves it."

The Maple Leafs drafted Woll 62nd overall in 2016. He spent the last two seasons with the AHL's Toronto Marlies but has assumed backup duties to Jack Campbell while Petr Mrazek is sidelined.

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Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Point is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Point was a late scratch for the club's clash with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. He went hard into the boards Saturday versus the New Jersey Devils after being tripped on a breakaway.

Point appeared to be in considerable pain but stayed in the contest, ultimately missing the ensuing penalty shot.

The Lightning are now without two forwards on their top line, as winger Nikita Kucherov is also shelved while recovering from a procedure on a lower-body injury.

Point had notched 13 points in 16 games while averaging 20 minutes per night before getting hurt.

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Fenway Sports Group previously explored the possibility of joining forces with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

At least one year ago, the entity that operates MLB's Boston Red Sox and the Premier League's Liverpool inquired about a merger with MLSE before ultimately going after the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.

"About 12-18 months ago, before Fenway Sports Group went down this road with the Penguins, an emissary was dispatched to ask Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment ... if they would be interested in a merger with Fenway," Friedman said on Saturday's "32 Thoughts" TV segment.

"It didn't go very far, as I've been told (MLSE) made it clear they weren't ready for that yet," Friedman said.

The potential move would have come with obstacles. Rogers Communications, which owns MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, holds a 37.5% stake in MLSE, the company that oversees the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA's Toronto Raptors, MLS' Toronto FC, and Scotiabank Arena.

Earlier this week, it was reported Fenway Sports Group was in advanced talks to purchase the Penguins. The Fenway group is helmed by billionaire John Henry, while hockey legend Mario Lemieux and investor Ron Burkle have operated the Penguins since 1999.

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Fenway Sports Group previously explored the possibility of joining forces with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

At least one year ago, the entity that operates MLB's Boston Red Sox and the Premier League's Liverpool inquired about a merger with MLSE before ultimately going after the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.

"About 12-18 months ago, before Fenway Sports Group went down this road with the Penguins, an emissary was dispatched to ask Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment ... if they would be interested in a merger with Fenway," Friedman said on Saturday's "32 Thoughts" TV segment.

"It didn't go very far, as I've been told (MLSE) made it clear they weren't ready for that yet," Friedman said.

The potential move would have come with obstacles. Rogers Communications, which owns MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, holds a 37.5% stake in MLSE, the company that oversees the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs, NBA's Toronto Raptors, MLS' Toronto FC, and Scotiabank Arena.

Earlier this week, it was reported Fenway Sports Group was in advanced talks to purchase the Penguins. The Fenway group is helmed by billionaire John Henry, while hockey legend Mario Lemieux and investor Ron Burkle have operated the Penguins since 1999.

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

The Anaheim Ducks have decided one of their top prospects needs further seasoning.

The club assigned forward Mason McTavish to the OHL's Peterborough Petes on Saturday.

"While we are happy with Mason's development to date, we believe it is in his best long-term interests to continue his development playing in the OHL for the remainder of this season and, hopefully, for Team Canada in the upcoming World Junior (Championship)," Ducks interim general manager Jeff Solomon said.

"Among other things, this move should afford Mason the opportunity to gain additional experience playing his natural center position, which we believe will be beneficial to Mason and the Ducks in the long run."

McTavish skated in nine games with Anaheim this season, recording two goals and an assist while averaging 13:05 of ice time per contest. A 10th NHL appearance by McTavish in 2021-22 would burn a year off his entry-level contract.

The 18-year-old is eligible to play for Team Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championship.

The Ducks selected McTavish third overall in the 2021 draft.

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Quebec Premier Francois Legault is set to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss the possibility of bringing the defunct Nordiques back to Quebec City.

"I’ve spoken with Bettman already, and there are meetings that are planned during the coming months," Legault said Thursday on RDS' Le 5 à 7, as translated by theScore.

"You have to look to know who is ready to invest. We have an (arena) already built in Quebec (City), and we are in contact with commissioner Gary Bettman to find out what we need to bring back the Nordiques."

Quebec City's Videotron Centre is an 18,259-seat arena that opened in 2015. It's the seventh-largest indoor arena in Canada and the largest that doesn't house an NHL team. The QMJHL's Quebec Remparts are currently the primary tenant.

The Quebec Nordiques were an NHL team from 1979-95 before relocating to Colorado and becoming the Avalanche.

The NHL has expanded from 30 teams to 32 over the last few years with the additions of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken. No further expansion plans are publicly known.

There has been much speculation about the Arizona Coyotes' future in the desert, especially after the city of Glendale informed the team in August that the 2021-22 campaign will be its last at Gila River Arena. But team president Xavier Gutierrez said at the time the franchise is "100% committed to finding a long-term arena solution here in Arizona."

The Coyotes submitted a bid in September to build an arena in nearby Tempe, Arizona, but their plans for the 2022-23 season are unknown.

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The Ottawa Senators removed eight players and associate coach Jack Capuano from COVID-19 protocol on Saturday morning.

Forward Drake Batherson and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev remain in protocol.

The Senators had three contests postponed due to their COVID-19 outbreak. Their next game is scheduled for Monday against the Colorado Avalanche.

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