The Colorado Avalanche inked bench boss Jared Bednar to a two-year contract extension Friday.

Bednar's new pact runs through 2023-24. His current deal expires at the end of this season.

The 49-year-old is in his sixth campaign as Avalanche head coach. He entered Friday's game against the Seattle Kraken with a 191-154-40 record and is two wins from tying Bob Hartley for the franchise record.

Bednar is currently the fifth-longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL. He's guided Colorado since 2016-17, helping the club make the playoffs in each of the four seasons that followed.

However, the Avalanche have exited the postseason in the second round three years in a row, including last season in which they won the Presidents' Trophy.

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Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced Friday.

"He is being monitored by the Canadiens medical staff and will follow the protocols set forth by the National Hockey League and the public health authorities," the club said in a statement.

Bergevin has been Montreal's GM since 2012-13 and has overseen six playoff appearances during his tenure, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final this past spring.

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The Edmonton Oilers will be without stalwart defenseman Darnell Nurse for at least seven days as the club placed him on injured reserve Friday with an undisclosed ailment.

The Oilers also added blue-liner Slater Koekkoek to IR, moved goaltender Mike Smith from IR to long-term injured reserve, and recalled defensemen Philip Broberg and William Lagesson from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.

Nurse is averaging a team-high 26:06 of ice time per game this season. He's also chipped in 11 assists in 16 games.

Meanwhile, Koekkoek has played sparingly, averaging 9:48 per contest in 11 appearances.

Here's Edmonton's updated depth chart on the back end:

Broberg is in line to make his NHL debut due to the absences of Nurse and Koekkoek. The eighth overall pick in 2019 has excelled in his first AHL season, tallying 10 assists in 13 games.

The 25-year-old Lagesson has 27 career NHL games under his belt - all with the Oilers.

Smith, meanwhile, hasn't played since Oct. 19 due to a lower-body injury.

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Thursday night was a mixed bag on the ice. We nailed all three of our player props to push our record to 15-2 on the season. Unfortunately, our under in the Tampa Bay versus Philadelphia game was lost with eight seconds remaining, while the Columbus Blue Jackets blew a third-period lead to erase any hope of a regulation victory.

All in all, we won three of five plays given out. Let's dive into some of our best bets for the weekend ahead.

Note: shot props will be posted on Twitter, so be sure to follow!

Jets (-110) @ Canucks (-110)
Nov. 19, 10 p.m. EST

Believe it or not, the Canucks are starting to play much better hockey. The results just haven't come yet.

Vancouver ranks fifth in Corsi For% and has controlled better than 52% of the expected goals at five-on-five since the beginning of November. The team owns a positive goal differential as well. Most of every contest is played with each team icing five players, of course, so it's encouraging that the Canucks are enjoying success there.

What's erased most - all? - of the good work Vancouver has done at five-on-five is its mind-numbingly bad penalty kill. For example, the Canucks posted an xGF above 70% and out-scored the Avalanche 2-0 at five-on-five in their last game. However, Vancouver still lost because it couldn't kill a penalty.

There's reason to believe the Canucks may pull off such a miracle tonight. While the Jets are a good team, there's definite room for improvement on the power play. They rank 20th in expected goals per 60 minutes and 29th in scoring chances per 60 while on the man advantage. Those numbers aren't overly threatening.

I like Vancouver's chances of snapping out of this lengthy losing streak if it can survive on the penalty kill. The Canucks are performing well at full strength, and the Jets are playing their third game in four nights and will also be without Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes Friday.

Bet: Canucks (-110)

Avalanche (-150) @ Kraken (+130)
Nov. 19, 10 p.m. EST

Believe me when I tell you I do not want to back the Kraken again. This team hasn't gotten a save all season long, and it's cost them at least a few games on nights we backed them. But we bet numbers, not teams, and the number is too good here.

Colorado is playing without several key players in Nathan MacKinnon, Bowen Byram, and J.T. Compher. That's taken a lot of sting out of its lineup. But the Canucks(!) out-chanced the Avalanche 34-16 at full strength a couple of days ago. Clearly, the Avs aren't their usual selves.

Controlling the run of play at full strength has been the Kraken's calling card all season. At home and desperate to snap their losing streak, I expect they'll more than hold their own against this banged-up Avalanche team.

Seattle has a good chance of pulling off the upset if it can get a save - for once! Let's hope the Kraken finally come through; they owe us one (or six).

Bet: Kraken (+130)

Red Wings (-140) @ Coyotes (+120)
Nov. 20, 8 p.m. EST

The Red Wings still have their flaws - particularly defensively - but they're several tiers ahead of the Coyotes.

Detroit has controlled nearly 50% of the expected goals at five-on-five over the last 10 games. That sandwiches the team between the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators - respectable company.

Meanwhile, Arizona continues to get caved in on a nightly basis. Its xG share sits at 41% across the last 10 contests. Only the paper-thin Chicago Blackhawks have fared worse over that time.

Despite the Coyotes' goalies combining to post a .930 save percentage at five-on-five during that span, the team has managed to win only two of 10 games. Based on the netminders they roster, I'd expect that number to dip sooner than later.

I see edges across the board for this rebuilding Red Wings team, and I expect them to shine Saturday in Arizona. Don't be shocked if Detroit's surprisingly potent offense puts up a healthy number.

Bet: Red Wings (-140)

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

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San Jose Sharks winger Kevin Labanc will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Friday for slew-footing St. Louis Blues center Tyler Bozak on Thursday.

Labanc was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping on the play.

"It wasn't anything intentional," Labanc said postgame, per the Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka. "I didn't look at the replay of it, but I think I was just trying to battle hard."

Labanc has never been suspended in his six-year NHL career.

Bozak was able to stay in the game.

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Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning is aware the fans have grown impatient with him.

The Rogers Arena faithful could be heard chanting "Fire Benning" during Wednesday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche - the team's fifth straight defeat.

Benning addressed those chants on Thursday during a press conference, calling it "upsetting," according to The Athletic's Thomas Drance.

The Canucks sit seventh in the Pacific Division at 5-10-2.

"This is something I didn’t expect to happen after the moves we made this summer," Benning said.

The Canucks were busy this offseason, bringing in Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a blockbuster trade with the Arizona Coyotes. Vancouver also added Jason Dickinson, Tucker Poolman, and Jaroslav Halak, among others.

Garland is third on the team with 13 points, but the rest of the moves haven't quite panned out.

Benning said he feels responsible for the team's struggles this season, but isn't worried about his job security.

"This is wearing on all of us, but I believe in this group of players," Benning said, adding his team is "fragile" right now.

Despite his belief in the current roster, Benning said he's made some calls around the league.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini held a meeting with Benning on Tuesday to discuss the team's struggles, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Benning has been Vancouver's general manager since 2014-15. The Canucks have made two playoff appearances under his guidance, never advancing past the second round.

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Connor McDavid appeared to troll ESPN analyst and former NHL head coach John Tortorella on Thursday.

When asked about not drawing many penalties this season, McDavid said, "I guess I just gotta shut up about this," with a slight smirk on his face.

Last week, Tortorella said McDavid should "just shut up" about the lack of penalties he draws and that he needs to "change his game a bit" in order to win a Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers captain had said in July that he wishes "there was maybe a little more consistency" with the NHL's officiating.

McDavid sits second in NHL scoring behind teammate Leon Draisaitl this season and arguably has the puck on his stick as often as any player in the league. However, he's drawn just five penalties, tied for 84th most.

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