Dallas Stars forward Tanner Kero was taken off the ice on a stretcher Saturday night after taking a forceful check from Chicago Blackhawks winger Brett Connolly.

Officials handed Connolly a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct after he plowed into Kero near the boards early in the first period. Kero laid on the ice while the Stars' medical staff attended to him, and they eventually took him off.

Dallas later said Kero was conscious, alert, and responsive. He'll be hospitalized as a precaution and for further evaluation.

The 29-year-old is in his second season with the Stars after playing parts of three campaigns with the Blackhawks.

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The Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators have been shut down until the Christmas break ends on Dec. 27, the NHL announced Saturday.

Additionally, The Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks will not play this weekend due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Here's a look at each team's impacted games:

The Maple Leafs, Canucks, Bruins, and Predators each have at least four players in COVID protocol.

The virus is currently surging across the NHL. The league already shut down the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers on Friday due to outbreaks.

As of Friday, there are no known plans to halt the season.

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Buffalo Sabres goaltender Malcolm Subban isn't sure how he made that glove stop against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night, either.

Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues seemingly had the netminder dead-to-rights in the first period when Subban slid across the crease to make an incredible behind-the-back save, which the officials confirmed upon review.

"Honestly, I didn't even know it happened. I thought someone hit my glove or something," Subban said, according to NHL.com's Heather Engel.

He added: "I went to the bench and (goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) asked if I got that with my glove. I was like, 'Oh, I don't know, maybe it hit the post and hit my glove. ...' Then I saw the replay, and it was a pretty lucky save."

When asked what his left hand was doing behind him on the sequence, the 27-year-old said, "I honestly don't know. I think it's a bad habit, but it turned out to be a good thing," per Wes Crosby of NHL.com.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was also in awe of Subban's stop.

"We all thought it was in the net. It was an incredible save," he said, according to Penguins beat reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "(Rodrigues) was talking to himself on the bench, he thought it was in the net also."

Subban made 45 saves in Buffalo's 3-2 overtime loss to the Penguins. It was his second appearance as a Sabre this season.

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An emotional Friday for the Winnipeg Jets started with the resignation of longtime bench boss Paul Maurice and culminated in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.

But for Jets sniper Nikolaj Ehlers, saying goodbye to the only NHL head coach he's ever played for was particularly difficult.

"It was a weird morning," Ehlers told the media postgame. "(Maurice) was the guy who gave me the chance to play in the NHL. I'll be forever thankful for the seven years and all the things that I learned from him, and for the chance that he gave me.

"He's not just a great coach but also a great person."

Ehlers, who the Jets drafted ninth overall in 2014, had played under Maurice since making his NHL debut in 2015-16. Maurice announced his decision to step down Friday after coaching Winnipeg for 600 games since 2014.

However, Friday wasn't just emotional for the players.

"It's been a whirlwind," interim bench boss Dave Lowry said prior to coaching his first NHL game, according to Mitchell Clinton of NHL.com. "For myself, it came out of the blue. I first had a conversation last night with (general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff), that was the first I had any inkling that something was going on."

Although the team dropped its first game under Lowry, Ehlers said the Jets are looking forward to what's next.

"We've got a great coaching staff here that we want to build this together (with)," he said. "We gotta look forward now. I know that, with this team, we've got more in us than where we're at right now. Even though right now it's a little tough, it should be exciting for us as well."

Lowry said he wants the Jets to play fast and hard moving forward. However, Ehlers said following Friday's contest that there wasn't much time for Lowry to implement those changes due to the sudden resignation.

The Jets are currently in fifth place in the Central Division with a record of 13-11-5.

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We split our shot totals on Thursday night. Max Pacioretty posted his lowest shot total of the season, but, luckily, Joel Eriksson Ek came through for us.

We now sit at 76-61 (+13.56 units), heading into the weekend.

Jason Zucker over 2.5 shots on goal (+105)

Jason Zucker let us down last time out, but we're going right back to the well tonight. Zucker has been a consistent shot generator at home. He is just one shot back of Evan Rodrigues for the Penguins' team lead on home soil and has recorded at least three in 10 of the 14 games in Pittsburgh.

With an implied chance of 48.8%, there's a big edge in backing Zucker to go over the number, even more so when you factor in the top-tier spot he finds himself in.

On the road, the Sabres are dead-last in shots on goal against (per 60) at five-on-five this season. There are no personnel reasons to expect much improvement, especially in the latter half of a back-to-back.

Roope Hintz over 2.5 shots on goal (+115)

Roope Hintz has been one of our favorite targets all season, particularly when he's playing at home.

He's recorded three shots or more in 10 of his 12 games at American Airlines Center, averaging nearly 3.2 shots per contest compared to just 2.25 on the road.

It just so happens the Stars are at home tonight in a sneaky favorable matchup.

The Blues are typically a strong defensive team, but COVID-19 and injuries have taken some important players out of the lineup, and their numbers are trending downward as a result. At five-on-five, St. Louis ranks 28th in shots against per 60 over its last 10 games.

The Blues are giving up a substantial volume of shots, and Hintz is arguably the best bet to take advantage of that.

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

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All Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers games have been postponed until at least Dec. 27, the NHL announced Friday.

All three teams are dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. Cases across the league have risen substantially over the past two weeks.

Here's a look at the affected games on each team's schedule:

The Flames have already had three games postponed this week. All three teams are tentatively scheduled to play their respective contests when the league returns from its Christmas break on Dec. 27.

As of right now, the NHL isn't planning a league-wide shutdown, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Saturday's clash between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens was also called off, and capacity limits have been implemented in some Canadian markets as the league navigates the increase of COVID-19 cases.

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Jason Spezza's suspension has been reduced to four games, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Friday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs veteran was initially handed a six-game ban for kneeing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk. Spezza is now eligible to play in Toronto's next game, scheduled for Saturday versus the Vancouver Canucks.

Spezza had an in-person hearing for his hit and then appealed the league's decision. He has no prior suspensions in his 19-year career, which played a factor in Bettman's decision.

"In the unusual circumstances presented here, I believe that the conduct at issue was a serious, but isolated, aberration from Mr. Spezza’s consistent style of play over nearly two decades and that a four-game suspension is sufficient to ensure that the conduct will not be repeated," Bettman wrote in a statement.

Before Spezza retaliated, Pionk kneed Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin, resulting in a two-game suspension of his own. Pionk entered concussion protocol and missed three games in total before returning to the Jets' lineup.

Spezza has notched seven goals and four assists in 26 games for Toronto this season.

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Paul Maurice has resigned as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced Friday.

Assistant coach Dave Lowry will take over duties on an interim basis. Winnipeg is 13-10-5 this season.

Maurice's departure is a personal decision, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.

He will address the media Friday morning, followed by Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.

The 54-year-old took over as Jets head coach in 2014. He's overseen 600 games for the franchise, accumulating a 315-223-62 record and five postseason appearances.

Maurice ranks sixth in NHL history with 775 victories.

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