Report: Canucks to hire Bruce Boudreau as head coach

The Vancouver Canucks are set to replace head coach Travis Green with veteran bench boss Bruce Boudreau, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Boudreau will coach the club through at least next season, TSN's Darren Dreger added.

Green had been the head coach of the Canucks since 2017-18, leading the team to one playoff appearance. He owns a lifetime .478 points percentage behind the bench. Vancouver sits last in the Pacific Division this season with an 8-15-2 record.

Boudreau has coached 984 games in the NHL between the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2007-08 with the Caps.

The 66-year-old has been out of coaching since the Minnesota Wild fired him in 2019-20, serving as an NHL Network analyst since.

Boudreau ranks 18th on the all-time coaching list in points percentage (.635) and 22nd in wins (567). He's made the playoffs in 10 out of his 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, winning eight division titles.

Boudreau will be the Canucks' third head coach since Jim Benning was named general manager in 2014, following Green and Willie Desjardins. However, the decision to hire Boudreau reportedly didn't come from the front office, according to Sportsnet's Satiar Shah.

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Oilers’ Nurse returns after 6-game absence

The Edmonton Oilers are getting a big boost on the back end, as the club activated defenseman Darnell Nurse for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Nurse missed the previous six contests with a broken finger.

The 26-year-old has posted 11 points - all assists - over 16 games this season. He leads the Oilers and ranks fourth in the NHL in average ice time during the 2021-22 campaign at 26:06.

Edmonton signed Nurse to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $9.25 million in August. He's in his eighth season with the Oilers, who drafted him seventh overall in 2013.

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Oilers’ Nurse returns after 6-game absence

The Edmonton Oilers are getting a big boost on the back end, as the club activated defenseman Darnell Nurse for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Nurse missed the previous six contests with a broken finger.

The 26-year-old has posted 11 points - all assists - over 16 games this season. He leads the Oilers and ranks fourth in the NHL in average ice time during the 2021-22 campaign at 26:06.

Edmonton signed Nurse to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $9.25 million in August. He's in his eighth season with the Oilers, who drafted him seventh overall in 2013.

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Hurricanes’ Trocheck ejected for boarding Sabres’ Thompson

Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for a boarding hit on Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson on Saturday.

Trocheck hit Thompson into the boards from behind after the Buffalo forward attempted to turn back toward his own end. Thompson's teammates came to his defense after the play.

Trocheck said postgame that he didn't think the incident warranted a five-minute major and game misconduct.

Thompson initially left the game following the play but later returned. The 6-foot-7 center is in the midst of a breakout year. He entered Saturday's contest leading the Sabres with 10 goals and 16 points.

The NHL has never suspended Trocheck in his nine-year career. However, the league fined him in 2015 for diving.

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Report: Stars’ Khudobin on trade block

It appears Anton Khudobin may be the odd man out in the Dallas Stars' crowded goalie room.

The Stars have started to test the trade market to see what they can get for the veteran netminder, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported on "32 Thoughts."

The Buffalo Sabres are at least one team the Stars have spoken to about Khudobin, Marek added.

Khudobin has struggled this season, posting an .873 save percentage and a 3.73 goals-against average in seven appearances. However, the 35-year-old is just two seasons removed from leading the NHL with a .930 save percentage and backstopping the Stars to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. He has two years left on his contract with a $3.3-million cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Dallas is rich in goaltending depth. Offseason acquisition Braden Holtby has enjoyed a bounce-back season after getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks, sporting a .927 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average in 11 games. Jake Oettinger, 22, has been fantastic as well, owning a sparkling .951 save percentage in six outings.

The rebuilding Sabres have an obvious need between the pipes. Journeyman Dustin Tokarski has been asked to carry the load, posting a .903 save percentage in a team-high 14 appearances. Veteran Aaron Dell and 40-year-old Craig Anderson - who's currently injured - have also started games. Additionally, Buffalo traded for goaltender Malcolm Subban on Thursday.

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Report: Marner expected to miss Sunday’s game vs. Jets

After being held out of the Toronto Maple Leafs' contest against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, star winger Mitch Marner is also expected to miss Sunday's game against the Winnipeg Jets, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "32 Thoughts" during Hockey Night in Canada.

Friedman added that Marner's absence is likely precautionary and that the Leafs will have a clearer picture of his situation once they come back from their two-game road trip.

Marner took the brunt of a collision with Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin in practice Friday, according to TSN's Mark Masters.

Here's how the Leafs lined up without the 24-year-old Saturday:

Marner has 21 points in 24 games so far this season and leads Toronto with 15 assists.

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Dorion addresses Senators’ poor start: ‘I’ve had a few sleepless nights’

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion met with media Saturday and conveyed his disappointment in his club's substandard first quarter of the 2021-22 campaign.

"I've had a few sleepless nights," Dorion said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "The buck stops with me. We're going to battle through this. ... We've got to get out of this together."

The Senators were widely expected to take a step forward this season, but they sit dead last in the NHL with a 5-15-1 record through 21 games.

Ottawa enjoyed a late surge in the all-Canadian North Division to close out the 2020-21 season, leading many to believe the club was on the upswing. Dorion expressed personal confidence in the team's progress in September, proclaiming its rebuild over.

He reneged on that statement Saturday.

"What I should have said is all the core pieces are in place," Dorion said.

Injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak have affected the Senators' performance, but their numbers don't suggest a quick turnaround is imminent. Ottawa ranks near the bottom of the league in several key areas:

Statistic Total League rank
Goals for per game 2.42 28
Goals against per game 3.86 32
Expected goals percentage 44.78 29
Corsi against per 60 63.95 32
Expected goals against per 60 2.8 30

The Senators' next contest comes Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.

(Advanced stats source: Evolving-Hockey)

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