Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke knows his club can contend for the Stanley Cup this season but hinted the team likely won't be massive buyers leading up to the trade deadline.

"What assets are we going to give up to add? The answer is not many," Burke told NHL Network Radio on Sunday, according to NHL.com's Dave McCarthy. "It's time for this team to stop the steady, and this will come out as a negative and I don't want it to because I love Jim (Rutherford), but stop the trend where we are going to give away a lot for a 20% chance at winning. You get close, you add, and Jim did what he was supposed to do. But we have to stop that trend at some point."

The Penguins have notoriously been big spenders for much of the past decade and notably under ex-general manager Rutherford. The team currently owns all three of their first-round picks for the next three drafts.

In 2020, the club unloaded a first-round pick, Calen Addison, and Alex Galchenyuk to acquire Jason Zucker. In 2019, the club sent three draft picks alongside Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard to bring in Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad.

After recently winning 10 straight games, the Penguins have shown they still have what it takes to be a legitimate contender in the NHL. However, Burke hinted the club will likely have to work with what they have and reinforcements won't be guaranteed.

"Do we believe we are a contender? Yes, we do, and we (GM Ron Hextall) have since we got here," Burke said. "Can we add with our cap situation if we decide to? We are pretty limited with the salary cap restrictions that we are under, so making a big deal probably would be difficult to do. But we would look, certainly."

The Penguins have a 20-9-5 record and currently sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.

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The New York Rangers placed head coach Gerard Gallant in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, the team announced Sunday.

The Rangers previously placed Ryan Reaves, Julien Gauthier, and Igor Shesterkin in the protocol on Jan. 6.

Kris Knoblauch will assume coaching duties in Gallant's absence. Knoblauch is the head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. He previously served as head coach of the Rangers for six games last season when ex-coach David Quinn was placed in COVID-19 protocol. Knoblauch went 4-2, including a 9-0 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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The Los Angeles Kings hired Marc Bergevin as a senior adviser to general manager Rob Blake, the team announced Sunday.

The ex-Montreal Canadiens GM was fired from his position in November after 10 years with the club.

"Marc brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our hockey operations staff and will be a valuable addition to our group," Blake said in a press release. "We look forward to his contributions."

Prior to joining the Canadiens, Bergevin spent seven seasons as an executive with the Chicago Blackhawks in numerous different roles, including assistant GM from 2011-12.

"I’ve enjoyed my time away, but I’m excited to join the LA Kings and become an active part of helping the team reach its objectives," Bergevin said. "I have a great amount of respect for (Kings president) Luc (Robitaille), Rob, and the staff they have in place and it’s an honor to provide my input to this highly regarded group."

Bergevin's time with the Canadiens was a mixed bag of success and hardship, but he ultimately led the club to a Stanley Cup Final berth last season. He consistently made big splashes in the trade market and free agency as one of the league's most active GMs.

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Zach Fucale continues to make history in his fledgling and long-awaited NHL tenure.

The Washington Capitals goaltender established a new NHL record for the longest sequence without allowing a goal to start a career by holding the Minnesota Wild off the scoresheet through the first four minutes of the second period Saturday night.

Here was the leaderboard entering the period:

Fucale eclipsed the previous record Matt Hackett set in 2011. The Washington netminder also set a new franchise mark earlier in the game.

The Wild later scored when the Capitals put the puck in their own net on a delayed penalty call. That deprived Fucale of another accomplishment, even though his streak continued.

Fucale was making his second NHL start and third appearance. The 26-year-old earned a 21-save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings in his debut on Nov. 11 and then stopped all seven shots he faced in relief of Ilya Samsonov in a loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.

It was Fucale's second historic night in his brief time in the NHL. The journeyman also made history in his first game, becoming the first Capitals puck-stopper to notch a shutout in a debut and only the seventh in league history at his age or older to do so.

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Fucale 36th overall in 2013.

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The San Jose Sharks placed forward Evander Kane on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract "for breach of his NHL Standard Player Contract and for violation of AHL COVID-19 protocols," the team announced Saturday.

The Sharks have no further comment on the matter.

The 30-year-old cleared waivers in late November before reporting to the organization's AHL affiliate. Kane put up eight points in five games for the San Jose Barracuda.

Kane has been at the center of several controversies dating back to the summer, which culminated in a hefty 21-game suspension in mid-October after he violated the NHL's COVID-19 protocol.

The league cleared Kane in a September investigation focused on allegations from his estranged wife, Anna, that he gambled on NHL games.

It opened two subsequent probes looking into domestic abuse accusations made by Anna and Kane's alleged use of a fake vaccination card.

Reports also surfaced in August that Kane's teammates were frustrated by his behavior and didn't want him to return to the Sharks. He said in November the locker room's dissatisfaction was news to him.

Kane hadn't played with the Barracuda since late December after entering the AHL's COVID-19 protocol.

He was the Sharks' leading scorer last season with 49 points in 56 games. He was under contract with San Jose through the 2024-25 season on a deal that carried an annual cap hit of $7 million.

Kane will forfeit $22,885,000 due to the termination, according to CapFriendly. His cap hit for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign and the following three seasons will come off the Sharks' books.

He's still eligible to sign with another club once he clears waivers, per CapFriendly.

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We've absolutely crushed best bets this week, posting a 6-0 record with our picks.

Let's look to stay hot as we attack a very busy Saturday card.

Penguins (-130) @ Stars (+110)

The Penguins are firing on all cylinders and enter Saturday's game as the NHL's hottest side, having won their last 10 games.

In that span, they've outscored opponents 31-15 at five-on-five while controlling just under 59% of scoring chances. Complete dominance.

What's scary is that Pittsburgh did a lot of that undermanned - Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel only recently returned to the lineup. Another impact reinforcement is on the way, as Jeff Carter (17 points in 27 games) is expected back Saturday. Oh, and there's also a chance Evgeni Malkin makes his season debut.

Put simply, there's reason to believe this already elite Penguins team will get even better. That's a scary thought.

While the Stars aren't pushovers, I think they're clearly a tier below Pittsburgh. Dallas' five-on-five chance share is barely above 50% over the last 10 and it's been outscored.

The Penguins' hot streak won't last forever, but I like them to finish in the win column again today.

Bet: Penguins (-130)

Capitals (-110) @ Wild (-110)

The Capitals are in the latter half of a road back-to-back and playing without key players T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom. Still, it's easy to argue Washington enter this contest under much better circumstances than the Wild.

Minnesota's roster is a shell of its usual self. The Wild will be without their two best forwards (Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek), two best defensemen (Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin), and starting goaltender, Cam Talbot. That's not even covering all the bases: Regulars like Jordan Greenway and Nick Bjugstad are also on the shelf.

Injuries have really taken a toll on Minnesota. It controlled just 43.41% of expected goals over the last 10 games, which ranks 29th in the NHL - sandwiched between the Sabres and Canadiens.

Washington enjoyed great success while missing key players - it has points in seven of its last 10 games and ranks in the top 10 in xGF% over that spell.

Fatigued or not, I like the Capitals to pick up a win against this bruised and battered Wild team.

Bet: Capitals (-110)

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

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