Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask felt it was unfortunate there were no fans present Wednesday to pay tribute to Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara, who returned to Boston as an opposing player for the first time since 2006.

"That's half the tribute is when the fans are there and they're cheering. I believe he would've gotten a pretty long standing ovation," Rask said postgame, courtesy of NBC Sports Boston. "We lived those moments together. It's odd to see him on the other side, but I think, personally, for me, it wasn't as emotional as it would've been if there were fans in the stands."

The Bruins honored their ex-captain with a touching video tribute during a TV timeout.

Players tapped their sticks and Chara gave some waves of appreciation, but the thunderous applause from a packed house at TD Garden was absent.

The Capitals managed to grind out a 2-1 win in a shootout. Washington head coach Peter Laviolette, who notched his 650th career NHL victory in the process, believes Chara's return helped motivate his teammates.

"Guys played hard tonight," Laviolette said, according to The Washington Post's Samantha Pell. "It was an important game coming back to Boston for Z, important for our team just where we sit, but important for that reason as well. Guys knew that. I'm really happy for him that we were able to come in and help (Chara) out and get a win."

Chara, 43, served as Boston's captain for all of his 14 seasons with the club. He helped lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win in 2011 and the finals in 2013 and 2019.

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The St. Louis Blues pulled goaltender Jordan Binnington from Saturday's contest against the San Jose Sharks after allowing four goals on 19 shots through a period and a half.

On his way out of the game, Binnington was clearly angry and went after several Sharks players, including opposing goalie Devan Dubnyk.

Binnington was assessed a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play. Backup goalie Ville Husso took his place in the crease with the Blues trailing 4-3.

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A month after surprisingly resigning as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jim Rutherford has his eyes set on a potential return to hockey.

"I still got the bug," Rutherford told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

"I can tell you that I feel good, I have a lot of energy, I love the game. I’ve watched as many games as I can every night to stay in the loop. I have an emotional connection to the Penguins for obvious reasons, but I still have the bug to be with a team and try to contribute and make it better."

The 72-year-old still hasn't elaborated on why he left his position with Pittsburgh, simply citing personal reasons. Shortly after his resignation, the club hired Ron Hextall as general manager and brought in Brian Burke as president of hockey operations.

Rutherford had been general manager of the Penguins since 2014, helping lead the club to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017.

While a return to Pittsburgh doesn't seem to be in the books, Rutherford added he won't necessarily be actively looking for a front-office position and instead will wait to see if an opportunity comes his way.

"I’ve done this long enough, and I have a lot of friends in the game and a lot of respect for everybody, and I’m not looking to take somebody’s job," Rutherford said. "So I’m not going to be making phone calls and saying that I’m looking for a job that somebody already has.

"It’s a place where most people would like to get to in their life. You can work if you want, but you don’t have to. I don’t have any more things to accomplish in the league, but I do think I have a lot to offer to a team in the right situation."

Rutherford won the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award in 2016 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. He also previously spent 20 years as general manager of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jason Zucker was forced out of Tuesday's 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals after suffering an apparent leg injury late in the game.

Zucker had to be helped off the ice by trainers and didn't appear to be putting any pressure on his leg. Head coach Mike Sullivan didn't have an update on Zucker's status postgame, only saying he's being evaluated for a lower-body injury.

The 29-year-old has recorded four goals and three assists in 18 games this season.

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Mike Babcock has received his fair share of criticism from around the NHL, but the bench boss doesn't necessarily believe it's totally warranted.

"I'm not a big media guy, following what's going on. You know if you're getting whacked or not," Babcock said on "The Rod Pedersen Show" Tuesday when asked what it's like getting criticized by the media for the last year and a half.

"I know who I am, I know what I've done. Some of this doesn't pass the smell test at all."

After spending 17 seasons in the NHL as a head coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired Babcock in 2019, and he hasn't returned behind the bench since.

The 57-year-old came under scrutiny after being dismissed for what was deemed by many as controversial coaching tactics. Babcock recently said he made a "major mistake" when he asked then-rookie Mitch Marner to rank himself and his teammates based on their work ethic during the 2016-17 season.

Babcock owns an impressive head-coaching resume featuring a Stanley Cup victory and two Olympic gold medals. He believes his experience and connections in the hockey world reflect his actual character.

"When you look at my career, I've always been hired by people that knew me - it's not like we had a Zoom meeting.

"When I went to Detroit, I had worked with Jim Nill and Ken Holland, we had shared a farm team together, they knew everything about me, so they knew me for four years. I worked with them for 10 years. Steve Yzerman played for me, he hired me to coach two Olympic teams, he worked with me for four years in the office. Then (Brendan Shanahan) hired me to coach (in Toronto).

"Something doesn't add up."

The Saskatoon native was recently named the new head coach of the University of Saskatchewan's men's hockey team.

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Calgary Flames starting goalie Jacob Markstrom will miss Monday's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs due to an upper-body injury, the team announced.

The Leafs also revealed that starting goalie Frederik Andersen will not dress due to a lower-body injury.

More to come.

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David Ayres' miraculous victory as an emergency backup goaltender with the Carolina Hurricanes last year is being made into a movie with the help of Disney.

The 43-year-old said comedian James Corden called him shortly after the win to discuss making a movie about it, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. Ayres then connected Creative Artists Agency, and at least 24 different production companies apparently expressed interest in the idea.

"(CAA) said to me, 'You wouldn't believe the amount of production companies that have come to us already asking to do this film. It's insane,'" Ayres said. "They narrowed it down to 24 at one point, and then we narrowed it down to 12. We listened to 12 pitches from all the different people."

He added: "That's how the whole Disney thing came about. So, we'll see what happens. A little slow now with COVID, but once we get the ball rolling, it'll be fine. Once we start writing it, I think they'll go two years from there."

Ayres said he was told he'll be a producer and help with writing the script.

On Feb. 22, 2020, Ayres was called into action against the Toronto Maple Leafs after both of the Hurricanes' goalies went down with injuries. He was a Zamboni driver for the AHL's Toronto Marlies at the time and helped backstop Carolina to a 6-3 victory in front of Toronto's home crowd.

When reflecting on the moment a year later, Ayres shared his biggest takeaway from the experience.

"It just lets you know, anything you try in life, you can achieve it," Ayres said. "You put a lot of hard work and get a couple lucky bounces here and there, and things will go your way - as long as you stay positive."

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Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, the club announced Sunday.

Merzlikins suffered the ailment during Saturday's contest against the Nashville Predators. He left the game after apparently hurting his left arm while making a save at the beginning of the third period.

The 26-year-old stopped 35 of the 39 shots he faced prior to exiting. He's appeared in nine games this season, owning a 3-3-1 record alongside a .917 save percentage.

The Blue Jackets recalled goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks from the AHL and added him to the club's taxi squad earlier Sunday. He'll likely share the crease with Joonas Korpisalo in Merzlikins' absence.

Korpisalo has struggled out of the gate this season, recording a .889 save percentage and a 3.46 goals-against average through 13 appearances.

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The Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche hit the ice Saturday surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Lake Tahoe. After a rocky first period with players struggling to see and the ice taking a beating, the league made the decision to delay the rest of the game until midnight ET.

Let's take a look at some of the best snapshots from the game that took nearly 12 hours to complete from start to finish.

Vegas' mascots hit the beach

The ice troubles are real

What a backdrop

Colorado gets on the board

Doesn't get much better than this

Fleury leads 'em back out

Playing under the lights

Get out of MacKinnon's way!

Celebration at Lake Tahoe

All eyes on Saad

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby appeared in his 1,000th NHL game Saturday night against the New York Islanders. Prior to the game, his club and teammates celebrated the milestone.

When the team hit the ice pregame, everybody was wearing the famous No. 87 sweater with the "C" on it.

Throughout his career, Crosby's been known for his extremely specific pregame superstitions. A part of his routine is to undo his laces and retie them while on one knee, so the rest of the team joined in on the ritual.

The team also put together a video for Crosby, including messages from Steve Yzerman, Bill Guerin, Steven Stamkos, and Mario Lemieux.

Crosby's parents chipped in with a video congratulating their son.

Longtime teammate Evgeni Malkin also chimed in with some kind words for Crosby.

Finally, Malkin and Kris Letang both presented Crosby with a special stick and picture to commemorate the feat.

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