St. Louis Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon were voted as the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, the league announced Thursday.

The trophy is given to the player who's "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

O'Reilly had a tremendous second campaign with the Blues after taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy last season. He recorded 12 goals and 49 assists with a plus-11 rating and led the league in faceoff wins for the third straight campaign. The four-time finalist for the award - which includes each of the past three seasons - was given five minor penalties this season. O'Reilly won the award in 2013-14.

This is Matthews' first Lady Byng nomination. He finished the season third in the league in goals and set career highs with 47 goals and 80 points. He was tied for first among forwards with Mark Stone with 78 takeaways; he was assessed four minor penalties; and he finished the season plus-19 while averaging 20:58 of ice time per game.

MacKinnon is also a first-time finalist for the trophy. He led all forwards on his team in ice time per game with 21:13 and totaled 12 penalty minutes. He was tied for third in the NHL in net penalties, as he drew 23 penalties while only taking five himself. MacKinnon finished the season with 95 points and a plus-13 rating.

Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov won the award last season.

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom, Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns, and Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan are the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Trophy, the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced Thursday.

The trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Lindblom was diagnosed in December with Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Fans and players around the league rallied around the 23-year-old forward throughout his treatment. Lindblom rang the bell to mark the end of his chemotherapy treatments on July 2 and was able to spend some time on the ice with his teammates.

Johns, who missed nearly two years of action due to post-traumatic headaches, returned to the ice in January. He skated in 17 games with the Stars, recording two goals and three assists. Johns told Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that during his recovery he battled severe bouts of depression.

Ryan entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in November. After returning to the team in February, he opened up about his battle with alcoholism. In his first home game back in Ottawa, Ryan scored a hat trick.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner won the award last season.

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Boston Bruins forwards David Pastrnak and Ondrej Kase missed practice Thursday after being deemed "unfit to participate," according to head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Cassidy said he originally expected both players to be available Thursday. He added that it is unclear how long the pair will be sidelined.

Both players missed practice Monday and Tuesday, but the two managed to hit the ice Wednesday. Pastrnak participated in a small group, while Kase practiced alone afterward.

The Bruins are set to depart to the Toronto hub in just under two weeks. They'll kick off their first round-robin game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Aug. 2.

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The Chicago Blackhawks signed Pius Suter to a one-year, $925,000 deal beginning next season, the team announced Thursday.

Chicago also inked defenseman Ian Mitchell to a three-year contract that runs through the 2022-23 season with an average annual value of $925,000.

Suter, 24, has played with Switzerland's National League-A Zurich Lions for the past five seasons. He recorded 30 goals and 23 assists in 50 games during 2019-20. His 53 points were the most in the league and helped him earn the MVP award.

The center racked up 81 goals and 87 assists in 210 games during the last five seasons in Switzerland. He also represented the country at the 2018 Olympics, during which he notched five points in four games.

Mitchell, who was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, just completed his junior season at the University of Denver. He was the team captain during the 2019-20 season and finished the regular season sixth among NCAA defensemen with 32 points.

Over three seasons with the Pioneers, Mitchell registered 89 points in 116 games.

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Sean Monahan hopes this postseason goes a lot differently for the Calgary Flames than last year's.

"We got embarrassed last year in the postseason," Monahan said Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "As a player representing an organization, that sticks with you. We've got a lot to prove here and we have a lot of things motivating us."

The Flames were the top seed in the Western Conference entering last season's playoffs and faced off against the Colorado Avalanche. Calgary lost the series in just five games.

After serving as one of the most dominant lines during the regular season, Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Elias Lindholm combined for just two goals, three assists, and a minus-6 rating during the series.

"We've talked about it a lot - and a lot behind closed doors - we got outworked and outcompeted and got owned by Colorado," Monahan added. "You want to be a guy who can be a part of the postseason and that's where a lot of guys' legacies are built. That's the kind of guys we want to be, and we want to step up and take charge in Game 1."

Monahan, who produced 34 goals and 82 points last season, managed 22 goals and 48 points this year. Meanwhile, Gaudreau dipped from 99 points to 58, and Lindholm from 78 to 54.

"Last year was my first appearance in the playoffs and overall our line didn't do a very good job," Lindholm said. "For myself, I kind of got away from my game and started doing other things and tried to hit people. It's part of my game, but not something I'm looking to do. In the playoffs I was."

The Flames finished the abbreviated 2019-20 regular season in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 36-27-7 record. They are set to take on the Winnipeg Jets in the best-of-five play-in round.

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Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins, John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Philadelphia Flyers' Alain Vigneault are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the league announced Wednesday.

The honor - with the winner determined through votes from members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association - recognizes the coach who contributed the most to their team's regular-season success.

Cassidy's Bruins finished with the league's best record (44-14-12), winning the Presidents' Trophy in his fourth year with the club. Boston allowed the fewest goals in the NHL, finished with the second-best power play, and the Bruins' penalty kill ranked third. Cassidy was a finalist for the award in 2017-18.

Tortorella managed to steer the Blue Jackets to a spot in the play-in round, with Columbus finishing in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. Prior to the season's pause, Columbus was close to making the playoffs. Tortorella was forced to deal with injuries to key players all season, including Seth Jones, Joonas Korpisalo, Cam Atkinson, Zach Werenski, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. He's won the Jack Adams Award twice and has now been a finalist five times. Only Pat Burns has won the award three times.

The Flyers, meanwhile, surprised the hockey world this season, finishing with the Eastern Conference's fourth-best record. Few pegged Philadelphia to be a legitimate threat entering the campaign, but Vigneault turned the club into one. The Flyers improved dramatically this season, ranking seventh in goals against per game (2.77) after ending 2018-19 in 29th. A five-time finalist, Vigneault won the award while with the Vancouver Canucks in 2006-07.

Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders took home the Jack Adams Award last season.

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Artemi Panarin believes that going undrafted in 2010 was the best thing for his career.

"I would like to thank all the (general managers) for not choosing me in the draft," the New York Rangers star said Tuesday, according to Lohud's Vincent Z. Mercogliano. "It allowed me to choose the team where I wanted to play, that played my style of hockey, and allowed me to be successful to begin with."

Panarin put up eight points in 20 games while playing in the KHL during his draft year. The dynamic forward was then passed over by every team, perhaps due to a fear that he would remain in the KHL.

He then blossomed into a star in Russia. Panarin totaled 26 goals and 62 points in 56 games and added 20 points in 20 playoff games in 2014-15, the season before he joined the Chicago Blackhawks.

Panarin once again had the opportunity to sign with the team of his choosing when he hit free agency last summer and inked a massive $81.5-million deal with the Rangers.

The 28-year-old turned in an MVP-caliber performance during his first season with New York. He tallied 32 goals and 95 points in 69 games and was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday.

"Obviously, when I came, I felt a little bit of pressure," Panarin said. "That's normal. But with both the surrounding people that I met in New York, and also the decision to read less press and look at less social media, allowed me to focus on my craft and drop that level of pressure and stress I might have felt."

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Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug doesn't know where he'll play beyond this season but understands he may have to consider finding a new team.

"I don't really know what's going to happen," Krug said, according to The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. "I'm just trying to take it day by day and worry about the playoffs right now. I'll have to probably prepare for free agency. Then we'll see what happens there. In terms of what's going on with the Bruins and everything else, that's probably a question for someone else."

The 29-year-old would be among the best defensemen available if he does hit unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of the season.

Krug, who has spent his entire career with the Bruins, added that his mindset is different now to when he signed his last contract in 2016.

"My priorities have changed quite a bit," Krug said. "To be a husband and to be a father, it's quite a different change in where your priorities lie. You have to think about schools. You have to think about quality of life. Living in certain climates, things like that. They're all something you take into consideration. We'll see.

"I think at the end of the day, competing and being part of a core leadership group have all been important to me, trying to build something and be part of something special. You always want to do that. There's a lot of things that go into it."

Krug's chances of signing a lucrative contract in Boston may have been impacted by the recently ratified CBA, which will keep the salary cap at $81.5 million for the foreseeable future. The Bruins' have just under $18 million in projected cap space for next season with only a few players needing new deals, but key players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Brandon Carlo will also need new contracts over the next three years.

The dynamic Krug has long been one of the NHL's best offensive defensemen. Since 2013, he ranks seventh in league scoring among blue-liners with 335 points. He amassed nine goals and 49 points in 61 games this season.

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The Ottawa Senators are looking to the past in an effort to rebrand ahead of the 2020-21 season, according to The Athletic's Hailey Salvian.

The team has already sent new-look jerseys and logo mockups to the NHL for approval, a source told Salvian. The logo is reportedly nearly identical to the one the Senators used from 1997-2007, a two-dimensional design featuring a centurion in profile.

The mockup for the team's new home jersey is black with two red bands on the arms, while the away jersey mockup is white with red bands on the arms and black forearms, Salvian reports.

Ottawa will reportedly also introduce a new third jersey, but details of its appearance haven't been confirmed.

The Senators have struggled to fill the stands in the last few seasons and are poised to enter a new era with a ton of young talent in the organization. Ottawa also holds nine picks in the first three rounds of the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft, including the third and fifth overall selections.

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The NHL recorded 43 positive COVID-19 tests during the second phase of its return-to-play plan, the league announced Monday.

Over 600 players voluntarily reported to team facilities since June 8 and 4,932 tests were administered. Of those 600 players, 30 returned positive tests.

The league is also aware of 13 players who tested positive while not reporting during Phase 2.

Seven players who were taking part in Phase 2 tested positive during the last week, while one player who didn't report tested positive.

All players who tested positive have self-isolated and followed proper safety protocols. The NHL will continue to test players and provide weekly updates after Phase 3 kicked off on Monday morning.

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