Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton received a match penalty for a high hit that injured New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier on Friday night.

Clifton hit Hischier in the head with his shoulder late in the first period.

The officials also handed Clifton a fighting major for the aftermath. Devils forward Ondrej Palat got an instigator penalty, a fighting major, and a 10-minute misconduct.

Hischier left the game and sat out the rest of the opening frame but returned in the second period. However, he didn't emerge with the team for the start of the third.

Clifton signed a three-year contract with the Sabres as a free agent at $3.33 million per season on July 1. He played his first five campaigns with the Boston Bruins.

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Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom had to be stretchered off midway through Thursday's game against the New York Islanders.

Brannstrom landed awkwardly after opposing forward Cal Clutterbuck hit him into the boards in the second period.

Brannstrom is alert, can use his extremities, and was taken to a local hospital, the Senators announced shortly thereafter.

He logged under eight minutes of ice time before the hit and played in all six of Ottawa's previous games this season.

The 24-year-old joined the Senators' organization in the 2019 trade that sent Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Vegas drafted Brannstrom 15th overall in 2017.

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The NHL's proposal to change its draft format is apparently a popular one among its 32 teams.

The vast majority of the league's clubs voted to decentralize the draft, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Under the proposal, the NHL Draft would operate similarly to those of the NFL and NBA, with prospects still gathering in one place while team personnel stay in their home markets, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston.

Tuesday was the deadline for teams to indicate whether or not they're in favor of the idea, which will be discussed further at the general manager meetings in November and then among the Board of Governors in December, per Friedman.

The plan is reportedly for the new format to begin in 2025.

Teams backed the change for several reasons, including the quick turnaround between the draft and the start of free agency on July 1, the cost involved in sending a full contingent to the draft, and "some teams felt their plans were being discovered because tables were too close and things were overheard," Friedman added.

The league reportedly sent a memo to the clubs informing them of the majority support for the idea after sending one last week requesting the votes.

It's still unclear where the 2024 NHL Draft will be held. Earlier this month, it was reported that the league was considering having it at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

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The Colorado Avalanche made NHL history Tuesday night, setting a league record with their 15th consecutive road victory in the regular season with a 7-4 win over the New York Islanders.

Colorado surpassed the previous mark accomplished by the Buffalo Sabres across 2005-06 and 2006-07.

More to come.

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Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott became the first known NHL player to defy the NHL's recent ban on using Pride tape on the ice.

Dermott put the rainbow-colored tape on his stick's shaft for Saturday's 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

The NHL plans to determine whether or not to discipline Dermott for defying the ban.

"We will review it in due course," the league told The Athletic's Ian Mendes in a statement.

The makers of Pride Tape showed their appreciation to Dermott for using the product.

Longtime NHL executive Brian Burke also expressed his support for the Coyotes blue-liner.

The NHLPA has yet to comment on the matter. However, many players have spoken out against the league's ban since it was first reported on the opening day of this season. In a memo that clarified the Pride tape ban, the NHL didn't specify how it would punish those who use the product.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton said he'd probably wrap his stick in Pride tape regardless of the punishment. Flames rearguard Rasmus Andersson said the ban "sucks," and Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly lamented that he wished players "had the right to do more" in the wake of the league's decision.

In June, the NHL said it wouldn't allow teams to wear specialty jerseys during pregame warmups this season. That came in response to several players refusing to wear Pride jerseys supporting the LGBTQ community.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach won't be back in the lineup any time soon.

Dach sustained a "significant injury" and is out long term, the Canadiens announced, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. He is still being evaluated and another update will either come later on Monday or over the next few days, the team added.

The center left Saturday's win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Montreal after opposing defenseman Jarred Tinordi checked him into the visitors' bench. The Canadiens called Dach's ailment a lower-body injury at the time.

Dach, who'll turn 23 in January, played only 4:40 before departing.

He was limited to 58 games last season due to injury and has missed 92 contests since entering the league in 2019-20.

The Blackhawks drafted Dach third overall in 2019 before trading him to the Canadiens for a pair of draft picks in 2022.

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Team Canada is promoting from within for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship.

Alan Letang will serve as head coach of the squad, Hockey Canada announced Friday. The 48-year-old was an assistant coach on the Canadian side that claimed gold in Halifax last winter.

Letang has been the bench boss for the OHL's Sarnia Sting since 2021. He previously occupied the role of interim head coach with the same league's Owen Sound Attack after joining them as an assistant in 2016.

Letang guided Canada's summer under-18 team to the gold medal at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was an assistant coach for the team that won the tournament one year earlier. He did the same for the championship squad at the 2020 world juniors.

The Canadian coaching staff will also include Gilles Bouchard of the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix, Shaun Clouston of the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, and Scott Walker of the OHL's Guelph Storm.

Former NHL defenseman Brent Seabrook is joining the team's brass in an unspecified position. He'll make his international management debut after playing 15 NHL seasons. Seabrook represented Canada numerous times as a player. He won Olympic gold in 2010, silver and gold at the WJHC in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and gold at the under-18 worlds in 2003.

The 2024 world junior tournament will take place from Dec. 26, 2023, through January 5, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Team Canada - the two-time defending champion - will hold its selection camp in Oakville, Ontario, from Dec. 10-13.

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The Los Angeles Kings placed Viktor Arvidsson on long-term injured reserve, the club announced Thursday.

Players on LTIR must miss 10 games or 24 days, which in Arvidsson's case works out to the same return date of Nov. 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He missed L.A.'s season-opening 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

The Swedish forward is dealing with what Kings head coach Todd McLellan called a lower-body injury. He was initially ruled out of the first two games of the season and deemed day-to-day.

Los Angeles played its opener one skater short due to cap constraints and Arvidsson's ailment. Placing him on LTIR frees up both $4.25 million in cap space (his contract's average annual value) and a roster spot.

Arvidsson has been a vital cog in the Kings' lineup since they traded the Nashville Predators a pair of picks for him in July 2021. He produced 20 goals and 29 assists over 66 games in 2021-22 before notching 26 tallies and 33 helpers across 77 contests last season.

The 30-year-old has been prone to injuries throughout his career. He's never played a full season and has missed 80 games combined over the last six campaigns. Despite those woes, he's collected at least 20 goals five times and at least 30 twice.

On Thursday, the Kings also recalled forward Alex Turcotte and defenseman Brandt Clarke from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, while sending forwards Arthur Kaliyev and Alex Laferriere down to the farm club.

Kaliyev has to serve one more game of his four-game suspension (two preseason contests and two regular-season tilts) for kneeing Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo.

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Rick Tocchet knows that an 8-1 victory in the season opener doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

The Vancouver Canucks head coach tried to keep his players grounded after they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in decisive fashion Wednesday night.

"Listen, it's one game," Tocchet told reporters postgame, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "Obviously, everything went in our favor, and I'm proud of the guys. But this is a long haul. I said, 'We're not ordering rings around here.' It's one game. We can feel good about it, but we've got to come back to Earth tomorrow.”

Brock Boeser scored four goals in the rout, which ran in stark contrast to Vancouver's home opener a year ago when the club was booed off the ice after a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

"We've come a long way (from last year)," Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers said. "Saying that, we know there's a lot more to go. But we're in a good place. Just given what's gone on since the start of September, coming into camp and the way guys were preparing, it was nice to have (the) game go the way it did. We need to make sure we keep striving for a higher level."

J.T. Miller also harkened back to the previous home opener, during which Canucks fans littered the ice with jerseys and after which Miller himself said, "If they want to throw their shit on the ice, that's up to them."

"I think we know we need to enjoy (the game) and then move on," he said after Vancouver's blowout win. "It's nice to get off on the right foot after what happened last year, especially."

Canucks forward Conor Garland - who opened the scoring just over eight minutes into Wednesday's victory - acknowledged he had a little extra motivation after the team reportedly gave him permission to seek a trade Tuesday.

"There were some unfortunate distractions," he said. "But I definitely knew I had to have a good game with it all going on, so I was happy."

The Oilers won't have to wait long to try to get revenge, as the Pacific Division rivals will meet again in Edmonton on Saturday.

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Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton wants to use Pride tape despite the NHL's new ban, and he doesn't appear worried about how the league might punish him.

"You'll probably see me with the Pride tape on (Pride night) anyway," he said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor. "If they want to say something, they can."

Many NHL players and others in the hockey world have criticized the league since it confirmed Tuesday that it's prohibiting the use of the rainbow-colored tape that often accompanies Pride night celebrations.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said Tuesday he wished "the players had the right to do more" in the wake of the decision. Calgary Flames blue-liner Rasmus Andersson said the ban "sucks" and lamented that it's not just Pride nights but also "Hockey Fights Cancer" events that'll be affected.

Longtime NHL executive Brian Burke wrote Wednesday that he's "deeply disappointed" in the league's efforts to "protect a select few who do not want to answer any questions about their choices." Burke added that he hopes the NHL reconsiders its decision.

In June, the league banned the wearing of theme night jerseys of any kind during pregame warmups for this season. It made the move in response to seven players refusing to wear Pride night jerseys for various reasons during the 2022-23 campaign.

The first player to do so was Ivan Provorov, who at the time was Laughton's teammate with the Flyers. Philadelphia traded Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets in early June.

Laughton helped organize the Pride night during which Provorov's refusal took place. The Canadian oversaw several initiatives connected to the event along with fellow Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk.

Last season, Laughton was Philadelphia's nominee for the King Clancy Trophy, which recognizes players who exemplify leadership on and off the ice and also make significant humanitarian contributions to their communities.

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