The NHL is looking to take some of its All-Star festivities outdoors when Las Vegas hosts the midseason spectacle in February.

The league is talking to city officials about hosting two new skills competition events in the open air on The Strip, reports ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

NHL executives presented a plan to those officials as well as representatives from The Bellagio Hotel and Casino this week, Wyshynski adds.

The league reportedly hopes to hold the typical skills events indoors as usual, while adding a pair of outdoor challenges inspired by the city and created specifically for next year's festivities.

Vegas will host All-Star Weekend on Feb. 4-5. The skills competition will be held on the Friday, while the three-on-three tournament will take place on the Saturday.

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Kevin Fiala pulled something special out of his bag of tricks Wednesday night.

The Minnesota Wild forward batted the puck out of mid-air on his backhand for a terrific goal early in the second period against the Arizona Coyotes.

Fiala hadn't scored since Minnesota's season opener, a victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 15.

The 25-year-old ranked second on the Wild in goals (20) and points (40) over 50 games in the last campaign.

Minnesota defeated Arizona 5-2.

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The number of Ottawa Senators players in COVID-19 protocol doubled Monday, as forwards Connor Brown and Dylan Gambrell landed on a list that already includes winger Austin Watson, defenseman Nick Holden, and associate coach Jack Capuano.

Ottawa canceled practice Monday for precautionary reasons.

Senators head coach D.J. Smith said Brown and Gambrell don't have confirmed positive tests but won't play Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Smith added that the two players could suit up later this week.

The team placed Watson in the protocol Friday, and Smith confirmed one day later that Watson tested positive. Ottawa added Holden and Capuano to the list Sunday night.

Being in COVID-19 protocol isn't necessarily indicative of a positive test.

Brown ranks third on the Senators with seven points in 11 games this season.

Ottawa recalled forwards Scott Sabourin and Egor Sokolov from its AHL affiliate Monday after summoning defenseman Erik Brannstrom on Sunday.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have dismissed head coach Jeremy Colliton along with assistants Sheldon Brookbank and Tomas Mitell. The team named Derek King interim bench boss.

Chicago went 1-9-2 to begin this season. Colliton was in his fourth campaign coaching the Blackhawks.

The club posted a record of 87-92-26 under Colliton. Chicago promoted the 36-year-old from its AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, upon firing Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6, 2018 - three years to the day of Saturday's moves.

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Brad Aldrich's name has been crossed out on the Stanley Cup, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.

The change was made Sunday when the names of last season's Tampa Bay Lightning were added, reports TSN's Ryan Rishaug.

Last Thursday, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz wrote a letter to Hockey Hall of Fame chairman Lanny McDonald asking the Hall to consider crossing out the former Blackhawks video coach's name on the Cup and admitting that submitting Aldrich's name in 2010 was a "mistake."

"While nothing can undo what he did, leaving his name on the most prestigious trophy in sports seems profoundly wrong," Wirtz added last week.

Hockey Hall of Fame media director Kelly Masse confirmed Friday that McDonald spoke with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly that day, and the parties agreed the request was appropriate.

An independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block found the Blackhawks failed to respond promptly upon learning that Aldrich allegedly behaved in a sexually inappropriate manner toward a player during the club's playoff run in 2010. Kyle Beach, who says Aldrich sexually assaulted him, revealed himself as the player last Wednesday.

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The New York Rangers loaned Vitali Kravtsov to the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk, the club announced.

New York can recall Kravtsov when the ongoing KHL season ends, and he's amenable to rejoining the NHL team, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

"After discussions with Vitali and his representation, we decided a loan to Traktor was in the best interests of both him and the organization," Rangers general manager Chris Drury said in a statement Wednesday. "We think very highly of Vitali and the Rangers development staff will continue to work with him to reach our mutual goal of him some day being a New York Ranger."

Kravtsov also focused on the positive.

"I want to thank the Rangers for working with me, and appreciate the open and honest conversations we have had during this process," he said in his own statement. "While this has been a challenging time for me personally, I believe having the opportunity to return to Traktor and work on my game is the best thing for me right now. My main focus is getting better every day to continue towards my goal of playing hockey for the New York Rangers."

The Rangers reportedly gave Kravtsov permission to seek a trade on Oct. 12 after the club left him off its roster to begin the season. The forward, who'll turn 22 next month, was apparently unhappy that he didn't make the team.

Kravtsov collected two goals and two assists over 20 games as a rookie with New York in the last campaign. He spent parts of five seasons with Traktor before that and played 39 AHL games in 2019-20.

The Rangers drafted the Russian-born forward ninth overall in 2018.

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The Nashville Predators will raise Pekka Rinne's No. 35 to the Bridgestone Arena rafters on Feb. 24, 2022.

The recently retired goaltender will become the first player in franchise history to have his number retired.

Rinne, who turned 39 on Wednesday, ended his NHL tenure in July following a 15-year career spent entirely with the Predators.

The Finnish-born goalie was unquestionably Nashville's best-ever netminder and arguably one of the most accomplished in NHL history. Rinne leads the Predators in almost every category at his position, and his 369 career wins put him in a tie for 19th on the NHL's all-time list. He also sits in the league's top 20 in save percentage (.917) and shutouts (60).

Rinne provided prolonged stability in the crease and helped the Predators reach the playoffs 10 times, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016-17. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2017-18 and was a finalist for the honor in three other seasons.

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Carey Price may be ready to return to the Montreal Canadiens shortly after his time in the NHL's player assistance program concludes.

"We don't have confirmation yet, but we're expecting him in town soon," Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said Tuesday, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "We don't have the exact date yet."

Players must spend a minimum of 30 days in the program, and Friday will be Price's 30th.

The goaltender voluntarily entered the program on Oct. 7. Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said at the time that Price could be out longer than the 30-day minimum. One day before that, the Canadiens said they expected the netminder to miss the start of the season due to a non-COVID-19 illness.

Price excelled in last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, posting a .924 save percentage over 22 games while leading the Canadiens to a surprise appearance in the championship round. The 34-year-old raised his game after struggling during the regular season.

Montreal will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

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The Montreal Canadiens sent top prospect Cole Caufield to the AHL's Laval Rocket, the NHL club announced Monday.

Caufield entered the season as the consensus Calder Trophy favorite, but he's produced only one point - an assist - over the first 10 games of the campaign.

The 20-year-old impressed upon arriving in the NHL last season, notching four goals and an assist across 10 regular-season contests before adding four markers and eight helpers in 20 playoff games.

Caufield won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top Division I men's hockey player while playing for the University of Wisconsin in April. The Canadiens called him up for his NHL debut later that month.

Montreal signed the American-born forward to an entry-level contract in March after drafting him 15th overall in 2019.

The Canadiens recalled forward Michael Pezzetta on Monday in a corresponding move.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Mathieu Perreault will miss two-to-three weeks due to an eye injury, head coach Dominique Ducharme said Sunday.

Adam Brooks will replace Perreault in the lineup.

Ducharme added that Perreault had been dealing with the injury for some time now and didn't sustain the ailment during Saturday's loss to the Los Angeles Kings, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. Doctors reportedly only recently gave Perreault his recovery timetable.

The Canadiens are banged up at the moment. Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry were game-time decisions for Sunday's road clash with the Anaheim Ducks, and they weren't alone in dealing with injuries.

Petry ultimately suited up for the contest, while Gallagher did not.

Perreault has produced three goals and an assist over eight games this season. The 33-year-old scored all of his 2021-22 markers in a 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 23. He buried two in a span of 2:14 before capping it off with an empty-netter.

Montreal enters Sunday's game with a 2-7-0 record.

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