Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy vented his frustration after another controversial non-call took the spotlight during his team's Game 5 loss to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final.

"I’m a fan of the game," Cassidy said, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "It’s the National Hockey League getting a black eye with their officiating in these playoffs, and there’s another one that’s going to be talked about."

With less than 10 minutes to play in the third period and St. Louis holding a 1-0 advantage, Tyler Bozak seemingly tripped Bruins forward Noel Acciari in Boston's zone. The play allowed David Perron to pick up the puck and beat netminder Tuukka Rask with a bank shot.

"The no-call on Acciari ... their player is on his way to the box," Cassidy said. "It's right in front of the official. It's a slew foot. Our guy's gone. The spotter took him out of the game for a possible concussion. I mean, it's blatant. It had a big effect on the game."

The Bruins bench boss also wasn't happy with a couple of hits that he perceived to be illegal checks to the head.

"Those are the hits they want to get out of the game, correct? That's what I hear a lot about," he said. "Clearly, they missed a couple tonight. It's a fast game. I sat here two days ago or whatever it was and said I believe these officials are at this level because they've earned the right to be here."

Cassidy believes the series took a turn when Blues head coach Craig Berube complained about the officiating after Game 3.

"I mean, the narrative changed after Game 3. There's a complaint or whatever put forth by the opposition. It just seems to have changed everything," he said.

Officials have been held under a microscope all postseason after multiple botched calls.

In Game 7 of the opening-round series between the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights, a questionable five-minute major allowed the Sharks to erase a 3-0 deficit and win the game in overtime. The Blues found themselves on the opposite side of a controversial play in Western Conference Final when the Sharks scored the overtime winner in Game 3 courtesy of a hand pass.

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The St. Louis Blues may have gotten away with one in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With under 10 minutes to play in the third period and St. Louis holding a 1-0 lead, Tyler Bozak seemed to trip Bruins forward Noel Acciari in the Boston zone. The play allowed David Perron to pick up the loose puck and beat netminder Tuukka Rask off an awkward bank shot.

The Blues found themselves on the opposite side of a controversial play in Western Conference Final when the San Jose Sharks scored the overtime winner in Game 3 after a hand pass led directly to the winning goal.

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Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was medically cleared to play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday after suffering a jaw injury in Game 4, according to head coach Bruce Cassidy.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, however, will miss his third straight contest with a concussion.

Boston opted to go with seven defensemen and only 11 forwards, with David Backes drawing out of the lineup.

Chara ranks fourth on the team in ice time, averaging 21:56 per contest this postseason. The 21-year veteran leads the Bruins with 179 games of playoff experience.

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Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is ready to embrace the future after another disjointed season resulted in the team missing the playoffs for the third time in four years.

"There was a lot of moving parts, a lot of things going on," McDavid told TSN's Gino Reda on Tuesday. "Fire a coach, fire a GM - that's a lot of change for one season.

"It was an emotional ride, and I'm looking forward to a little stability."

The Oilers fired former head coach Todd McLellan in November and replaced him with Ken Hitchcock, who assumed the role on an interim basis. General manager Peter Chiarelli was then relieved of his duties two months later in his fourth season with the club.

The Oilers hired Dave Tippett last Tuesday, making him the third head coach employed during McDavid's tenure in Edmonton. The 22-year-old is excited about what the veteran bench boss brings to the table.

"He's been around for a long time and has had lots of success and coached different styles of hockey - coached offensive, coached defensive," McDavid said. "He has all the tools."

After Keith Gretzky finished the season as interim GM, the Oilers brought in legendary executive Ken Holland, who helped guide the Red Wings to Stanley Cup victories in 1998, 2002, and 2008.

"He comes with lots of experience (and) is a guy that's been wildly successful," McDavid added. "I'm really happy with that and really looking forward to working with him."

Despite the team's lack of success, McDavid became just the fifth player in NHL history to record at least three seasons of 100-plus points by age 22 and has collected two Art Ross Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and a Hart Trophy over four seasons.

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Zdeno Chara was bloodied in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final after St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn's shot attempt deflected off the Boston Bruins defenseman's stick and caught him in the face.

The play occurred just over three minutes into the second period. The Bruins captain headed directly to the locker room but returned for the start of the third frame.

Chara was cut open in Game 1 of the series as well after catching a slap shot in the forearm.

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The Arizona Coyotes have reportedly chatted with the Toronto Maple Leafs about veteran winger Patrick Marleau, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The 39-year-old is entering the final year of a three-year deal that carries an annual cap hit of $6.25 million, as well as a full no-movement clause.

Arizona has a projected $8.61 million in cap space, with restricted free agents such as Josh Archibald, Nick Cousins, and Lawson Crouse in need of new deals. Veteran forwards Richard Panik and Mario Kempe are also set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

Marleau's name also surfaced in talks between the Leafs and the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week.

The 21-year veteran hasn't missed a regular-season or playoff game for the Maple Leafs since joining the team ahead of the 2017-18 season.

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St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube isn't happy with the amount of penalty calls that have gone against his team in the Stanley Cup Final so far.

"We were the least-penalized team in the league in the first three rounds and now all of a sudden we've taken 14 penalties in one series … I don't agree with all the calls," Berube said according to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford.

The Bruins' power play - which has been lethal throughout the postseason - connected on all four opportunities with the man advantage in their Game 3 victory.

When looking at the amount of penalties the Blues took in each of the first three rounds, they've spent just as much time in the box through three games of the Stanley Cup Final.

Though he may not agree with the officiating, Berube did hold his team accountable following the loss for their inability to execute on the penalty kill.

When asked if he would consider replacing forward David Perron, who has been responsible for three penalties in the series, Berube implied that his winger will be more careful in Game 4.

"He'll be more disciplined tomorrow. I don't need to discuss if I'm going to take him out of the lineup," he said.

Boston will have an opportunity to move within one win of the Stanley Cup when the two sides meet in Game 4 on Monday night.

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Ahead of his first full season as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chuck Fletcher is looking to put his stamp on the team.

Fletcher was hired Dec. 3 to replace Ron Hextall and the 52-year-old is determined to explore the market this offseason.

"I think we're going to be very aggressive in the trade and free-agent markets in the sense of looking into every possible situation that can help us," Fletcher said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.

The Flyers missed the playoffs by 16 points this season, and Fletcher understands the team must improve in all areas. Philadelphia finished 18th in goals for, 29th in goals against, and 28th in save percentage.

"We need help everywhere. We need help on defense, at center, and on the wing," Fletcher said. "And obviously, we need another goaltender, at least, if not two."

Carter Hart emerged as the Flyers' No. 1 netminder Dec. 18, compiling a 16-13-1 record with a .917 save percentage the rest of the way. The rookie still has two years remaining on his entry-level deal, but there's no guarantee he'll get the starting nod come opening night.

"In the short term, can he be our No. 1 goalie coming out of camp next year? He certainly could be. I don't mean this as a threat, but like everybody else, he's going to have to earn that. It's a tough league for 20- and 21-year-old kids.

"We'll let his play dictate it and we'll hopefully have some other good options in goal so we have great depth, and that's the way we want to approach it."

Alex Lyon is the only other Flyers netminder currently under contract for next season, with Cam Talbot, Michael Neuvirth, and Brian Elliott all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents July 1.

The Flyers have $33.4 million in projected cap space, but Fletcher faces some in-house business to take care of as well, with young forwards Ryan Hartman, Travis Konecny, and Scott Laughton, along with defensemen Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov, all set for new deals as restricted free agents.

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The Los Angeles Kings appear interested in adding another veteran to their squad.

Los Angeles has discussed a trade for winger Patrick Marleau with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Marleau is entering the final season of his three-year contract, which carries an average annual value of $6.25 million and includes a full no-movement clause.

The Kings have $11.73 million in projected cap space for next season and would need to free themselves from at least one contract to make a deal possible. They currently roster six players who are at least 31 years old and scheduled to make north of $5 million next season.

Marleau is still looking for his first Stanley Cup and the Kings represent an aging club that finished last in the Western Conference this past season.

The 39-year-old could reunite with a familiar face, though, as the Kings hired former San Jose Sharks bench boss Todd McLellan in April.

Marleau tallied 16 goals and 37 points for the Leafs this year, which represented his worst statistical output since his rookie campaign.

The Leafs have been active lately in exploring ways to improve their club, as they reportedly put defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on the trade block Thursday.

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly released a statement on Friday regarding Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov after a video circulated online appearing to show the Russian beside two lines of cocaine.

Following the release of the video, Kuznetsov said he "never used drugs" and has no intention to "get into it." He also said the video was more than a year old and was taken after the Capitals' Stanley Cup victory in 2018.

On Friday, Kuznetsov apologized for his involvement in the video.

"While I have never taken illegal drugs in my life and career, I would like to publicly apologize to the Capitals, my teammates, our fans, and everyone else for putting myself in a bad situation," he said, according to the team. "This was a hard lesson for me to learn."

The Capitals also posted a statement on Friday accepting Kuznetsov's apology.

"In addition to doing our own due diligence, we met with Evgeny to discuss the video circulated on social media. While we are disappointed by his presence in the video, we accept his explanation and apology for putting himself in an unfortunate situation," the team said. "Evgeny has been a terrific player and an active member of our community, and we expect him to learn from this experience and uphold both the standards the organization has for him as well as his own."

Kuznetsov has been a key piece of the Capitals' core, recording 70-plus points and 50-plus assists in three of the last four campaigns.

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