Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen went all-in at the trade deadline, seemingly improving his roster without trading blue chippers Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky.

Now, in the middle of a three-game losing streak that's resulted in the Blue Jackets falling out of a playoff spot, Kekalainen feels that the team he assembled to make a deep run this spring lacks cohesion.

"We have to start playing like a team," Kekalainen said, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "Right now, we're looking like a group of individuals who are pulling in different directions. We don't look like a team."

Columbus has won just five contests since the trade deadline, scoring a measly 2.08 goals per game.

Since the Blue Jackets' big deadline moves, new acquisition Matt Duchene has delivered three goals and six points in 15 games and Panarin - Columbus' leader in points this season - has just one goal during that span, leaving Kekalainen to question his team's sense of accountability.

"Are you able to look each other in the eye and know you've done your job," Kekalainen said. "When you're doing your job, you can demand the same of everybody else. That's called professional pride."

The GM also insisted that he still supports head coach John Tortorella and rejected the idea that he may be let go before the season ends.

"That's just silly," Kekalainen said. "Torts has been our coach for a long time, been a good coach for us. He's coached us into the playoffs twice in a row. He's a very experienced coach in this league."

The Blue Jackets will look to avoid being swept on their Western Canadian road trip as they close it out in Vancouver versus the Canucks on Sunday night.

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Although Edmonton Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson apologized for publicly criticizing Tobias Rieder's play this season, the Oilers forward sounded off on the incident Friday.

"You kind of can't believe it. I feel like it's disappointing and I'm offended by it," Rieder said, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug. "I'm the first one to admit I haven't had a good year."

Nicholson went off on a tirade at a breakfast for season-ticket holders Thursday, directly blaming Rieder's individual lack of production for the team's precarious playoff position.

The German forward was surprised to hear such critical commentary from the front office with the team sitting five points out of a playoff position with eight games remaining.

"It went a little too far and Bob knows that ... I thought the timing was a bit weird, we're still fighting for the playoffs. I'm still going to do my best," Rieder added.

Rieder's agent, Darren Ferris, also voiced his displeasure regarding the comments, calling Nicholson's remarks "unacceptable." As for Rieder's teammates, the 26-year-old says everyone's on the same page regarding the issue.

"We talked before the game and they don't think it was right either ... it's good to know they have my back," Rieder said, according to Rishaug. The NHLer added that he accepts Nicholson's apology.

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The truck driver who caused the deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos' bus was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday, according to Bre McAdam of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu of Calgary, Alberta, pleaded guilty earlier this year to 29 counts of dangerous driving.

Judge Inez Cardinal said Sidhu's remorse and guilty plea were mitigating factors, but she had to consider the number of people who were killed or seriously injured as a result of the crash.

In April 2018, Sidhu drove through a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and collided with the junior hockey team's bus. Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured.

The judge noted that Sidhu will be deported after serving his sentence because he's a permanent resident and not a Canadian citizen.

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde will have a hearing Friday for an illegal check to the head of Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Here's a look at the play, which took place in the first period of Thursday's contest:

Gourde was handed a 10-minute match penalty and a game misconduct for the hit. The 27-year-old has never faced supplemental discipline from the league.

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Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk joined CFRA's Bill Carroll for a radio interview on Friday morning and voiced strong opinions on a number of topics, including the Toronto Maple Leafs' rebuild, his own team's trades, and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

While discussing the challenges of building and maintaining a championship contender in the salary cap era, Melnyk was quick to take a jab at how the Leafs have allocated their salaries.

"They're going to have a tough time winning the Stanley Cup without defense," Melnyk said, "because they're hitting the cap, they can't bring anybody new in so they're stuck, and that's where you have to be extremely careful. ... They collapse their team, say we gotta do a rebuild, but you know, mistakes were made and somebody forgot about defense."

When talking about his own rebuild with the Senators, Melnyk insisted he needed to trade away Ottawa's budding stars to accommodate the younger talents of the future.

"A lot of people were really upset about us trading away the three in the end, (Matt) Duchene and (Mark) Stone and (Ryan) Dzingel, and if you think about it, they're all looking for a seven- or eight-year contract at the age of 27," Melnyk said.

"Five or six years from now, they're all going to be in their almost mid-30s and you're going to have all these kids coming up."

In a later discussion regarding the contentious RendezVous LeBreton proposal to build a new downtown arena west of Parliament Hill, Melnyk openly ridiculed Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson after Carroll noted how critical Watson has been of Melnyk throughout the process.

"He is so lucky that I keep my mouth shut, he should keep his," Melnyk said of Watson. "I have a lot to say but I don't say it, but you know what, I'd be very careful I was him and walking around mouthing off. With him opening up like that, you know all he does is the NHL offices, they look at it and say, 'Hey do we really want to bring more events to this city?'"

Melnyk concluded the radio hit by calling out the Ottawa media, specifically stating that one particular reporter was "bush league" for asking general manager Pierre Dorion to listen to a taped call of an upset Senators fan.

TSN's Ian Mendes immediately took to social media, tweeting, "So, Eugene Melnyk just called me 'bush league' on the air. So there's that." Soon after, Mendes' colleagues began speaking out in his defense.

The Friday radio hit came just one day after Melnyk joined Sportsnet 590 The Fan and stated that the Senators need to identify their "real fans."

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The Washington Capitals will celebrate their 2018 Stanley Cup victory at the White House on Monday, a team spokesperson told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

Following the team's championship victory last spring, captain Alexander Ovechkin went on record saying he couldn't wait for the visit, while teammates such as Devante Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly expressed opposite opinions.

Barry Trotz, the Capitals' head coach at the time, noted he would do whatever the group decided and was unsure whether it would be a full-team outing, or just certain players electing to attend.

The annual championship visit has been a controversial topic over the past couple of years. President Donald Trump canceled the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles' visit last June. During the NBA Finals, both LeBron James and Stephen Curry insisted their teams would not attend if invited, resulting in Trump ultimately revoking the invitation.

The entire Pittsburgh Penguins team visited the White House after winning their most recent Stanley Cup in 2017.

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The Dallas Stars will get their starting goaltender back on Tuesday night when Ben Bishop suits up against the Florida Panthers.

The 32-year-old Bishop left last week's contest against the Minnesota Wild with a lower-body injury.

Before his departure, Bishop was in the midst of a franchise-record shutout streak that stands at 230 minutes, 53 seconds entering Tuesday's contest. The previous Stars record was held by Ed Belfour, whose streak lasted 219 minutes, 26 seconds in 2000.

Bishop's run is the longest in the NHL since San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones shut out his opponents for 234:33 during the 2015-16 season. The longest shutout streak in the modern era belongs to Brian Boucher, then a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, at 332:01 set during the 2003-04 season.

Overall, the 6-foot-7 Bishop is enjoying a career year. He sports a 2.05 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage, while the Stars are currently in a playoff position despite ranking 29th in scoring.

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It's been a difficult stretch for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as the team has suffered three regulation defeats and allowed 23 goals in its last four games.

However, the Leafs remain positive despite the rough patch.

"In our meetings today just talking with one another, we're not sulking or getting down on one another," Auston Matthews told reporters on Monday. "We want to hold each other accountable and be better for one another."

Head coach Mike Babcock believes such a losing skid can help his team grow.

"Adversity is really important for you in life. When you don't have some, you think you should get some so you can get better," Babcock told reporters. "When you get it, you don't want it. We have it right now. Let's pull together."

Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been one of the league's top netminders this season but has posted just a .885 save percentage and 3.97 goals-against average during March.

"I think a little adversity will be good for some teams sometimes, and I'm sure once we work our way out of it, we'll be better off," Andersen said. "You don't feel good doing it, but once you get out of it, you are probably, like I said, better off and learn some very valuable lessons."

The Leafs have 10 games remaining in the regular season and will kick off a two-game road trip against the Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabres beginning Tuesday.

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American forwards Jack Hughes and Cole Caufield are projected to be first-round selections in the 2019 NHL Draft, and on Friday night, each set a record on the same goal when the USA Hockey National Team Development Program defeated Green Bay.

Hughes picked up his fifth assist of the night on Caufield's sixth goal of the game, placing him atop the program's points list, while Caufield moved into first place for goals.

Here's a look at the record-setting tally:

"I mean, we were so proud of each other and we just said, 'Congrats,' and it was just a really special moment," Caufield said, according to NHL.com's Mike Morreale. "We worked so hard for this; I can't say enough about my teammates."

The 17-year-old Hughes is a strong candidate to be selected with the first overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft. His 190 points over two seasons with the program moves him past Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller and into the top spot on the all-time list.

"With all the players who have come through the program and being able to pass some of those guys was really cool," Hughes said. "You look at the list with Keller, Auston Matthews, and Patrick Kane; it's just cool to be mentioned with them."

Caufield buried his 105th goal with the program, passing Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel for the all-time lead. The 18-year-old's big night also moved him within four goals of the NTDP single-season goals record held by Matthews with 55.

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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was exasperated by his team's lack of intensity after dropping a critical home game to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

The Avalanche carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, but a three-goal second period sparked the comeback victory for a Ducks team playing their third game in four nights.

“We were checking with our eyes,” Bednar told reporters after the game, including the Denver Post's Mike Chambers. “We got to check with our legs. We’re supposed to be the rested team. We didn’t win enough races. We didn’t check the puck back enough. We build a lead and it looked like we got comfortable with it and just stopped working."

Colorado has now dropped five of its last seven contests and sits five points back of the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference. Bednar pointed to the team's lack of urgency and inability to learn from past mistakes as a reason for their late-season struggles.

“As a team, you can’t continually learn the same lesson," Bednar said. "It just seems like we’re learning the same lesson, over and over on our losses. I know our guys care but we didn’t play an inspired game today, like we really needed it - like it was mandatory that we won. The urgency, for me, wasn’t there.”

With 11 crucial games left on the schedule, the Avalanche continue their playoff push Sunday when they host the New Jersey Devils.

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