The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly "working towards" a long-term extension with rookie defender Nikita Zaitsev, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman adds that the deal would average $4.5 million annually, and that the two parties are "closing in" on an agreement.

More to come.

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It's Playoff Clinching Night in the Pacific Division.

The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks will officially compete for the Stanley Cup, earning their postseason berths after the Los Angeles Kings dropped a 2-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers (who clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 with the win).

It will be the Ducks' fifth straight playoff appearance, and their 10th in 12 seasons.

The Sharks are looking to avenge last year's loss in the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's their second straight playoff appearance with head coach Peter DeBoer behind the bench.

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Everything ends. Badly, for the most part.

The Detroit Red Wings were officially eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday night, ending the club's remarkable 25-year postseason streak.

It was the longest active playoff streak in pro sports, and ends tied for the third-longest in NHL history.

It was a most productive generation. Detroit won six Presidents' trophies, made six trips to the Stanley Cup Final since 1991, and ended up hosting four Stanley Cup parades. It was the kind of streak all sports franchises aspire to, containing greatness both on the team and player levels.

"Right now it's hard to talk about, because you're a big reason why it's not continuing," captain Henrik Zetterberg said, writes NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika.

It's hard to fathom springtime in Detroit without hockey, but that's the reality. The Detroit Tigers will undoubtedly have a lot more eyes on them as the MLB season gets going.

"We've given the fans wonderful hockey for a quarter of a century," Jimmy Devellano, the Red Wings' senior vice president, said. "It had to happen. It had to happen."

The club won more than 1,100 regular-season games during the streak, and enjoyed its best season in club history in 1995-96, when Detroit finished a remarkable 62-13-7. While that campaign ended in a third-round playoff defeat, two Stanley Cups would follow in 1997 and 1998.

Steve Yzerman. Sergei Fedorov. Ken Holland. Scotty Bowman. Nicklas Lidstrom. Pavel Datsyuk. Tomas Holmstrom. Brendan Shanahan. What a run.

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USA Hockey and the U.S. women's national team have reached a four-year agreement "that will result in groundbreaking support" for the program, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.

The deal ensures the national team will compete at this year's women's world championship, which begins Friday in Plymouth, Mich.

"Today reflects everyone coming together and compromising in order to reach a resolution for the betterment of the sport," USA Hockey president Jim Smith said. "We'll now move forward together knowing we'll look back on this day as one of the most positive in the history of USA Hockey."

The team planned to boycott the world championship unless a deal was struck, citing unfair wages and a lack of support for the players. While negotiations and dialogue between the two parties were ongoing, time was fast running out for an agreement to be reached, especially with the U.S. hosting the tournament.

The team will practice Thursday, and will host Canada on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ESPN's Johnette Howard has a number of reported details on the deal:

• Compensation per player will rise to $70,000.
• The women's team will now earn performance-related bonuses for the first time, and players could see their incomes reach six figures with world championship and Olympic titles.
• A gold medal is worth $20,000 to the team, and a silver $15,000.
• Each national team member will receive a $2,000 monthly stipend, regardless of experience. Before this agreement, newer team members were earning between $750 and $2,000, based on experience.
• Travel, insurance, and per diem amounts will now be the same for the women as they are for the men's team.
• Committees will be established for marketing, scheduling, and public relations recommendations, and a foundation position will be created to focus on fundraising, which pales in comparison to the U.S. boys' developmental team and the USHL.

"Our sport is a big winner today. We stood up for what we thought was right and USA Hockey's leadership listened," captain Meghan Duggan said. "I'm proud of my teammates and can't thank everyone who supported us enough."

The dispute became a major story in hockey circles, with NHLers chiming in, and support for the team coming in droves on social media.

"I'm glad we could come together and reach and arrangement that will have a positive and lasting impact," forward Hilary Knight said.

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Move over, Wendel Clark.

Auston Matthews set a Toronto Maple Leafs rookie record for goals in a season with his 35th on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.

You can watch video of the goal here.

It's been a banner rookie season for the kid from Arizona for a number of reasons, but at 19 years old he's already proven he can score in the NHL, and will do so for a long time.

Clark scored 34 in his rookie season of 1985-86, but the two players were already linked in Maple Leafs history, as they're the only two first overall picks Toronto has made in the draft.

Matthews leads Toronto with 62 points on the season, and is trailed by fellow rookies William Nylander - who extended his Maple Leafs rookie-record points streak to 12 games with an assist on Matthews' goal - and Mitch Marner.

In fact, Matthews' goal moves him into a tie for fourth in the league with Vladimir Tarasenko, and pushes him one ahead of Patrik Laine for the rookie NHL lead. Laine, though, has played seven fewer games than Matthews.

And all these goals are great for Matthews' wallet.

He's in line for a $2-million bonus - one the Maple Leafs will gladly pay - should he finish in the top 10 in the league, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

The kids are the future for the Maple Leafs, and it appears the future has arrived a lot earlier than anyone imagined it would.

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From fifth-last pick to an NHL contract. Not bad.

The Montreal Canadiens announced the signing of forward Jeremiah Addison to a three-year, entry-level contract Friday.

Addison, 20, was the 207th player selected out of 211 in 2015. From Brampton, Ontario, the left-shooting winger stands 6-feet tall and weighs 190 pounds.

This season, Addison has 24 goals and 19 assists in 51 games in the OHL. His best junior season came in 2015-16, when he had 27 goals and 29 assists in 66 games. He suited up in four games for Montreal's AHL affiliate last season, as well, recording an assist in four games.

Addison has some offense in his stick and plays a rough game. He ranks second on his Windsor team this season with 62 penalty minutes.

Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.

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It was one of the best games of the season between two of the hottest teams in the NHL.

The Calgary Flames beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout Monday, earning their 10th straight win and matching a franchise record set by the 1978-79 Atlanta Flames.

In an entertaining back-and-forth affair highlighted by an all-world goal by Johnny Gaudreau, it was Kris Versteeg who scored the lone tally in the skills competition to give Calgary the win.

Pittsburgh's five-game win streak was snapped, but by earning a point, the Penguins are now tied with the Washington Capitals for the most points in the league with 95.

The Flames are now tied with Anaheim for second in the Pacific Division, and you can't blame Calgary fans if they're thinking about playoff hockey that will be played a month from now at Scotiabank Saddledome. It's happening.

Brian Elliott continued his excellent play in goal for the Flames, stopping 32 of the 35 shots he faced, and all three Penguins shootout attempts by some guys named Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Phil Kessel.

Elliott's been in goal for nine of the 10 wins and should be back in the crease Wednesday when the Boston Bruins are in town as the 2016-17 Flames look to write their names in the Calgary record books.

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For the first time in his life, Alex Ovechkin can't score.

The prolific Washington Capitals superstar - and one of the greatest goal-scorers in NHL history - was held scoreless for a 10th straight game Sunday, officially making this the longest dry spell of his career.

The Anaheim Ducks shut Ovi down, and in the process, the Caps. It was a 4-2 final, and Washington's fourth loss in a row.

Ovechkin had gone nine games without a goal twice before in his career, but the truth is, no one on Washington can find the back of the net right now.

Since kicking off February with six straight wins, and scoring at least five goals in five of those victories, the Capitals have hit an offensive wall. Washington's scored two or fewer in six straight and 10 of its last 12.

More concerning: Ovechkin hasn't scored an even-strength goal since Jan. 31, a whopping 18 games.

The 31-year-old's lowest goal total in a full season is 32, back in 2010-11, in 79 games. He finished with 53 assists and an impressive 85 points, though.

At this point, you have to wonder if he'll get to 35. At the same time, you know that when he does start scoring again, he's going to do it often.

We're just going to assume he's saving them for the playoffs. The Caps are all-in, after all.

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It was, in the end, all talk.

The NHL's trade deadline is in the books, and Marc-Andre Fleury is still a member of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. And considering Ben Bishop was the only goalie moved during a busy two-week stretch - and to a stealth buyer in Los Angeles - Fleury's status shouldn't really come as a surprise.

Signed through 2018-19 at $5.75 million - and with Matt Murray inked through 2019-20 at $3.75 million - Fleury's future will be a major topic of conversation once the season ends, as preparations for the expansion draft begin in earnest.

Here's what we know: Murray's the goalie of the future in Pittsburgh, the No. 1. But Fleury's going to play a big role down the stretch, as the Pens are set for 16 games over the next 31 days, including two back-to-backs (there's another one in April).

And who knows what will happen during the playoffs. But the Penguins can sleep a little easier at night, knowing they've got two guys who've backstopped the team to a Cup.

Fleury will be unprotected in the expansion draft, or dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights beforehand. In other words, enjoy these final few months, Pens fans. It's been real.

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Ken Holland has a plan to make the Detroit Red Wings great again.

With his club floundering in last place in the Atlantic Division, the general manager set out to collect assets ahead of the trade deadline, and for the most part, he did.

"For Sale" sign in hand, Holland got a conditional third-round pick for Thomas Vanek, a sixth-round pick for Steve Ott, second- and third-round picks for Brendan Smith, and another third-rounder for Tomas Jurco.

"I don't feel I left any crumbs on the table," Holland said, according to Dana Wakiji, who edits the Red Wings' website. "We got the very best offers we could."

Holland deserves props for facing reality - the Red Wings' remarkable 25-year streak of playing for the Stanley Cup is ending. And that means it's time for a new streak to begin, hopefully as soon as 2018.

"It starts at the draft table," Holland said. "Teams of (the) '90s and 2000s were born at the draft table."

Detroit's now got 11 picks going into the 2017 draft, including four in the third round and two in the sixth.

"With 11 picks, you'd like to wake up and have three regular NHL players. If really lucky, four," he said.

Make no mistake - Holland's upset he had to take this route. He expected his team to be far more competitive, but he's a realist. That being said, he's not looking at a complete teardown and rebuild.

And he expects his players to go through the stretch run with pride, even as the curtain falls on The Streak.

"When you're a professional athlete, you try to win. We're going to go down swinging," Holland said. "Some good is going to come out of this year."

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