Gomez began the season with the St. Louis Blues, but was released by the club after managing just one goal and eight points in 21 games.
He was subsequently signed to a professional tryout contract by the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. There, he lit it up, posting four goals and 24 points in 18 games.
Gomez should provide the team with some short-term relief after the Senators announced Monday that forward Kyle Turris would be shut down indefinitely as he deals with a high ankle sprain.
The Florida Panthers have added another talented prospect to their arsenal.
The team signed Moose Jaw Warriors forward Dryden Hunt to an entry-level contract Wednesday, general manager Dale Tallon announced.
The 20-year-old leads the Western Hockey League with 50 goals through 63 games, 11 more than Boston Bruins draft pick Jesse Gabrielle, who sits second.
Hunt was named the WHL's Player of the Month for January and followed that up with five hat tricks in February. His 102 points also slot him just two back of top spot in the league.
The NHL's fourth all-time leading scorer, Jaromir Jagr, was an obvious omission from the Czech Republic's roster for the World Cup of Hockey, named Wednesday.
The Florida Panthers forward was expected to be left off, but he may still be included when the remaining roster spots are announced no later than June 1 - as could his new Panthers teammate Jiri Hudler.
Jagr has already retired from the Czech national team, notes Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, and has been "coy" regarding his involvement in the World Cup.
Jaromir Jagr not on First 16 Czech roster for World Cup. Allows federation and 44-year-old to decide by June 1.
F Michael Frolik, Calgary Flames F Martin Hanzal, Arizona Coyotes F Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks F David Krejci, Boston Bruins F Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins F Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens F Vladimir Sobotka, Avangard Omsk (KHL) F Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers
Defensemen
D Radko Gudas, Philadelphia Flyers D Michal Kempny, Avangard Omsk (KHL) D Roman Polak, San Jose Sharks D Andrej Sustr, Tampa Bay Lightning
Goaltenders
G Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings G Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers G Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
Kessel, who played alongside Phaneuf for six seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, said his former teammate was often mistreated throughout his tenure as captain of the team.
"Obviously, Dion is a great player and a good friend of mine," Kessel said Tuesday. "I think he's misunderstood in Toronto. I think a lot of times he wasn't treated fairly through the media and through the fans."
The 28-year-old sniper adds that the duo have kept in touch, and that Phaneuf is embracing his new role with the Ottawa Senators.
"I've talked to (Phaneuf) a little bit," Kessel said. "He's a professional. I think he knows now you can always get traded in this league."
Phaneuf has certainly found his game since being traded. The 30-year-old has recorded one goal and six assists in 10 games with his new club.
The two former teammates will face off against each other for the first time since the trade on April 5 in Ottawa.
Finland's initial World Cup of Hockey roster announced Wednesday features 10 forwards, four defensemen, and two goalies.
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask - who shut out the U.S. in the bronze-medal game at the Sochi Olympics, making 27 saves in a 5-0 win - will be back in the crease. Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne was also named to the team. Up front, Leo Komarov will represent the Maple Leafs at the tournament in Toronto.
Forwards
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers Joonas Donskoi, San Jose Sharks Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild Leo Komarov, Toronto Maple Leafs Lauri Korpikoski, Edmonton Oilers Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
Defensemen
Esa Lindell, Texas Stars (AHL) – Dallas Stars hold NHL rights Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks
Goalies
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
The World Cup runs Sept. 17 through Oct. 1 in Toronto.
Canada, the U.S., Czech Republic, and Team Europe comprise Group A, while Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Team North America make up Group B. The final will be a best-of-three.
The Dallas Stars thought they addressed their big area of weakness, goaltending, in the offseason, but shaky play between the pipes continues to haunt the club.
The Master Plan
After his club finished next to last in team save percentage last season (.895), general manager Jim Nill decided to compliment incumbent Kari Lehtonen with the acquisition of Antti Niemi from San Jose.
At the time, Nill contended the NHL had become a two-goalie league, and that a healthy measure of competition would be beneficial for both Lehtonen and Niemi.
The GM was so confident in this philosophy that he, with the blessing of owner Tom Gaglardi, put pen to paper on a three-year, $13.5-million contract for Niemi, even with Lehtonen already signed through to the end of 2017-18 with a cap hit of $5.9 million.
Add it all up, and the Stars entered the season with a supposed 1A/1B goalie combo carrying a combined salary cap hit of $10.4 million.
Where They Stand
With 17 games remaining in the regular season, the Stars have posted a record of 38-20-7, good for a share of the Central Division lead in points along with Chicago and St. Louis.
Following a loss to Nashville on Tuesday, however, Dallas has gone 3-5-2 over the past 10 games, allowing 40 goals against over that span.
It's an ugly stretch, and it certainly hasn't helped the overall numbers posted by Lehtonen and Niemi to date.
Player
Games Played
Record
Save %
GAA
Shutouts
Antti Niemi
42
22-12-6
.903
2.72
3
Kari Lehtonen
31
16-8-1
.906
2.93
1
What's boosting the Stars is their elite-level offense, which ranks first in the NHL with 209 goals, four more than Washington, albeit in three more games played.
That's all well and good, but Dallas finished last season in the second spot in terms of goals for (one behind Tampa Bay) yet failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a plus-1 goal differential.
The Outlook
Based on the NHL's current playoff format, the Stars would have to beat two divisional opponents to advance to the Western Conference finals. Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and Minnesota have better team save percentages to date, and even Colorado's goalies - a team now on the outside looking in - have performed better than the Stars' duo.
At present, only five teams have allowed more goals than the Stars, and while the addition of the shot-blocking Kris Russell is expected to shore up the defense, the Stars' strong regular season could very well translate into a first-or second-round playoff exit if the goaltenders don't improve.
With a 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, the Music City squad pushed its recent record to 7-0-3, tying a franchise record with points in 10 consecutive games.
Nashville's past three wins, all in regulation, have come against Chicago, St. Louis, and, now, Dallas, all teams that sit ahead of the Predators in the Central Division standings.
The latest win helped the Predators secure their hold on the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and their upcoming schedule appears conducive to at least a few more wins.
Next six games: vs NJD at COL at WPG at CGY at VAN at EDM
While Nashville remained quiet at the trade deadline, the addition of Ryan Johansen earlier in the season and, more importantly, the resurgence of Pekka Rinne, have given the Predators the look of a legitimate challenger come playoff time.
The Minnesota Wild's scoring woes appear to be a thing of the past as John Torchetti's club matched a season-high in goals in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The two points draw the Wild even with the Avalanche at 68 points, but with a game in hand, Minnesota holds the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Western Conference Wild Card Standings
Rnk
Team
GP
W
L
O
Pts
1
Nashville
64
32
21
11
75
2
Minnesota
64
29
25
10
68
3
Colorado
65
32
29
4
68
It was just over a month ago when the Wild scored six goals over a six-game period from Jan. 9-20. The team has now scored at least five goals in five of nine games since replacing head coach Mike Yeo with Torchetti on Feb. 13.
A big part of their recent success has been the production from their third line of Erik Haula, Jason Pominville, and Nino Niederreiter. The trio combined for seven points against the Avalanche, with all three scoring breakaway goals in the first period, ending the night of Avalanche starter Semyon Varlamov.
"They want to play on both sides of the puck," Torchetti said of the line, per Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. "I think the whole team can learn from that.
"We talk a lot, on the bench, to support each other," Niederreiter added. The winger would score on an empty net in the third to help him and Pominville finish with three-point nights.
"This game was one I think everyone had marked down and wanted to win," Pominville said postgame. "And everyone responded."
Haula: "It was a great win and now we're looking forward to the next one." #mnwild
Less than a minute before Niederreiter's empty-netter, Charlie Coyle scored his team-leading 21st of the year.
The Wild now have a great chance to pick up another four points with a quick two-game road trip in the East as they'll visit the league-worst Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday before a Saturday visit with the Buffalo Sabres.
In the initial showdown between the first and second overall picks from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, it was the Edmonton Oilers who came out on top against Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1.
McDavid, who opened the scoring a mere 22 seconds into the first period, finished things off in overtime with this goal on Robin Lehner. The goal came moments after a glorious opportunity for Eichel.
Considering these two youngsters will be linked for quite some time, McDavid sounded as though he was happy to get their first encounter out of the way.
McDavid when asked if it's good to put this game in the rear view mirror: "Yeah, for sure." Followed by a grin.