Elias Lindholm believes new Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom is worthy of the team's splashy offseason investment.

"For now, he deserves the contract," Lindholm said with a smile about his fellow Swede, according to Postmedia's Wes Gilbertson.

Markstrom signed a six-year, $36-million contract with the Flames as a free agent this offseason after seven campaigns in Vancouver. After shutting out the Canucks on Saturday, Markstrom picked up a second straight win against his former team on Monday, stopping 25 of 27 shots in the 5-2 victory.

Lindholm was especially impressed with Markstrom's performance early in Monday's contest.

"Obviously, the way the first period went he stole us a point or two there," Lindholm said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "We could have been out of the game there."

Vancouver outshot Calgary 16-4 in the first period and won the high-danger scoring chance battle 6-1, according to Natural Stat Trick. Markstrom held down the fort, allowing just one goal in the opening frame, and the Flames scored three second-period goals to secure the victory.

Markstrom now owns a sparkling .935 save percentage in three games with his new club.

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One of the NHL's most quietly impressive streaks came to an end on Monday.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton failed to record a shot on goal for the first time since April 5, 2016, ending a streak of 296 consecutive games, according to NHL.com's Michael Smith. It was the longest active streak in the NHL.

Hall of Famer Ray Bourque holds the all-time record of 360 straight contests with a shot on goal since the league began recording the statistic. Bourque also holds records for most career shots (6,206) and most shots in a single game (19).

Alex Ovechkin and Jeff Carter have come close to Bourque's streak in recent years, but both came up 45 games short, TSN's Frank Seravalli wrote in 2017.

Hamilton still managed to pick up an assist in Carolina's 4-2 win over the Nashville Predators. He'll have a chance to start a new streak Tuesday in the Music City.

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Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a lower-body injury, the team confirmed Monday, according to AZ Central's Jose M. Romero.

Ekman-Larsson suffered the injury late in the third period of Saturday's contest against the San Jose Sharks, taking a hit behind the net from Sharks forward Evander Kane and spilling awkwardly into the boards. He left the game and didn't return.

"You pencil him in every night for 20-plus (minutes). He's a power-play guy, he's a penalty-kill guy. He's a big chunk of our team," Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet said, according to Romero. "We always talk about the old cliche, 'Next man up.' Well, we're going to need five, six men up on defense to help us out."

Ekman-Larsson had three assists against San Jose before exiting. The 29-year-old has averaged 19:22 of ice time across two games this season.

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The Winnipeg Jets will be without Patrik Laine versus the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, as head coach Paul Maurice told Chris Johnston of Sportsnet that the winger is out due to an upper-body injury.

More to come.

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The 2021 men's world championship will no longer be played in Minsk, the IIHF announced Monday.

The tournament - which the IIHF awarded to Minsk and the Latvian capital of Riga in 2017 - is being relocated due to political unrest in Belarus and the ongoing pandemic. Protests against Belarus' government and its authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, have been ongoing since he was re-elected last year.

"It is a very regrettable thing to have to remove the Minsk/Riga co-hosting bid," IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a statement. "During this process, we had tried to promote that the world championship could be used as a tool for reconciliation to help calm the socio-political issues happening in Belarus and find a positive way forward.

"And while the council feels that the world championship should not be used for political promotion by any side, it has acknowledged that hosting this event in Minsk would not be appropriate when there are bigger issues to deal with and the safety and security of teams, spectators, and officials to prioritize."

Last week, Skoda, a car manufacturer and longtime tournament sponsor, threatened to pull out if Belarus remained the co-host.

The IIHF will now consider hosting the event solely in Riga, although Fasel previously said that option isn't on the table.

Last year's tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.

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The emotion in Keith Yandle's emphatic goal celebration Sunday showed it was no ordinary tally.

Yes, it was the 100th career goal for the Florida Panthers defenseman, but he admitted he wasn't even aware of the milestone until he got back to the bench. The tally clearly meant a lot to Yandle, who had his ironman streak put in jeopardy this week when the team initially planned to have him serve as a healthy scratch before changing course.

"Anytime I score I'm pretty excited, but it was definitely a special one," Yandle said postgame, according to Fox Sports. "Seeing the guys and how excited they were for me definitely meant a lot."

Here's a look at Yandle's goal and the celebration that followed:

Yandle added that it was a relief when he was told he was going to play.

"Anytime you get to put on an NHL jersey and be able to represent your team is a special thing," he said.

A report initially surfaced Tuesday that Yandle had fallen out of favor with the Panthers and would eventually be a healthy scratch. Head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed three days later that the veteran blue-liner wasn't expected to play, but he then changed his mind prior to Sunday's contest.

"I was happy for him," Quenneville said postgame, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "And the bench was lit up as well. It's one of those moments where you look back at it and you can have a big smile."

Yandle's run of consecutive games played now sits at 867, which is the longest active streak in the league and the fourth-longest of all time.

The 34-year-old has three years remaining on his contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $6.35 million and includes a full no-movement clause. He's one of the league's most productive offensive defensemen, ranking fifth among blue-liners in points over the last three years. He's drawn criticism for his defensive play, though.

However, the Panthers produced 58.9% of the expected goals while Yandle was on the ice at five-on-five during Florida's 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks - the best among the team's defensemen, according to Natural Stat Trick.

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Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller will be in the lineup Monday night for his season debut versus the Calgary Flames, he confirmed Sunday.

Miller missed the club's first three games due to COVID-19 protocols. He never tested positive, but he wasn't able to take to the ice due to close contact with Vancouver defenseman Jordie Benn, who's still unable to play.

"I followed league and government protocols and I was cleared to return," Miller said. "I'm ready to get back at it ... I'm excited for the game tomorrow."

Miller is entering his second season with the Canucks after a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He made an instant impact with Vancouver in the 2019-20 campaign, leading the club in scoring with 72 points in the regular season before a strong playoff showing.

The Canucks are currently 1-2. They were shut out by the Flames and their former netminder, Jacob Markstrom, on Saturday.

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