Sidney Crosby offered his thoughts Friday on the ongoing fight against systemic racism.

"We're role models, first and foremost. I think we understand that. We understand what's going on in the world," the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said Friday. "We're important when it comes to being part of change. I just think there are important conversations that you have to have. I know, personally, I've had some of those."

Crosby's comments come one day after Evander Kane called out the NHL for its lack of support of its Black players.

Teams and players have stood in solidarity before games in support of Black Lives Matter since the NHL returned to the ice earlier this week for exhibition contests.

Crosby said he spent the last few months better educating himself and learning about the issues the Black community faces, and he'll continue to try to help encourage diversity in hockey.

"But I still need to continue to (have those conversations). Just educate ourselves," Crosby said. "Whether it's where we play or in our communities, how we can make a difference."

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The NHL's bubble plan appears to be working.

About 1,500 daily COVID-19 tests have been conducted in each of the Toronto and Edmonton hubs since teams arrived Sunday, and zero have returned positive so far, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The NHL is working with LifeLabs in Toronto and DynaLIFE in Edmonton to administer the tests. Results are processed within 24 hours.

Each team was permitted to bring 52 people into the bubble, and everyone is tested daily.

Every club has played an exhibition game since arriving, and teams have held numerous practices. The qualifying round starts Saturday.

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The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable professional sports franchise in 2020, worth an estimated $5.5 billion, according to the annual list published by Forbes.

The New York Yankees are the only other team worth at least $5 billion, while the New York Knicks remain the most valuable NBA club despite their continued struggles on the court.

10 most valuable sports teams

The most valuable NHL team is the New York Rangers, who sit 70th overall with an estimated worth of $1.65 billion.

The NFL houses 27 of the top 50 franchises on the list.

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New York Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo is a game-time decision for Game 1 of the qualifying round against the Carolina Hurricanes, head coach David Quinn said Friday.

It's unknown why DeAngelo's presence for Saturday's opener is in jeopardy, but he missed Friday's practice.

DeAngelo's projected partner, Marc Staal, will play despite leaving Wednesday's exhibition game, Quinn added.

Libor Hajek would likely be inserted into the lineup if DeAngelo doesn't dress, Quinn said, according to USA Today's Vince Z. Mercogliano.

DeAngelo, who played a team-high 24:09 on Wednesday, had a breakout season in 2019-20, finishing fourth among all NHL blue-liners with 53 points in 68 games.

The Rangers and Hurricanes play at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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Thanks summer, it's been real. With the NHL playoffs beginning, my days enjoying the nice weather are over. For the next number of weeks I will be living on my couch, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The fun begins at noon Saturday in Toronto, with non-stop action taking us well beyond midnight. This is incredible.

New York Rangers (+110) @ Carolina Hurricanes (-130)

It's only right to have money on the first official game in nearly five months, and it just so happens to be my favorite bet of the day. Following such a long layoff, rust and fatigue are going to play big parts early on in the NHL's return to play. Because of that, coaching and depth are going to be huge in these play-in series - the Hurricanes hold significant edges in both.

Even without the injured Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, the Canes are both deeper and stronger on the blue line, especially after acquiring Brady Skjei - from the Rangers - and Sami Vatanen at the deadline. But the big edge here comes at forward, where Carolina has far more depth scoring.

The Canes are stacked down the middle and pose a legitimate scoring threat with their bottom six. It's an area the Rangers struggle, and are even further shorthanded in that regard with Brendan Lemieux suspended. Carolina has four players in its bottom six that registered at least 29 points this season. New York has none.

With Rod Brind'Amour scheming behind the bench, the Canes will play the matchups and slow the Rangers' top lines, capitalizing on their depth to claim a crucial Game 1 victory.

Pick: Hurricanes (-130)

Florida Panthers (-105) @ New York Islanders (-115)

While there's a lot to like about the Panthers, they're going nowhere if Sergei Bobrovsky can't figure it out. The 31-year-old is coming off the worst statistical regular season of his career, and it crippled the team. Their hopes in this series hinge on the netminder turning a corner, but a miserable outing in their exhibition game on Wednesday - allowing five goals on 34 shots - doesn't inspire much confidence.

The Islanders aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut, but they will steadily attack with all four lines and grind the Panthers down. New York is incredibly deep down the middle - Matthew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas - and on the blue line. Barry Trotz has transformed the Isles into a defensive juggernaut, and will have them ready to expose a fundamentally flawed Panthers team in Game 1.

Pick: Islanders (-120)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton will not be in the club's lineup for Game 1 against the New York Rangers on Saturday, head coach Rod Brind'Amour confirmed, according to team reporter Michael Smith.

Brind'Amour said Hamilton is "getting better" but isn't yet ready for game action.

Hamilton, 27, suffered a broken fibula in January but was ready to return in April. However, he sustained an unspecified injury - which is reportedly not related to his broken leg - in practice last week.

The 6-foot-6 rearguard contributed 14 goals and 40 points through 47 games this season.

The Hurricanes will also be without blue-liner Brett Pesce, who continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

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The NHL announced it will show support for Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements when the postseason begins Saturday.

Players will wear "#WeSkateFor Equality" helmet decals and receive sweaters to customize with the hashtag and the name of a person or movement they are representing.

#WeSkateForBlackLives will also be displayed on digital screens and seat coverings at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The initiative is also intended to honor frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We believe in terms of focusing on the need to combat racism and to also pay tribute to the responders from the medical community of COVID-19, we think we'll be paying the appropriate respect and focusing on, particularly, social justice," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told NBC News' Craig Melvin on Friday. "That is something that is a priority for us going forward."

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, who is the co-head of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, ripped the league Thursday for its social justice efforts thus far.

"The NHL can put 'Black Lives Matter' all over the rink, shout 'Black Lives Matter' from the mountains," Kane said. "No matter what they do or say, it's all going to fall on deaf ears with me and every other person in the HDA because the league has made no effort to support its own Black players."

Colorado Avalanche forward and HDA member Nazem Kadri also criticized the league this week for its lack of action.

"From a league standpoint, I think we'd like to maybe see a little more acknowledgment and having them address the situation and know that they stand with their players," he said.

Kadri and teammate Pierre-Edouard Bellemare stood side by side in solidarity with Minnesota Wild players Matt Dumba and Jordan Greenway during the anthems before the two teams squared off in an exhibition game Wednesday. All four players are racial minorities.

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After spending a year playing overseas, Jesse Puljujarvi has come to the realization his best chance at continuing his NHL career is returning to the Edmonton Oilers.

Puljujarvi requested a trade from the Oilers last year, but with a new regime in place, he's not ruling out the possibility of a reunion.

"You can never say no," he told Finnish news outlet Tampere Iltalehti, as translated by NHL.com. "I have grown and I see things a little differently. There's now a different GM (Ken Holland) and head coach (Dave Tippett) out there.

"They're building a winning team in Edmonton. It may be possible that I will still be playing there."

The 22-year-old gave the Oilers an ultimatum last year, stating he would spend the year in Europe if he wasn't traded. That proposition came about a month after the team hired both Holland and Tippett.

Puljujarvi wound up playing the 2019-20 season with Karpat in the Finnish Elite League, finishing fifth in the league with 24 goals and fourth with 53 points in 56 games.

He said a recent conference call with Holland and Tippett "left a positive overall picture," though he wouldn't divulge details.

The Carolina Hurricanes were one team to reportedly kick tires on the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, but no deal ever came to fruition.

Puljujarvi remains a restricted free agent. The Oilers retained his rights by giving him a qualifying offer.

The 6-foot-4 winger has collected 17 goals and 37 points in 139 career NHL games.

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