The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up first place in the North Division with a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

It's the first time since 1999-2000 that the Maple Leafs have finished atop their division. Toronto will own home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Leafs have won seven of their last eight outings and improved their record to 35-13-6 on the campaign. The club is playing at a franchise-best 53-win pace over a full 82-game season.

Toronto took a major step forward defensively this year after adding rearguards T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian in the offseason. The Leafs rank fifth in goals for per game (3.36) and eighth in goals against per contest (2.60) after finishing 25th in the latter category in 2019-20.

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Montreal Canadiens center Phillip Danault suffered a concussion during Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme announced.

Danault was already ruled out for Saturday's rematch against Toronto.

The 28-year-old has registered five goals and 19 assists in 53 games this season. Ducharme said Danault was playing through other injuries before suffering the concussion, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.

Montreal was already weak down the middle of the ice; the team will now be forced to rely more heavily on youngsters Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi and veteran Eric Staal.

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The NHL will relax its COVID-19 protocols for playoff teams once 85% of a club's traveling party has been fully vaccinated for two weeks, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The easements will reportedly allow players to gather socially outside of team facilities, eat and drink outdoors at restaurants, and spend time in each other's hotel rooms.

Additionally, face coverings and social distancing will no longer be required for team meetings and social gatherings, and players won't have to receive PCR testing on off days, notes Johnston.

The changes will only affect U.S.-based teams, for the time being, reports Johnston. Players on Canadian teams have reportedly started to receive their first vaccine shots, but none of the North Division clubs currently qualify for relaxed protocols.

The modifications are reportedly subject to withdrawal for multiple reasons, such as a COVID-19 outbreak. They could also apparently be adjusted if the NHL reaches a deal with Canada's federal government to allow cross-border travel during the third and fourth rounds of the playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner criticized the NHL in April for its handling of restrictions for vaccinated players, saying the league had failed to keep its promises to ease protocols.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly disputed Lehner's claim that the league made any promises to players regarding post-vaccination protocol changes.

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Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon won't play against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday due to a lower-body injury, the team announced.

MacKinnon logged 20:28 of ice time during a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, and it's unclear when the injury occurred.

The dynamic pivot is tied for fourth in league scoring with 65 points through 49 games and ranks second on the Avalanche with 20 goals.

Colorado sits second in the West Division and four points back of the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights entering Friday's action.

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Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price returned to the ice Friday after suffering a concussion April 19, but the club announced there's still no timeline for his return with the regular season winding down.

Price was injured after Edmonton Oilers forward Alex Chiasson bumped into him. The 33-year-old owns a .901 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average across 25 games this season.

Canadiens forward Philip Danault suffered an upper-body injury during the club's 5-2 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and will be sidelined for Saturday's rematch.

The two-way pivot has contributed five goals and 24 points through 53 outings.

Montreal needs just one point on Saturday to clinch the final postseason berth in the North Division.

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ESPN is out of the running in its pursuit to lure Wayne Gretzky into a broadcasting role, the New York Post's Andrew Marchand reports.

Friday's development opens the door for The Great One to sign with TNT in a similar capacity, according to Marchand, who adds Gretzky's role with Turner Sports would resemble that of Charles Barkley on "Inside the NBA."

ESPN was reportedly willing to pay the legend a salary in the $2-million range but withdrew from the bidding process when the amount escalated beyond that point. Gretzky's likely to seek around $5 million if he joins Turner, reports Marchand.

On Thursday, a report stated ESPN approached Gretzky about a broadcasting position and that the 60-year-old Edmonton Oilers alternate governor hadn't declined, but his interest level was unknown.

The NHL and Turner agreed to a seven-year pact in April to complete the league's new U.S. broadcasting rights arrangement beginning next season. The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, inked a seven-year contract of its own with the NHL in March. The latter deal will make ESPN the league's primary American-based broadcast partner.

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