You could consider 2021 as the year that was slightly better than 2020 but not by much.

At least we got to see a complete, albeit shortened NHL season happily conclude (if you're the Tampa Bay Lightning), and we're currently in the midst of a restored 82-game campaign.

This year was full of challenges, but NHL players provided us with some mind-blowing moments regardless of the situation.

Let's countdown the 10 best plays of the calendar year.

10. Very rude, Kaprizov 🤑

April 23, 2021

Kirill Kaprizov took home the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie at the end of the 2020-21 season, and he showed exactly why he was worthy of the honor during this play against the Los Angeles Kings. The Minnesota Wild phenom showed off his skating, hands, scoring touch, and ability to dust defensemen (poor Michael Anderson) in the span of a few seconds.

9. Matthews would kill it in the batter's box ⚾

April 28, 2021

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is known for scoring jaw-dropping goals using his patented wrist shot. However, the 2021 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner decided to do things a little differently against the Montreal Canadiens for his 35th tally of the season. He flaunted his unreal hand-eye coordination by knocking a bouncing puck away from Nick Suzuki before shoveling it into the net.

8. Coleman crushes Habs' dreams with late heroics 🦸‍♂️

June 30, 2021

Head into the third period tied 1-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final? Not a chance. Clutch Lightning forwards Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman showed off their killer instincts in the dying seconds of the middle frame. On what turned out to be the game-winning goal, Coleman, who is no stranger to sacrificing his body, did his best Superman dive to finish off the nice pass from Goodrow. This is how you win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

7. The definition of 'Flower Power' 🌼

Feb. 11, 2021

Marc-Andre Fleury's left arm has a mind of its own, and it was all he needed to absolutely stone Anaheim Ducks forward Isac Lundestrom at the goal line. It seemed like a slam-dunk two-on-one play for the Ducks, but the veteran netminder reached behind him to sweep the puck out of harm's way. With saves like that, Fleury captured the 2021 Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie.

6. Marchand drags the Islanders for all they're worth 😳

June 7, 2021

Need a big goal? Bank on Brad Marchand to deliver. The winger had the equalizer on his stick halfway through Game 5 of the Boston Bruins' second-round playoff matchup versus the New York Islanders, and he took on one of the league's top defensemen to do it. Marchand challenged Ryan Pulock and made it look easy, dragging the puck around the blue-liner en route to the net. Then, he got goaltender Semyon Varlamov to bite the other way. Bonus points for the stylish celly, too.

5. Laine doesn't need help 🤷

April 12, 2021

Patrik Laine must love long, romantic drives along the coast, given that he gracefully went end-to-end for this nasty goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Columbus Blue Jackets sniper ran into a little bit of trouble in Chicago's zone, but not to worry. He just danced around defensemen Calvin de Haan and Riley Stillman like it was nothing and then got an open look at the net. Also, it was unassisted.

4. Price says no to Spezza with his stick 🙅

May 24, 2021

Everyone knows Carey Price was a force for the Canadiens during their run to the Stanley Cup Final. But few plays accentuate that fact better than this save on Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza in the first round. Whether you call it desperation or veteran intuition, it's something to behold. Spezza was staring into a yawning cage until Price showed off his athleticism and stretched out to deflect the puck out of play with his stick.

3. Barzal sends the Sabres to the Shadow Realm 😵

March 6, 2021

There are essentially three things that happen in this Mathew Barzal goal against the Buffalo Sabres that warrant it being on this list's podium. First, he bumps 6-foot-4, 221-pound Rasmus Ristolainen off the puck like he's a ragdoll. Then, Barzal slows down just a touch in front of the net to trip up goalie Carter Hutton. Finally, and this really puts it over the top, he guides the puck between his legs and flips it into the net. Hang this one in a museum.

2. McDavid takes the Rangers for a little walk 🐕

Nov. 5, 2021

Get ready to see a whole lot more of this Connor McDavid goal before this season is done. The Edmonton Oilers captain forced overtime with this late equalizer against the New York Rangers, and what an equalizer it was. He turned nothing into something, skating through four Rangers players like they were pylons. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev couldn't do much on the play either, except think about how much he's going to have to watch this goal over the next few months. Hockey fans everywhere should thank McDavid for giving us this gift so early into the 2021-22 campaign.

1. There are no words to describe this one 😶

Dec. 7, 2021

To quote the great Teemu Selanne's response to this play, "Wow." This goal even stunned Trevor Zegras, and he's the one who made it happen. The Ducks rookie was behind the net when he lifted the puck like he was trying to pull off the "Michigan" but then flipped it over in an alley-oop pass to teammate Sonny Milano. Not to be outdone, Milano batted the puck out of midair and into the back of the net. To make the moment sweeter, the stunner stood as the game-winner against the Sabres. This goal will have an infinite shelf life on any highlight reel.

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The Edmonton Oilers got some key reinforcements for Wednesday's tilt against the St. Louis Blues.

Goaltender Mike Smith, forward Zach Hyman, and defenseman Duncan Keith all returned to the lineup, as head coach Dave Tippett confirmed in the afternoon.

Smith started for the first time since Oct. 19 due to a lower-body injury. He was initially progressing toward a November return before suffering a setback. The 39-year-old veteran has been steady when healthy over the past two seasons, posting a .923 save percentage in 32 games a year ago and a .920 save percentage in three appearances this campaign before Wednesday's contest.

Goaltending has been an area of concern in Smith's absence. Mikko Koskinen has been inconsistent, posting a .902 save percentage in 18 games. Rookie Stuart Skinner, who the Oilers loaned to the AHL on Wednesday, has been more effective, owning a .916 save percentage in 10 contests.

Hyman, meanwhile, missed Edmonton's last three games due to an upper-body injury. He's been stellar in his first season with the Oilers, collecting 11 goals and eight assists in 27 contests.

Keith missed Edmonton's last matchup while in COVID-19 protocol. Another marquee offseason addition, the 38-year-old has recorded five points in 21 games during his first campaign in orange and blue.

The Blues defeated the Oilers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

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The remainder of the 2022 World Junior Championship has been canceled due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, the IIHF announced Wednesday.

Three preliminary-round contests were called off over the past two days due to a handful of players testing positive.

"Together with the teams, we came into this event with full confidence in the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the IIHF, the LOC, Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the Public Health Agency of Canada," IIHF President Luc Tardif said. "The ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant forced us to readjust our protocols almost immediately upon arrival to attempt to stay ahead of any potential spread. This included daily testing and the team quarantine requirement when positive cases were confirmed."

"We owed it to the participating teams to do our best to create the conditions necessary for this event to work," Tardif said. "Unfortunately, this was not enough. We now have to take some time and focus on getting all players and team staff back home safely."

Team USA had two players test positive and had to forfeit its game against Switzerland on Tuesday, while Czechia-Finland and Russia-Slovakia were both canceled Wednesday.

Any team that received a positive test result had to enter a mandated quarantine.

After Czechia forfeited its contest against the Finns due to one positive test, the IIHF announced that all on-ice game officials at the tournament would be required to wear masks during games as part of enhanced COVID-19 protocols.

Last week, the IIHF canceled all upcoming tournaments that would have started in January because of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The world juniors, which were held in the Canadian province of Alberta, began Dec. 26. Team Canada forward Cole Perfetti will end the competition as the leading scorer with six points in two games. Sixteen-year-old Connor Bedard led the way in goals after lighting the lamp four times against Austria on Tuesday.

Team USA took home the gold medal in 2021.

The final game to take place at the 2022 world juniors was Canada's 11-2 victory over Austria.

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The Ontario Hockey League will reinstate Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux from his indefinite suspension, effective Jan. 1, 2022, the league announced Wednesday.

Mailloux, a defenseman for the London Knights, was suspended on Sept. 2, 2021, due to an incident that occurred in November 2020 while he was on loan to SK Lejon in Sweden. He was charged for invasion of privacy and defamation after taking an offensive photo of a woman without consent during a sexual encounter and distributing it.

"Since the time of suspension, with the support of the London Knights, Logan Mailloux has participated in therapy and counseling with Dr. Lindsey Forbes, and a personal development plan under the leadership of Wendy Glover. Ms. Glover is a London-based, experienced holistic athlete development practitioner, academic and personal development advisor, teacher, and member of the Ontario School Counsellors Association," the league said in a statement.

"After reviewing the program, speaking with the player and Ms. Glover, and receiving a commitment from the player to continue with his personal development program, the league is satisfied that Logan Mailloux has undertaken the necessary steps and will reinstate him, effective Jan. 1, 2022."

Mailloux announced prior to the 2021 NHL Draft he was withdrawing himself from the selection process because he hadn't "demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege."

The Canadiens drafted Mailloux with the 31st overall pick anyway.

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The NHL and NHLPA agreed Wednesday to update the COVID-19 protocol for vaccinated players and personnel, shortening the isolation period for those who have tested positive from 10 days to five days if certain conditions are met, according to a memo obtained by Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

If people don't have symptoms or their symptoms are resolving, and they don't have a fever, they can leave protocol by producing one or two negative test results (depending on test type) or a positive lab-based PCR with a cycle threshold (CT) that suggests they aren't contagious.

Players also need medical clearance from the team physician and can only exit isolation after five days if that is in compliance with local health regulations.

Individuals who are experiencing a fever must isolate until the fever resolves.

The day of the positive test isn't part of the five-day isolation period. Players can test out of isolation on or after the fourth day.

After exiting protocol, players must wear a mask for five days except for during games and practices. All other aspects of the protocol remain in place, including cardiac screenings.

The league's protocols were updated in response to this week's new guidelines from the CDC.

The Canadian government has imposed stricter pandemic-related regulations than the U.S. The NHL has already postponed nine Canadian games because of attendance limits in certain cities.

The NBA and NFL made similar changes earlier this week to reduce isolation periods for players who test positive.

The NHL has been dealing with mass postponements of games as COVID-19 cases rise across North America, and the league just returned to action from an extended holiday pause on Dec. 28.

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We split our best bets in the NHL's return to action.

The Vegas Golden Knights comfortably took care of the Los Angeles Kings. However, our under in San Jose was over - no pun intended - before it started as the teams combined for four goals in the opening frame en route to a *checks notes* 15-goal explosion.

We'll aim for better in our first six-game slate in nearly two weeks on Wednesday.

Rangers (+145) @ Panthers (-170)

This is undoubtedly the marquee game of the night in the NHL, featuring two of the nine teams to have 40 points or more.

While both teams have more than their fair share of firepower, it is the under that appeals to me. The Florida Panthers are playing strong defensive hockey. Over the last 10 games, they sit second in attempts against and fifth in expected goals against per 60 minutes of five-on-five play. They're not giving up many dangerous looks and Sergei Bobrovsky (.917 save percentage) has shown he's still capable of cleaning up the occasional mess made in front of him.

New York's defensive metrics aren't as promising as Florida's. Even so, the club is still top half of the league in limiting shots and expected goals over the last 10 games.

And, to be frank, it doesn't much matter how the Rangers defend when Igor Shesterkin is between the pipes. He owns a ridiculous .937 save percentage and ranks second in goals saved above expected.

If he can shake off the rust following a few weeks of inaction, this game should stay under the number.

Bet: under 6 goals (-110)

Canucks (-110) @ Ducks (-110)

The Vancouver Canucks are 6-0-0 since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench. It's not all smoke and mirrors, either.

At five-on-five, they rank 11th in expected goal share - sandwiched between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins - and only seven teams have generated more scoring chances.

They have shown clear improvement on the penalty kill as well, conceding just twice in six games. That's a stark contrast from the 29 they allowed in 25 games with Travis Green behind the bench.

The Anaheim Ducks are not the pushovers many expected them to be. But they are expected to be without a few key cogs on Wednesday.

Trevor Zegras is by far the most impactful absence, but injuries to Adam Henrique and Max Comtois are also worth noting. The Ducks are now paper thin up front.

Expect the Canucks to take advantage of that and keep the hot streak going.

Bet: Canucks (-110)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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