Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been suspended two games for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner Rasmus Sandin during Sunday's testy contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

The incident occurred six minutes into the final frame. Sandin was helped off the ice and avoided putting any weight on his right leg following the knee-on-knee collision.

Pionk wasn't penalized on the play.

The Department of Player Safety found that Pionk extended his knee and attempted to make direct, forceful contact with Sandin and disputed Pionk's argument that he was trying to make a full-body check.

Sandin was injured on the play, with TSN's Chris Johnston reporting the 21-year-old will likely miss two to three weeks.

This marks Pionk's first suspension in his 250-game career. The 26-year-old will forfeit $58,750 as a result.

Maple Leafs veteran Jason Spezza is awaiting an in-person hearing with the league for hitting Pionk while he was in a vulnerable position shortly after the questionable hit on Sandin.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk will both have hearings for kneeing, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

Spezza's hearing will be in-person, meaning the league can suspend him more than five games. Pionk's hearing will be over the phone Monday.

Both players threw controversial hits in Sunday's chippy affair. Pionk caught Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin with a knee, and Spezza retaliated while Pionk was in a vulnerable position soon after.

Sandin left the game unable to put weight on his leg. There's been no update on his status to this point.

Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds also received a $2,500 fine for cross-checking Jets forward Jansen Harkins.

Winnipeg won the contest 6-3.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have fired head coach Alain Vigneault, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Philadelphia has also dismissed assistant Michel Therrien, while Mike Yeo will take over as head coach on an interim basis, according to The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor.

The Flyers lost their eighth straight game Sunday, suffering an embarrassing 7-1 defeat on home ice to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They've been outscored 37-13 during their skid.

Philadelphia hired Vigneault in 2019, signing him to a five-year contract worth $5 million annually, according to CapFriendly. He led the Flyers to the playoffs in his debut season behind the bench, but they failed to qualify in 2020-21.

Vigneault previously had stints with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with both teams. The 60-year-old won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top head coach in 2007.

The Flyers currently sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division with an 8-10-4 record. They take the ice Monday night versus the Colorado Avalanche.

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Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner revealed that he turned down the opportunity to play for Sweden at the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

Lehner added that he and his psychiatrist decided it was in his best interests not to go for health reasons.

The 30-year-old has been open about his experiences with mental health over the last few years, specifically with bipolar disorder and addiction.

Lehner was projected to be in the running for Sweden's starting goalie job, along with Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, and Anton Forsberg.

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The Vancouver Canucks are parting ways with general manager Jim Benning, reports TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Benning had held the position with the organization since 2014. The club also reportedly relieved Travis Green of his head coaching duties earlier Sunday and hired Bruce Boudreau to take over.

During Benning's tenure, which dated back to 2014-15, the Canucks owned the NHL's sixth-worst points percentage (.487) while holding a 242-257-61 record.

Benning is responsible for drafting a number of franchise stars, including Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, and Brock Boeser. He also acquired J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.

Benning handed out a number of contracts that weighed the team down during his tenure. He signed Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36-million pact in 2016, Brandon Sutter to a five-year, $21-million deal in 2015, and Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle to identical four-year, $12-million contracts in 2018.

However, the Canucks only made the playoffs twice under Benning, advancing to the second round in 2020.

The 58-year-old was busy this past summer, locking up Pettersson and Hughes to long-term extensions and making a big splash in the trade market by bringing in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

Despite the moves, the Canucks have had a miserable start to the 2021-22 campaign, owning an 8-15-2 record and losing 10 of their last 13 games. Vancouver fans recently showed their disdain for the general manager by chanting "Fire Benning" at home games. One supporter even tossed a Canucks jersey on the ice on Saturday night.

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Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for boarding Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe during Sunday night's contest.

Here's a look at the play:

Kempe was bleeding after the hit but stayed in the game. He scored a goal during the ensuing power play to give the Kings a 3-1 lead. Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore added two more goals with the man advantage to secure a 5-1 victory.

This marks the second time in McDavid's career that he was handed a game misconduct, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. The first instance occurred Jan. 25, 2018, when he pointed to the booth upstairs after scoring a goal in the shootout.

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The Vancouver Canucks are set to replace head coach Travis Green with veteran bench boss Bruce Boudreau, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Boudreau will coach the club through at least next season, TSN's Darren Dreger added.

Green had been the head coach of the Canucks since 2017-18, leading the team to one playoff appearance. He owns a lifetime .478 points percentage behind the bench. Vancouver sits last in the Pacific Division this season with an 8-15-2 record.

Boudreau has coached 984 games in the NHL between the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2007-08 with the Caps.

The 66-year-old has been out of coaching since the Minnesota Wild fired him in 2019-20, serving as an NHL Network analyst since.

Boudreau ranks 18th on the all-time coaching list in points percentage (.635) and 22nd in wins (567). He's made the playoffs in 10 out of his 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, winning eight division titles.

Boudreau will be the Canucks' third head coach since Jim Benning was named general manager in 2014, following Green and Willie Desjardins. However, the decision to hire Boudreau reportedly didn't come from the front office, according to Sportsnet's Satiar Shah.

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The Edmonton Oilers are getting a big boost on the back end, as the club activated defenseman Darnell Nurse for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Nurse missed the previous six contests with a broken finger.

The 26-year-old has posted 11 points - all assists - over 16 games this season. He leads the Oilers and ranks fourth in the NHL in average ice time during the 2021-22 campaign at 26:06.

Edmonton signed Nurse to an eight-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $9.25 million in August. He's in his eighth season with the Oilers, who drafted him seventh overall in 2013.

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