After Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney decided to hold on to winger Loui Eriksson at the NHL trade deadline, the two sides are in a position - at least in theory - to negotiate a long-term agreement to keep the nine-year veteran with the organization.

Eriksson said Tuesday he's happy to still be with the Bruins and that a contract extension is certainly possible.

"It's definitely nice to be still here," Eriksson said, according to Matt Kalman of NHL.com. "It was kind of a stressful day (Monday) and not really knowing what's going to happen. I'm just happy to be here. It's a lot easier for me and my family to stay here and finish the season and try to make this team make the (Stanley Cup) playoffs and be a good team. So I'm really happy to be still here."

Added Eriksson, "Now we have some more time to negotiate and maybe get something done and like I said, all I can do now is just to play games and try to win games and help this team."

The 30-year-old is in the midst of a productive season for the Bruins, with 23 goals and 28 points through 63 games. Those numbers, however, are boosting his bid to secure a big-money contract, something the Bruins seem unwilling to commit to at this point.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. - Forward Shawn Horcoff has returned to practice with the Anaheim Ducks while serving his 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL's performance-enhancing substances program. Horcoff practiced on Tuesday, the firs...

TORONTO - An unbeatable juggernaut at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Canada is lining up to be equally potent at the World Cup this fall. Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong and head coach Mike Babcock have an embarrassment of riches to choose fro...

The New York Islanders spent a third-round pick to acquire forward Shane Prince from the Ottawa Senators on deadline day, and the club isn't wasting any time throwing him into the spotlight.

The 23-year-old will make his Islanders debut on the first line alongside Dylan Strome and captain John Tavares as they face the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, head coach Jack Capuano told Newsday's Arthur Staple.

"(Prince) is a player we feel can rotate up and down the lineup to different lines and has some untapped potential," added general manager Garth Snow. "He can help us now and hopefully in the future."

The Rochester, N.Y. native has spent most of the season on a line with grinders Zack Smith and Chris Neil, but will finally get a chance to show if he can produce in a scoring role.

The Prince acquisition was a surprising one for the Islanders, as it was rumored the team was trying to acquire Tavares' former linemate P.A. Parenteau from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but were ultimately unwilling to give up a second-round pick.

The rookie has three goals and nine assists in 42 games.

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Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will share the same sheet of NHL ice for the first time in their professional careers Tuesday night in Buffalo.

Huge deal, yeah?

Perhaps to everyone except the first and second overall selections in last year's draft.

Naturally, McDavid and Eichel rejected the notion that Tuesday night's clash was anything more than the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup of two clubs desperate for points.

"The media has us pegged as not liking each other or being rivals (when) we really just don't know each other," McDavid said.

Eichel was particularly dismissive in his media availability.

"I think you guys all probably want to view it that way but I think inside the room you don't look at it like that. It's a team game. There's five guys on the ice and a goalie. It's a lot more than two people playing against each other," Eichel said.

"We're playing the Oilers tonight, we're not playing Connor McDavid. Obviously he's a key component to their team, and he's a good player. Right after I get out of here I'll go pre-scout Edmonton and I will know what to do."

Though they'll have to deal with this line of questioning for at least the next several seasons, there's hope for McDavid and Eichel to escape their constant comparison eventually.

These days, the Oilers and Stars can meet without "Taylor versus Tyler" dominating the pre- and post-game chatter, and even Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin's apparent distaste for one another seems to have subsided, too.

Until then.

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TORONTO - Antoine Bibeau stopped 24 shots to lead the Toronto Marlies to a 4-0 win over the Albany Devils in AHL action Tuesday afternoon. The shutout was Bibeau's first of the season. He also earned his 20th win of the year. Tobias Lindbe...

NEW YORK, - Forwards Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators were named the NHL's three stars for February on Tuesday. Getzlaf was the first star after register...

Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, and Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg have been named the NHL's Three Stars of the Month, the league announced Tuesday.

The red-hot Getzlaf earned first star honors with six goals and 14 assists in 14 games, leading the Ducks to a 12-1-1 record in February.

Ryan Getzlaf's played 56 games this season & it's been a tale of 2 halves, especially in regards to his goal scoring pic.twitter.com/UZ33lh9k41

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 27, 2016

Ovechkin was named second star after scoring at nearly a goal-per-game clip in February. He tallied 12 goals in 13 games, highlighted by his league-leading 40th marker.

Forsberg took home the third star after leading the Predators to a 7-3-3 record. The 21-year-old matched Ovechkin with 12 goals in 13 games, and recorded a pair of natural hat tricks.

.@EliasSports: Filip Forsberg is the first player from any team to record multiple natural hat tricks in three/fewer games since Nov. 1986.

— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) February 27, 2016

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With an 11-point cushion in the Presidents' Trophy race, it's no surprise oddsmakers have pinned the Washington Capitals as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

Oddsmakers Bodog released the latest betting odds Tuesday, and once again the first-place Capitals are leading the charge.

Here's how all 30 teams stack up:

Latest Stanley Cup odds from Bovada. pic.twitter.com/6G6Bqb0FCe

— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 1, 2016

On the flip side, it appears the bottom four teams - the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs - are all too far out for oddsmakers to consider.

Meanwhile, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane remains the favorite to win the Hart Trophy with an advantage over goaltender Braden Holtby.

Despite missing over half the season, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid now sits second with odds of 5-1 to win the Calder Trophy. He trails Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, who leads at 3-10 odds of bringing home the hardware.

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