The Carolina Hurricanes are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

However, Toronto won't move its starter unless an upgrade is available, and a strong group of free-agent goaltenders this offseason could factor into its decision, Friedman adds.

It was reported earlier in August that the Leafs are exploring Andersen's trade market - along with those of other players - after they were eliminated by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the qualifying round this summer.

Andersen has been the Leafs' No. 1 netminder since joining the club via trade from the Anaheim Ducks prior to the 2016-17 campaign. He's posted a .916 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average in 244 appearances in Toronto, though he's coming off his worst season with the club, owning a .909 percentage in 52 games.

The Hurricanes drafted Andersen in 2010, but he never signed and re-entered the draft two years later. The soon-to-be 31-year-old will enter the final year of his contract and carries a $5-million cap hit.

Carolina ran with a tandem of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer in goal this past season, and the duo ranked 26th in the NHL with a combined .912 save percentage at even strength. Both netminders are under contract for the 2020-21 campaign.

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The Washington Capitals have permission to talk to Peter Laviolette in their search for a new head coach, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Laviolette is "very much a contender," Friedman adds.

The Capitals fired previous head coach Todd Reirden shortly after being eliminated from the postseason in early August. Reirden was the head coach for two seasons and failed to get the Capitals past the first round of the playoffs both years, despite performing well during the regular season.

The Nashville Predators fired Laviolette in January during his sixth season with the team. His contract runs through the 2020-21 season, and Nashville must honor the remaining $2.5 million owed to the bench boss unless he finds a job elsewhere before the deal expires.

The 55-year-old has been head coaching in the NHL since 2001, landing with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, and Predators. He led three of them to a Stanley Cup Final, winning the Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.

The veteran coach has 1,210 career games under his belt while compiling a 637-425-123 record.

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For the second game of a back-to-back on Sunday, both the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders are turning to their backup netminders.

The Flyers will give Carter Hart some rest and give the starter's net to Brian Elliott, the team announced. The 35-year-old has started one game and appeared in two this postseason, turning aside 21 of the 23 shots he's faced.

Meanwhile, the Islanders confirmed they will give Thomas Greiss his first start of the postseason. He appeared in Game 2 of this series after Semyon Varlamov was pulled, and stopped 20 of the 21 shots he faced.

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A month after turning 21 years old, Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen has earned himself a prestigious spot in his team's record book.

He recorded an assist and his team-leading 16th point in the opening period Sunday, establishing a Stars/North Stars record for most points in a single postseason by a defenseman.

Heiskanen surpassed Craig Hartsburg, who set the record in 1981 with 15 points. Hockey Hall of Famer Sergei Zubov sits in third with 14 points.

The blue-liner is logging an average of 25:48 minutes of ice time per game, becoming a vital part of the Stars' success so far this postseason. He leads all defensemen in points and is tied for second in the league overall with Elias Pettersson, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov.

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The Gnats have each other's backs.

After Boston Bruins enforcer Nick Ritchie hammered Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde into the boards in Game 4 of their second-round series, Barclay Goodrow came to his linemate's defense by dropping the gloves with Ritchie.

Goodrow, who makes up one-third of the insect-named trio alongside Gourde and Blake Coleman, made it clear by his actions he didn't like Ritchie's hit. He confirmed as much Sunday.

"I thought it was a pretty dirty hit. It was late. It was from behind," Goodrow said, according to NHL.com's Bryan Burns. "The puck had left his stick so long ago that most guys on the ice didn't see the hit because they were following the puck up the ice."

Ritchie was assessed a five-minute major for boarding on the play. Gourde initially left the game but later returned.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has yet to announce whether Ritchie will face supplemental discipline.

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Mikko Koskinen is the only goalie on the Edmonton Oilers' roster who's signed for next season, but he likely won't be tasked with handling No. 1 duties in 2020-21.

Oilers general manager Ken Holland said Saturday he expects Koskinen will again split playing time in the crease next season.

"If you look around the league, it's really a two-goaltender league," Holland told The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. "We were almost 50-50 (in terms of starts percentage between Koskinen and Mike Smith). It's a small list of guys who were on pace to play over 60 games.

"It looks like it's gonna be a condensed schedule. You're gonna have more back-to-backs. You factor the travel that we do in Edmonton, the road trips that we go on, I anticipate that we're gonna have a two-goalie system."

Koskinen played in 38 games this season and the veteran Smith appeared in 39. Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent, while Koskinen is signed for two more seasons with an average annual value of $4.5 million.

Holland is open to the idea of re-signing Smith.

"We have not ruled it out," he said, adding that he hasn't spoken to any of his players' representatives.

If the Oilers choose to go in a different direction, there will be plenty of options at Holland's disposal. Robin Lehner, Braden Holtby, Anton Khudobin, and Thomas Greiss are just some of the players who highlight a UFA goalie class that has a little bit of everything.

Additionally, the 2021 Seattle expansion draft could create more movement in the goaltending trade market, as each team can protect only one netminder.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford already said he'll likely trade either Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry this offseason. Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs is also reportedly on the trade block.

Even with just over $11 million in projected cap space before re-signing any RFAs (Ethan Bear, Andreas Athanasiou, Matt Benning) or UFAs (Tyler Ennis, Riley Sheahan), according to CapFriendly, it doesn't seem likely Edmonton will go the internal route in goal, as Stuart Skinner and Shane Starrett have no NHL experience and didn't exactly shine in the AHL last year.

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Following a couple of 1-1 nights, we enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 sweep on Saturday with the New York Islanders taking care of business and the Vegas Golden Knights handling the Vancouver Canucks to cash the puck line at +140.

Let's keep that momentum going on Sunday.

Colorado Avalanche (-135) @ Dallas Stars (+115)

The Avalanche scored three unanswered goals in the final eight minutes of Game 3 to pick up their first win of the series, though I hesitate to assume the victory will revive them going forward.

Game 3 was actually Dallas' best performance of the series thus far. The underlying metrics were relatively even in the first two games, but the Stars controlled a remarkable 64.5% of the expected goal share at five-on-five in Game 3 and generated 10 high-danger scoring chances to the Avalanche's three.

Colorado came to life for a brief stint in the second period and again in the third to ultimately steal the game, but those numbers speak to a bigger problem for Jared Bednar's team. Injuries to Philipp Grubauer, Erik Johnson, Matt Calvert, and Joonas Donskoi open a window of opportunity for the Stars, who are generously priced coming off a strong performance in a losing effort on Wednesday.

Pick: Stars (+115)

Philadelphia Flyers (+105) @ New York Islanders (-125)

There's no justifiable reason to put your money on the Flyers right now. After a strong start to life in the bubble, the Flyers have been the second-best team in nearly every game they've played since the start of Round 1.

Saturday was no exception, as the Islanders controlled the play for almost the entire contest. Carter Hart conceded a soft goal as New York jumped ahead 2-1 late in the second period, and there was no way back for the Flyers.

Hart hasn't been as dominant as he was in Round 1, which is simply the result of his team being outplayed in each game. The Islanders generated 16 high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five on Saturday - twice as many as the Flyers managed - and controlled 61.73% of the expected goal share.

The Flyers may have the edge in overall talent, but there's a massive gap between these teams in terms of how they're playing right now. If you looked only at playoff stats, the Islanders would likely be pushing -180, so I'll gladly scoop them up again here at a much shorter price.

Pick: Islanders (-125)

(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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