After a deal was reported Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks officially signed Czech defenseman Michal Kempny to a one-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Kempny recorded 21 points in 59 games in the KHL last season, and has already been named to the Czech Republic's team for September's World Cup of Hockey.

The Blackhawks also signed two players from Sweden - goaltender Lars Johansson and forward Martin Lundberg - to one-year contracts.

Johansson, 28, led the Swedish Hockey League with a 1.74 goals-against average this past season, while Lundberg, 25, recorded 13 goals and eight assists in 44 games.

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The Boston Bruins announced a pair of signings Tuesday, including a one-year two-way contract with premier American Hockey League scorer Seth Griffith.

Related: Bruins sign Kevan Miller to 4-year, $10M extension

Griffith racked up 24 goals and led the league with 53 assists in 57 games for the Providence Bruins last season, also appearing in four games with the big club.

His numbers indicate that he has the capacity to translate his scoring to the NHL level. In a limited sample - 34 games across two seasons - he's scored six goals and 11 points.

The fifth-round draft selection in 2012 was a first-team AHL All-Star in 2016.

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After spending much of the World Championship gold medal game shutting down Finland's top line, Canadian forward Mark Scheifele couldn't help but compliment a young forward on the opposing team - who may be his future Winnipeg Jets teammate - Patrik Laine.

"He's pretty unbelievable," Scheifele said, via Luke Fox of Sportsnet on Tuesday. "He's obviously young, and sometimes you can tell that, but his skill level (and) his shot is outrageous. He skates really well."

Scheifele saw a lot of the teenager in Sunday's final, where Canada finished the tournament with a 2-0 win, but it was Laine who was later name the tournament's Best Forward and MVP.

The Jets are widely expected to select the Finnish winger with the second overall pick at the NHL draft, with the Toronto Maple Leafs likely to pick Auston Matthews with the first selection.

"You can tell he's going to be a very special player," Scheifele said. "I know if we end up getting him, he'll definitely be a huge improvement to our team. He'll fit in well for sure."

In order for him to play alongside Laine, Scheifele still requires a new contract for next season, and the restricted free agent said there was nothing new to report regarding negotiations.

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Brian Elliott will be back in net when the St. Louis Blues attempt to stave off elimination for a third time in these playoffs Wednesday in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final versus the San Jose Sharks.

Head coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed Tuesday that Elliott will return to the starter's role after Jake Allen started Games 4 and 5.

Hitchcock said fatigue factored into his decision to turn to Allen, but affirmed his commitment to the veteran starter.

"We got the jolt we needed from Jake," he said. "These are Brian's playoffs. We'd like to see him finish the job."

Elliott made 17 consecutive starts for St. Louis to begin its postseason run, and was integral in the club's seven-game victories over the two highest-scoring teams in the Western Conference.

He's 9-8-2 with a .925 save percentage in his postseason appearances this spring.

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Brian Elliott will be back in net when the St. Louis Blues attempt to stave off elimination for a third time in these playoffs Wednesday in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final versus the San Jose Sharks.

Head coach Ken Hitchcock confirmed Tuesday that Elliott will return to the starter's role after Jake Allen started Games 4 and 5.

Hitchcock said fatigue factored into his decision to turn to Allen, but affirmed his commitment to the veteran starter.

"We got the jolt we needed from Jake," he said. "These are Brian's playoffs. We'd like to see him finish the job."

Elliott made 17 consecutive starts for St. Louis to begin its postseason run, and was integral in the club's seven-game victories over the two highest-scoring teams in the Western Conference.

He's 9-8-2 with a .925 save percentage in his postseason appearances this spring.

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The Boston Bruins and defenseman Kevan Miller have agreed to a four-year, $10-million contract extension, general manager Don Sweeney announced Tuesday.

In his first full NHL campaign, the 28-year-old set career highs in goals (five), assists (13), and games played (71). The stay-at-home defenseman was second on his team in both hits (164) and blocked shots (123) this season.

Miller will now avoid unrestricted free agency, after publicly sharing his hope to remain in Boston at the end of the regular season.

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The Boston Bruins and defenseman Kevan Miller have agreed to a four-year, $10-million contract extension, general manager Don Sweeney announced Tuesday.

In his first full NHL campaign, the 28-year-old set career highs in goals (five), assists (13), and games played (71). The stay-at-home defenseman was second on his team in both hits (164) and blocked shots (123) this season.

Miller will now avoid unrestricted free agency, after publicly sharing his hope to remain in Boston at the end of the regular season.

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The sprint to have Vadim Shipachyov put pen to an NHL contract could be all for naught.

The high-volume scorer may have to satisfy the existing option on his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg and report for one more season before being permitted to sign with an NHL club, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

There was speculation the Montreal Canadiens were - if not closing in on an agreement - pushing hard toward a pact with Shipachyov before Friedman's report.

On the heels of a 60-point season, the most productive of his eight-year KHL career, the 29-year-old led the World Championship in scoring with six goals and 12 assists in 10 games.

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It appears Pittsburgh Penguins forward Beau Bennett will be heading back to the press box after being a minus-2 in his team's Game 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, his postseason debut.

Conor Sheary, who was scratched during Sunday's game, was back on the Penguins' top line with Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist during line rushes at Tuesday's game-day skate, and also spent time with the team's second power-play unit.

Bennett, meanwhile, was left without a line.

Since recording three points in his team's first-round series against the New York Rangers, Sheary has gone cold, with just three assists in his last 10 games.

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With their season, and survival in their quest for a second Stanley Cup in the Sidney Crosby era, in the balance, the Pittsburgh Penguins are turning back to rookie goaltender Matt Murray.

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan confirmed after the team's morning workout that after being unseated by Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 5, Murray would get the start Tuesday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sullivan said this about his decision, via NHL.com's Dan Rosen: "At this particular point in the season, we don't have the luxury of allowing players to play through things.

"We have to win."

Murray's performance has tailed off in the Eastern Conference Final after he spearheaded series wins over the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals in the first and second rounds. He has an .888 save percentage and has looked fatigued against the Bolts, dragging his overall postseason clip down to .923.

Meanwhile, Fleury played well enough to give Pittsburgh a chance in Game 5, but at the same time showed he went more than 50 days between starts because of a concussion suffered late in the season.

Murray's start will be his 14th of the postseason, which would give him one more than his career regular-season total.

The 21-year-old has a career 18-6-2 record with a .926 save rate in the regular season and playoffs combined.

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