The Winnipeg Jets announced Sunday they'll host the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 Heritage Classic at Investors Group Field on Oct. 23.
It'll be the fourth edition of the Heritage Classic, and the first since the Ottawa Senators defeated the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in 2014.
The Jets will play in an outdoor game for the first time in franchise history, while the Oilers will participate in their second after hosting the first-ever Heritage Classic at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium in 2003.
The festivities will also include an alumni game between former Jets and Oilers on Oct. 22. Wayne Gretzky will captain the Edmonton legends and Dale Hawerchuk will lead Winnipeg's former stars.
Gretzky says Messier, Coffey, Kurri & Semenko have all confirmed for the #Oilers legends team. #HeritageClassic pic.twitter.com/osCFE30PUB
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 6, 2016
Hawerchuk confirmed that Teemu Selanne will play for the Jets' alumni.
Teemu Selanne has agreed to come back and play for #NHLJets legends game. Hawerchuk said Dave Ellett, Dave Babych, too.
— Ed Tait (@WFPEdTait) March 6, 2016
"We're thrilled that the Jets, their fans, and the city of Winnipeg will launch the 2016-17 NHL outdoor season with the 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Investors Group Field," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
"Alumni games also create a unique brand of excitement, and so it is with great anticipation that we look forward to seeing the returning Jets and Edmonton Oilers getting together to rekindle special memories."
The Oilers and the original Jets entered the league together as part of the four-team WHA-NHL merger in 1979.
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The New York Rangers will be without Henrik Lundqvist for at least one more game.
The 34-year-old goaltender skated Sunday but won't dress for the club's inter-borough matinee tilt with the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
"He's on the right track," Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault said. "It should be just a day or two more."
Lundqvist left Thursday's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins with neck spasms suffered when teammate Ryan McDonagh collided with him in the crease, and the netminder drew a delay of game penalty for dislodging his own net in frustration to ensure a stoppage in play.
Related - Holtby: Delay of game penalty on Lundqvist 'absurd'
Antti Raanta will start for the second consecutive game after making 32 saves in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Friday. Magnus Hellberg will back him up again after being recalled due to Lundqvist's injury.
After Sunday's game, the Rangers embark on a two-game road swing, facing the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Lundqvist is 31-17-4 with a 2.31 GAA, a .923 save percentage, and four shutouts in 53 contests.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Sunday that forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Brendan Leipsic were returned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies after serving as emergency recalls.
Kapanen, 19, was held without a point in his first four NHL games, recording six shots on goal since being called up Feb. 29. Leipsic has appeared in six games with the Maple Leafs this season, recording a goal and two assists.
The two demotions come after head coach Mike Babcock said Saturday that forwards Milan Michalek and Brad Boyes are nearing returns from injury, according to Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press.
Michalek is yet to make his Maple Leafs debut as he is continues to recover from a broken finger suffered in a Jan. 22 game, while still a member of the Ottawa Senators. Boyes has missed the team's last two games with an upper-body injury.
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After scoring four unanswered goals during the third period of Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Nashville Predators continued a pair of franchise-best point streaks as they picked up a 5-2 victory in Denver.
Franchise record point streak - 12 games (8-0-4)
— NHL (@NHL) March 6, 2016
Franchise record road point streak - 11 games (9-0-2)@PredsNHL pic.twitter.com/zFBXvUBEqG
Recording 20 out of a possible 24 points in their last 12 outings, the team now holds a comfortable cushion atop the Western Conference wild-card standings, leaving the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche to battle for the final playoff spot.
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | O | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NSH | 66 | 33 | 21 | 12 | 78 |
| 2 | MIN | 66 | 31 | 25 | 10 | 72 |
| 3 | COL | 67 | 33 | 30 | 4 | 70 |
Aside from the team's offensive outburst in the final frame, forward Filip Forsberg set a franchise record of his own during the second period, becoming the first Predator to score 14 goals over a 14-game stretch, according to Elias Sports. The Swede scored just 14 goals over his first 52 outings to begin the season.
The only other player to average a goal-per-game over a 14-game period is league-leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
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Just days after being handed a five-game suspension by the NHL for his illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette, Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo has found himself in trouble again - this time, in the American Hockey League.
Since being sent down to the Providence Bruins, Rinaldo has been suspended indefinitely by the AHL for a hit to the head of defenseman Kane Lafranchise during his team's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday.
LT. Under AHL rules, suspension is automatic for match penalties for intent to injure, which is what Rinaldo penalty was called for.
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) March 5, 2016
Rinaldo's five-game NHL suspension will not begin until he is recalled to Boston. He has one year remaining on his current contract, and is owed $850,000 next season
Won't actually happen, but I think Zac Rinaldo would break some kind of record if B's sent him to ECHL & he got himself suspended there too
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) March 5, 2016
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Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin earned a five-minute major for boarding during the second period of Saturday's 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins after hitting defenseman Kevan Miller from behind.
Related: Ovechkin draws 5-minute major for boarding Bruins' Miller
While the hit forced Miller from the game with an apparent shoulder injury, the Russian forward insists there was no intent to hurt his opponent.
"Oh, it's just a hockey play," Ovechkin told reporters, according to NESN.com. "I tried to kind of, like - I don't try to hit him. I didn't see a replay, but my motion was not like try to headhunt.
"I just try to play the puck, and he kind of turned, and there was hit. At least, I told the referee I didn't try to go through him or something, just trying to pin him."
The NHL will look into the incident, but the league's leading goal-scorer doesn't seem worried about receiving further discipline.
"No, I don't think it's (worthy) of suspension or something," he added. "I don't try to hit the head, just to be in my spot and make a play. He's turning at the boards."
Ovechkin was suspended twice during the 2009-10 campaign, receiving a pair of two-game bans during a season in which he racked up three game misconducts. He was suspended for one game earlier this season for sitting out All-Star weekend in Nashville.
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