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Karmanos also served as general manager of the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.

"We thank Jason for his contributions to the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans and wish him the best in his future endeavors," Kekalainen said in a statement.

Karmanos, 51, joined the Sabres in 2021 after spending the prior six seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins -- with three of those campaigns as the team's assistant general manager.

He also served as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes' front office from 1998-2013 and was the team's assistant GM for 13 of those seasons. He is the son of Hartford Whalers/Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos.

The younger Karmanos has been part of three Stanley Cup championships (Hurricanes in 2006, Penguins in 2016 and 2017).

The Sabres (15-14-4, 34 points) reside in last place in the Atlantic Division entering play on Saturday. They are mired in the NHL's longest playoff drought at 14 seasons dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.

The fine, which was handed down Saturday, is the maximum allowable under the league's collective bargaining agreement.

Vatrano was penalized in the wallet after a sequence in the third period of the Stars' 8-3 victory over the Ducks in Anaheim, Calif.

Vying for a hat trick, Robertson skated in on a partial breakaway while being backchecked by Vatrano. The Stars forward was unable to convert, and the two exchanged slashes as they skated up the ice before Vatrano tackled Robertson from behind.

Vatrano was assessed 16 minutes in penalties on the play, including 10 for misconduct.

Robertson was handed a two-minute slashing penalty following the sequence. The 26-year-old finished with two goals and an assist on Friday.

Vatrano, 31, has totaled five points (three goals, two assists) in 35 games this season.

"Mason is a player I know very well, and I think he will add a great deal to our team," Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "He is a physical, hard-nosed competitor with proven offensive ability and we are very excited to have him join the Blue Jackets."

Also Saturday, Columbus announced forward Brandon Gaunce has been designated as a non-roster player as he is away from the team due to personal reasons.

Playing in the final season of a four-year, $18 million contract, Marchment had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 29 games with the Kraken. Seattle acquired the 6-foot-5 forward from the Dallas Stars on June 19 in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2025 and a third-round selection in 2026.

Marchment, 30, has totaled 202 points (80 goals, 122 assists) and a plus-60 rating in 331 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Stars and Kraken.

The 28-year-old scored twice and set up the overtime winner as the Blue Jackets edged the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 on Tuesday night -- Columbus' lone win in the past seven outings (1-5-1).

The Blue Jackets will be in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday night as part of a two-game road trip, looking for a sweep of the season series.

"He willed that team (on Tuesday)," Evason said. "All I've seen is a guy that wants to win. He doesn't give two cents about his production, his points, his ice time. He doesn't say anything except his willingness to compete and to lead."

Werenski added a pair of goals in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Through 34 games this season, he paces the Blue Jackets in goals (13), assists (25), and points (38).

"I just play my game, to be honest," Werenski said. "I'm at a point where I'm a veteran guy, and I think it's important to lead by example, and that's doing what you're capable of. For me, I feel like that's driving the offense and bringing our team into it that way, and that's all I try to do."

Jet Greaves, Saturday's likely starter, made 24 saves in Tuesday's game and is 8-9-5 with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 22 games this season.

On Friday night, the Blue Jackets acquired forward Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken for a pair of draft picks. Marchment has four goals and nine assists in 29 games this season.

Anaheim will look for a response when they host Columbus in the second game of a back-to-back set following an 8-3 thumping at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, and Mikael Granlund scored for the Ducks, who have dropped four of their past five games (1-3-1). Lukas Dostal allowed four goals on seven shots before being replaced by Petr Mrazek, who made 14 saves.

"That was ugly, it was ugly. I'll give (Dallas) credit, they can make plays, and they certainly had their way with us all night long," said Ducks coach Joel Quenneville. "Started off, gave up our first short-handed goal of the year -- that was kind of a funny one, and then it just went on from there.

"It was a game where we were taken out of it. We've got a game (Saturday) night and basically have something to prove, knowing that this one was unacceptable."

Granlund had a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome opened the scoring, and Jackson LaCombe scored the game-tying goal to force overtime in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jackets. Ville Husso made 24 saves in the defeat.

"They're a dangerous team," Quenneville said. "We were fortunate to tie it late down 3-1, but at the same time, there were some positive stretches in the game for us, and I think we've got to make sure. ... I'm just looking for the response, not worried about our opponent."

Dostal, expected to start Saturday, is 12-7-1 with a 2.91 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 20 games this season.

Dragging around a three-game losing skid (0-2-1) and a home record that is now on the south side of .500 (8-9-0), the Lightning will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in the first meeting between the clubs this season.

Coach Jon Cooper's group went a dismal 1-4-2 out of the gate before winning 15 of the next 18 games to reach the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

However, Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings dropped the Lightning to 2-6-1 in their past nine and 0-2-0 in their four-game homestand that wraps up with a matchup with the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

"For a massive part of the year, we were on a pretty darn good streak," Cooper said. "Like winning 15 of 18 or something like that with basically the same lineup. ... We have done that, but for whatever reason it's not going our way right now. But we know it can, and we've proven that. "

The Lightning saw top points producer Nikita Kucherov (13 goals, 29 assists in 30 games) take himself out of the lineup because of illness after the pregame skate, reducing the forward group to 11.

That dwindled to 10 when Anthony Cirelli went down hard and headed to the tunnel with 13:45 left in the third period after the forward stopped, pivoted to get back on defense and crashed hard into the Kings' unsuspecting Kevin Fiala.

Cirelli, who has played in 68 or fewer games in three of the past six seasons due to injuries, did not return.

When asked what it was like losing players seemingly every game, Cooper replied, "It's an opportunity for other guys is what it is."

On an Eastern Conference-best five-game winning streak, Carolina traveled to Sunrise for Friday night's matchup with the Panthers in the first of back-to-back games.

When it was over, coach Rod Brind'Amour did not like what he saw: His club squandered a two-goal lead in the final 10:16 of the third period. The Panthers scored two goals with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on the bench and an extra skater on the ice.

Florida won 4-3 in the shootout, with Evan Rodrigues potting the game-winner in the fourth round.

"I didn't really love the game," Brind'Amour said. "Obviously, you should've won the game when you have a two-goal lead there. But at the end, two 6-on-5 goals. The details weren't very good. We were kind of cheating for that next one instead of just doing it right. It cost us a point."

Sebastian Aho scored twice, once on the power play, to give him 13 goals on the season.

Captain Jordan Staal added his 10th goal of the season.

However, Carolina top goal scorer Seth Jarvis was injured in overtime after he crashed at full speed into the left goal post, smacking it with his rib area and grimacing in pain.

"It's not good, so he's going to be out for a while," Brind'Amour said.

In the crease, rookie sensation Brandon Bussi (11-1-1, 2.11 goals-against average, .913 save percentage) lost in his effort to break Cam Ward's record of nine consecutive wins.

After a defeat in which star center Connor McDavid's shorthanded breakaway goal in the third period provided key insurance, the Bruins will look to get back on track when they begin a weekend back-to-back home set with a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

"Little mistakes, little moments could cost you a goal, or even a game. In the playoffs, it could cost you a series," Sturm said after facing the star duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. "I like playing teams like that because they make you better. ... For me, it's a great teaching game. Really good. Cost us maybe two points, but overall, I do believe those kinds of games will help."

The Bruins are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games but have lost two of three.

While Boston was pleased with its 5-on-5 play and finished with a 26-25 shots on goal advantage on Thursday, special teams made the difference as Edmonton scored in man-up and man-down situations.

The Bruins' lone goal came from Pavel Zacha on the power play. Zacha had been on a three-game goal drought after scoring three in the previous three contests.

Boston has scored power-play goals in back-to-back games after going three of the four contests before that without one.

"It is getting better every game, but (Thursday) it didn't gelp us to win," Zacha said. "We've got to get better with that, too."

Elias Lindholm has been hot of late for Boston. A primary assist on Zacha's goal gives him 13 points in his last 10 games.

"I think if we keep a team like that under 30 shots, we're going to have a good chance to win a lot of those games," Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman said.

As the Bruins start a back-to-back, the Canucks come into Boston to finish one of their own while riding a hot streak.

A three-goal first period -- including two-thirds of a Kiefer Sherwood hat trick -- lifted Vancouver to a 4-1 Friday win at the New York Islanders, its third straight victory and fourth win in six games. All three victories in the streak have come since trading captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild a week ago.

"We're sticking together, trusting the process and continuing to build towards our new identity," Sherwood said. "It's nice to finally get the results as a team, and we're just focused on continuing this (five-game) road trip the right way."

The Canucks entered Friday's game in the Western Conference cellar before leapfrogging both the Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators by one point.

After David Kampf's opening goal for Vancouver on Friday, Sherwood scored the next two goals before the end of the opening period and finished his second hat trick this season with 1:21 left in the third. Filip Hronek had two assists.

Thatcher Demko (22 saves) was 5:05 away from a shutout.

Sherwood leads the Canucks with 16 goals this season -- seven more than his closest teammate (Brock Boeser). Vancouver has outscored opponents 9-2 since the Hughes trade. That stretch has included part of leading scorer Elias Pettersson's six-game absence due to an upper-body injury.

Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi have jumped into the lineup since, with Buium posting a plus-2 rating against the Islanders. Ohgren scored his first goal as a Canuck in Tuesday's 3-0 shutout at the New York Rangers.

"They're good people. They're getting used to a new system, things like that," Vancouver coach Adam Foote said this week. "Marco's a true pro. And they get the other two young guys. We had to keep them in the saddle here a little bit longer."

The Blues, after all, are 0-6 in overtime and 0-2 in shootouts.

St. Louis' most recent overtime loss happened on Thursday night in a 2-1 setback to the New York Rangers.

"We're getting a lot of possession time in overtime," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "But we're not creating enough (quality) chances. Then, when we turn the puck over, we're blowing coverage.

"It's man-on-man. It should be fairly simple to stay with your man when it's 3-on-3 instead of 5-on-5. But we're getting beat to the net. We're losing assignments."

Center Robert Thomas leads the Blues in assists (17) and points (24), but no St. Louis player yet has reached double figures in goals. Thomas has seven goals -- three of which have come on the power play.

Winger Jake Neighbours leads the Blues with eight even-strength goals.

Veteran Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is 7-8-6 with a 3.41 goals-against average. It's the highest GAA in his eighth NHL season. His career GAA is 2.81

Binnington was brilliant in 2018-19, when the Blues won their only Stanley Cup title. He went 24-5-1 with a league-best 1.89 GAA that season.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are 2-1 in shootouts and 1-1 in overtime this season. In fact, the Panthers beat the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, in a shootout on Friday night.

It was the first time in team history that the Panthers won despite trailing 3-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining.

"I was pretty grumpy there with 10 minutes left," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "We just needed one good thing to go. ... (Brad Marchand) as he always does, we're down three, and he's screaming, ‘We can do this!' And he scores the first one. That was really the big one, gave us some life."

Said Marchand: "We didn't have the start that we expected. The guys that play a lot of minutes, it's up to us to step up and produce."

Marchand's scored his 20th goal of the season, Sam Reinhart added his 18th and Sam Bennett notched his 12th.

They are Florida's top three goal-scorers this season, and they are a big reason why the Panthers can rally like they did on Friday.

"We have a lot of players with big-game experience," Bennett said. "There's a lot of composure (in those situations). There's no panic. Everyone is positive on our bench."

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 26 saves to earn the win on Friday, improved his record to 15-8-1 on the season.

With games on consecutive nights, there's a good chance Bobrovsky will be rested on Saturday. In that scenario, Daniil Tarasov (4-5-1, 2.76 GAA) would get the start.

The Panthers, after a slow start this season, are 7-1-0 over their past eight games as they attempt to reach the playoffs for the seventh straight year and, ultimately, win their third consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

"Everyone is feeling good right now," Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues said. "We're enjoying hockey."

The Islanders hope history doesn't repeat itself Saturday, when they will to salvage the second game of a back-to-back set when they visit the Buffalo Sabres in a battle of Eastern Conference rivals.

The Islanders never led Friday in a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in Elmont, N.Y. The host Sabres, meanwhile, earned their fourth straight victory, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The loss was the second straight for the Islanders, who vaulted into second place in the Metropolitan Division by winning six of seven games before Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

New York squandered an early 5-on-3 power play and fell behind 3-0 in the first period against the Canucks, who climbed out of the Pacific Division basement by improving to 3-0 since trading captain and leading scorer Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 13.

The Islanders were outshot 30-23 as they continued to struggle offensively with an undermanned lineup.

Center Bo Horvat, who leads New York with 19 goals and 31 points, missed his third straight game with a left ankle injury and wasn't expected to travel to Buffalo. Right winger Kyle Palmieri (left knee) and defenseman Alexander Romanov (right shoulder) are out for the regular season with injuries suffered last month.

"I feel like we're looking for a perfect play too much," Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. "Some nights, when we don't have the same execution, you've got to find a different way to score goals. We were still trying those perfect plays."

The Sabres, who have missed the playoffs in each of the last 14 seasons and are in last place in the Atlantic Division and are next-to-last in the Eastern Conference, shifted in a different direction last Monday, when general manager Kevyn Adams was fired and replaced by senior adviser Jarmo Kekalainen.

Buffalo won three in a row before the change and extended its longest winning streak of the season in Kekalainen's first game as general manager. The Sabres fell behind 2-1 shortly beyond the midway point of the second period Thursday, but Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund scored fewer than three minutes apart to stake the hosts to a lead they'd never relinquish.

The four-game winning streak is the longest for the Sabres since a five-game run from March 30 through April 8.

"When you find that next level of desperation to try to win games, ultimately for the guy next to you, I think that's when good things happen -- when you're paying for the group," said Sabres goalie Alex Lyon, who has been in net for all four wins. "We have to continue to do that. Our work just doesn't end now, so we can't let up."

The Sabres will be without defenseman Conor Timmins, who suffered a broken leg in the third period Thursday and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Florida trailed 3-0 with less than 10 minutes left and was down 3-1 with under three minutes remaining. Brad Marchand made it 3-1 with his 20th of the season, Sam Bennett got it to 3-2 and Reinhart tied the game with just 52 seconds remaining. Marchand extended an impressive run with his 13th straight 20-goal season.

Florida's rally ruined a record-breaking attempt by Carolina rookie goalie Brandon Bussi, who had his nine-game win streak snapped despite making a career-high 38 saves. Bussi's streak still ties Cam Ward (2008-2009) for the longest win streak by a Carolina goalie. Bobrovsky made 26 saves for his fifth straight victory.

Sebastian Aho scored twice and Jordan Staal had one for the Hurricanes, who also got two assists each from Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov and saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

Avalanche 3, Jets 2

Brent Burns and Martin Necas scored goals in the first period, Parker Kelly had the eventual game-winner and Colorado beat Winnipeg in Denver.

Scott Wedgewood made 20 saves and Josh Manson had two assists for the Avalanche, who have won 12 straight home games, the second-longest streak in franchise history. Colorado is 14-0-2 at home this season and 20-1-4 overall in the past 25 games.

Morgan Barron and Mark Scheifele produced goals and Connor Hellebuyck turned away 23 shots for the Jets, who have lost six of their past seven games (1-5-1) and 12 of the past 15 (3-10-2).

Stars 8, Ducks 3

Oskar Back and Roope Hintz each scored in the opening five minutes of Dallas' four-goal first period and the visiting Stars cruised to a victory over Anaheim.

Sam Steel and Thomas Harley also scored in the opening period as the Stars won their third consecutive game while matching their season high for goals in a game. Jason Robertson delivered two goals and an assist while Adam Erne and Ilya Lyubushkin also scored as Dallas improved to an NHL-best 13-2-4 on the road. Hintz and Harley each added an assist.

Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke and Mikael Granlund each scored goals for the Ducks, who are 9-10-1 since opening the season 11-3-1. Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal stopped 3 of 7 shots before he was pulled in the first period in favor of Petr Mrazek, who turned aside 14 of 18 shots.

Canucks 4, Islanders 1

Kiefer Sherwood registered his third career hat trick, when Vancouver continued its surge following the Quinn Hughes trade by beating New York in Elmont, N.Y.

The hat trick was the second of the season for Sherwood. David Kampf opened the scoring in the first for the Canucks, who have won three straight -- all on the road -- since dealing Hughes, their captain and leading scorer, to the Minnesota Wild last Saturday. Goalie Thatcher Demko carried a shutout deep into the third and finished with 22 saves.

Anders Lee scored with 5:05 left for the Islanders, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid from Nov. 26-30. Goalie Ilya Sorokin recorded 26 saves.

Devils 2, Mammoth 1

Stefan Noesen scored the go-ahead goal at the 4:20 mark of the third period and Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves as New Jersey completed a sweep of its two-game western road trip with a victory over Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City.

Connor Brown also scored a goal and Nico Hischier had two assists for New Jersey, which moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division with the win.

Daniil But scored a goal and Karel Vejmelka stopped 20 of 22 shots for Utah, which lost for the second time in three games.

The Canadiens acquired the 32-year-old center from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick that originally was the property of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Danault, in his fifth season with the Kings, was struggling in 2025-26, producing no goals and five assists in 30 games. He was a healthy scratch the past four games.

He has one additional season beyond the current one remaining on a six-year, $33 million contract that carries a $5.5 million salary-cap hit annually. Danault landed that deal when he left Montreal as a free agent in the summer of 2021.

Danault got off to a good start in Los Angeles, scoring a career-high 27 goals in 2021-22. However, his goal total has decreased in each season since then.

In 349 games with the Kings, Danault amassed 70 goals, 130 assists and a plus-41 rating with 151 penalty minutes.

He began his career with the Blackhawks in 2014-15 and spent most of the following season in Chicago before he was traded to Montreal in February 2016.

Danault has 125 goals, 274 assists and a plus-85 rating with 329 penalty minutes in 741 career NHL games over 12 seasons.

Sam Steel and Thomas Harley also scored in the opening period as the Stars won their third consecutive game while matching their season high for goals in a game.

Jason Robertson delivered two goals and an assist while Adam Erne and Ilya Lyubushkin also scored as Dallas improved to an NHL-best 13-2-4 on the road. Hintz and Harley each added an assist, and Miro Heiskanen, Radek Faksa and Mikko Rantanen had two assists apiece.

Casey DeSmith made 23 saves for Dallas, which is 7-2-0 since Tyler Seguin went down with a knee injury Dec. 2.

Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke and Mikael Granlund scored goals for the Ducks, who are 9-10-1 since opening the season 11-3-1. Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal stopped 3 of 7 shots before he was pulled in the first period in favor of Petr Mrazek, who turned aside 14 of 18 shots.

The Ducks lost to open a run of seven consecutive games in Southern California.

Back opened the scoring 2:37 into the game while the Stars were short-handed. Faksa forced a turnover behind the Ducks' goal and fed Back, who lifted the puck to beat Dostal. It was the first short-handed goal allowed by Anaheim this season.

After Poehling responded less than a minute later, Hintz gave the Stars the lead again at 2-1 just 4:42 into the game.

Steel put Dallas up 3-1 at 12:41 of the first period, getting credit for the score even though he knocked the goal loose as the puck crossed the line. Harley scored at 14:19 of the period as Dallas went up 4-1.

The fourth goal prompted the Ducks to pull Dostal.

Robertson scored on the power play at 11:10 of the second period, then added another on a backhand four minutes later, his team-leading 22nd of the season making it 6-1.

Erne added a goal with 90 seconds left in the middle period.

Anaheim outscored Dallas 2-1 in the third period with the outcome no longer in doubt.

Connor Brown also scored a goal and Nico Hischier had two assists for New Jersey, which moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division with the win.

Daniil But scored a goal and Karel Vejmelka stopped 20 of 22 shots for Utah, which lost for the second time in three games.

Utah took a 1-0 lead at the 9:35 mark of the first period when But's backhand shot from the high slot deflected off the stick of defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler over Markstrom's glove and under the crossbar for the first goal of his NHL career.

New Jersey tied it, 1-1, midway through the second period when Brown took a Hischier pass at the bottom of the right circle and then roofed a wrist shot into the top right corner past Vejmelka's blocker side for his third goal in the last four games.

The Devils took a 2-1 lead early in the third period on a power-play goal by Noesen, who chipped in a rebound of a Hischier point shot over a sprawling Vejmelka and into an open net.

Utah nearly tied it with 4:42 remaining when Sean Durzi had a point blank shot from the slot but Markstrom deflected the puck over the crossbar with his glove.

The Mammoth pulled Vejmelka for an extra attacker with 2:05 to go and had a 6-on-4 power play the final 1:21 when Dawson Mercer went to the penalty box for tripping but Markstrom came up with a pair of saves to seal the win.

Scott Wedgewood made 20 saves, and Josh Manson had two assists for Colorado, which has won 12 straight home games, the second-longest streak in franchise history.

The Avalanche are 14-0-2 at home where they haven't lost since falling in a shootout to Carolina on Oct. 23. Colorado has earned at least a point in 24 of its last 25 games.

Mark Scheifele and Morgan Barron had goals and Connor Hellebuyck turned away 23 shots for Winnipeg. The Jets have lost six of their last seven games and 12 of the past 15.

The Avalanche took the lead midway through the first period. They worked the puck around the Winnipeg zone and Manson passed to Burns at the top of the right circle. Burns sent the puck to the front of the net, it deflected off the skate of Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury and by Hellebuyck at 9:45.

Colorado went ahead 2-0 later in the first when Artturi Lehkonen's stretch pass found Nathan MacKinnon at the Winnipeg blueline. He brought the puck into the zone, saucered a pass to Necas as he skated down the slot and Necas beat Hellebuyck with a wrister at 15:05.

It stayed that way until late in the second period. With the Avalanche on the power play, Jets winger Alex Iafallo ricocheted the puck off the boards and down the ice. Barron picked it up, skated in on Wedgewood and put a backhander by the goalie at 19:22.

It was the third short-handed goal given up by Colorado this season.

The Avalanche answered early in the third when Kelly tipped Manson's shot past Hellebuyck 1:58 into the period. Winnipeg responded on the power play less than two minutes later when Gustav Nyquist slid a pass to Scheifele at the side of the crease, and he redirected it in at 3:38.

Colorado had a goal disallowed midway through the third period because it was knocked in with a high stick from Kelly.

Eichel, tied for ninth in the NHL with 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists), and Theodore, who has scored four goals and 20 points, both missed their first games of the season on Wednesday when the Golden Knights took a 2-1 shootout loss to visiting New Jersey.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said before that game that Eichel was scratched because of an illness, but after practice on Friday, he said his star center was also bothered by a lower-body injury.

"Jack won't travel," Cassidy said. "He'll still be day-to-day. He's got a lower-body injury as well. He wasn't feeling good the other day. There's a lot going on. That's where it's at with Jack. So maybe next week we'll see where (he's) at."

Theodore, who has tallied 15 points in his last 17 games and is considered a strong candidate to make the Canadian Olympic team, has an upper-body injury.

"(Theodore) is week-to-week," Cassidy said. "Won't travel. He's going to be okay, but maybe (out) a little longer than we first thought."

Vegas is 9-2-5 away from home this season and captured nine out of a possible 10 points (4-0-1) on its recent East Coast trip. It'll be playing a Calgary team that is 6-1-1 in its last eight home games and is 9-4-1 in its last 14 games overall. The Golden Knights then face two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton on Sunday night.

"Calgary was struggling but I think is playing a little better hockey now," Vegas forward Tomas Hertl said. "Edmonton has been a rival for a couple years now. We definitely have something to prove and some good hockey to play. Definitely won't be an easy trip."

The Flames have rebounded from a dreadful 2-9-2 start to move within five points of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Calgary comes in off a 4-2 victory over visiting Seattle on Thursday. The Flames, who got two goals from Mikael Backlund and three primary assists from Rasmus Andersson, rallied from a 2-1 deficit entering the third period.

"We could have hung our heads and just been complacent with playing well and just used the hot goaltender excuse, but we fought to the end, had great chances," said center Nazem Kadri, who tied it midway through the third period with a power-play goal and also had an assist. "Our detail was great tonight, and overall liked our full effort for the full game."

Andersson, who picked up his 200th career assist on Backlund's first goal, said the team is looking forward to a stretch where the Flames play six of their next seven games at the Saddledome, with the lone road game a short 175-mile trip north to Edmonton for the Battle of Alberta.

"We've played well on home ice lately," Andersson said. "I think we have quite a few home games here now. Just take care of our home ice and then we'll see where it leads us."

This is the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Vegas won the first two, 4-2 at Calgary on Oct. 14 and 6-1 in Las Vegas on Oct. 18.

At U.S. Thanksgiving, a traditional measuring stick for NHL teams, they were 11-6-6 and in third place in the Pacific Division.

But that has all been washed away with 10 losses in their past 11 games (1-9-1).

The Kraken will look to snap a four-game skid in a Saturday road game against the San Jose Sharks.

"We keep doing these things over and over again, and it's getting old, and we've got to figure this out," said Kraken coach Lane Lambert, referring to turnovers and penalties, after his team allowed three third-period goals in a 4-2 loss at Calgary on Thursday. "When you're not winning, you have a tendency to play safe, I guess, and that's not what we can do to get out of this."

Joey Daccord made 42 saves for the Kraken, who were outshot 46-23 by the Flames.

"In the end, you've got to find a way," said Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko, whose second-period goal gave Seattle a 2-1 lead it took into the third. "These are the games you've just got to win. We were winning and, like I said, you've got to find a way."

The Kraken's only win in their past 11 games was a 3-2 overtime victory against the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 10. Seattle scored the tying goal with 26 seconds remaining in regulation on a power play with the goalie pulled. Vince Dunn scored the winning goal on a man advantage in the extra period.

"You've just got to take the good stuff and keep going and keep believing that eventually, the tables are going to turn," veteran Kraken forward Frederick Gaudreau said. "There's no point to just getting (upset) and getting down and (going) against each other, because it's not about that. It's a group of brothers that are going through a tougher time, result-wise, and they just need to stick together."

Injuries to forwards Jared McCann, the franchise's career scoring leader, and Jaden Schwartz, who was atop the team's points list when he went down, haven't helped.

"You have to move forward. There's no other way around it," Lambert said. "What's happened has happened. What's done is done. And you've got to move forward."

The Sharks had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss against the visiting Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Collin Graf scored twice and Macklin Celebrini had two assists for the Sharks.

"I thought we played pretty well," San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "We just gave them a couple there, the first two out of our structure and D-zone, and one on the power play there. (We) had our opportunities."

Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft, extended his point streak to four games (three goals, seven assists) and has 13 points over his past six games (four goals, nine assists).

Celebrini, who is third in the league with 53 points, has been playing without injured linemates Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev, who were both injured on Dec. 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Neither Smith nor Kurashev is expected to play against Seattle.

After Alex Nedeljkovic yielded four goals on 29 shots vs. Dallas, Yaroslav Askarov might be in net for the Sharks on Saturday.

Florida trailed 3-0 with less than 10 minutes left, and the Panthers were down 3-1 with under three minutes remaining.

Brad Marchand made it 3-1 with his 20th of the season, Sam Bennett got it to 3-2 and Reinhart tied the game with just 52 seconds remaining. Marchand extended an impressive run with his 13th straight 20-goal season.

Florida's rally ruined a record-breaking attempt by Carolina rookie goalie Brandon Bussi, who had his nine-game win streak snapped despite making 38 saves.

Bussi's mark still ties Cam Ward (2008-2009) for the longest win streak by a Carolina goalie.

Sebastian Aho scored twice, and Jordan Staal had one for the Hurricanes, who also got two assists each from Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov.

Aho has four goals over his past two games.

The Panthers are 7-1-0 over their last eight games, including four straight wins.

Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for his fifth straight victory.

Carolina -- thanks to relentless effort -- opened the scoring 11:53 into the first period.

Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere started the sequence with a shot from beyond the right circle that hit the post. Staal's first rebound attempt also hit the right post. Eric Robinson then tried to shove the puck in before Staal finally scored.

The Hurricanes appeared to take a 2-0 lead with 4:58 left in the second period, but that would-be goal was taken off the board because the puck was kicked into the net by Jarvis.

Aho made it 2-0 -- for real this time -- on a breakaway with 87 seconds gone in the third. Svechnikov's pass sprung Aho.

Carolina made it 3-0 just over six minutes later on Aho's power-play goal on a rebound from the right circle.

Florida got on the board with 9:44 left in the third as Bennett -- working from behind the net -- dished to Marchand for the goal.

The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky with 4:30 remaining to add an extra attacker, and the strategy succeeded as Bennett and Reinhart scored.

The hat trick was the second of the season for Sherwood, who scored all three of Vancouver's pre-shootout goals in a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 30.

David Kampf opened the scoring in the first for the Canucks, who have won three straight -- all on the road -- since dealing Hughes, their captain and leading scorer, to the Minnesota Wild last Saturday.

Goalie Thatcher Demko carried a shutout deep into the third and finished with 22 saves. Demko, who was in net for Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York Rangers, went a career-long 150:53 in between goals.

Anders Lee scored with 5:05 left for the Islanders, who have lost consecutive games for the first time since a three-game skid from Nov. 26-30. Goalie Ilya Sorokin recorded 26 saves.

The Islanders squandered a 58-second 5-on-3 power play early in the first before the Canucks took control by scoring three times in a span of under seven minutes.

A turnover by Islanders defenseman Adam Boqvist led to Kampf's first goal of the season at the 8:57 mark. Boqvist briefly controlled the puck behind the net, but Jake DeBrusk poked it free and passed to Kampf, who shuffled to his forehand and shoveled a shot under Sorokin's glove.

Canucks left winger Evander Kane appeared to commit a turnover when his clearing pass into the neutral zone landed near Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaeffer. But Sherwood beat Schaefer to the puck, bore in on Sorokin and fired a shot beyond his stick with 9:25 left.

Sherwood scored on the power play with 4:13 remaining. Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek, in the right faceoff circle, wound up as if he was about to shoot but instead passed to Sherwood, whose shot from the slot caromed off the top post.

With Sorokin pulled for the extra attacker, Lee ended Demko's shutout bid with 5:05 left, when he took a nifty no-look between-the-legs pass from Cal Ritchie and buried a shot into the right corner of the net.

Sherwood capped the hat trick with an empty-netter from the neutral zone with 1:23 remaining.

Lately, the Wild have shown glimpses of a high-powered offense to add to the mix.

Minnesota will try to stay hot when it faces off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn. The Wild are riding a six-game winning streak, while the Oilers have won two in a row and six of their past eight.

During their winning streak, the Wild have outscored opponents 28-9. That includes five-plus goals for Minnesota in each of its past three games.

"Everybody knows what they're supposed to do out there," Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek said. "Guys, I think, feel comfortable coming in, just knowing our system. It's pretty clear what we want to do and (the guys) just fill their roles really well."

Matt Boldy continues to lead the way with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the streak, including his 20th goal of the year in Thursday's 5-2 win at Columbus.

The Wild will take on an Oilers squad that is wrapping up a five-game road trip. Edmonton is 3-1 heading into the finale, and it is coming off a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

The victory came at a cost for Edmonton.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry sustained an injury in the second period, and on Friday the team placed him on injured reserve. He was hurt in only his third game since the Oilers acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12.

In Jarry's absence, Calvin Pickard is likely to get the start against the Wild. Pickard is 3-4-2 with a 3.91 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage in 12 games this season, and he is 4-4-0 with a 2.58 GAA and a .917 save percentage in eight career games against Minnesota.

The Oilers also promoted goaltender Connor Ingram from AHL affiliate Bakersfield with Jarry out. Ingram has not played in the NHL this season, but he is 39-44-15 with a 3.14 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 102 career games with the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth franchise.

Edmonton will look to its offense to help cover for the loss of its new goaltender. The Oilers have scored 38 goals in their past eight games, and they have shined on the power play.

Oilers forward Zach Hyman praised his teammates for their work on special teams.

"When things are going well, you want to make sure they continue to go well," Hyman said. "Obviously, we have a lot of different looks we can go to, and it's nice when we're getting the opportunities, too. We've got to be able to draw penalties, and I thought we did a good job of that (in our last game)."

The Wild have excelled with a one-two combination in net featuring Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt. Gustavsson is 11-8-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a .912 save percentage, and Wallstedt is 10-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a .936 save percentage.

Against the Oilers, Gustavsson is 2-2-0 with a 4.41 GAA and an .880 save percentage in four games. Wallstedt is 1-0-0 and stopped all 33 shots he faced in his only game versus Edmonton, a 1-0 win on Dec. 2 of this year.

Jarry, who was making his third start for Edmonton on Thursday, awkwardly stretched across the crease late in the second period at Boston. With 3:52 left in the period, he slowly skated off the ice and was replaced by Calvin Pickard, who stopped all 13 shots in a 3-1 Oilers' victory.

In corresponding moves, Edmonton recalled goaltender Connor Ingram from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League and transferred forward Jack Roslovic to long-term injured reserve.

In an exchange of No. 1 goalies, the Pittsburgh Penguins sent Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to Edmonton on Dec. 12 for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and their 2029 second-round draft selection.

Jarry was credited with the win vs. Boston and improved to 12-3-1 on the season. He has a 2.73 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage in 16 games.

The 30-year old British Columbia native owns a 2.75 GAA and .909 save percentage in 310 career contests, dating back to 2016-17.

Jarry was a second round pick of the Penguins (44th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in the NHL All-Star Game in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons.

It was reported by multiple outlets Wednesday that a sale was agreed to in principle, valuing the club between $1.7 and $1.8 billion.

The final sale of the club also requires approval by the NHL's Board of Governors.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies -- which is a multi-generational family-owned private equity firm -- has owned the Florida Everblades of the ECHL since 2019.

"Hockey has always been a meaningful part of our family's story, which makes this an incredibly special opportunity," Hoffmann Family of Companies CEO Geoff Hoffmann said in a news release. "We've long admired the Pittsburgh Penguins -- not just for their championship legacy and history, but for the culture, passion, and loyalty that define the organization. From our earliest conversations, we saw how deeply the Penguins are woven into the fabric of Pittsburgh. We are honored to join that tradition and excited to become an active part of the community.

Fenway Sports Group will continue to hold a minority stake in the Penguins for "a period of time," per the release, and promised the team's leadership structure will not change.

Geoff Hoffman will become team governor when the sale is final.

"During a formal process to explore investor interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins, we were approached by the Hoffmann family with an offer that warranted serious consideration," said Fenway CEO Sam Kennedy said in a statement. "From our earliest conversations, their love of the sport and their commitment to doing things the right way made it clear they would be thoughtful stewards of the franchise, which is why we chose to seriously consider their interest. We plan to work closely with them to ensure a smooth transition and to carry forward the momentum that's been built. It has been an honor to be part of the Penguins' story, working alongside a world-class leadership team, passionate fans, and a dedicated community. We are proud of the strong foundation we've built, and with Kyle Dubas continuing to lead hockey operations, the Penguins are well positioned to carry out the plan in place to reclaim their place as perennial Stanley Cup contenders."

Fenway purchased a controlling interest in the Penguins and took over as majority owners less than four years ago, on Dec. 31, 2021. Fenway also owns the Boston Red Sox, the English Premier League's Liverpool Football Club, 50% of NASCAR team RFK Racing and other sports holdings.

Forbes valued the Penguins at $1.75 billion in its 2025 NHL team valuation update earlier this month.

The Maple Leafs are coming off an uninspiring 4-0 walloping at the hands of the Washington Capitals, a result that snapped their league-leading 70-game non-shutout streak. Toronto managed just 22 shots on Washington's Logan Thompson in a game where they were gifted five power plays.

"The power play's actually been getting better but (Thursday) it was god-awful in my opinion," head coach Craig Berube said in one of a slew of testy soundbites from his postgame scrum. "Our top unit didn't execute, didn't win any battles when they needed to, just couldn't make plays."

With 14 goals and nine assists through 28 games, team captain Auston Matthews has come to embody the Leafs' perceived decline from the top down. The three-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy recipient and 2021-22 Hart Trophy winner is on pace for the lowest point per game rate of his career.

Toronto owns a 5-3-2 record in their last 10 games but have failed to record 30 shots on net in eight of those outings. With the halfway point of the season rapidly approaching, the Leafs find themselves 21st in the league in shots for and second-worst in shots against.

"(The Capitals) played with a lot more passion than we did ... I mean, that's what it boils down to," Berube said flatly. "It looked to me like they had way more urgency in their game, more passion in their game. That's the difference."

"Ask those guys, not me," Berube replied when asked why that was the case.

They will be faced with a Predators team they bested 7-4 at the beginning of the season. Nashville's tumultuous 6-12-4 start to the season has been tempered by a period of relative stability. That was interrupted on Wednesday night with their second loss of the month to the surging Carolina Hurricanes, this time by a score of 4-1.

"I didn't think we did a great job going back for pucks," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said after the game. "I didn't think we moved our feet. I think we just threw pucks away. When you throw pucks away, they're going to slam the boards."

Team leading goal-scorer Filip Forsberg (15 goals) netted Nashville's only goal of the affair. Winger Cole Smith played his first game since Nov. 1 after being reactivated from injured reserve earlier in the day.

"I thought he was awesome," Brunette said of Smith. "I thought after the first period he sort of took over and drove a little of our identity of our group."

Even so, Nashville's forward corps could not stay fully fit for long. A lower-body injury to veteran center Jonathan Marchessault saw him leave the game in the second period. Nashville will hope to have the 2023 Conn Smythe winner back in action as they aim to climb out from the bottom spot in an ultra-competitive Central Division.

Toronto has won seven of the last 10 matchups between the two teams dating back to 2020.

The Senators handed the reeling Pittsburgh Penguins a seventh consecutive regulation or overtime setback on Thursday with a decisive 4-0 victory in Ottawa.

Captain Brady Tkachuk scored two goals and Linus Ullmark made 25 saves for the Senators, who have posted three wins in their last four games overall.

David Perron added a goal to record his 800th career point and Claude Giroux also tallied for Ottawa.

"We're happy about the way every guy played," Tkachuk said, per the Ottawa Citizen. "We were hard to play against, and we didn't give up too much. Everybody was really focused and dialed in."

Drake Batherson notched two assists and Tim Stutzle had one while playing in his 400th career NHL game.

"That was a great team win. Top-to-bottom," Senators coach Travis Green said. "We played pretty solid. We talked about the 200-foot game defensively and offensively. The guys were ready to play."

Stutzle, who has recorded four goals and six assists during his five-game point streak, leads the team in goals (15) and points (34). His 19 assists are tied with Batherson and defenseman Jake Sanderson for the team lead.

Batherson had two assists and Stutzle scored and set up a goal in the Senators' 7-3 setback at Chicago on Oct. 28.

Connor Bedard recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist in that game for the Blackhawks.

Unfortunately for Chicago, life without Bedard -- the team leader in goals (19), assists (25) and points (44) -- hasn't gone well since the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft sustained an upper-body injury last Friday.

The Blackhawks have lost four in a row overall and mustered just three total goals in the last three games without Bedard.

"I just thought too many guys had like their C game," Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said after Thursday's 4-1 setback to the Montreal Canadiens. "You're not going to have your A-plus game every night, but you've got to find a way to make sure when you don't have that you have a B-plus game. Not necessarily even the mentality of how you play, just the actual level which you play at. So, that's part of the process of making sure that we figure that out."

Step one would be putting more shots on goal. The Blackhawks registered just 15 on net Thursday, marking their second-lowest total of the season.

"You can't pass up a shot in a scoring area," Blashill said. "We literally passed it out of a scoring area into a non-scoring area. That's nonsensical. We're going to have to ... make sure we have much more of a shooting mentality and create chaos off the shots."

Frank Nazar scored in the previous encounter with Ottawa and snapped a 21-game goal drought on Thursday.

The Blackhawks have been outscored by a 27-9 margin while losing six of their last seven games.

The surgery was performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper, who also repaired the left ACL of Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes this week.

Seguin sustained the injury after getting tangled up with Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov along the boards during the first period of Dallas' 3-2 overtime loss on Dec. 2 in New York.

The NHL season will be paused from Feb. 6-24 for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.

Seguin, 33, has recorded 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 27 games this season. He is playing in the seventh season of an eight-year, $78.8 million contract with Dallas.

A Stanley Cup champion with Boston in 2011, Seguin has totaled 826 points (367 goals, 459 assists) in 1,016 regular-season games for the Bruins (2010-13) and Stars. He also has 79 points (29 goals, 50 assists) in 151 playoff games.

He was selected by Boston with the second overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft.

The suspension is effective immediately.

Saunders did not know his mic still was on when he said something sexual in nature on 97.5 The Fanatic, the team's flagship station.

"We are aware of the inappropriate comment made during last night's radio broadcast in the TV timeout of the Flyers-Sabres game," the Flyers posted to X on Friday.

"These remarks do not reflect the standards of conduct or values we expect from anyone associated with our organization. ... We take this matter very seriously, and sincerely apologize to our listeners, fans and all those affected by these comments."

Saunders is in his 29th season with the Flyers.

He will miss the team's road game Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers and their home game Monday with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Athletic reported that Brian Smith, the Flyers' director of broadcasting and content, will sit in Saunders' chair during those two games and join Todd Fedoruk on the call of the games.

The Capitals are coming off an impressive 4-0 home victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Jakob Chychrun scored twice to stretch his league lead for goals by a defenseman to 14, while Logan Thompson made 22 saves en route to his second shutout effort in his past four starts.

"I thought it was probably our best game of the year from a whole collective group," Thompson said. "I thought honestly, a perfect game."

Chychrun's fellow blueliner John Carlson finished with a goal and two assists, and Justin Sourdif picked up two assists as well.

"We wanted to play a lot better than we have been and I think the guys responded well," Carlson said after the game. "I think that's a big step for our group. Kind of a big moment to stop the little losing streak that we were on."

The Capitals had entered Thursday's tilt on a short slide, with three straight losses (0-2-1).

Captain Alex Ovechkin will be hoping to get off the schneid on Saturday, as the NHL's all-time leading goal-scorer has failed to find the back of the net in six straight games, amassing just two assists across that stretch.

The veteran sniper has had no trouble scoring against Detroit in his career though, totaling 25 goals in 38 clashes with the Red Wings.

The division-leading Red Wings have been faring well of late, coming out on top in five of their past seven contests (5-1-1), but fell to the Utah Mammoth 4-1 at home in their most recent contest on Wednesday.

"Tonight, for me, the difference was obvious, it was play around our net," Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. "It wasn't just the goals we gave up, it was some chances that they had even earlier in the game. They were much better around their blue paint. ... They were better than us in that area and they got the best of us, it's obviously an area that we have to work on this week because we're going to play against a team that goes to the net and scores in those spots, in Washington."

Suiting up for the second consecutive night after defeating the New York Islanders 3-2 on Tuesday, Detroit's offense fell flat, with Emmitt Finnie providing the lone goal for the losing side.

The Red Wings' attack could receive a welcomed boost on Saturday as veteran forward Patrick Kane has a chance to return to the lineup after missing the previous two contests with an upper-body injury.

The 39-year-old is nearly a point-per-game player this season with six goals and 17 assists across 24 games and he currently sits just two goals shy of becoming the 50th player in NHL history to join the 500-goal club.

The Capitals have won each of the previous three home clashes with the Red Wings and four of the past five overall meetings. The teams meet again on Sunday in Detroit.