NHL Atlantic

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews continues making history in his sixth season with the franchise. 

During the second period of Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars, Matthews set the Maple Leafs' single-season scoring record with his 55th goal of the 2021-22 campaign. 

Rick Vaive, who played for the Maple Leafs for eight years from the 1979-80 campaign through the 1986-87 season, previously held the record with the 54 goals he scored during the 1981-82 season. 

Matthews is on pace to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer for the first time in his career. The next player closest to him in scoring is Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl, who enters Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings with 50 goals. 

The Maple Leafs selected Matthews first overall in the 2016 draft. During his rookie season, he scored 40 goals and added 29 helpers to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie. 

Since then, he has notched at least 34 goals in each of his six seasons and has scored at least 40 goals in four seasons. What's most impressive about Matthews is that most of his goals come at even strength, though his 55th goal of the 2021-22 campaign was scored on the power play. 

The Maple Leafs are primed to make the playoffs behind Matthews and his historic season. Toronto entered Thursday's game with the second-best record in the Atlantic Division and would take a commanding lead over the third-place Boston Bruins with a win in Dallas. 

Toronto would move to 46-19-6 and have 98 points. Boston has a 44-21-5 record and 93 points entering a Friday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday that 20-year-old prospect Rodion Amirov has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Dubas said the Leafs are working with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Amirov's team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, to "monitor his treatment and care":

Rodion commenced the 2021-22 season with Salavat Ufa of the KHL but suffered an injury to open the season. During the course of his recovery from this injury, he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required ongoing extensive investigations over the last few months.

Rodion is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Germany and will not return to play for the remainder of the season.

Dan Milstein, Amirov's agent, also released a statement saying the Russian winger continues to work out daily and plans to resume his hockey career:

Toronto selected Amirov with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft.

The Leafs signed the 6'0", 177-pound winger to an entry-level contract in April as he continued his development with Salavat Yulaev. He recorded three points (one goal and two assists) in 10 KHL appearances during the 2021-22 season before the injury and subsequent tumor diagnosis.

He also starred in the 2021 World Junior Championships, scoring six points (two goals and four assists) in seven contests to help Russia reach the semifinals.

Amirov expressed excitement about being drafted into the Leafs organization in 2020.

"It is a great responsibility and honor that they chose me in the draft. I will not let them down in the future," he said, per the Toronto Sun. "It is every guy's dream to be among those chosen by an NHL team, and especially Toronto Maple Leafs—a club with such an organization and a great history."

In August, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Amirov as Toronto's second-best prospect behind defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

"His skating pops when you watch him," Pronman wrote. "He has good speed and excellent edge work. He has great ability to cut back in open ice and spin off pressure. He combined his great feet with impressive puck skills and playmaking ability, making difficult plays with the puck on the move at a quick pace."

Dubas said the Leafs won't comment any further while Amirov undergoes treatment.

The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday they have fired head coach Dominique Ducharme, with Martin St.Louis—Tampa Bay Lightning legend and Hockey Hall of Famer—taking over as interim coach.

"We would like to sincerely thank Dominique for his work and contributions to the Montreal Canadiens organization. At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change," general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement.

The Canadiens made a surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final last season before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games. The squad hasn't been able to replicate its success in 2021-22, however, producing an 8-30-7 record through 45 games.

The squad's 23 points are the fewest in the NHL entering Wednesday.

With a league-worst minus-79 goal differential and seven straight losses, there was seemingly little hope of a turnaround. Montreal has just one win since the start of January.

Ducharme took over as an interim coach in Feb. 2021 after replacing Claude Julien. The squad did enough to earn a playoff spot in the North division—comprised exclusively of Canadian teams because of COVID-19 restrictions—before a dramatic run in the postseason with series wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights.

It was enough for Ducharme to earn a three-year deal as the team's permanent coach, although there was some criticism about the move:

Ducharme now finishes his tenure with just a .361 points percentage in 83 regular-season games.

The 48-year-old still has loads of professional hockey experience, including more than two years as an assistant on the Canadiens staff before becoming the interim coach. He also spent 10 years coaching in the QMJHL.  

The historic home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, will host the Boston Bruins and an as-yet-unannounced opponent at the 2023 Winter Classic, the NHL announced Friday. 

This is the second time Fenway Park will host the Winter Classic. The legendary ballpark first hosted the event in 2010, when the Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime courtesy of a Marco Sturm goal.

The Bruins will be competing in their fifth regular-season outdoor game in 2023. In addition to hosting the Flyers in 2010, the Bruins also hosted the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, in the 2016 Winter Classic. They lost 5-1. 

The Bruins also played the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium, winning 4-2. Most recently, the Black and Gold defeated the Flyers 7-3 last February at the NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe.

The NHL began the Winter Classic tradition in 2008 in Buffalo.

With their 2023 appearance, the Bruins will tie the Blackhawks for the most appearances in Winter Classic history with four. The Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have all appeared in the event twice. 

The Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild have also competed in the Winter Classic. 

Former Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask is attempting to resume his NHL career. 

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Rask has signed a tryout contract with the Providence Bruins of the AHL. 

Wyshynski noted Rask is expected to make his first appearance for the Bruins on Friday against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Following the Boston Bruins' playoff loss to the New York Islanders, Rask told reporters he played last season with a torn labrum in his hip that would require surgery: 

Start the recovery process and then we'll see what the future holds after that. Hopefully the recovery goes well and I'll be ready to play hockey at some point next year…mentally, I'm up for [continuing to play]. The physical aspect, hopefully everything goes well, then we'll probably be looking at a January or February return to hockey. That's kind of the plan, and hopefully it works out.

During that same press conference, Rask said he's "not going to play for anyone else" other than the Boston Bruins.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters on Tuesday that he likes what he's seen from Rask during practice sessions in recent weeks. 

“He looks good. I’ve watched him for years, so I’m stating the obvious. He’s an excellent goaltender, technically sound. Not a lot of wasted movements for Tuukka,” Cassidy said.

The 34-year-old was originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005, but he was traded to Boston for Andrew Raycroft before the start of the season.

The Bruins called Rask up to their roster in November 2007. He only appeared in five games over his first two seasons before becoming Boston's starting goalie for the 2009-10 season. The Finland native led the NHL in save percentage (93.1) and goals against average (1.97) in 45 games that season. 

Rask ranks first in Bruins history among goaltenders in games played (560) and wins (306). He's tied with Tim Thomas for best save percentage in franchise history (92.1) among goalies with at least 100 appearances. 

He led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup title in the 2010-11 season and won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender for the 2013-14 season. 

Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are Boston's primary goalies this season. The duo has a 17-10-2 record with a 2.39 goals against average and a 91.8 save percentage. 

The Bruins are currently one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.    

The NHL has postponed three more games this week because of COVID-19, the league announced Sunday. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators are the teams impacted.

The NHL and NHL Players Association also agreed to the reintroduction of taxi squads in order to provide teams with players who can be recalled to avoid having games postponed in the future. 

Each team will be allowed to have a taxi squad of up to six players. In addition, teams are allowed to make emergency recalls from the minors if COVID-19 were to prevent them from playing with a full lineup. 

Taxi squads will be in effect until at least the All-Star break in February. Players on the taxi squad will count as being in the for the salary cap and can be there for a minimum of 20 days. 

The NHL also had taxi squads during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. 

Several players have entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols since returning from the holiday break, including Bruins forward Charlie Coyle, Maple Leafs forward Williams Nylander and Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues. 

The NHL began its holiday break earlier than expected this year because of a rise in positive COVID-19 cases across the league. Every team was shut down beginning Dec. 22, though most were on pause before that point. 

Several teams are set to return to action on Tuesday, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.

Because of postponements across the league and rise in COVID-19 cases, the NHL and NHLPA also recently decided that players would not attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The league needs the two-week break in the February schedule to make up more than 50 postponed games.  

The Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers have been shut down through the NHL's holiday break because of COVID-19 outbreaks within each club, the league announced Friday.

Calgary has already missed matchups with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs. It will also miss games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken.

Colorado's postponements are for games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins, while Florida will miss contests against the Minnesota Wild, Blackhawks and Predators. 

The Flames have 19 players and 13 club employees in COVID-19 protocols. Five Avalanche players are in protocols, and the Panthers have seven, per ESPN's Kristen Shilton. 

Other NHL franchises are also experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, including the Boston Bruins, whose matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday was postponed. 

The NHL has mandated enhanced health and safety protocols amid the outbreaks across the league, including increased mask-wearing, virtual meetings and daily testing. 

ESPN's Emily Kaplan noted that the more games are postponed, the less likely NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics. The league may need that time for makeup games.

NHL Players' Association Executive Director Don Fehr said last week that players are uncertain about participating in the Beijing Olympics because they haven't received definitive answers about COVID-19 protocols for the Games, per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. 

It's unclear if the NHL is considering a leaguewide shutdown given the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. 

The NHL announced Friday that Saturday's game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens has been postponed.

Boston had seven players and one staff member in the league's COVID-19 protocols as of Thursday night.

No make-up date for Saturday's contest, which was slated to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, was immediately established.

The Bruins played Thursday's game against the New York Islanders as scheduled. They suffered a 3-1 loss.

Boston winger Nick Foligno didn't mince words when asked about what the team went through leading up to the clash with the Isles.

"It's been a nightmare, to be honest with you," Foligno told reporters.

Meanwhile, Habs winger Jonathan Drouin raised concerns about playing the B's amid their COVID-19 outbreak.

"That's a tough question to answer, but I wouldn't be that comfortable playing with guys who might have COVID or against a team that's had seven cases; tomorrow morning there might be three more or two more, we don't know," Drouin said Thursday. "I don't feel comfortable playing with that. It's not what we were told this year with the vaccines and all that. For sure, things change in times like this, but it's really not ideal."

The Bruins aren't the only team going through coronavirus issues. The Calgary Flames had their past four games postponed with 18 players and three coaches in the protocols.

It's also an issue that extends beyond the NHL with the NFL, NBA and England's Premier League among the numerous sports entities dealing with a surge of COVID-19 cases.

For now, Boston's road game against the Ottawa Senators remains scheduled for Sunday.

Montreal is slated to begin a six-game road trip Monday when it visits the Islanders.

There will be no fans in attendance for Thursday's game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens announced they will not host a crowd at the Bell Centre following a request from Quebec public health officials due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. The announcement explained there will be an update for Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins on Friday.

"We have accepted this request in order to help ensure the safety and security of our fans and fellow citizens throughout our community," the Canadiens said.

"We have obtained assurances that beginning with our games in January, we will return to a partial capacity scenario and be able to host fans once more," the team added. 

This comes after Sportsnet reported the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Ottawa Senators will all limit crowds to 50 percent capacity starting Saturday because of new rules announced by Ontario that prevent more than half capacity for indoor venues with more than 1,000 people.

Ontario premier Doug Ford explained "you've got to target the largest venues" because "you're sitting side-by-side for hours. Compared to a restaurant, that's comparing apples and bananas as far as I'm concerned, not even apples and oranges."

With the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant dominating headlines, sports are facing new challenges every day as the pandemic continues.

There have been cancellations, postponements and rising numbers of players placed in health and safety protocols.

In the NHL, the league announced the Calgary Flames' return to play was delayed because 17 more members of the organization entered COVID protocols. Saturday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was postponed as part of the delay.

Calgary hasn't played since this past Saturday, and the Blue Jackets game was the fourth one postponed.