Both sides were expected to file briefs in response to Wednesday’s arguments in front of U.S. Distrct Court Judge Richard Berman in New York. The NFLPA started by claiming Brady’s four-game suspension should be vacated, calling Goodell’s decision to uphold the suspension “a memorandum of attempted misdirection to the Court.” MORE: Tom Brady’s NFL life in photos | Worst portrait of Tom Brady ever The union maintained its stance that the “independent” investigation conducted by Ted Wells was anything but and that Brady does not deserve any sort of suspension....

Back in January, the three groups announced the Future Goals Most Valuable Teacher program, which nominated 36 teachers from Canada and the United States to receive an award for their hard work in their community. After public voting, the field was narrowed down to three finalists before the winner was chosen earlier this month. The grand prize-winner was Joan Kilban, a fifth-grade teacher from Weymouth, Mass. — and a massive Bruins fan....

But while McDavid is the odds-on favorite to defend his Hart Trophy, there’s MVP potential in a few other young stars hoping to elevate their teams like McDavid did a year ago. Oh, and a couple old guys named Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, with five Harts between them, aren’t expected to move aside so quietly. The conversation gets a little more interesting as we go down the list....

"I know that our complaint speaks for itself," O'Brien, lead plaintiffs attorney for Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd, told Sporting News on Thursday. The complaint, filed earlier Thursday in Southern New York's U.S. District Court and headed by nine former NHL players, seeks compensation, medical care and possible changes to the game "for the NHL's wrongdoing in the form of not warning and not protecting its players from head trauma," O'Brien said....

Here’s a simple breakdown of how we categorize slate size. Small – 4 or fewer games Medium – 5-8 games Large – 9-12 games Super-Sized – 13-plus games MORE: SN DFS | DFS Lineup Builder This medium-sized slate has a few options, including a late (two games) and later (three game) option for DFS players. The values listed below take into account potential points per dollar. Potential matchups, Vegas odds, advanced statistics, and much more are also factored in....

Please note that DraftKings has brought back the Two Man Advantage. That has an $8 entry. Also, a couple of the games have an over/under of six, according to Las Vegas odds. Expected goals could be somewhat high tonight, but remember there are always duds. Montreal and Pittsburgh will get some higher ownership due to matchups, as well. St. Louis and its top six are going to win someone a good bit of money tonight....

Before the clock struck and everything was frozen in time Saturday, NHL teams were a little busy. A number of moves were made, with some not being revealed until after 3 p.m. (As long as they were in the queue as time wound down, they were good to go.) A number of big-name players were shipped to new addresses. Here’s a rundown of the deals, why they were done, what they mean for the future and who won the swaps....

Okposo agreed to a seven-year, $42 million contract on the opening day of free agency. It’s a big pickup for the Sabres, who are turning around a woeful franchise. MORE: Free agency signngs under way | Oilers get big prize Milan Lucic Rugged and big, Okposo spent his Isles tenure as wingman for center John Tavares. Now he will be a top-line right winger for the Sabres, possibly with 2015 No....

Not long after the clock struck 12 p.m. ET deals were announced at a rapid pace. Some teams went big, like the Montreal Canadiens — hello, first offer sheet since 2013! Other teams, such as the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes, made moves that have been analyzed to death since the NHL draft ended. MORE FREE AGENCY: Full list of signings, best available players How this will all play out is anyone’s guess....

At 28, Shattenkirk should have plenty of productive years ahead of him. His 56 points in 80 games, split between St. Louis and Washington, were a career high and ranked fourth among defensemen, behind only Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns (76 points) and finalists Victor Hedman (72) and Erik Karlsson (71). MORE: NHL trade rumors tracker Shattenkirk’s defensive struggles in D.C. are notable, but that won’t affect much. His free agency figures to capitalize on big-time potential for return on investment and a widespread need of top-four blue line help....

It’s been no secret Devils general manager Ray Shero wanted to improve his defense. On the other coast, the Ducks were down a handful of top forwards and it was questionable as to whether they could hang in there without an addition. Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kelser, Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg all on the shelf, and somehow Anaheim was able to take down the Blues on the road last week....

The free-agent floodgates opened July 28 with a number of big names ripe for the taking. It took a Brinks truck backing up for some teams to entice guys, like blueliner Dougie Hamilton, who hauled in $63 million from the Devils over the next seven years. Other teams were a bit more conservative and focused on re-signing some of their own unrestricted free agents. The biggest name who decided not to change addresses was Alex Ovechkin, who agreed to stick around the U....

But this year’s iteration of an NHL-hosted outdoor game will be unlike any of the 30 other tilts. For the first time, hockey will be played atop a golf course. Yes, the days of baseball, football or soccer stadiums are on hold as the fastest game on earth heads to the grass — the fairway of a par-5, to be exact. While one significant difference this year is that there won’t be fans in attendance, another is that this year’s locale will be the site of two tilts....

The move came following the Milwaukee Bucks’ boycott of their NBA playoff game to protest racial inequality, which prompted teams in other leagues to follow suit. The efforts came in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., over the weekend. NHL teams and players outside the bubble showed their support for the NHL Players’ Association members who came together and took action on Thursday on Twitter....

That’s why when goaltender Henrik Lundqvist skated to the bench after the Rangers were officially eliminated by the Senators in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series Tuesday night, you had to wonder: Is the Rangers’ Stanley Cup window shut? Will Lundqvist ever win a Cup? MORE: This Henrik Lundqvist sequence is bonkers Lundqvist is 35 and his best years are clearly behind him. His main supporting cast members, in particular Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Derek Stepan, Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh, are still above-average contributors, but they aren’t getting younger....

Jakub Vrana, bumped to the Capitals’ top line due to injuries, had three points, including the game-winning goal with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, helping the Capitals to a 6-3 win over the Penguins Saturday and giving Washington a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series. The lead-up to Vrana’s goal started in the Capitals’ defensive zone when goaltender Braden Holtby robbed Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin on a close-range shot....

The Jets, down two games in the series, decided to remind the rookie which team went to the Western Conference Finals last year and pumped three goals past him in just four minutes during the second period of Sunday’s contest. At the five-minute mark of the second period, with St. Louis sporting a 1-0 lead, Kevin Hayes ignited the action for Winnipeg by sneaking a long-range wrist shot past Binnington to tie the game....

First of all, it was a great play by Panarin and the Blue Jackets. There was confusion on a loose puck in the Bruins’ zone and no one seemed to know where it was. But Oliver Bjorkstrand realized the play was still live and that Panarin was on his own on the other side of the net. The Blue Jackets’ forward then put a shot past Tuukka Rask to cut the Bruins’ lead to 2-1 and got Columbus some momentum after Boston appeared to be running away with the game early....

MORE: NHL live odds page We are more than ready for the playoff push and with help from our supercomputer, already know what’s going to happen! Oh well, not quite but here come the Accuscore predictions for NHL Playoffs 2016: Western Conference QUARTER FINALS Dallas Stars (1) – Minnesota Wild (8) Dallas will progress with 64.7% probability. The most probable result of series is 4-1 (18.8%) St. Louis Blues (2) – Chicago Blackhawks (3)...

While we all start off thinking one team is a sure-fire pick to win it all, one bounce or post or bad bounce can alter a team’s destiny. Can Calgary put up similar numbers in the postseason or was their best years 1989 — the year it won it’s last Cup — a fluke? Will they, or Winnipeg, become the first Canadian team win since Montreal in 1993 or will the Blues derail their dreams and keep their own Cinderella season going?...