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There are seven more talented than lucky teams still undefeated, and we're luckier, because three of them play in prime time this week. Better yet, the scheduling gods have made it so that 3-0 vs. 3-0 was saved as the best for last: Games of the Week Miami at New Orleans (Monday, 8:40 p.m., ESPN). Unfortunately, neither of these fine, fun, warm cities will host the Super Bowl this season....

There are seven more talented than lucky teams still undefeated, and we're luckier, because three of them play in prime time this week. Better yet, the scheduling gods have made it so that 3-0 vs. 3-0 was saved as the best for last: Games of the Week Miami at New Orleans (Monday, 8:40 p.m., ESPN). Unfortunately, neither of these fine, fun, warm cities will host the Super Bowl this season....

As social distancing has become the norm and cities across North America go on lockdown, players have taken to social media to speak to fans. They are reminding fans that while not having hockey does stink, and they miss playing the game, it’s important to be vigilant in stopping the spread of the virus. Here’s a look at some of the messages from across the NHL: MORE: NHL reportedly considering 24-team playoff format...

Accompanying model Camille Kostek on stage was 11-year-old Anderson Whitehead, who appeared in a viral video from February when he got to meet Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, his favorite hockey player. Whitehead had recently lost his mother to cancer and they had always dreamed of meeting Price but were unable to before she passed away. This inspired Whitehead’s family to move heaven and earth to make his dream come true....

“I think it’s better for me. I think it’s (making) me want to show everybody that maybe you should’ve picked me 15th. It’s making me want to keep going and work harder and stuff like that, but I don’t care right now,” he said after the Flames traded up to get him. “I’m just happy to be part of Calgary and just try to make the NHL as soon as possible....

Bell Centre will play host to the NHL and fittingly, the Canadiens will have the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and a league-high 14 selections overall. As such, Montreal will be buzzing the appropriate amount as its hockey team looks to complete a tricky rebuild. Of course, most fans of the draft won’t be in attendance for the event in 2022. Most hockey fans will be following the action at home and looking to watch the selections live as they come in....

Montreal now owns the No. 1 pick and most likely will be taking Shane Wright. The OHL forward is regarded as the top prospect in this year’s draft class and has been the consensus No. 1 pick for a number of years. The Devils moved up from being No. 5 in the pre-draft lottery to No. 2. The Coyotes will select No. 3, the Kraken No. 4 and the Flyers at No....

Toronto signed newly acquired center Alexander Kerfoot and defenseman Cody Ceci to new contracts on Thursday. Kerfoot joins the team on a four-year deal with an AAV of $3.5 million. Ceci agreed to a one-year contract worth $4.5 million. The Leafs traded for Kerfoot, 24, along with Tyson Barrie and a sixth-round draft pick from the Avalanche in exchange for Nazem Kadri and Calle Rosen. He posted 42 points (15-27-42) with a minus-nine rating in 78 games last season....

The day after temporarily climbing out of their early-season doldrums with a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Kings fired Stevens and replaced him on an interim basis with Willie Desjardins. The decision reportedly was made after the Kings’ loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, and it was merely a matter of getting Desjardins and new assistant coach Marco Sturm locked in before making the move. And now, the dynamics in Los Angeles changed drastically....

As is every summer, there are new faces in new places. Some of the most notable moves included Johnny Gaudreau shocking the hockey world by signing with the Blue Jackets, the monster blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar and the Senators move to acquire Alex DeBrincat from the Blackhawks on draft day. There are certain teams that definitely got better. The Senators and Red Wings stand out the most, as they both have been two teams sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but now seem to have a real shot at making the playoffs....

The 25-year-old continued his stellar play Thursday in Game 7, scoring two goals as the Jets earned a 5-1 victory to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. Scheifele’s two tallies upped his series total to seven, with all of them coming at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The Jets forward now owns the NHL record for most road goals scored in a single series in Stanley Cup playoff history....

The blade to Rask’s left skate fell off after it was struck by a shot from Tampa forward Brayden Point in the second period. As the blade lie in the crease, an immobilized Rask pleaded frantically to officials, waving for them to whistle play dead. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. And moments later, a point shot from Mikhail Sergachev found its way into the back of the net, trimming Boston’s lead to 3-2....

“It happens, some injuries, but they take care of me,” Girard said Thursday (via NHL.com) after he practiced wearing a regular jersey for the first time since he was injured on an open-ice hit by Flames forward Sam Bennett. “The staff did a great job, so I’m ready to go for the next game. It’s tough (not playing), I’m not going to lie, you always want to play, it’s so nice being in the playoffs....

Washington took down the Hurricanes 6-0 in Game 5 on Saturday to grab a 3-2 series lead in the first round of the playoffs. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby — who stopped 30 shots in the shutout win — believed the victory was a statement for his own team as much as for the masses. “To ourselves, I think, to show that when we play that way we’re going to be real tough to beat,” Holtby told reporters after the game, via the Associated Press....

To date, five NHL coaches have lost their jobs this season: Mike Babcock, Bill Peters, John Hynes, Jim Montgomery and Peter Deboer. While these five men are no longer employed, they all parted ways for different reasons, meaning the men who stepped up as bench bosses for these five teams all walked into very different situations. MORE: Jim Montgomery seeks treatment for alcohol abuse, says firing was ‘appropriate call’...

Sabres GM facing a busy offseason After several years of fitful rebuilding, the Buffalo Sabres got off to a promising start this season. They sat atop the Atlantic Division by late November and seemed well on their way to reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. But it was not to be. A porous defense plus the lack of secondary scoring coupled with no established starting goaltender sent the Sabres tumbling down the standings and out of postseason contention....

A whopping 24 teams are on or begin their bye weeks between Jan. 7-14. Per the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, players are due a mandated down period of five days or more at least once during the 2017-18 season. MORE: Watch NHL live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) What are we to do with so few hockey games? Well, we’ll just have to make the most of them....

In a statement from league commissioner Gary Bettman, the league announced that it would halt the season as a safety precaution, beginning with Thursday night’s games. “The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures,” Bettman said. “However, following last night’s news that an NBA has tested positive for coronavirus—and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point—it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time....

League executives adopted a 3-on-3 overtime format in June, but coaches are concerned about having time to adjust to the change. With that in mind, the league and its players’ union agreed to evaluate the format during select preseason games — even if the score isn’t tied at the end of regulation. MORE: Patrick Kane on Blackhawks’ camp roster | Training camps opening, exhibitions to begin General managers suggested an amendment to the 4-on-4 format in March....