4:00 PM ET Not gonna lie – it feels a little strange to be putting out the forecaster for fantasy hockey games that I think is going to be wrong shortly after it hits the web. The way the Omicron COVID-19 variant is sweeping through the league, I don’t have much hope for next week’s

1:33 PM ET The NHL has postponed games for the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche until after Christmas break. That news came down Friday as COVID-19 cases continue to climb throughout the NHL. At the time of publication, Florida had seven players in COVID protocols: Sam Bennett, Radko Gudas, Aaron Ekblad, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Lomberg,

9:41 AM ET ESPN News Services Saturday’s game between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins has been postponed, the NHL announced Friday. No makeup date for the game has been set. Montreal played in front of an empty arena Thursday for its 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers after Quebec public health officials requested

8:58 PM ET Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver Canucks president and interim general manager Jim Rutherford continued to fill out his front office Thursday, making Stan Smyl vice president of hockey operations. The 62-year-old Smyl, a star player for the Canucks from 1978-91, will work closely with Rutherford on all hockey operations matters,

5:24 PM ET As a result of “the spiraling rise of COVID-19 cases in the region,” the Montreal Canadiens will host the Philadelphia Flyers at Bell Center without any fans in attendance Thursday night, the team announced. The Canadiens agreed to the request from Quebec public health officials on Thursday afternoon. “We have accepted this

9:00 AM ET Hearing someone say that the NHL’s 3-on-3 overtime has gotten boring is like hearing someone say, “Hey, remember when pizza was good?” It’s pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s good. I’ve chanted the same mantra about the 3-on-3 overtime format, which the NHL implemented in 2015 to end games before they reached

1:02 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO — The Washington Capitals welcomed a star back to the lineup Wednesday and temporarily lost one at the same time. On a night when Evgeny Kuznetsov had to sit out due to the league’s COVID-19 protocol, Nicklas Backstrom returned and authored the standard type of game befit of

4:34 PM ET ESPN News Services NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils have acquired goaltender Jon Gillies from the St. Louis Blues for future considerations. In announcing the deal Wednesday, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said Gillies will report to New Jersey. The 27-year-old appeared in one game for the Blues this season. He

7:00 AM ET It’s certainly been a tumultuous start to the week, given a slew of additional game postponements due to COVID-19 — and many players and team staff entering the protocol — but the Power Rankings march on. And for the second straight week — and fifth time this season — the Florida Panthers

12:16 AM ET Edmonton Oilers coach Dave Tippett has been placed in the league’s COVID-19 protocol, the team announced after its 5-1 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Tippett had missed the game due to what Edmonton initially called precautionary reasons. His absence was one of several for an Oilers team