MANALAPAN – George Parros is standing by the NHL’s decision to suspend Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas five games for a knee-on-knee hit that injured Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews, a punishment that has been criticized as too lenient.
Speaking Tuesday at the league’s annual general manager meetings in Florida, the NHL’s head of player safety defended the discipline despite questions about Gudas’s history, which includes four previous suspensions totalling 21 games.
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Matthews suffered a Grade 3 MCL tear in the March 12 game and will miss the rest of the season.
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Parros said the league determined the suspension was appropriate after reviewing the play.
The ruling has drawn criticism, with Matthews’ agent Judd Moldaver calling the suspension insufficient and Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid questioning the process.
Parros said he remains confident in the department’s procedures and the group making the calls.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Artur Akhtyamov to a three-year contract extension Sunday.
The deal is a two-way contract for 2026-27 then reverts to a one-way agreement in 2027-28 and 2028-29. The average annual value is US$900,000.
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Akhtyamov, 24, has an 18-10-4 record, 2.86 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 32 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season. He has recorded an 11-2-2 home record with a 2.51 GAA and .917 save percentage.
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The Russian has a 29-18-8 record, 2.84 GAA, .903 save percentage and four shutouts in 58 career regular season AHL games with the Marlies. Toronto selected Akhtyamov in the fourth round, 106th overall, in the 2020 NHL draft.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2026.
VANCOUVER – Bobby McMann knew things would feel a little different on Saturday night.
Playing his first game in a Seattle Kraken jersey, the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward wanted to make an impact with his new team.
“It almost resembles, in a way, your first game,” he said. “You’ve got an entirely new group, new organization, new fans. You want to make a great first impression.”
McMann made a great impression on the score sheet, tallying two goals and an assist as the Kraken (30-26-9) thumped the Vancouver Canucks 5-2.
“Sometimes things go your way a little bit more than other nights and, luckily, that was tonight for me,” he said.
“That was a fun one. It’s always nice to get the win, and then when you contribute, it makes it that much better.”
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Seattle acquired the 29-year-old athlete from Toronto ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline on March 6 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional second-round selection in 2027.
It was a sizable change for McMann, who went undrafted before signing with the Maple Leaves as a free agent in April 2022.
He played 199 regular-season games for Toronto, amassing 52 goals and 36 assists, and added another three assists over 13 playoff appearances in last season.
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Saturday marked McMann’s first game since March 2. The Leafs opted to sit him ahead of the deadline and, after the trade, the native of Wainwright, Alta., waited a full week for his work visa before finally slotting into the Kraken’s lineup on Saturday.
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The new addition was quick to make an impact.
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McMann’s first of the night — and 20th of the season — came 19:10 into the first period when he beat Vancouver netminder Nikita Tolopilo with a sharp-angle shot on a power play.
“I thought (Shane Wright) tipped it maybe because I didn’t know if that one was going in with the shot that I had,” he said. “So it was more of a pass to him, but I think it just fooled the goalie because I think he just missed it kind of thing, and trickled in.”
He added another tally early in the third, becoming the first player to score multiple goals in his debut for the Kraken.
McMann added speed to Seattle’s top line, which also includes centre Matty Beniers and captain Jordan Eberle, said head coach Lane Lambert.
“You saw it right away, first shift when he’s tracking the puck and he’s got a ton of speed and it’s a welcome addition for us from that standpoint,” he said. “Obviously the goals he scored, he had a real good chance to make it three as well. I think it went off the knob of the goalie there. But he played well.”
It’s not only the six-foot-two forward’s speed that helps, said Beniers, but his physicality, too.
And Saturday was just the beginning, he added.
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“As time goes on, you play more and more with a guy, you start to realize their tendencies, where they go on the ice, what they like to do with the puck,” Beniers said. “So, you keep learning but pretty good start.”
SKID SNAPPED
The result snapped Seattle’s four-game losing skid and moved the Kraken to within one point of the Western Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot.
The stretch of losses was tough to take for a team that’s hoping to contend this post-season, said winger Jared McCann.
“It’s hard to get out of, I feel like, especially when you have times where you’re playing great and you’re still losing,” he said. “I think that’s the most frustrating part. But it’s a long season, you’re going to have ups and downs. You just got to try to stay level headed.
“I think when we were losing, the pressure was building, and we had a good talk before the game tonight, just kind of play a little more free and create with the puck, and it was able to show tonight.”
O’CONNOR’S 100TH
Canucks winger Drew O’Connor recorded an assist on Evander Kane’s first-period goal, marking the 100th point of his NHL career.
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The 27-year-old American forward said the milestone is a special one.
“I mean, if you told me 10 years ago I’d have one point in the NHL, I’d be happy,” he said. “So to get to 100 is meaningful.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2026.
VANCOUVER – Two goals and an assist from newcomer Bobby McMann powered the Seattle Kraken to a decisive 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
McMann was playing his first game in a Kraken jersey after Seattle acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6.
His linemates also recorded three-point nights, with Matty Beniers recording a goal and two assists and Jordan Eberle contributing three helpers.
Jared McCann and Jamie Oleksiak also scored for the Kraken (30-26-9), while Brandon Montour notched two assists and Philipp Grubauer stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced.
Evander Kane got the Canucks (20-38-8) midway through the first period and Marco Rossi doubled the team’s total with a goal 19:40 into the third. Nikita Tolopilo made 28 saves in the Vancouver net.
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The result snapped a four-game losing skid for the Kraken, who moved within a single point of the Western Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot.
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TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: Outshot the visitors 31-28 before taking back-to-back penalties late in the third but couldn’t get enough pucks past Grubauer. Kane came close on a power play midway through the final frame but his shot rang off the bottom of the crossbar. … Went 0-for-2 with the man advantage, recording a single shot on net.
Kraken: Quickly saw results from McMann trade. The 29-year-old forward buried his first of the night at the end of the first period and added his second early in the third. Seattle picked him up from the Leafs for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft and a conditional second-round selection in 2027. … Played in front of a friendly crowd that broke out into multiple “Let’s go Kraken!” chants across the game.
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KEY MOMENT
McMann’s first goal of the night came on a power play 19:10 into the game when he beat Tolopilo with a sharp-angle shot to give Seattle a 2-1 lead.
KEY STAT
Saturday marked just the third time since the Olympic break that the Kraken have score more than two goals, a span of nine games.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
Canucks: Continue an eight-game homestand Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.
MONTREAL – Brendan Gallagher, the longest-serving player on the Montreal Canadiens, will be a healthy scratch Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.
Head coach Martin St. Louis announced following the team’s morning skate that Gallagher would sit out with winger Cole Caufield, who missed Wednesday’s 3-2 win in Ottawa with an illness, returning to the lineup.
Alexandre Texier drew in for Caufield after five games as a healthy scratch and scored a goal Wednesday. He’ll line up in Gallagher’s usual slot next to Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson on the fourth line.
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A heart-and-soul player, Gallagher has played his entire 14-year and 898-game NHL career with the Canadiens since the franchise drafted him in the fifth round at the 2010 draft.
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This season, the 33-year-old from Edmonton has six goals and 14 assists through 64 games while averaging a career low 12 minutes 39 seconds of ice time.
Gallagher, who wears an “A” on his sweater, has not been a healthy scratch since suiting up in his first NHL game Jan. 22, 2013. St. Louis said the veteran winger would return to the lineup Sunday, when the Canadiens host the Anaheim Ducks.
Montreal (36-18-10) sits third in the Atlantic Division heading into Saturday’s games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2026.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robert Thomas scored on a wrist shot with nine seconds left in overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.
The Blues trailed 2-0 midway through the third period but goals by Pius Suter with 7:38 to play and Cam Fowler with 3:46 left in regulation tied it at 2-all.
Fowler also had an assist and Joel Hofer made 36 saves to help St. Louis win for the sixth time in their last seven games. With the win the Blues pulled within five points of a wild-card playoff spot. Hofer is now 8-2-2 in his last 12 starts.
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Kasperi Kapanen gave Edmonton the lead with 4:19 to play in the second period and Connor McDavid scored his 37th goal of the season to make it 2-0 9:56 into the third period. Connor Ingram had 22 saves.
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The Oilers went scoreless on the power play in three chances.
The Oilers, in third place in the Pacific Division, finished a four-game road trip 2-2.
TORONTO – Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will miss the rest of the season due to left leg injury.
The NHL team says Matthews suffered a torn knee ligament and bruised quadriceps muscle in Thursday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
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The club says it’s a Grade 3 tear of the medial collateral ligament.
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Matthews will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
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The star forward was hit by Ducks captain Radko Gudas in the second period of Toronto’s 6-4 win at Scotiabank Arena. Gudas was given a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct.
Matthews has 53 points (27-26) this season for the Maple Leafs, who are 14th in the Eastern Conference standings with 67 points.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.
NEW YORK – Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas is scheduled to have a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety on Friday for his hit that injured Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
The knee-on-knee hit occurred at 15:47 of the second period of the Ducks’ 6-4 loss Thursday night in Toronto.
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Gudas received a major penalty and game misconduct on the play, which resulted in Matthews exiting the game with a lower-body injury.
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The 35-year-old has had previous run-ins with the department of player safety.
Gudas received a 10-game suspension for a slash across the neck of Winnipeg Jets forward Mathieu Perreault during the 2017-18 season.
He’s also been banned for interference, an illegal check to the head and slashing since entering the league in 2012-13.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.
TORONTO – William Nylander scored the go-ahead goal on a power play 36 seconds into the third period as the Maple Leafs came back from a 3-1 deficit to top the Anaheim Ducks 6-4 and snap an eight-game slide Thursday on a night that saw Toronto lose captain Auston Matthews to injury.
Matias Maccelli, with a goal and two assists, Matthews, John Tavares and Benoit-Olivier Groulx, against his former team, provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (28-27-11).
Matthew Knies chipped in three assists to go along with an empty-net goal. Nylander added two assists of his own for a three-point performance. Joseph Woll made 36 saves.
Matthews ended a 12-game goal drought — the second longest of his career — but took a knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas with four minutes left in the second period. The centre stayed down favouring his left leg before being helped to the locker room. Gudas was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct.
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Cutter Gauthier, Ian Moore, Pavel Mintyukov and Alex Killorn scored for Anaheim (36-26-3). Lukas Dostal stopped 22 shots as the Pacific Division-leading Ducks fell to 15-5-0 over their last 20 games. Jeffrey Viel had two assists.
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The Maple Leafs are an ugly 1-6-2 since the Olympic break to sink any realistic hope of a 10th straight playoff appearance. The Original Six franchise won at home for the first time since Jan. 10 to end a 0-6-2 stretch at Scotiabank Arena.
TAKEAWAYS
Maple Leafs: Rugged winger Michael Pezzetta made his Toronto debut. The 27-year-old local product was recalled earlier in the day from the American Hockey League, where he’s registered four goals, six assists and 52 penalty minutes across 37 games. Pezzetta had a spirited fight with Viel one second after the opening faceoff.
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Ducks: The club leads the Pacific with 75 points but would be below the playoff cutline in the Eastern Conference.
KEY MOMENT
Matthews tried to avoid Gudas in the slot in the second with his team down 3-2, but took a direct hit to his left knee from the hard-nosed blueliner. Tavares scored on the ensuing power play before Nylander gave Toronto the lead on the same man advantage early in the third.
KEY STAT
Anaheim has lost eight straight in Toronto dating back to Dec. 19, 2016. The Maple Leafs have also won six in a row overall against Thursday’s opponent.
UP NEXT
Ducks: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Maple Leafs: Visit the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.
TORONTO – Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left Thursday’s game against Anaheim after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas.
The 28-year-old tried to make a move around the blueliner in the slot in the second period but took a direct blow to his left leg before crashing to the ice.
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Matthews stayed down before being helped to the locker room.
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Gudas, a bruising defender whose hit ended Canadian captain Sidney Crosby’s Olympics in the quarterfinals while playing for Czechia, was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.
Matthews snapped a 12-game goal drought earlier in the period on a power play.
Toronto’s star centre has 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 60 contests this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.
