National Hockey

PITTSBURGH — Sebastian Aho and the Hurricanes helped Cam Ward have a fairly comfortable night in goal against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have sent goaltender Al Montoya to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018.

TORONTO — Nazem Kadri was an assist short of a bizarre Gordie Howe hat trick Thursday night in a 3-2 Leafs shootout win over the San Jose Sharks that saw the Toronto centre rip out part of Joe Thornton's mountain-man beard in a fight.

TORONTO — Joe Thornton's mountain-man beard was an early casualty Thursday night as the San Jose Sharks visited the Toronto Maple Leafs.

PHILADELPHIA — The New York Islanders have signed defenceman Scott Mayfield to a five-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season. The deal announced Thursday has an average annual value of $1.45 million, according to Newsday.

MONTREAL — As much pain as Montreal Canadiens fans may feel over Mikhail Sergachev's impressive rookie season, they may take some solace from his return to the Bell Centre with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The dust has settled on the NHL's decision not to allow players to participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Watch Alex Ovechkin closely this season and maybe you'll see what Barry Trotz sees. "Visually, (he's) just skating," the Washington Capitals' coach said. "When he's skating, he's effective. I just think he's skating better.

BOSTON — The NHL has postponed Thursday night's matchup between the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins because of the severe winter storm impacting Boston and the surrounding area. The date and time of the rescheduled game will be announced later.

TORONTO — Fans and a Who's Who of hockey remembered Johnny Bower as a great goaltender and a better man Wednesday.