Hockey headlines for December 29, 2021

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

In their 12th overtime game this season, Lightning top Canadiens (Tampa Bay Times)
Golden Knights rout Kings, take over 1st in Western Conference (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Connor Bedard puts on show for Team Canada in blowout over Austria (Edmonton Sun)
COVID-19 cases force U.S. to forfeit game against Switzerland at world junior hockey championship (Edmonton Sun)
Blue Jackets have sixth game postponed amid NHL's COVID-19 outbreak (Columbus Dispatch)
Four Canadiens home games in January at Bell Centre postponed by NHL (Montreal Gazette)
Two more Maple Leafs games postponed, bringing total to eight (Toronto Sun)
Jets layoff extended (Winnipeg Free Press)
NHL, Flames postpone NYE game at Saddledome amid COVID, Omicron surge (Calgary Herald)
Bruins-Canadiens game set for Jan. 12 in Montreal has been moved to Boston (Boston Globe)
Isles-Red Wings postponed amid COVID outbreaks (New York Newsday)
Jonas Brodin out as COVID creeps its way into Wild locker room (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
Ducks rookie Trevor Zegras placed into NHL’s COVID-19 protocols (Orange County Register)
Penguins defenseman P.O Joseph tests positive for covid-19 (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
COVID-19-related NHL officiating shortages raise concerns about quality of pandemic-impacted games (Seattle Times)
Stuck in COVID-19 limbo, ‘impatient’ Dallas Stars can only wait for what comes next (Dallas Morning News)
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe returns after bout with COVID and finds "the vibe is good" among players (Toronto Sun)
Pionk spends weekend in Grand Forks, but not by choice (Winnipeg Free Press)
Bruins’ Brad Marchand blasts NHL, NHLPA: ‘Let the players make their choice’ about the Olympics (Boston Globe)
Flames Olympic hopefuls react to NHL, NHLPA decision to pull out of Beijing (Calgary Herald)
Winter Classic could be a stage for Wild's Kaprizov (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Sharks sloppy after long layoff, but top Coyotes in NHL’s highest-scoring game this season (San Jose Mercury News)
Kings can’t overcome Vegas’ first-period flurry (Los Angeles Daily News)
Golden Knights lose 2 more players for game against Kings (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Sharks’ Tomas Hertl plays Tuesday, possibly clashing with county COVID rules (San Jose Mercury News)
Timing couldn’t be better for Brayden Point’s return to Lightning lineup (Tampa Bay Times)
Extended holiday break proved to be both a gift and a curse for Flyers (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Blues need three returning stars to play like the ones who took their place (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Jamie Oleksiak, Carson Soucy back from COVID-19 protocol as Kraken balance short-handed roster (Seattle Times)
Kevin Hayes, Morgan Frost removed from COVID-19 protocols; Cam York recalled (Philadelphia Inquirer)
More Leafs return from COVID-19 list: ‘It felt like an eternity’ (Toronto Star)
Rangers' Nemeth didn't miss anything during COVID protocol (New York Newsday)
Now healthy and through quarantine, Dermott set to get back to work on Maple Leafs blue line (Toronto Sun)
Jake Guentzel’s looming return could, finally, reunite the Penguins' top line (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Blue Jackets playing it safe with Laine's return (Columbus Dispatch)
Penguins forward Bryan Rust appears close to a return (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Mike Smith could bring his net presence back for Oilers in St. Louis (Edmonton Journal)
Hawks goalie Lankinen continues on-the-job training in hopes of becoming a true No. 1 (Chicago Daily Herald)
Pettersson pumped for new power-play role to help extend win streak (Vancouver Province)
Flyers hoping for a healthy and revitalized Kevin Hayes in the new year (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Kirby Dach, a year removed from wrist surgery, is struggling to score and win faceoffs for the Chicago Blackhawks. But the former No. 3 pick says ‘there’s a lot left on the table’ to raise his game. (Chicago Tribune)
Sabres set for night of debuts with Peyton Krebs, JJ Peterka, Alex Tuch (Buffalo News)
Coronavirus issues have piled up for the Caps. That gave Michal Kempny a shot again. (Washington Post)
Libor Hajek will get big Rangers chance as Ryan Lindgren hits COVID-19 list (New York Post)
Penguins recall 4 from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for taxi squad (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)