Fleury shut out the Canadiens in his final game in his home province of Quebec, earning a standing ovation lasting over two minutes.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews was named captain of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NHL announced on Thursday. Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin met with Matthews and Brad Treliving during the morning skate on Wednesday prior to the clash between the two teams at Scotiabank Arena.

TSN's Darren Dreger says Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has received the tremendous honour of being named captain of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Auston Matthews was named captain of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday. The 27-year-old center is in his first season as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be the first time Matthews will represent the United States since joining the NHL for the 2016-17 season.

Matthews, 27, led the NHL with 69 goals last season and won the Hart Trophy in 2021-22, when he scored 106 points in 73 games.

Matthew DeFranks: St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong on looking to make some changes: “It’s not like I don’t talk to other managers. It has to fit for everybody. There’s a lot of situations where I hang the phone up and say ‘That sounds really good for him. I’m not sure what’s in it for me.’ …

Welcome, RotoBallers! My name is Brandon, and I'll be writing both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer. It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS!

Matthews has looked closer to himself since returning to game action on January 4 against the Boston Bruins – his second full comeback of the season. In the 11 games back in the lineup, Matthews has recorded at least a point in nine of those appearances – registering nine goals and six assists for a 15-point total.

It has come to this ahead of the teammates squaring off against each other. Hear it from the horse’s mouth in the video down below:

During Tuesday night's New York Islanders game against the Colorado Avalanche on ESPN+, play-by-play man John Buccigross made the following statement: "Brock Nelson, picked by Bill Guerin (for 4 Nations Face-off). Everyone thinks Nelson is going to sign with Minnesota. It's like the worse kept secret in hockey that he'll be with the Wild next year"

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forward Ben Jones from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).