NHL plans to return to Europe
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league plans to return to Europe for games in the next two years.
Citing huge demand, Bettman said on Friday that the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators will open the regular season next year with a game in Prague. The Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play a couple of games in the Finnish capital of Helsinki.
Bettman did not specify dates for the games.
He added that he is “pretty certain” the NHL will return to Sweden in two years, but he gave no details about the teams involved and venue.
Bettman was talking to reporters before the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning played the first of their two games in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.
In October, the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, to open their season in Prague.
Avalanche
Nikita Zadorov is out indefinitely for Colorado after the defenseman was hit in the face by a puck in a 9-4 win against the Nashville Predators Thursday at Pepsi Center. Zadorov was defending along the wall on the right side of the Avalanche zone when a puck shot by Predators forward Ryan Johansen hit him. Zadorov remained down on the ice for a moment but was able to skate to the bench on his own in the second period. Zadorov has three points (one goal, two assists) in 15 games this season. Selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 16 pick in the 2013 NHL draft, he has 65 points (19 goals, 46 assists) in 307 games in seven seasons with the Sabres and Avalanche.
Blues
St. Louis acquired forward Jacob De La Rose from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for forward Robby Fabbri. De La Rose, 24, had a goal and three assists in 16 games for the Red Wings this season. The Swede has 12 goals and 20 assists in 195 regular-season games with Montreal and Detroit. Fabbri, 23, had a goal in nine games for the Blues this season. He has 32 goals and 41 assists in 164 regular-season games, all with the Blues. He appeared in 10 playoff games last season to help St. Louis win the Stanley Cup. St. Louis beat Edmonton, 5-2, Wednesday night for its sixth consecutive victory. Detroit lost, 5-1, at the New York Rangers, the Red Wings’ fourth loss in a row. They are 1-11-1 in their past 13 games.