Red Wings sign Olli Maatta to 2-year, $6 million extension Alex Ovechkin away from Capitals due to death of his father Bruins’ Linus Ullmark is NHL’s biggest goalie surprise this season Senators’ Anton Forsberg out indefinitely with MCL tear in both knees Dustin Brown has No. 23 retired, statue unveiled

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings sign defenseman Ollie Myaetta to a two-year, $6 million extension to keep his contract through the 2024–25 season.

The Red Wings announced the deal two weeks before the NHL trade deadline.

Maatta scored five goals and 17 points this season, a first for Detroit, coming into the game in Calgary. The 28-year-old Finn has previously played for Pittsburgh, Chicago and Los Angeles.

He scored five goals and 27 points in 85 playoff games to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Captain Washington Capitals Alexey Ovechkin says that his father, Michael, died at 71.

Ovechkin broke the news on social media along with family photos and videos.

“My father passed away today,” Ovechkin wrote in Russian on his Instagram account. “I thank everyone for their support, but please be understanding and do not disturb my family at such a difficult time for us! Thank you.”

Ovechkin left the Capitals to deal with what the team called a family health issue. Trainer Peter Laviolette said he expected Ovechkin to be out at least until the end of the week and for the foreseeable future.

“Life is hard,” Laviolette said. “When it comes to your family and parents, that’s what matters. He’s going to sort things out right now and we’ll support him.”

Ovechkin’s father has not been in Washington in recent years, dealing with health problems at home in Moscow. Prior to that, Mikhail had known each other at the Capitals’ training base and at games, watching his son.

“Mr. Ovechkin was a true gentleman and was a constant presence at Capitals games and practices,” the team said in a statement. “With a permanent smile on his face, he enjoyed interacting with our fans and expressing his gratitude to them for supporting his son, whom he was incredibly proud of. .

“Our organization’s thoughts with the Ovechkin family during this difficult time.”

Having just signed a four-year, $20 million contract, Linus Ulmark shared the net with a newcomer. Jeremy Swayman and then, briefly, with Tuukka Rask, a cornerstone of the organization who was trying to come back from hip surgery. Ullmark conceded eight goals in two playoff games before succumbing to Swaimane’s starter spot and was unsure what his role would be in the off-season.

Turns out he’s stellar as the best goaltender in the NHL.

Ullmark leads the league in wins, save percentage and goals average, which is one of the main reasons the Bruins lead the league table and keep pace with the best regular season in NHL history. Along with other stars Stuart Skinner And Logan Thompsonwho respectively have the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights on their way to the playoffs, Ulmark tops the list of the season’s biggest goalie surprises.

“He stood on his head” – Bruins top scorer and MVP candidate. to David Pastr said. “He played incredible. To be honest, this year it’s just fun to watch. He plays confidently. He is big. He’s very confident online and he’s having a special year.”

Ullmark thinks he feels more comfortable in his new surroundings, and it shows in his game: he has already set a career high with 26 wins, his .937 shooting percentage is more than 10 points higher than his next closest opponent, and his GPA of 1.90 would have been higher. be the lowest among goaltenders who have played 40 games or more since Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in 1997-98.

The 29-year-old Swede has thought a lot about what has changed in his game, and it’s hard for him to pinpoint it. Feeling “at home” in Boston is one of many things.

“I just think it’s just little pieces here and there that just fall into place,” Ullmark said. “We also have a great team and it goes hand in hand with my work as well as Sway’s work. This is not just a one man show. It’s team work.”

Bruins lead Eastern Conference after 38 Pastrnak goals, captain Patrice Bergeronbilateral dominance at the age of 37 and the training of rookie Jim Montgomery. But Bruce Cassidy, who was fired after coaching Boston to six playoff games, called Ullmark’s appearance “big” when asked about his former team’s permanence.

“He finished last year really well, and he carried that over to this year,” Cassidy said. “Now you are creating competition for Swain in this position. I think it’s a great thing for Boston.”

Cassidy, who is now on the bench with the Golden Knights, put Thompson in first place after Vegas found out about it late in the offseason. Robin Lehner will be out for a season in rehab after hip surgery.

Thompson, who took the lead last season through injury, won 20 of his first 35 starts this season before being sidelined himself last week. Prior to this, the undrafted late had earned All-Star honors and was named Rookie of the Year for the Calder Trophy.

“There were many times when I was really close to just quitting and giving up,” Thompson said. “This competitiveness in me never disappeared. The most important thing is to never stop working hard for what you want.”

Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft noticed similar tendencies in Skinner when they played together in junior high last year. The Edmonton American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield, California was in desperate need of a starting lineup one night; Skinner rushed to the rink due to ride problems, got there 5 minutes before the warm-up and then backed up for the win.

“He showed me something – he showed something to his teammates how serious he is about winning games for the Edmonton Oilers organization,” Woodcroft said. “He got better and better. … As he works during his first year, the results he got are not accidental.”

But this was not expected: the Oilers signed a contract Jack Campbell the contract was more lucrative than Ullmark’s to become their starter, with Skinner entering the season as a substitute. He has since faced Campbell as a starter and is looking to be Edmonton’s goaltender in the first playoff game this spring.

“I think it was a bit of a surprise to everyone how good he feels,” defender. Kodi it said. “He’s really proven himself.”

Ullmark certainly showed glimpses of his potential after six seasons with the Buffalo Sabers from 2015-21. Grateful to former and current teammates and coaches: “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here where I am now,” Ullmark hopes he can continue to make them proud.

“That’s what I do: stop pucks,” he said. “So far it’s worked, so hopefully I can keep going.”

OTTAWA, Ontario – Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg Out indefinitely after tearing a medial lateral ligament in both knees during a game against Edmonton, general manager Pierre Dorion said.

Forsberg was injured late in the third period when the Senators defenseman Travis Hamonic pushed the Oilers winger Zach Hyman on top of the goalkeeper during the scrum. Forsberg had to be carried off the ice on a stretcher.

The 30-year-old Forsberg has an 11-11-2 record and a .902 shooting percentage in 28 games this season.

The senators also announced after practice that quarterback Jake Sanderson will miss at least two weeks due to an upper body injury sustained in a 6-3 loss to Edmonton.

Sanderson left the game after being hit by Oilers defenseman Vincent Descharnais in the third period.

The rookie has four goals and 18 assists in 52 games.

LOS ANGELES — Dustin Brown admitted he felt uncomfortable when Luke Robitaille first told him that the Los Angeles Kings were not only going to retire Brown’s number, but would memorialize him with a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena.

As the ceremony drew closer, the former longtime Kings captain was able to dive into it all.

Not only did Brown retire his No. 23 ahead of Los Angeles’ game with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but a statue depicting him holding the Stanley Cup was unveiled prior to the faceoff.

Brown joins Robitaille and Wayne Gretzky as the former Kings to set up statues outside the arena in downtown Los Angeles.

“I will touch on what Luke told me that made me feel better. Because I said, “Luke, you are you, and I mean Wayne is Wayne.” But he told me, “You did something we never did,” and that immediately made me feel better about the whole situation,” Brown said during the first intermission.

Brown played 18 seasons with the Kings before retiring at the end of last season. He holds the franchise record for most games played (1,296). He was selected 13th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and made his debut against Detroit on October 9, 2003.

In 2007, at age 23, he was named the youngest and first American-born captain in franchise history. He was captain for eight seasons, including when the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

“In my 18 years, I have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows. Whether or not CI has always wanted to retire the king,” Brown said during the hour-long ceremony. “Seeing my jersey up on the rafters, my only hope is that in the future, when you look up and see it hanging there, you will think not of my accomplishments, but of our accomplishments.”

Brown, who grew up in Ithaca, New York, became the seventh player in the franchise’s 55 seasons to have his number retired. He joins Rob Blake (#4), Marcel Dionne (#16), Dave Taylor (#18), Robitaille (#20), Rogie Vachon (#30) and Gretzky (#99).

Before the ceremony began, Brown led the current Kings team onto the ice, where they took their place on stage. The ceremony ended with Brown lifting the Stanley Cup in the same spot as in 2012, when Los Angeles defeated the New Jersey Devils in six games for their first championship.

“Soon…