Zdeno Chara is no longer in Boston after the Bruins captain signed with Washington. And the Sabres made an even bigger splash in free agency by landing 2018 NHL MVP Taylor Hall in October. Hall, for example, signed a one-year, $8 million deal with Buffalo by realizing the free-agent market was going to be tight. Oilers general manager Ken Holland chalked it up to the new economic realities facing the NHL. “It’s salary-cap related, which is related to the pandemic, which has given us a hard, flat cap for the foreseeable future,” Holland said.

OTTAWA, Ontario - The Ottawa Senators took advantage of a timely visit from the struggling Detroit Red Wings. "I thought (that) was the worst defensively we've played in a while," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I just thought that was as poor defensively as we've played. The Red Wings are 3-7-0. "Our penalty kill has probably been the strongest part of our game all year," Smith said.