Flyers' Head Coach Peter Laviolette to Return Next Season

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) -- Despite a disappointing season without a showing in the playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers have announced that head coach Peter Laviolette will return for the 2013-2014 season.

While the team failed to lived up to expectations due to numerous factors, Laviolette will return for his fifth season in South Philadelphia. For just the second time since 1995, the Flyers won't be making it to the postseason this season.  The team went 23-22-3 and were 10th in the Eastern Conference this past year. The lockout along with numerous injuries and stunted development of younger players led to the team's demise this year.

Despite the team's shortcomings, Laviolette is still confident that the team can turn things around.

"Certainly, this is not where we wanted to be," he said. "This is not the outcome that we were looking for. I think when things like this happen, certainly I feel responsible. I'm the head coach of this team. It's an uneasy feeling right now to be out of the playoffs when the expectation is to be in the playoffs."

During his time with the Flyers, Laviolette has gone 145-95-29. He took the team to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2009-2010 season.

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Penguins' Sidney Crosby Inching Closer to Return

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) -- As the NHL regular season winds down, the best team in the Eastern Conference is getting closer to having their best player return as Sidney Crosby joined the team's practice on Monday.

Crosby has not played since March 30 after a puck struck him in the face. He wore a protective mask while skating with injured teammates James Neal and Paul Martin.

Even though he hasn't played in weeks, Crosby still leads the entire NHL with 56 points. But even though he's back on the ice, there is no definitive timetable for Crosby to return to game-action.

"I would say a foot in the water," Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said about Crosby's return. "I didn't go out there and see how hard he did go, but I know he was just out for basically a skate. He got out there for a little bit of exercise and to get on the ice."

The team is being cautious with Crosby due to his history with head injuries. Crosby has missed significant time in the past because of concussions. Over the past two full seasons, Crosby appeared in only 63 games as he battled to come back from concussion-related symptoms.

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Penguins' Sidney Crosby Undergoes Oral Surgery

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) -- If the Pittsburgh Penguins hope to extend their 15-game winning streak, they will have to do so without their best player as Sidney Crosby has undergone oral surgery after being hit in the mouth with a puck.

Crosby suffered the blow on Saturday during the team's 2-0 win over the New York Islanders. It is unknown just how much time Crosby will miss as a result.

"It's very tough to see that happen to anybody on the ice, but this is your teammate, and Sid's such a great player and a big part of this team," new Penguin Jerome Iginla said.

Head injuries of any kind raises flags for Crosby. Over the past two seasons, he's missed significant time with concussions. In 2011, he missed 41 games as well as the playoffs and in 2012 he missed all but 22 games.

"I think every time that type of thing happens to a player you think about it," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said.

The 25-year-old Crosby has been enjoying a stellar season so far this year. In 36 games, Crosby has 15 goals and 41 assists.

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Penguins Win 14th Straight

Vincent Pugliese/ Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins just keep streaking.

Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup and scored a goal to lead the Penguins past the Winnipeg Jets, 4-0 at the CONSOL Energy Center on Thursday for their 14th straight win.

Despite the hot streak, the team says they aren't paying any attention to it.

"It's not something we really talk about," Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. "We know that the streak is nice but at the end of the day it doesn't really mean anything. I think it's a result of our hard work, but I don't think anyone is going to remember that come playoff time."

The Penguins (27-8-0, 54pts) bolsted their lineup earlier in the day by acquiring Jarome Iginla from Calgary, but he has not made the trip from Canada yet due to immigration issues.

Winnipeg (18-15-2, 38pts) managed 20 shots on goal in the loss.

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Jarome Iginla Traded to Penguins

Mike Ridewood/Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) -- Jarome Iginla is heading to Pittsburgh.

The Calgary Flames traded Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night during their 4-3 victory over Colorado.

Flames general manager Jay Feaster said the team had three other offers for the 35-year-old.

"We as an organization owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jarome," Feaster said, "not only for what he did for the franchise during his tenure as a player here and as our captain, but also for the fact that now as we recognize that despite our best efforts, and despite the work we've put in, we've fallen short of the goals we set for ourselves as an organization."

Calgary will get college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick in this year's draft in return.

Iginla had played all 16 seasons with Calgary and had played in 441 straight games before being scratched on Wednesday. He has 525 goals and 570 assists.

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Realignment Coming To NHL Next Season

Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The National Hockey League is going to look different beginning next season. The league announced on Thursday that it will realign from six divisions to four, after receiving approval from the board of governors and the NHL Players’ Association.

The Eastern Conference will feature two eight-team divisions while the Western Conference will have two seven-team divisions. The Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets will be switching to the East while the Winnipeg Jets will be moving to the West.

The way teams qualify for the playoffs has changed as well, with the top three teams in each division receiving a postseason berth. The next two teams with the best record in each conference will clinch a wild-card berth.

The four divisions will look like this:

Eastern Conference A: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Eastern Conference B: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

Western Conference A: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

Western Conference B: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

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Avalanche Snap Blackhawks' Streak

Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images(DENVER) --  The Chicago Blackhawks have fallen.

The best start in NHL history is over as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Blackhawks 6-2 on Friday night behind one goal and three assists from Matt Duchene.

It was the first regulation loss for the Blackhawks (21-1-3, 45 pts), and brought an end to their run that saw them score at least a point in each of their first 24 games this season.

"We're proud of it, but it'll be nice to move on now," Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It's hockey, we've lost games before in our lives. It's not like we're going to sit here and cry."

Seymon Varlamov stopped 30 shots in net for the struggling Avalanche (9-10-4, 22 pts), who nearly ended the streak Wednesday night in Chicago.  Daniel Carcillo scored with 49 seconds left in the third period of that game to give the Blackhawks the victory.

The Blackhawks had not allowed more than four goals in their first 24 games this season.

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Blackhawks Extend Point Streak

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images(CHICAGO) -- The Chicago Blackhawks continued their historic roll on Monday.

Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers to extend their NHL-record season opening points streak to 19.

Hossa scored after a couple of rebounds 1:44 into overtime. "It is a great feeling, obviously," Hossa said. "It doesn't matter who's scoring and lately we have a lot of different guys scoring. We try to enjoy the streak, keep playing a simple game and try to find a way to win."

The Blackhawks (16-0-3, 35pts) recorded 34 shots on goal.

Edmonton (7-7-4, 18pts) picked up a shorthanded goal, but Nikolai Khabibulin could not keep the Hawks off the board in overtime. 

It's definitely something you dream and believe you can close it. But they are an amazingly powerful team," Oilers coach Ralph Krueger said. "They are very strong on the puck and they never, never let up, at all."

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Blackhawks Stretch Opening Points Streak to 18 Games

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)(CHICAGO) -- The Blackhawks got their starting goalie back on Sunday, and he didn't miss a beat.

Andrew Shaw scored the game's only goal to help the Blackhawks past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 1-0 to extend their streak of consecutive games to open a season with at least one point to 18.

Corey Crawford spun a shutout in net for Chicago (15-0-3) in his first action since missing four games with an upper-body injury. 

"He was quick," Blackhawks coach Joe Quenneville said. "(He was) big, especially on the side-to-side plays on the power play. He tracked the puck well, looked like he wasn't off for any time at all."

Shaw came in from the left side of the net and got a pass from Bryan Bickell that he put in for his fourth goal of the year in the second period. "He saw me coming," Shaw said. "But I wasn't sure, so I gave him a holler and he put it in a perfect area."

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Islanders Place Goalie Rick DiPietro On Waivers

Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images(NEW YORK) --  The New York Islanders have placed goalie Rick DiPietro on waivers, the team announced Friday.

"The decision was made primarily as a first step to get him back to the form he was in before he started getting all these injuries," team general manager Garth Snow said. "It's a situation where we want Rick to have every chance to get back to that success."

DiPietro is expected to report to the team's AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Connecticut, if he clears waivers by noon on Saturday.  With his poor performance and hefty contract, it is doubtful that another team will claim him.

He has struggled mightily after inking a 15-year deal worth $67.5 million that runs through the 2021 season, starting this year with a 0-3-0 record.

The Islanders will call up Kevin Poulin to back up Evgeni Nabokov in the net.

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