Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is out with an upper-body injury.

The National Hockey League has apologized to the Vegas Golden Knights for an incorrect major penalty call that opened the door for a four-goal San Jose Sharks rally and eventual victory in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

"The league did reach out and apologize," general manager George McPhee said Thursday in Las Vegas.

Hockey players are conditioned to think that winning the Stanley Cup means going through the best teams to be the best team.

That doesn't mean they are unaware of some of the inequalities of the NHL's current divisional playoff format. An Associated Press/Canadian Press survey of NHLPA representatives from all 31 teams shows that almost half favor changing the format -- and most support going back to seeding the Eastern and Western Conferences 1 through 8, the structure that was used from 1994 to 2013.

After the Game 5 victory last Thursday, Sharks forward Tomas Hertl told an arena full of jubilant San Jose fans that there would be a Game 7 in their series against the Golden Knights.

"I know we have one more game and come back for Game 7," he said. "I believe it. We're a better team than them."

His short-handed goal in double overtime in Game 6 on Sunday delivered on that proclamation, giving the Sharks a 2-1 win in Las Vegas and a 3-3 series tie to force Game 7 on Tuesday night.

The Flyers have officially removed the statue of Kate Smith from its location outside their arena and will no longer play Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" at games, the team announced in a statement on Sunday.

This follows the Yankees' decision to suspend the use of Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch while they investigate an allegation of racism against the late singer.

Steve Yzerman is getting another chance to return the Red Wings to glory.

The Hockey Hall of Famer did it as one the game's all-time great leaders, helping Detroit end a 42-year championship drought with the first of three Stanley Cup celebrations in 1997 during his playing tenure in Detroit.

Now, he has a shot to do it as the Red Wings' general manager.

With two goals in Game 5 on Thursday night, Sharks forward Tomas Hertl helped his team avoid elimination. Then he guaranteed the fans that there will be a Game 7 back in San Jose against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"I know we have one more game, and come back for Game 7," Hertl said after the 5-2 victory over the Knights cut the series deficit to 3-2. "I believe it. We're a better team than them."

New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk will miss three to four weeks with a lower-body injury, general manager Lou Lamoriello said Friday.

Boychuk was injured in the second period of the Islanders' series-clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. 

The timeline would knock Boychuk out for at least the team's second-round series.

Steve Yzerman is returning to the Detroit Red Wings, with a source confirming to ESPN that Yzerman will be named the team's general manager.

The Red Wings have called a news conference for 3 p.m. ET Friday that includes Yzerman without specifying the purpose.

A source confirmed to ESPN that current general manager Ken Holland will remain with the organization. According to multiple reports, Holland will get the new title of senior vice president.

Here's the spin the Lightning had after Tuesday night's stunning 7-3 defeat in Game 4 of the first round: They were victims of their own success.

"When you have the amount of points we had, it's a blessing and a curse, in a way. You don't play any meaningful hockey for a long time. Then all of a sudden, you have to ramp it up. It's not an excuse. It's reality," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after Game 4. "That's how it goes: You have a historic regular season, and we had a historic playoff."

Indeed, the Lightning made history in the 2019 playoffs -- just not the kind any coach would want. For the first time in league history, a team with the most points in the regular season failed to win a game in an opening-round, seven-game series.