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With winter coming, teams are bracing themselves as the division races get tighter. Multiple teams remain neck-and-neck in the standings and nothing is set in stone yet. Here are the latest NHL power rankings. TRADE RUMORS: Potential destinations for Taylor Hall 1. Boston Bruins, 43 points (19-3-5) Boston is currently riding a seven-game winning streak and boasts an 8-0-2 record in its last 10 games. David Pastrnak leads the way for the Bruins with 25 goals in 27 games, and at this point the Hart Trophy is the Czech star’s to lose....

Every year, a number of league veterans who are without a home and could still offer some value sign professional tryout agreements allowing them to practice and play exhibition matches. Teams often sign players to PTOs to encourage competition between a veteran still trying to prove he belongs and younger prospects gunning to secure their first NHL job; many times it’s just that — preseason competition. Some players will eventually earn an NHL contract for their persistence, often as a depth addition to the roster — Lee Stempniak, skated with the Boston Bruins last year until February before the team signed him for the rest of the season....

But a few players have not yet shown up because of contract issues. Five restricted free agents are without a deal. Restricted free agents do not have the same luxury as unrestricted free agents. While UFAs can sign with any team whenever they want, that’s not the case with RFAs. Restricted free agents remain under team control even without a deal as the club owns the player’s rights. Plenty of RFAs got deals done this offseason, through long-term extensions, shorter bridge deals or accepting qualifying offers....

The NHL has scheduled a phone hearing with the forward after he boarded Minnesota Wild defenseman Keith Ballard during the second period of Friday's Game 4. The Wild won, 4-2, to even the series before it returns to Chicago. SECOND-ROUND PHOTOS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference Bollig received a two-minute penalty for the call. Ballard was shaken up and wasn't on the bench for the third period. Ballard missed seven games back in October with a concussion....

REPORTED BY: Bob McKenzie, TSN MORE: Phaneuf likely leaving Maple Leafs | Who has the edge for eighth in the East? | Jagr to Devils: Why keep me? THE DETAILS: Kessel has a summer home in Florida, so naturally people are using that to presume he would approve a trade there. But said approval is going to be a hurdle for any pursuer — Kessel has limited no-trade protection in his contract....

The 24-year-old former first-round pick slammed home the rebound of a Kevin Shattenkirk power-play shot 2:43 into overtime, lifting the Rangers to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Sabres in the league’s 10th annual Winter Classic in front of 41,821 frozen — yet very loud — fans. “It was a blast, obviously everything I hoped it would be,” Miller said from underneath his faded baseball eye black. “To get a win in front of 40,000 plus is really special for the group....

“I do what I want” Kyrgios said after he was quizzed about why he wore red and white trainers on court. The 27-year-old beat Brandon Nakashima in five sets to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time since 2014 and for the second time in his career. Strict dress code rules at Wimbledon’s ​​All England Club enforce an all-white attire policy and during a post-match press conference, Kyrgios was quizzed over why he elected to disregard the dress code....

In fact, the Alabama coach casually mentioned to media members the 6-foot, 180-pound tarpon he hauled in on Memorial Day. MORE: Nick Saban wedding cake | Ranking CFB coaches | Nick Saban’s Nick Saban impersonator For comparison, Nick Saban is 5-6. How did he manage to get that baby in the boat? I want to imagine Saban was really excited about his big catch, but I’m more convinced he wore an expression similar to this....

The league’s average TV audience through Week 5 of the 2017 season dropped 7 percent vs. the same period of the 2016 season, according to Nielsen data obtained by Sporting News. Worse for the league, the average game audiences are down 18 percent compared to the first five weeks of the 2015 season. The NFL’s average TV audience (including Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night and Thursday night games) slid to 15....

SN WEEK 12 FANTASY RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K Danger! QB Philip Rivers, Chargers (Ranked No. 7 at position) vs. Rams: The Chargers are doing damage control on Antonio Gates’ comments about Rivers’ ribs, which is not an encouraging sign for the health of a star quarterback behind a bad offensive line. The Rams sacked Peyton Manning twice last week after he entered the game averaging less than one sack suffered per game....

Buffalo are 8-3 after back-to-back wins over the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos and can make it a happy holiday for their supporters with another victory on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. The struggling Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in the first Thanksgiving Day showdown, with NFL South leaders the New Orleans Saints making a trip to take on bottom side the Atlanta Falcons later in the day....

Before we break down the Week 14 forecast, here’s a reminder that if you have any questions about sports weather or how weather could impact play (and, potentially, your fantasy, DFS, and gambling decisions), don’t hesitate to reach out on Twitter @KevinRothWx or check our hourly NFL weather forecasts on RotoGrinders. To take your game to the next level, subscribe to RotoGrinders’ exclusive WeatherEdge tool and see how different weather conditions have impacted historical scoring....

“We’re dead right now,” South Point sports book director Bert Osborne said Saturday morning. “Between the rodeo in town, having just a little gap in between the bowl season and bettors slowly getting into their college basketball mode, it’s as quiet as it’s been here on a Saturday since July. “I can tell you this, I won‘t be hanging around much longer today.” But this break from rapid-fire Saturday action will be short-lived, as things are about to heat up the next few Saturdays through March Madness....

Both sides were expected to file briefs in response to Wednesday’s arguments in front of U.S. Distrct Court Judge Richard Berman in New York. The NFLPA started by claiming Brady’s four-game suspension should be vacated, calling Goodell’s decision to uphold the suspension “a memorandum of attempted misdirection to the Court.” MORE: Tom Brady’s NFL life in photos | Worst portrait of Tom Brady ever The union maintained its stance that the “independent” investigation conducted by Ted Wells was anything but and that Brady does not deserve any sort of suspension....

Back in January, the three groups announced the Future Goals Most Valuable Teacher program, which nominated 36 teachers from Canada and the United States to receive an award for their hard work in their community. After public voting, the field was narrowed down to three finalists before the winner was chosen earlier this month. The grand prize-winner was Joan Kilban, a fifth-grade teacher from Weymouth, Mass. — and a massive Bruins fan....

But while McDavid is the odds-on favorite to defend his Hart Trophy, there’s MVP potential in a few other young stars hoping to elevate their teams like McDavid did a year ago. Oh, and a couple old guys named Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, with five Harts between them, aren’t expected to move aside so quietly. The conversation gets a little more interesting as we go down the list....

Before the clock struck and everything was frozen in time Saturday, NHL teams were a little busy. A number of moves were made, with some not being revealed until after 3 p.m. (As long as they were in the queue as time wound down, they were good to go.) A number of big-name players were shipped to new addresses. Here’s a rundown of the deals, why they were done, what they mean for the future and who won the swaps....

At 28, Shattenkirk should have plenty of productive years ahead of him. His 56 points in 80 games, split between St. Louis and Washington, were a career high and ranked fourth among defensemen, behind only Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns (76 points) and finalists Victor Hedman (72) and Erik Karlsson (71). MORE: NHL trade rumors tracker Shattenkirk’s defensive struggles in D.C. are notable, but that won’t affect much. His free agency figures to capitalize on big-time potential for return on investment and a widespread need of top-four blue line help....

The free-agent floodgates opened July 28 with a number of big names ripe for the taking. It took a Brinks truck backing up for some teams to entice guys, like blueliner Dougie Hamilton, who hauled in $63 million from the Devils over the next seven years. Other teams were a bit more conservative and focused on re-signing some of their own unrestricted free agents. The biggest name who decided not to change addresses was Alex Ovechkin, who agreed to stick around the U....

But this year’s iteration of an NHL-hosted outdoor game will be unlike any of the 30 other tilts. For the first time, hockey will be played atop a golf course. Yes, the days of baseball, football or soccer stadiums are on hold as the fastest game on earth heads to the grass — the fairway of a par-5, to be exact. While one significant difference this year is that there won’t be fans in attendance, another is that this year’s locale will be the site of two tilts....