Sean O'Leary

Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin will play Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing seven games because of back spasms, head coach Lindy Ruff confirmed to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.Dahlin lined up on the top defensive pairing alongside Bowen Byram and took reps with the first power-play unit at practice.The Sabres hope Dahlin's return can spark a return to the win column as the club has lost its past 11 games. Dahlin logged 19 points in 25 games while averaging nearly 25 minutes per contest before being injured.Along with Dahlin's return, Ruff announced forward Jordan Greenway will miss "significant time" after surgery on his mid-body injury. The recovery isn't believed to be season-ending.

Farhan Zaidi was recently replaced by Buster Posey as the President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants.

Goaltender Matt Murray soaked in every moment of his triumphant return to an NHL crease Friday as he backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres."Getting back to the NHL was obviously in the front of my mind the whole time," Murray said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "It was what I was working towards, and it was a long road, but just super thankful for the opportunity to get back here and get a win tonight."Murray hadn't played an NHL game since April 2023, and extensive rehab from double hip surgery limited him to 11 AHL appearances over the past two seasons. He earned a call to the Maple Leafs after Anthony Stolarz was ruled out four-to-six weeks due to injury. "It was a rush of emotion," Murray said. "And a big release. Great to celebrate with the guys. And, you know, a lot of very kind words in the room afterwards, too, which meant a lot."Murray made 24 stops in the victory. He posted an impressive .931 save percentage across eight games in the minors this season and is likely to back up Joseph Woll on a consistent basis with Stolarz sidelined."The last year-and-a-half, two years, we see him every day at the rink, rehabbing, working out," captain Auston Matthews said. "It's been a long journey for him, and just an incredible person. So, it's awesome to see him get this one tonight, and it's extremely well deserved."The Maple Leafs acquired Murray from the Ottawa Senators in 2022, but injuries have marred his time in Toronto. The club signed him to a one-year, $875,000 contract in July to keep him around as a depth option.

Report: Matthews out vs. Islanders after re-aggravating injury

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes insisted his club is united despite recent rumors about tension between superstars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller."It's been a lot of learning for everyone in here," Hughes said, per Jeff Paterson of Rink Wide: Vancouver. "Not to beat around the bush, but everyone knows what the reports are out there, but I think that everyone expects a lot from each other. There's times where I get upset with Millsy, there's times I get upset with Petey, there's times I get upset with (defenseman Filip) Hronek. That doesn't mean I don't love those guys, and vice versa."Pettersson and Miller were Vancouver's most productive forwards last season but have seen their numbers drop off in 2024-25. Pettersson's managed 26 points in 32 games this year after facing plenty of scrutiny for an underwhelming playoffs. Miller has 19 points in 22 contests and recently returned from a 10-game absence for personal reasons."I think that both of them have been going through their own struggles this year," Hughes said. "I believe in both of them. I think they're great players, great people. Like I said, there's times where we all get into it, but it is a family in here, and we just got to continue to push forward and play the way we want to play."Hughes continued, "If there's a positive ... I think both Petey and Millsy would both say they haven't played their best hockey this year, and we're still where we are in the standings."The Canucks entered Saturday holding the Western Conference's second wild-card spot at 38 points. They've stayed afloat despite the outside noise as well as long-term injuries to Thatcher Demko and Hronek.Head coach Rick Tocchet believes occasional animosity between teammates is normal. "It's all about the crest," Tocchet said. "As long as I coach it's always about the crest, it's not about not the name on the back. You're going to have arguments, you're going to have fights. I've been fortunate, I've been to the Stanley Cup three times: two as a coach, one as a player, and there's always been something that has galvanized the team."

New York Rangers forward Matt Rempe was suspended eight games for boarding and elbowing Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen during Friday's game, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced. Matt Rempe gets tossed for this hit on Miro Heiskanen in his 1st game back up with the Rangers 😬 pic.twitter/uvVAxvILJd— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 21, 2024 More to come.

The Baltimore Orioles needed a big offseason after failing to make it past the first round of the playoffs once again.

Matthews out vs. Jets due to upper-body injury

Rangers healthy scratch Kreider for clash with Devils

The Houston Astros have been busy as of late, trading away superstar Kyle Tucker and most recently signing first baseman Christian Walker to fix their problems