Mattias Ekholm is doing his part to bring some positivity into the world.

The Nashville Predators defenseman has developed a precious pregame warmup tradition with a 4-year-old fan that's sure to warm the heart.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

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Buffalo Sabres forward Tyler Ennis will be out several weeks after undergoing groin surgery, the team announced.

Ennis reportedly suffered the injury during Monday's contest against the Boston Bruins, and John Vogl of BuffaloNews.com said he could miss two-to-three weeks

The 27-year-old has struggled out of the gate this season, posting just one goal and one assist through the team's first 12 games.

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The Arizona Coyotes are keeping rookie forward Lawson Crouse around for the balance of the regular season and will pay a premium for it.

Head coach Dave Tippett has confirmed Crouse will remain with the team past the nine-game trial period afforded to junior-eligible players, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports.

The implications of this decision are two-fold.

1. The first year of Crouse's entry-level contract will officially come into effect.
2. Once Crouse appears in his 10th game, the conditional draft pick sent to the Florida Panthers will become a second-rounder in 2018.

Crouse was selected 11th overall by the Panthers in 2015, and was traded to the Coyotes along with Dave Bolland for a pair of draft picks, including a third-round selection in 2017.

In nine games with the Coyotes, Crouse has recorded one goal on 11 shots in an average of 10:41 a night.

Crouse joins Jacob Chychrun as a junior-eligible player sticking with the club, while a decision on Dylan Strome has yet to be made.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, November 10:

Triple Threat

• C Mark Scheifele (74K), RW Patrik Laine (49K), D Dustin Byfuglien (61K), Jets (at Coyotes): Laine scored his second hat trick of the season in his most recent outing, and he now leads the league goals with 11 through 14 games. He has been given a long overdue promotion back to the Jets' top line, adding to Scheifele's upside. Byfuglien's minute totals continue to warrant fantasy consideration.

• LW Andrew Cogliano (36K), C Ryan Kesler (48K), RW Jakob Silfverberg (42K), Ducks (at Hurricanes): The Ducks and Hurricanes each feature strong top lines in terms of possession numbers. The Ducks have the superior second trio, with these three owning a Zone-Finish Ratio of 52.27, per Corsica.Hockey. The three finish 37.40 percent of all shifts in the offensive end of the ice.

• LW Brad Marchand (73K), C Patrice Bergeron (59K), RW David Pastrnak (64K), Bruins (vs. Blue Jackets): The Blue Jackets allow the fifth-most scoring chances against per 60 minutes of 5v5, at 10.07. Their 3.00 Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes ranks as the second-highest in the league. Load up on a Bruins top line which has combined for 32 points on the season.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Connor Hellebuyck (90K), Jets (at Coyotes): With the offense likely to provide him the goal support necessary for the win, Hellebuyck comes with a high floor. Arizona is getting just 7.03 scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5v5 and have the fifth-lowest xGF60 in the league.

• BARGAIN - Antti Niemi (81K), Stars (at Flames): Niemi is prone to disastrous outings in any sort of matchup, but he draws a Flames team averaging just 6.64 scoring chances per 60. Niemi has allowed at least three goals in four of his past five starts, but Calgary is averaging just 2.50 goals per game on the season.

• FADE - Ben Bishop (117K), Lightning (vs. Islanders): Better options than Bishop exist with a nearly full slate of games on Thursday's schedule. He has been much improved to start November, after a disastrous October, but he faces a tough Islanders team averaging 10.19 scoring chances per 60.

• CONTRARIAN - Martin Jones (93K), Sharks (at Panthers): The Panthers are averaging a lofty 2.69 goals per game, but they're getting just 5.72 scoring chances per 60, the lowest average in the league. Their 2.13 xGF60 is the second-lowest figure in the league and represents a drastic decline.

Bargain Plays

• C Rickard Rakell (25K), Ducks (at Hurricanes): Rakell has had a tremendous start to his season after a delayed debut. He has four goals and three assists through five games, while averaging over three shots on goal per outing. His 17:15 in ice time thus far is on pace for a career high. He is playing on the right side of pass-first C Antoine Vermette at both 5v5 and on the power play.

• LW Mikkel Boedker (27K), Sharks (at Panthers): Boedker began the season on the Sharks' second line, saw a brief promotion to the top trio and now skates on L3. He has just two goals and zero assists on the season, averaging little over one SOG per game. Still, the Sharks' depth has him skating with LW Patrick Marleau and C Tomas Hertl as one of the league's top third lines.

• D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (26K),Sharks (at Panthers): Vlasic is averaging well over 21 minutes in ice time, skating with what can be considered the league's deepest, if not best, 12-man forward group. His own offensive production is down from a year ago, but he's a reliable source of hits, PIMs and blocks.

Top Fades

• RW Vladimir Tarasenko (76K), Blues (at Predators): The Predators are allowing just 7.26 scoring chances per 60, capping the upside of the Blues. Tarasenko remains their best player and the best target from the team but there are similarly-priced stars available with more appealing matchups.

• C Evgeni Malkin (74K), Penguins (vs. Wild): The Wild allow over 31 shots on goal per 60 minutes of 5v5, but they limit opponents to just 6.81 scoring chances per 60. He registered a season-high five SOG in the Penguins' most recent game, but he had two or fewer shots in each of the previous four games.

• LW Brandon Saad (58K), Blue Jackets (at Bruins): Saad had a big game Wednesday night, but he has a much tougher matchup Thursday as the second half of the back-to-back. His line will also match up against the Bruins' elite top trio and the best defensive tandem.

Contrarian Options

• RW Gustav Nyquist (60K), Red Wings (vs. Canucks): Nyquist has been tossed around the Red Wings' lineup, from the third line to the top line and back again. He has produced every step of the way, totaling three goals and nine points through 14 games with nearly two SOG per game. He hosts a Vancouver team allowing 3.43 goals per game on the road.

• D Roman Josi (49K), Predators (vs. Blues): Priced similarly to teammate P.K. Subban once again, Josi's lower profile keeps him the contrarian. It's not an overly appealing matchup against the Blues stout defensive system, but the Predators have scored no less than two goals in any of their past four games.

• LW Carl Hagelin (34K), Penguins (vs. Wild): The Wild limit opponent scoring chances better than all but two other teams at 5v5, but any offense the Penguins do generate should come from the Sidney Crosby line. Hagelin has recently been promoted to the left side of the line. While his production is slightly below last year's pace, he still has 21 SOG in 13 games.

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Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.

▲ Mike Condon

The Ottawa Senators have rallied around their goaltenders in light of the devastating cancer diagnosis regarding Craig Anderson's wife, Nicholle.

While Anderson has turned in some truly inspiring performances in the wake of the news, newly acquired backup Condon has been nearly perfect since a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After posting a shutout in his Senators debut against the Vancouver Canucks, Condon turned in a second stellar outing with a 31 save effort in a 2-1 shootout win Wednesday over the Buffalo Sabres.

Factor in his perfect period with the Penguins, and the 26-year-old has an outrageous .041 GAA and .985 save percentage, albeit in a small sample size.

That aside, Condon has been a rock and - on a club managing just 2.31 goals per game - giving the team exactly what it needs.

▼ Avalanche's pitiful offense

While the hockey world continues to shame the lowly Vancouver Canucks, the Colorado Avalanche have flown largely under the radar of criticism despite a nearly identical start to the year.

The Avalanche sit in a three-way tie for the NHL's fewest points with 10, one less than Vancouver, albeit with two fewer games played. The club's biggest hindrance so far is that they can't score.

Through 12 games, Matt Duchene paces the club with six goals and 11 points, but no other player has more than three goals.

The team is averaging just two goals per game - tied for second worst in the NHL. The Avalanche have put just 24 pucks past opposing netminders, the fewest league-wide.

Meanwhile, the club has dropped four of their last five games with a total of five goals, scoring more than a single goal just once. Head coach Jared Bednar must address this, and fast.

▲ New York Rangers

Don't let a hiccup against the Canucks fool you, the Rangers are hot.

The club has won five of their last six games and - prior to Tuesday's contest - had netted at least five goals in five straight contests. The Rangers pace the league with 4.14 goals per game thanks to a well-balanced attack.

The club boasts eight players with double-digit points, while six have scored five goals or more.

The Broadway Blueshirts mean business.

▼ Jaromir Jagr

Don't let it end like this.

Jagr is off to a rough start in his 23rd season. The wizard has just one goal and five points through 13 games, a far cry from his 27-goal, 66-point output from a season ago.

To make things even more troubling is the fact he left last week's contest against the Washington Capitals with a groin cramp, and Monday's game with the same issue.

Sure coach Gerard Gallant made light of the situation, but given Jagr's age, it's hard to ignore the issue:

We all knew Jagr's storybook career would one day come to an end, but with downed production and cramps at least limiting his playing time, it would be a shame if Jagr's career fizzled out without a few more records and some more dazzle.

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There were only three games on the schedule Wednesday, but three individual players came up big and stole the show.

Here's a look at those standout performances and what they mean in the bigger picture:

Corey Crawford

The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender stopped 27-of-28 shots fired by the St. Louis Blues in a 2-1 overtime victory, extending a run of hot play dating back to Oct. 24.

While his overall save percentage has been dragged down by Chicago's atrocious penalty killing early this season, his numbers at full strength are off the charts.

Among goalies with at least 300 minutes played this season (or the equivalent of five full games), Corey Crawford ranks first with a five-on-five save percentage of .974.

He's already a two-time Stanley Cup champion, but it's time to acknowledge Crawford is one of the best in the game.

Zach Werenski

A defenseman has planted himself among a talented group of forwards in the the Calder Trophy race.

Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets scored the overtime winner in Wednesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks, pulling himself into a tie for second in rookie scoring.

On top of that, he sits in a tie for total points among all defensemen - one behind Brent Burns, and level with Shea Weber and Duncan Keith.

Drafted eighth overall in 2015, Werenski is looking like a steal for the Blue Jackets at this point.

Mike Condon

It's only been two games, but Mike Condon is giving the Ottawa Senators full value as insurance in net while Craig Anderson is spotted some time off, and with Andrew Hammond on the shelf.

Condon stopped 31-of-32 shots against in a 2-1 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres, dropping his save percentage to .983 with the Senators.

If we drop the minimum time on ice to 100 minutes, he jumps ahead of Crawford in terms of five-on-five save percentage (.978). Yes, the sample size is minuscule, but impressive considering the tumultuous start to his season.

Condon, of course, began the season in Montreal, only to be claimed on waivers by Pittsburgh and traded to Ottawa shortly thereafter. Whether he sticks with the Senators long term remains to be seen, but he's stepped up in a big way.

- Advanced stats courtesy: Corsica Hockey

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Nothing can stop the Chicago Blackhawks at the moment.

Thanks to a laser off the stick of Artemi Panarin in overtime Wednesday - a goal that completed a surprising Gordie Howe hat trick - Chicago earned its seventh consecutive win, improving to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Panarin has played a huge role in the club's recent success, and with a goal and an assist against the Blues, he's now tied for fifth in league scoring with 15 points.

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