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

▼ Jordan Eberle

The Edmonton Oilers are eagerly awaiting an increase in production from one of their most seasoned forwards.

Eberle has been a non-factor of late, going pointless in his last six games and only recording one goal in his past 15.

The 26-year-old ranks fourth in Oilers scoring with 23 points, and his eight goals have him on pace for his lowest total since his rookie campaign (lockout-shortened season aside).

Edmonton is two points clear of the wild-card-seeded Calgary Flames in the pacific, but someone needs to help take the load off No. 97. Eberle is a good candidate to do so.

▲ Sidney Crosby

There's not much else to say about the guy.

Crosby's yet to cool off this season, and has assumed the NHL's scoring lead alongside Connor McDavid with 42 points - in five fewer games.

The Penguins captain has goals in five straight contests, and is on pace for a blistering 63 tallies on the season.

Crosby continues to compete on a different level from his peers, and first-place Pittsburgh looks the part of a Stanley Cup threat.

▼ Florida Panthers

Tom Rowe's transition to Florida's bench has been anything but seamless.

The Panthers can't find traction, skating a 3-3-4 record over their last 10, and sit three points out of the playoffs with a -10 goal differential. They have two regulation wins since firing Gerard Gallant on Nov. 27.

To make matters worse, the club's leading scorer, Aleksander Barkov, was injured Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs and won't be available for a few games.

▲ Stan Bowman

This upward trend might be temporary.

Bowman ticked the top priority off his to-do list Wednesday in signing Artemi Panarin to a two-year bridge deal, but the Chicago Blackhawks general manager still has plenty of work to do.

Erasing lingering questions around the future of the club's leading scorer gives Bowman a win for now, but he'll need to work some magic to keep Chicago under the salary ceiling. Some big names could become expendable in the Windy City.

Bowman has been in this situation before, but his next move is particularly crucial, as the Blackhawks face a cap crunch worse than ever before.

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The Ottawa Senators aren't planning on welcoming Craig Anderson back to the fold anytime soon.

The team's starting goalie remains on a leave of absence while his wife Nicholle undergoes treatment for throat cancer, and head coach Guy Boucher indicated Wednesday a return is far from imminent.

"What’s fair to say for you, and for everybody to know, is it’s going to take a while before he’s back," Boucher said, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun. "When he’s back, he’s going to need quite a bit of time to practice and get into game situations. It’s been a while now. It’s not like it’s been a week. It’s been a long time.

"We have to be fair to him when he comes back, whenever that is, give him the time to get back in game shape and timing-wise. We’re looking at a long period here."

Anderson hasn't played since Dec. 5, and with Andrew Hammond week to week with an ankle injury, Ottawa's crease currently belongs to Mike Condon.

That Condon has played well eases any pressure potentially placed on Anderson to return.

"We want (the Andersons) to take care of what they need to take care of and right now they’re obviously in the middle of things and I’m sure it’s very difficult," said Boucher. "I don’t want to add on by saying, ‘He should be here’ and put pressure (on the family)."

With Anderson and Hammond both unavailable, it's possible that Matt O'Connor will be called to make his first NHL start sometime in the near future.

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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.

theScore will be giving out fantasy report cards discussing the fantasy value of key players on each of the 30 teams. This edition focuses on the Ottawa Senators.

ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY | CAR | CHI | COL | CLB | DAL | DET | EDM | FLA| LA | MIN | MTL | NAS | NJ | NYI | NYR | OTT | PHI | PIT | SJ | STL | TB | TOR | VAN | WAS | WPG

G Craig Anderson and Mike Condon

Anderson has been spectacular when he has played, but he has been away from the team at times during the season as his wife battles cancer. When he has been absent, Condon has filled in admirably. Both netminders have given the team, and fantasy owners, more than they could have asked for. Grade: A

LW Mike Hoffman

Hoffman should be well on his way to a season of around 30 goals and 30 assists - much like in 2015-16. He takes, on average, three shots a game, which keep his floor very high in daily fantasy. Grade: B

RW Mark Stone

Stone's ice time is slightly down, which would explain why he is taking fewer shots this year. He is still scoring, but his shooting percentage would indicate regression is coming. He isn't flashy, but the fact that he leads the NHL in takeaways is a big reason why he continues to get points. Grade: B

RW Bobby Ryan

Yikes. Ryan might be the biggest underachiever in the NHL. The former second overall pick has so much talent, but a lack of effort seems to hold him back at times. He has played much better of late, but overall his season has been a major disappointment. Grade: D-

C Kyle Turris

Turris had his worst season as a Senator in 2015-16, but playing though injuries was a major factor. He has bounced back in a big way this year, but an inflated shooting percentage explains why. He could still finish with around 60 points, but that doesn't guarantee fantasy ownership based on the depth of the center position and his lack of versatility. Grade: B-

C Derick Brassard

The Brassard-for-Mika Zibanejad trade is looking awful for the Sens right now. Both players have around the same number of points, but Zibanejad has played just half the games because of injury. Brassard's fantasy value has cratered this year after setting a career high in goals in 2015-16. He escapes an F rating with stronger play over the last two weeks. Grade: D-

LW Ryan Dzingel

Dzingel wasn't anywhere close to the fantasy radar heading into the season, so his production has been a pleasant surprise. He is still nothing more than a streaming or daily fantasy option, but there's always the possibility the 24-year-old could improve as the season goes on. Grade: B+

D Erik Karlsson

Those who drafted Karlsson in the first round expecting point-per-game production have not been disappointed. He has also improved his +/- and has contributed more blocked shots this season. He has cemented his status as a top-5 fantasy player, regardless of position, in any scoring format. Grade: A+

D Dion Phaneuf

It doesn't look like Phaneuf will reach the 40-point plateau, but he is still a valuable fantasy asset in the right league. He is on pace for his highest shot total since 2011-12, produces a healthy amount of power-play points and is good for roughly two hits and blocks apiece per game. Grade: B

Player to watch - LW Clarke MacArthur

Concussions have derailed MacArthur's career. He hasn't played in an NHL game since Oct. 14, 2015, but he is hoping to return sometime in January. It might be a long shot, but there's always a chance he returns to his 50-point form.

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Michel Therrien was not the least bit satisfied on Wednesday night, as the Montreal Canadiens bench boss blasted his squad's effort following a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"We were guilty. A lack of effort. A lack of desperation," Therrien told reporters following the loss. "It's unacceptable as far as I'm concerned."

The Canadiens carried a 3-1 lead into the final frame, after getting goals from Alexander Radulov, Shea Weber, and Chris Terry. But the Lightning grabbed a pair of goals in the third period, sending the game to extra time.

Tampa Bay forward Tyler Johnson sealed the victory 1:36 into the 3-on-3 overtime, beating Canadiens netminder Carey Price, who made 26 saves in the loss.

The Canadiens have now dropped three straight games, with losses to the Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Minnesota Wild.

Montreal won't have to wait long for its chance to get back into the win column, as the Canadiens head to Sunrise on Thursday to take on the Florida Panthers.

The Canadiens sit atop the Atlantic with a 21-9-5 record, good for 47 points.

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Add three to the goal column for Robby Fabbri.

The St. Louis Blues forward notched his first NHL hat trick on Wednesday, firing three goals past the Philadelphia Flyers en route to a 6-3 victory.

Fabbri grabbed his first goal with 12 seconds remaining in the opening frame, putting the Blues up 3-0 on a man-advantage goal.

He then found the net twice in the final frame, scoring at the 15:01 mark and then adding the hat-trick tally into an empty net with 2:56 remaining.

With the tallies, Fabbri upped his production to 11 goals and 12 assists in 35 games this season.

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If anything, Vincent Trocheck sets a high bar.

Following Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Florida Panthers forward commented on the injury to fellow forward Aleksander Barkov, who left in the second period with a lower-body injury.

Barkov did not return to the game.

The Panthers announced that Barkov will be "out a few days" with the ailment, a loss Trocheck likened to losing Sidney Crosby, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel.

"If (Barkov) was anywhere else, if he was in Toronto or any big city where hockey is the focal point, you would be seeing a lot more of him," Trocheck told George Richards of the Miami Herald. "He is the glue to this team. When he is not in the lineup, it's an enormous chunk missing."

Crosby, of course, sits tied for first in league-wide scoring, holding down 26 goals and 16 assists through 31 games.

As for Barkov, while a valuable pivot, his offensive production has dipped this season after a promising campaign a year ago. Barkov has tallied 27 points through 36 games this season, a downgrade from the 0.89 points per game rate he reached in 2015-16.

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Vladislav Namestnikov was hit by a truck with the license plate WEBER 6 on Wednesday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning forward was rocked after being leveled by Shea Weber midway through the third period.

Unfortunately for Namestnikov, he left the game following the hit and did not return.

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Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov will be 'out a few days' with a lower-body injury, Panthers coach Tom Rowe announced following Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.

Barkov left midway through the second period and did not return to the game.

Florida will recall forward Michael Sgarbossa in the absence of Barkov, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel.

Sgarbossa has appeared in nine NHL games this season with the Anaheim Ducks. He was dealt to the Panthers in November.

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