With veteran defenseman Andrei Markov still on the shelf and general manager Marc Bergevin looking to beef up his club's blue line, the Montreal Canadiens found a temporary solution Thursday in Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Nikita Nesterov.

Related: Canadiens add defensive depth in trade for Nesterov

The Canadiens acquired Nesterov in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round pick and defender Jonathan Racine. With the 23-year-old Nesterov likely to debut after the All-Star break, here are a few things for Montreal fans and interested observers to keep in mind:

1. He gets a thumbs-up from fancy stats

While Nesterov was fairly sheltered through the 35 games he played in Lightning colors this season - starting 66 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone - he did come out on top when it came to his possession metrics.

Nesterov led all Lightning defensemen in even-strength Corsi For rating, posting a strong mark of 54 percent this season. That percentage was also good for fifth-best among all Lightning skaters.

He hasn't been wholly consistent in this area, as he finished with 50 percent in 2015-16. However, Nesterov topped 54 percent in his 27-game go-round in the big leagues in 2014-15 as well.

2. He's as versatile as they come

The young rearguard manned both sides of the rink for the Lightning this season, splitting time with partners Braydon Coburn, Jason Garrison, and Anton Stralman. He even spent a fair chunk of time with Tampa Bay's blue-line leader, Victor Hedman.

Of course, the most obvious example of Nesterov's versatility is the fact that he's been used as a forward on a number of occasions. He first got the call to play on the front lines during his time in the KHL. But Lightning coach Jon Cooper has tried him out on the club's fourth line at times as well - and Nesterov hasn't disappointed.

"He can skate, he's physical, he engages, he's got a good stick," Cooper told the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith in December. "He can do them both at forward and D. He's been kind of a utility guy."

3. He's a project, but he's cheap

For all his skill and potential, Nesterov comes with an extraordinarily reasonable contract, as he's owed only $725,000 this season. He's in the midst of a one-year deal signed with the Lightning after playing out his three-year entry-level pact.

He's a restricted free agent after this season, but since Nesterov hasn't exactly lit the league on fire throughout his 119 career games, it's fair to assume he'll be paid a pretty reasonable sum on his next deal as well.

That's excellent news for Montreal, as the club houses four defenders making over $4 million per season - with those annual salaries stretching as high as $7.9 million for Shea Weber.

Nesterov didn't cost the organization very much in terms of the trade itself either. Racine - who's the same age as Nesterov - has earned only one game in the big leagues, and the sixth-round pick won't set the club back much.

All in all, it's a strong move by Bergevin to bring in Nesterov as the perfect low-risk, high-reward option on the Canadiens' blue line.

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For fans, All-Star weekend means watching the world's best players "compete" in a series of league-sanctioned events to grow the game. For players and coaches, the break provides a barometer of where a team lies heading into the stretch run of the season, and this year, it's as close as ever.

Remarkably, 12 of the 14 NHL clubs outside the playoff picture are within seven points of a spot, the outliers being the lowly Coyotes and Avalanche, who at this point have a snowballs chance in hell of making it.

Here's a look at the ground the outsiders will have to make up once festivities in Los Angeles conclude:

Eastern Conference (cut-line: 56 points)

The Islanders have surged up the standings since Doug Weight took over behind the bench, moving from last place into striking distance with games in hand.

Elsewhere, the Panthers and Lightning - both heavily expected to make the playoffs this season - have some work to do, while the Red Wings' 25-year playoff streak is in jeopardy, but remains salvageable.

Western Conference (cut-line: 53 points)

Save for the last two entries, the West is even closer than the East.

While the 16 teams slotted in postseason positions may feel comfortable right now, remember, the two teams - the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks - that reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, sat near the basement of their respective conferences last season at the midway point.

So as riveting as the skills competition and All-Star Game will be, try not to wear yourself out folks, because the regular season's final push is going to be a wild ride.

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How 'bout those Edmonton Oilers?

After their second road win in as many nights over a Pacific Division competitor - 4-1 over the San Jose Sharks - the Oilers sit in a tie for first place with 64 points at the All-Star break. This is not a drill.

The victory gives Edmonton a 7-0-1 record over their past eight games, and a win over San Jose - a team they've beat just four times in regulation over their last 32 attempts - shows a changing of the guard for a franchise finally on an upswing.

"I think it's a feather in the cap of the players," head coach Todd McLellan said upon notching first place, according to Eric Gilmore of NHL.com. "They bought into a system, they bought into each other, they care about each other. To scratch and claw and win on the road in theses last two games in very tough buildings is something we should be proud of and we should be confident with, but it's only the All-Star break."

McLellan's right, it is only the All-Star break, but the Oilers snapping their 10-season playoff drought looks like all but a formality at this point. Edmonton is 11 points clear of its wild-card chasers 51 games in, and as their past two games have shown, the Oilers are very well competitive with the best the Pacific has to offer.

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Well, that wasn't very nice.

Upon calling a penalty in Thursday night's game between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets, referee Frederick L'Ecuyer was caught shouting some profanity.

Now, he's certainly not the first person to swear at a hockey game, but he might be the first to do it at center ice with his mic on.

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - Andrej Sekera scored two goals and the surging Edmonton Oilers extended their point streak to eight games by beating the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night.

Edmonton ended San Jose's six-game winning streak and tied the Sharks for the Pacific Division lead heading into the All-Star break. Both teams have 64 points, one more than Anaheim.

Oilers goalie Cam Talbot played brilliantly in earning his 26th win of the season. He made several point-blank saves and stopped 32 of 33 shots.

Drake Cauggiula and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 7-0-1 over their last eight games. The only loss during that span came to Nashville in a shootout.

Logan Couture scored for the Sharks, and Martin Jones made 18 saves.

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CHICAGO - Andrew Copp and Bryan Little scored in a 32-second span in the third period, and the Winnipeg Jets beat Chicago 5-3 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory against the Blackhawks this season.

Little, Copp, rookie Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist, helping the Jets to their third win in their last nine games. Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves on the final night before the NHL All-Star break.

The Blackhawks had a 3-2 lead before Copp tipped Josh Morrissey's shot past Scott Darling with 4:03 left. Little then blasted a shot by Darling for his 13th of the season, silencing the crowd of 21,746.

Scheifele added an empty-netter at 17:57 for his 22nd goal, moving the center into a tie with Laine for the team lead.

Duncan Keith, Nick Schmaltz and Tanner Kero scored for the Blackhawks (30-16-5), who were coming off a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Darling finished with 28 stops.

Winnipeg also scored two goals in a 42-second span in the first, continuing a disturbing trend for Chicago. The Blackhawks allowed two in 46 seconds against Vancouver on Sunday, and then surrendered a pair of goals in 30 seconds against the Lightning.

Kero's fourth of the season, finishing a slick passing sequence with Patrick Kane, gave Chicago a 3-2 lead at 16:37 of the second. The Blackhawks had a couple more opportunities after taking the lead, but Hellebuyck held them off until the Jets put together their strong finish.

Winnipeg jumped in front in the first when Little made a great pass across the ice to Laine, who drove a one-timer by Darling for a power-play goal at 6:16. Laine returned Tuesday after missing eight games with a concussion.

Jacob Trouba then had a big slap shot go off the right skate of Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell and past Darling, with Shawn Matthias getting his stick on the puck just before it crossed the line. It was Matthias' seventh of the season.

The Blackhawks, who controlled much of the early action, then got one back after Nic Petan was whistled for hooking at 13:02. Just five seconds into the ensuing power play, Keith drove a slap shot by Hellebuyck from the left point with Chicago center Artem Anisimov providing a perfect screen in front.

Schmaltz got the tying goal four minutes into the second. While Winnipeg defenseman Mark Stuart repeatedly checked Chicago center Marcus Kruger in the back while the two were on the ice, Schmaltz picked up the loose puck, skated in and beat Hellebuyck on the short side for his third of the season.

NOTES: Kruger played in his first game since Dec. 30. He was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday after being sidelined by a hand injury. ... The Jets scratched Ds Brian Strait and Julian Melchiori and G Michael Hutchinson. ... Blackhawks C Dennis Rasmussen, who is battling an illness, skated Thursday morning, but was scratched. D Michal Rozsival and F Jordin Tootoo also were inactive. ... Blackhawks D Niklas Hjalmarsson played in his 600th NHL game.

UP NEXT

Jets: Continue a four-game road trip Tuesday night against St. Louis.

Blackhawks: Begin a six-game road trip at San Jose on Tuesday night.

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It was the biggest goal the Calgary Flames have scored in some time.

Johnny Gaudreau finished off a beauty 2-on-0 passing play with Mikael Backlund to give his club a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It also put an end to the Senators' four-game winning streak.

As for Gaudreau, the goal was a huge monkey off his shoulders, ending the star's 11-game goalless skid.

With the win the Flames momentarily hold onto the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference heading into the All-Star break.

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Eddie Lack is close to making his return.

The Carolina Hurricanes netminder has been sidelined since Nov. 22 after he suffered a concussion.

On Thursday, the Hurricanes assigned Lack to Charlotte, their minor-league affiliate, where he will have an opportunity to get in some playing time on a conditioning stint.

Lack has appeared in just five games with Carolina this season, posting a 1-2-1 record with a save percentage of .856.

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