Forget about trading Thomas Greiss. Rather, the New York Islanders should be printing him a new contract.

Why? Because he's played better than any Islanders goalie in recent history.

No Islanders netminder has posted better numbers than Greiss since Glenn Resch did so in 1976. In other words, Greiss has put on the best performance between the pipes in 40 years. Using a 10-game minimum, here's how the top five stack up, based on save percentage:

Since joining New York last season, Greiss has taken hold of the starter's role, playing half of the games a year ago and is on pace for 43 appearances this season.

Overall, Greiss has a .926 save rate through 65 games over the past two campaigns. Take it one step further and here's how he ranks league-wide:

Only Nashville Predators rookie netminder Juuse Saros has posted a better save percentage (min. 10 games played), owning a .936 mark through 11 games this season.

But stretch that to a bigger workload and Greiss stands above the rest, ahead of both the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist and New Jersey Devils' Cory Schneider, who get the bulk of the goalie headlines in the metropolitan area.

Goaltending has been hard to come by this season in other markets. The Islanders need to look no further than the likes of Calgary, Dallas, and Winnipeg to see the true value of goaltending and what Greiss provides.

So what's the value in trading Greiss? He's a pending unrestricted free agent, where the team could deal him and then attempt to re-sign him in the summer. That allows the Islanders to cash in on an asset but at some long-term risk.

That's because there's no guarantee Greiss returns to New York, particularly if he's shipped to a Stanley Cup contender. There's no denying the Islanders have recruitment problems. Quite simply, Brooklyn is bad and, save for last spring, the team has been a playoff flop dating back to 1993.

But today, Greiss is in New York, where he has a starter's role. Now he just needs the starter's pay to go with it.

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Catch and release.

Auston Matthews fished the puck out of the feet of Frans Nielsen and smoothly transitioned the puck to his backhand for a brilliant finish Wednesday versus the Detroit Red Wings.

It's the All-Star's 23rd goal, and it takes back a share of the provisional rookie scoring lead with Mitch Marner.

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One bad goalie was enough for the Calgary Flames. But two?

Chad Johnson, the free-agent revelation in goal in Calgary, has gone cold at the wrong time, with the Flames in the midst of a heated playoff race.

With 51 points in as many games, Calgary is holding down the West's final playoff spot, but is only a single point above Los Angeles and Vancouver, and three points ahead of Dallas and Winnipeg. Three of those four teams also have games in hand.

Collectively, Johnson still holds a winning record on the season, coming in at 16-12-1, alongside a .913 save percentage and 2.50 GAA. But Johnson's play has faltered somewhat lately:

Earlier this season, the Flames turned to Johnson in goal after its big-ticket summer addition, netminder Brian Elliott, faltered through his early goings in Alberta. Now into January, Elliott still hasn't found the high level of play that saw him finish with an NHL-best .930 save percentage a year ago while with the St. Louis Blues.

Whether it's Johnson or Elliott who finds his game, the Flames will need support in goal if the team hopes to return to the postseason for just the second time since 2009.

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The San Jose Sharks are expected to have forward Tomas Hertl back in the lineup when they wrap up the pre-All-Star portion of their schedule.

He's expected to be in action Thursday versus the Edmonton Oilers, according to Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News.

Hertl, activated from injured reserve Wednesday, has missed the last 31 games with a right knee sprain.

Scoring hasn't been a major concern of late for the first-place Sharks, but the punch Hertl can pack will be welcomed nonetheless. He established career-best numbers with 21 goals and 46 points last season.

San Jose's production has been middling this season, but the club has scored at a top-10 level over the last month, racking up 47 goals in its last 15 games.

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On Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators inducted Bryan Murray as the first member of its newly-minted Ring of Honour.

Murray served as general manager of the Senators from 2007 until the end of last season, while doubling as head coach from 2005-08.

Under his guidance, the Senators posted their best season in franchise history, wrapping the 2005-06 campaign with 113 points. The following spring, the Senators made their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Whether from the general manager's seat or behind the bench, Murray left his impression on the Senators' organization, where he still serves as senior hockey advisor.

This season, with the Senators sitting second in the Atlantic Division, the team is poised to return to the postseason after missing out a year ago. The Senators are led by a host of key players, many of whom arrived in Ottawa because of Murray:

The Turris Trade

David Rundblad had a short tenure in Ottawa. That's because after he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2010, Murray flipped him to Arizona a year-and-a-half later in order to bring young pivot Kyle Turris to the Canadian capital.

With the Coyotes, Turris struggled to live up to his billing as a one-time third-overall pick, but has flourished in Ottawa, where he has provided a strong top-two presence down the middle alongside new recruit Derick Brassard. Consistency has been the name of Turris' game since coming to the Senators, as he's scored no fewer than 0.53 points per game since 2011:

Goodbye Lehner

On the floor of the 2015 draft, the Senators cashed in on a seller's market for goaltenders, when Murray shipped backup netminder Robin Lehner to the Buffalo Sabres, recently under the guidance of former Senators assistant GM and Murray's nephew, Tim Murray.

That deal returned a first rounder to Ottawa, which the Senators used to nab forward Colin White with the 21st overall pick.

White recently made headlines as part of the world juniors, where the agitating winger put up seven goals and an assist en route to Team USA's gold medal finish. While White remains in the amateur ranks, spending this season at Boston College, Murray and the Senators have seen several other successes at the draft table, many having big impacts with the team this season:

Adding Dion

Eleven months ago, the Senators pulled off a blockbuster deal with their provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 10-piece, nine-player deal involved many moving parts, but the biggest name in the package included Maple Leafs defenseman and captain Dion Phaneuf.

Since arriving in Ottawa, Phaneuf has stabilized the Senators' blue line, pairing with young defender Cody Ceci, and rounding out a top-four that includes Erik Karlsson and Marc Methot. Phaneuf has rediscovered his game and his scoring touch in Ottawa, as he's on pace for his best finish since 2012.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The numbers of women affected by abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence staggered Sean Henry, president and CEO of the Nashville Predators, the first time he heard them.

Then he talked to his wife, mother and other women in his life who told him the numbers didn't surprise them. That shocked, and scared, him even more.

Now the Nashville Predators are launching a public service announcement to ''Unsilence the Violence'' that features players like All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban and captain Mike Fisher. The franchise also pledged $500,000 over five years from its foundation to the YWCA's MEND program designed to teach men and boys how to help end violence against women and children.

''The best part of what we do as a franchise, we get to leverage the passion our teams have for our team, our logo and turn that into something better, and I can't think of a better cause to be behind than stopping violence against women in our community,'' Henry said at a news conference Wednesday.

The Predators have supported the MEND program since soon after its inception four years ago, including hosting program sessions at the Bridgestone Arena. The Ohio Valley Conference, headquartered just south of Nashville, also has been a longtime supporter, with Tennessee State men's basketball coach Dana Ford appearing in the new ad.

With the money from the Predators and a $200,000 commitment from the All-State Foundation, the YWCA will help fund billboards and expansion of the MEND program beyond the 10 clubs and schools in the Nashville area.

The program is run by Shan Foster, Vanderbilt's all-time leading scorer, and works to teach boys and young men how to talk to women and to have healthier relationships. Foster said hearing those lessons from coaches, administrators and pro athletes makes the message more powerful.

Henry said violence against women is a man's problem.

''Men need to step in and stop this,'' Henry said. ''We need to turn those numbers around, and it starts with every individual.''

Sharon K. Roberson, president and CEO of the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, said one in four women will be abused in her lifetime, one in five will be sexually assaulted in college and 15.5 million children witness domestic violence each year. She also said Nashville police respond to a domestic violence call every 20 minutes.

Henry said those numbers are worsening, making it more imperative to act. The Predators official said he's had some people tell him they won't end violence against women.

''Even if we fall short of that goal, if we change that one in four to one in 54, the lives we're changing we're changing forever breaking the cycle,'' Henry said.

The Predators are hosting MEND Night at their arena Thursday night during their game against Columbus to raise awareness and more money for the program, offering discounted tickets and making a donation to the YWCA.

Henry said the NHL is looking at the issue of violence against women and how to get involved. But he said he's more focused with what the Predators are doing right now and hoping other sports franchises follow their lead. The new ad is designed to give boys role models who speak up, whether it's a sexist joke or someone being harassed.

''We need to get our 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-year-old boys better examples,'' Henry said. ''Examples they can say: 'Wait a minute. P.K. Subban says this isn't OK. He's standing up to this. I should too.'''

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Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand will have a hearing for his "dangerous trip" on Detroit Red Wings defender Niklas Kronwall, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.

Marchand looked to intentionally kick the right leg out from underneath Kronwall as he skated behind the defenseman Tuesday night.

He was not penalized on the play.

Marchand has a lengthy suspension history, which likely factored into the NHL's decision to host an official review. There have been several slew-footing incidents over the last week that have gone unpunished.

He was last suspended 13 months ago for clipping Ottawa's Mark Borowiecki.

If there is a suspension handed down, it's unknown whether it will affect his participation at the upcoming NHL All-Star Game.

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The St. Louis Blues are going to ride the hot hand.

Goaltender Carter Hutton will get the start in Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild after stopping all 34 shots faced in a 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Related: Hutton's shutout further complicates Blues' crease conundrum

It had previously been announced that Jake Allen would make his first start since Jan. 19 on Thursday in his return from a team-mandated mental break.

Allen will, however, suit up as Hutton's backup as Pheonix Copley has been returned to the AHL.

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The Colorado Avalanche are eschewing the morning skate in the second half of the season.

With a schedule that has the club playing almost every other night through the conclusion of the regular season, the team made the decision to go with optional morning skates on game days, in addition to team meetings and video sessions.

"Our schedule has been strange," said first-year head coach Jared Bednar, who asserted the decision was a result of conversation between staff and players. "That's the best way I can put it. You look at the two big breaks at the start of the year, then Christmas break, then the bye week, and we seem to have (had) a lot of space in between games."

Bednar added that his team has had a lot of practice time through the first half of the season, even though it's not showing, as Colorado sits dead last in the NHL in points, with only 28 through 45 games, in what is a lost season.

With a busy schedule the rest of the way, Bednar wants to make sure the players have ample time to rest.

Colorado will have more than a day off between games only twice next month, between Feb. 1 and 4, and Feb. 25 and 28. The rest of the way, it's a game every other night, with five stretches of three games in four nights.

The decision also means practices will be more intense, with the players expected to work hard.

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Bryan Bickell hopes to help the Carolina Hurricanes get into the playoffs.

The forward, who's been sidelined since late October following a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, participated in his third full practice Wednesday. Afterwards, Bickell told reporters he feels normal and positive, and that being around the team has been helpful in terms of focusing on hockey and getting back into his normal routine following a tough stretch adjusting to his new reality.

"I knew something wasn't right and to pull myself up and get it fixed is the biggest thing," he said. "That was the past, we're taking it day by day right now and looking to get back in the lineup and helping this team win. Ideally, (we'll) get in the playoffs. That's our goal and my goal as well."

Bickell added he's in constant communication with doctors in terms of the treatment process and whether he's well enough to return to game action.

He does need to clear a few final hurdles in order to get full medical clearance, but he's making progress and feels mentally ready to play.

Bickell scored one goal in seven games for the Hurricanes earlier this season, and would bring valuable experience from his days in Chicago as Carolina tries to jump into a playoff spot.

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