It's no secret that joining the Pittsburgh Penguins can add a couple points to a player's season total, since the club boasts more than a few elite talents to work with.
Mark Streit experienced that phenomenon firsthand Friday night when the veteran defenseman tallied a goal in his first game wearing Penguins colours, courtesy of some dazzling play from Pittsburgh stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Streit joined the Penguins just days ago via a deadline-day trade. The goal was his first in 21 games, and his sixth of the season.
Safe to say he's enjoying the move to the Steel City.
If the season ended today, the Columbus Blue Jackets would earn their highest division finish in franchise history.
The club ranks second in the Metropolitan, though just two points above the Pittsburgh Penguins with 20 games to go. Even if Sidney Crosby and Co. overtake them, the Jackets appear likely to finish no lower than third, which would match their previous best, set back in 2005-06.
Needless to say, it's been a good year for the former basement-dweller, as Columbus has emerged as one of the league's best on both ends of the rink. Their 3.19 goals per game rank fifth-most among all NHL clubs, while their 2.34 goals against rank third-lowest.
But one key characteristic separates the Jackets: age.
With an average age of 26.6, they're in fact the seventh-youngest team in the NHL, roughly level with the rookie-led Toronto Maple Leafs.
That discrepancy is significant, as it speaks to what Columbus' 2016-17 success really means. Nothing is guaranteed, but this doesn't appear to be a flash of brilliance on an otherwise mediocre timeline.
The Blue Jackets have enough pieces to make waves come playoff time, and with their youth playing a key role, that success is looking sustainable.
A look at who's carrying the mail in Columbus makes this clear. Of the club's top 10 goal-scorers, six are under the age of 25, just approaching their prime:
Player
Age
Goals
Cam Atkinson
27
29 Goals
Nick Foligno
29
22 Goals
*Brandon Saad
24
19 Goals
*Josh Anderson
22
14 Goals
Sam Gagner
27
14 Goals
Scott Hartnell
34
13 Goals
*Alexander Wennberg
22
12 Goals
*Boone Jenner
23
12 Goals
*Seth Jones
22
10 Goals
*Zach Werenski
19
9 Goals
The Jackets haven't seen the best of the majority of that top-10 group, while the team's top scorer, Cam Atkinson, is just hitting his stride.
The league's other top clubs are working on much shorter timelines.
Pittsburgh has just two players under age 25 among its top 10 goal-scorers, while Washington, Chicago, and Minnesota each have three. Those teams will likely dominate for the next few seasons, but, with most of their top weapons getting on in age, their inevitable decline isn't far.
Whether Columbus is ready to truly contend with those powerhouses remains to be seen, but it's clear the Jackets are miles beyond their fellow young gun squads.
As compared to the rest of the 10 youngest teams, they've achieved the most overall success by far. The Edmonton Oilers are the only other team among that group to rank even in the top half of their conference heading into the season's home stretch.
Toronto has its crew of elite rookies in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Edmonton has the game's next No. 1 star in Connor McDavid. But if we're talking depth and the ability to put it all together for team-wide results, the future looks to belong to the jackets.
It's an unexpected turn of events, to say the least.
Asked on Friday how he plans to fix his team's defensive miscues, Winnipeg Jets bench boss Paul Maurice didn't pass up the opportunity to take a dig at a coaching colleague.
"We've had players come in that didn't get here because they have those great sticks, great reads naturally. That has to be developed, and it's going to take time to develop that," Maurice told reporters. "The mistakes that I made, I did just a horrible job in relation to my colleague (Toronto Maple Leafs coach) Mike Babcock in selling our age and the mistakes.
"When (the Maple Leafs) have lost a game, it's just a wonderful learning experience, and they win and it's a triumph of character. We have the opposite thing going on here. But that's my choice, because I don't ever want to walk into a season and say we're not here to win the Stanley Cup."
According to NHLNumbers.com, the Maple Leafs are the league's eighth-youngest club (26.8 years old on average), while the Jets are the second-youngest, at 25.8.
The Jets and Maple Leafs have been linked by rookie sensations Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews, with the Jets freshman outpacing Matthews by a single point. Last month, Babcock noted Laine has the added bonus of playing with center Mark Scheifele, who has put up 65 points this season, while Matthews has been lined up with "two kids."
The teams split their season series one game apiece, with Winnipeg grabbing a 5-4 overtime win on Oct. 19, and Toronto winning by the same outcome Feb. 21. They won't meet again this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins pivot Evgeni Malkin became the seventh player in franchise history to hit 700 career games on Friday night, and the Russian star celebrated the milestone in style.
Midway through the second period of Pittsburgh's tilt with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Malkin finished off a slick cross-ice pass from Phil Kessel, wiring in a power-play goal from one knee to tie the game up.
The Penguins' duo connected on yet another one-timer tally later in the period, giving Malkin 28 goals on the year.
Evgeni Malkin 28 (Assists: Phil Kessel 37, Ian Cole 17)
Poised to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight campaign, the Arizona Coyotes will use the final weeks of the season to evaluate their roster.
Part of that evaluation will include young forward Anthony Duclair, recalled from the AHL on Wednesday. The scoring winger struggled through his second season in the NHL, so much so that he was demoted in January.
After he collected just nine points through the first 41 games of the season, the Coyotes sent Duclair to the minors, believing he could find his confidence and scoring touch with some time in the AHL.
Duclair recorded eight points in 16 games with the Tucson Roadrunners, but came away with only a single goal. He scored 20 goals with the Coyotes last season.
With his stint in the minors not working as planned, the Coyotes elected to bring Duclair back to the big leagues.
"We want him to play to his potential. He set a standard for his play last year that he has to get back to," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told reporters. "For whatever reason, he hasn't come close to that this year."
"Play better, earn some confidence, which I'm not sure he did, so we'll see how it goes up here," Tippett said when asked what the team had hoped to achieve by having Duclair play in Tucson. "We've got to have a look at him. We've got to see where we're at with him."
The Coyotes acquired Duclair from the New York Rangers at the 2015 trade deadline in the deal that sent blue-liner Keith Yandle to Manhattan. Duclair made his debut with the Coyotes last season and had some success alongside fellow rookie Max Domi, but that performance hasn't carried forward to 2016-17.
"We're looking to give him an opportunity to show that he can get back to that potential," Tippett said. "He needs to use these last games to re-establish himself as an NHL player."
The Calgary Flames' top line has been a work in progress for the past year, but it seems an unlikely candidate has finally secured the plum gig of skating with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
A rotating cast of wingers has taken turns filling the void since veteran Jiri Hudler was dealt at last season's deadline, but none have looked particularly impressive.
A week-and-a-half ago, head coach Glen Gulutzan switched things up, moving hard-nosed winger Micheal Ferland up to the big time.
Expectations were low, as Ferland had tried and failed to make a significant impact on the top line in the past. But this time, something clicked.
The 24-year-old recorded his first career multi-goal effort in his return to Monahan's wing. He's added two more goals in the four games since, after posting just three in the 23 games leading up to his top-line assignment.
Gaudreau and Monahan have added a combined 13 points in the five games with Ferland as well, with the big-bodied winger doing a fine job of clearing space for his new mates.
It's more than just a case of Ferland cashing in on his linemates' skillful plays. That much was made clear by the lack of success that came with the duo's previous wingers. The trio's success is grounded in a balance of style - Ferland bringing a blend of physicality and silky smooth scoring touch to complement Gaudreau's elite playmaking ability and Monahan's quick trigger.
Of course, watching Gaudreau and Monahan make waves offensively for the past two seasons has given Ferland an edge over newcomers like Alex Chiasson and Kris Versteeg, both of whom have seen time on the first line. Ferland has seen enough of Gaudreau's offensive wizardry to know what's coming next, and that anticipation has been a key factor in his ascension.
And, according to his new linemate, Ferland brings more to the table than most assume.
"He's sneakily skilled," Gaudreau told the Calgary Sun after Ferland's first game back on the top line. "Guys look at him just as a fighter and a big tough guy, but he's smart with the puck. He's intelligent, he can read the play, and he has a great shot, too."
Ferland has shown flashes of offensive brilliance in the past. In another life, back in 2011-12, he dominated the WHL to the tune of 47 goals and 96 points in just 68 games. He's never been that type of offensive cornerstone in the big leagues, but the new assignment might just be helping him rediscover that previously dormant skill.
As Calgary fights off the competition to remain in the playoff picture - they hold the first Western Conference wild-card spot with 72 points - the resurgent effort of its first line may be a crucial turning point.
Not because it will allow them to keep the status quo, but because it might signal a new level for the Flames.
The club has held on this long largely due to the exceptional play of their "second line" - Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik, and Matthew Tkachuk. With that line still rolling, Ferland's role in helping Gaudreau and Monahan return to their rightful level could be a game-changer down the stretch.
Add in the deadline-day addition of prospect Curtis Lazar, who may get a shot at creating some chemistry with floundering pivot Sam Bennett, and it appears Calgary is building some dangerous depth as they climb the Western ranks.
There will be no further comment from Antoine Vermette regarding his suspension.
The Anaheim Ducks center will no longer appeal the 10-game ban he landed after slashing an NHL official last month, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.
Vermette was involved in a stick incident with linesman Shandor Alphonso during a Feb. 14 contest against the Minnesota Wild. The action landed the veteran forward a game misconduct.
According to the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, abuse of an official is automatic grounds for suspension. Vermette ultimately appealed the suspension before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who upheld the 10-game sentence.
Vermette has not played since Feb. 14, missing five contests. He will need to serve the remaining five games of his suspension before he can return to the lineup Mar. 12 against the Washington Capitals.