Everyone in Montreal take a deep breath - your team is winning games once again, and a lot of that has to do with captain Max Pacioretty.

Patches started the campaign on one of the worst scoring droughts of his 10-year career, notching only one goal across the team's first eight games. During that same time frame, the Canadiens went a miserable 1-7 while struggling to put the puck in the back of the net.

Fast forward 10 games, and Montreal has seen its season go from bleak to blossoming - and the Habs can look no further than their streaking captain for the team's turnaround.

Including his two-point performance Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres, which included his 10th overtime goal of his career, Pacioretty now has 11 points in his last 10 contests.

Over that same span, the Canadiens have now won six out of their last nine games to climb out of the Eastern Conference basement.

Despite the lackluster start to his 2017-18 season, Pacioretty is still on pace for a 30-plus-goal, 60-plus-point season. However, the bottom line is that he must continue his torrid pace if Montreal hopes to be in the mix for one of the final playoff seeds in the East.

With No. 1 goaltender Carey Price working his way back from injury and Pacioretty firing on all cylinders, fans in La Belle Province have legitimate reason for optimism.

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Sergei Bobrovsky has officially submitted his entry for save of the year.

The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender pulled off an utterly improbable stop Saturday night, foiling a 2-on-0 rush by the Detroit Red Wings in overtime.

Andreas Anthanasiou and Anthony Mantha broke in by themselves with about 90 seconds left in the extra frame.

The Blue Jackets prevailed in a shootout.

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The Montreal Canadiens' goaltending depth is about to be tested even more than it has been in the absence of Carey Price.

Al Montoya is out indefinitely as he recovers from a concussion, the club announced Saturday night.

The 32-year-old took a Dustin Byfuglien slap shot to the mask in last Saturday's win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Montoya finished that game but hasn't played since.

Charlie Lindgren has taken the goaltending reins for Montreal with both Price and Montoya hurt, and Zach Fucale backed up Lindgren on Saturday night.

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It really could have been much worse for Jimmy Vesey.

The New York Rangers forward posted a pair of eyebrow-raising photos after Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, in which he took the boot of Zack Kassian's skate to the face.

Here's how it happened, if you missed it:

Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed afterwards that Vesey had two teeth in his lip, according to NHL.com's Cristina Ledra.

The young winger is fortunate to have escaped the incident with a busted lip and a couple of stray chiclets, and he'll likely be chomping at the bit to play Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, as the Rangers will look to extend their six-game win streak.

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The Vancouver Canucks hope to put pen to paper with the man in charge.

Through 16 games this season, the Canucks have an 8-6-2 record and 18 points, good for third place in the Pacific. That performance seems to sit well with owner Francesco Aquilini, and could mean rewarding general manager Jim Benning with a contract extension.

"I'm optimistic we're going to come to an agreement with him," Aquilini told Sportsnet 650, per Ed Willes of The Province.

Following a campaign in which the Canucks finished with the league's second-worst showing - ahead of only the Colorado Avalanche - it's been a year of renewal in Vancouver.

Rookie Brock Boeser leads the team in scoring, while the Canucks are also getting key contributions from offseason additions Thomas Vanek, Michael Del Zotto, and goaltender Anders Nilsson, among others.

As for Benning, who entered the season in the final year of his contract, he remains focused on the task at hand.

"I'm more concerned about trying to change the culture of the group. Since I took the job, we've been trying to rebuild the organization," Benning said. "It's something that doesn't happen overnight. Kids take time."

Benning was named Canucks GM in April 2014, following a seven-year run as assistant GM of the Boston Bruins.

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A victory over the Buffalo Sabres Friday saw Roberto Luongo pass Curtis Joseph for sole possession of fourth place on the NHL's all-time wins list.

It's the latest mark in a long-running career that began with the New York Islanders in 1999 and sees Luongo continue his ascent on three all-time greats - two Hall of Famers, with the third (Brodeur) a shoo-in for enshrinement once eligible in 2018.

But the feat also begs whether Luongo deserves similar recognition down the road. While he has had plenty of success finding the win column, Luongo hasn't cleaned up in individual accolades, especially compared to the three he trails.

Luongo has never won the Stanley Cup - his Vancouver Canucks fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games in 2011 - nor has he picked up any other trophies, save for a William M. Jennings win in 2010-11, awarded to the netminder who allows the fewest goals against.

That season, Luongo was a wall for the Canucks, posting a 38-15-7 showing through 60 games, alongside a .928 save percentage, and 2.11 goals-against average, as Vancouver appeared in its first Stanley Cup Final since 1994.

However, it doesn't bode well for Luongo that Joseph - who became eligible for induction in 2012 - isn't a Hall of Famer. Joseph never won the Stanley Cup, nor any major awards either, and he secured his 454 wins in fewer appearances than Luongo, doing so in an era that largely did not include the shootout.

Also working against Luongo is that the three goaltenders he trails also picked up other awards along the way. Belfour and Brodeur both took home the Calder Trophy in their respective freshmen seasons, while Roy was named the playoff MVP during three of the four occasions he hoisted the Stanley Cup.

Still, while Luongo hasn't found the championship circle in the NHL, he draws some parallels on the international stage. Luongo has been a top performer with Team Canada, securing five first-place finishes, including gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Most importantly, though, is that he still has time. Luongo should slide into third in wins in the coming months and - given the 38-year-old is under contract until 2022, along with the parity in the NHL - there's no reason to rule out a Stanley Cup, even for Luongo and the Panthers.

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Buffalo Sabres forward Benoit Pouliot will be given no supplemental discipline for his hit on Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Following their hearing with Pouliot, Player Safety noted that further angles of the hit showed Yandle's head was not the main point of contact as had been previously believed.

The news means Pouliot will be available to the Sabres when they take on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

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Vadim Shipachyov is happy to be home.

A one-time prized free-agent signing by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, the Russian forward retired from the NHL on Thursday after his short stint in North America barely got off the ground.

"The promises which I was given in America didn't come off, but everything works out for the best," Shipachyov told the KHL. "A lot of other SKA players who are here now have gone down this route, it's probably the correct strategy.

"Now I know that Russian players should think 10 times before leaving for abroad, it's different from what the clubs and agents tell you."

In all, Shipachyov suited up for three games with the Golden Knights, picking up one point. He was later assigned to the Chicago Wolves, but refused to suit up for the minor-league team, and instead opted for a return to Russia.

On Saturday, Shipachyov inked a one-year deal with the KHL's St. Petersburg SKA, where he played the past four seasons prior to drawing NHL interest.

St. Petersburg is the defending Gagarin Cup champion whose lineup includes former NHLers Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk. Shipachyov was a part of last year's championship squad, as he was in 2015, and his return could further spark the first-place KHL club that has won 23 of its 31 games.

Shipachyov, 30, finished second in SKA scoring last season - just two points behind Kovalchuk - tallying 76 points in 50 games. He is disappointed he couldn't replicate that success in the NHL, but is happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

"Before the season's start, I was told by the general manager that they need to send a player to the AHL, and I am that man," Shipachyov stated. "He said for me to help them in order to trade defensemen, and then I will make my debut.

"Face to face I was told one thing, but when it came to hockey, the story changed ... However, even a negative experience helps you appreciate how things worked in St. Petersburg."

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Buffalo Sabres forward Benoit Pouliot will have a hearing for an illegal check to the head on Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Saturday.

The incident in question took place during Friday night's contest after Pouliot caught Yandle with a hit behind the Panthers' goal. There was no penalty called on the play.

Yandle looks to have escaped injury as the 31-year-old remained in the game. As for Pouliot, his club will be back in action Saturday night when they tangle with the Montreal Canadiens.

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Vadim Shipachyov has returned to his old stomping grounds.

The Russian forward has signed a one-year contract with St. Petersburg SKA of the KHL, where he spent the previous four seasons prior to joining the Vegas Golden Knights.

Shipachyov, 30, retired from the NHL on Thursday, closing the door on his short stint in North America. The move allowed the Golden Knights to avoid exposing him to waivers and risk losing him to another NHL club.

It also means his two-year, $9-million contract is removed from the team's salary cap, minus a portion of his $2-million signing bonus. Vegas retains Shipachyov's NHL rights until age 35.

Shipachyov's time in the NHL came to a close after his refusal to suit up for the Golden Knights' minor-league affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

In all, Shipachyov appeared in three games with the Golden Knights, potting one goal. He collected 76 points in 50 games with St. Petersburg last season.

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