Connor McDavid appears to be making positive steps in his recovery from a quad injury.
The Edmonton Oilers star hasn't played since Feb. 8 but took part in Thursday's team practice - his first since suffering the ailment. Head coach Dave Tippett said the team is taking it one day at a time, but he didn't rule McDavid out from returning to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
"He's moving well. We'll see where he is in the morning," Tippett said. "He's day-to-day ... he took a good step today but we're not over-promising anything."
McDavid looked comfortable while participating in an up-tempo skills drill.
The 2018 Art Ross Trophy winner was initially ruled out two-to-three weeks. Even if he sits out Friday, McDavid will travel with the club for it's California road trip beginning Sunday.
Despite missing the last five contests, McDavid ranks fourth in league scoring with 81 points through 55 games this season.
The Oilers are in the thick of a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race, leading the Pacific Division by a single point entering Thursday's action.
Montreal's new additions will report to the AHL's Laval Rocket.
Blandisi appeared in 21 games for the Penguins this season, recording two goals and five points. The Colorado Avalanche selected the 25-year-old in the sixth round in 2012.
Lucchini has yet to appear in an NHL game. The undrafted 24-year-old played in 53 contests with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season, recording seven goals and 15 points.
Barber appeared in nine games with the Canadiens this season and went pointless. He's totaled 13 goals and 31 points with the Rocket. Varone hasn't appeared in an NHL contest this season but has collected four goals and 10 assists in 27 games with Laval.
The Stars captain was assessed a five-minute boarding major and game misconduct for the hit. Ekman-Larsson was helped to the locker room but later returned to finish the contest.
"Player Safety viewed it as a 50-50 puck chase, not a typical boarding suspension where one player was tracking another," according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. "They felt it was definitely worth the boarding major which Benn got in-game, but felt it didn't rise to the level of supplemental discipline."
Benn has never received supplemental discipline over his 11-year NHL career.
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We were stunned by a third-period outburst in Chicago as we had to settle for a 2-2 showing Wednesday, but that was pushed to 3-2 if you tailed our trend of the night.
If not for a seven-goal third period and a 35-save effort from a former Vezina Trophy winner, we would have swept the board. Such is life.
GOATs and scapegoats
Betting the under in the Colorado Avalanche game last night, our one concern was Pavel Francouz, but he put in the type of performance we needed. He made sure the New York Islanders stayed ice-cold and helped keep the game under the total by making 27 saves on 28 shots.
Sergei Bobrovsky did Francouz one better, making 35 saves on 36 shots for the Florida Panthers. The .972 save percentage was his third-highest single-gamemarkof the season, ending a rough stretch for the former Vezina winner. And, of course, he did it on a night when we were on the over.
Thursday bets
Toronto Maple Leafs (-115)
This the biggest game of the season thus far for the Maple Leafs. After being embarrassed on Tuesday night, they return home for a rematch against the Pittsburgh Penguins, desperately needing to stop the bleeding. The character of each and every one of these players has been called into question over the last couple days. If they have any compete, this is when they need to show it - lose here and there won't be playoff hockey in Toronto come April.
Florida Panthers, 3-way line (+105)
Laying -140 on the Panthers' moneyline is also an option, but I like the discount we get for them to win in regulation. Florida is on a 6-1 run on no rest and has won eight of its last 11 games on the road. The Panthers have also won five straight away games versus Western Conference teams. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings are losers of five of their six home games in 2020 and just traded away their top goal-scorer and one of their top defensemen in Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez, respectively.
Best bet
Columbus Blue Jackets (-120)
Losers of seven in a row, the Blue Jackets have officially fallen out of a playoff spot, while the surging Philadelphia Flyers have moved into third in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus has been playing really good hockey but has found itself on the wrong side of a number of close games. Returning home will be big for the Blue Jackets, and I fully expect one of the game's best motivators in John Tortorella to get a massive response from his team after Tuesday's 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets have won 13 of their last 15 home games against the Flyers and I predict that to continue Thursday.
Trend of the night
The Flyers are on a 10-1 run to the over on the road, while the Blue Jackets are on an 11-1 run to the under on home ice.
Good luck making sense of this total.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
"When I played here in Chicago, I (thought) I would play here my whole life," Panarin said after Wednesday's 6-3 win over his former club, according to The Daily Herald's John Dietz. "And then that (trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets) happened. It still confuse(s) me."
Panarin played in the KHL from 2008-2015 before Chicago recruited him to the NHL. He made an immediate impact during the 2015-16 season, scoring 30 goals and 77 points and taking home the Calder Trophy.
He continued his excellent play during his second season in Chicago and then signed a two-year, $12-million contract extension.
"I don't want to be that guy. I want to play on a winning team," Panarin told his former agent, Dan Milstein, of signing a team-friendly deal, according to Dietz. "Give them the flexibility so they can retain the guys or sign the new guys because it's not about me. I'm young. I'm going to make plenty of money in my future."
In the summer of 2017, before his extension kicked in, Chicago dealt Panarin to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg.
"I was not ready for that. It was a big surprise for me. I (felt) bad after the trade," Panarin added.
The 28-year-old inked a seven-year, $81.5-million deal with the Rangers last summer. He's on pace for a career year in his first season with the club, tallying 30 goals and 79 points in 58 games.
Sometimes players just don't work with certain teams for intangible reasons. They could be newcomers who don't gel properly or veterans simply needing to move on and reignite their game.
A change of scenery can sometimes go a long way toward revitalizing careers. Ahead of next week's trade deadline, let's look at five players who would benefit from heading to a new team.
P.K. Subban, New Jersey Devils
Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / Getty
Subban is currently enduring the worst statistical season of his career, with his start as a Devil almost going as poorly as possible. His team is near the bottom of the standings, and many fingers are pointing at him for underperforming since arriving from the Nashville Predators last summer.
On pace for just eight goals and 18 points this season, Subban will surely be looking to return to his former self next year. After this campaign, there are two more years left on his contract that carry a $9-million annual cap hit. The Devils are looking to rebuild around their youthful core, which means parting ways with the soon-to-be 31-year-old Subban can be mutually beneficial.
The defenseman still possesses the drive and raw skills to return to the elite form that earned him a Norris Trophy in 2013. However, there may not be many teams willing to take on the veteran's cap hit after his disastrous play this season.
Jesse Puljujarvi, Edmonton Oilers
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Taken with the fourth overall selection in 2016, Puljujarvi never worked out as expected in Edmonton. Some blame can be placed on Puljujarvi being rushed into the NHL as an 18-year-old. Over three seasons, he's laced up in 139 games while managing only 17 goals and 37 points.
Puljujarvi is still just 21 years old with immense potential. His game never transitioned to the NHL with the Oilers, but his skills are unquestionable. After requesting a trade from Edmonton during the offseason, Puljujarvi opted to play with Karpat in the Finnish Elite League when he wasn't moved. He's played extremely well overseas, tallying 18 goals and 44 points in 46 games, which is good for sixth in the league's points race.
With Edmonton likely heading to the playoffs, Puljujarvi's name will surely be dangled around as the trade deadline looms. He can't play in the NHL this season, but teams looking ahead to next year and beyond may show interest. A change could help rejuvenate the dynamic youngster's NHL career.
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Jared Silber / National Hockey League / Getty
For much of the last decade, Quick was among the NHL's best netminders. But the last two years have been a different story.
Prior to the 2018-19 season, Quick's career save percentage was .917 and his goals-against average sat at 2.27. His save percentage has significantly dropped to .892 over the past two seasons, and he owns an inflated 3.20 goals-against average.
At even strength this season, Quick's expected save percentage is .916, whereas his actual save percentage is .907. His high-danger save percentage is .787, which ranks 26th among the 48 goaltenders who have played 1,000-plus minutes. However, while playing behind a middling and rebuilding Kings team, Quick still shows flashes of his old form despite the poor surface stats.
The 34-year-old carries a $5.8-million annual cap hit through 2022-23, making him a tough gamble for goalie-needy teams. With Cal Petersen looking ready to take the reins in net for Los Angeles, it may be time for the Kings to move on from the former Conn Smythe winner.
There are a number of teams in need of a reliable goaltender, and Quick can rebound if he's placed behind the right group.
Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Gostisbehere finished second in the 2016 Calder Trophy voting following a promising start to his career.
After recording 24 goals and 85 points in 140 games over his first two seasons, the Flyers inked him to a six-year, $27-million deal in 2017. Gostisbehere posted 13 goals and a career-high 65 points in his first year of the contract, but he's failed to return to that level this season and last.
He's missed recent games due to injury, but Gostisbehere was a healthy scratch a couple of times earlier this season. He's notched just five goals and 12 points in 41 games in 2019-20, and the defenseman hasn't been driving offense as well as usual.
His high-danger goals-for percentage sits at 34.78% this season after he averaged greater than 50% in three of the last four campaigns. A lack of offensive firepower paired with average defending skills is hindering his impact.
HockeyViz.com
Gostisbehere's contract carries an average annual value of $4.5 million and he's signed through 2022-23. His contract can be a bargain if he bounces back. His talent as a reliable puck-moving defenseman is undeniable, but his inconsistency is a cause for concern in Philadelphia. That could be a product of Gostisbehere's skill set not fitting the Flyers' style under new head coach Alain Vigneault.
The return for the young blue-liner would also be good for the Flyers, who need an offensive boost.
Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators
Andy Marlin / National Hockey League / Getty
The Predators gave up a pretty hefty sum to acquire Turris in 2017, parting with two high-end prospects and a second-round pick. They also immediately inked him to a six-year, $36-million extension. He performed adequately during his first year in Nashville, potting 13 goals and adding 29 assists. He's struggled to match those numbers since.
In the 107 games he's played since the 2018-19 campaign began, Turris has amassed just 16 goals and 51 points. This season he's averaging 15:06 of ice time per game while playing on many different lines. Turris scored 20-plus goals three times during his tenure with the Senators, but he's on pace for only 12 this year after scoring seven in 55 games last season.
Before Matt Duchene's arrival this past summer, Turris offered the Predators depth down the middle. With Duchene and Ryan Johansen entrenched as the team's top centers, there isn't as strong of a need for Turris anymore.
He can benefit from being moved to another club that would play him at his natural position in a top-six role. Signed through the 2023-24 season with a $6-million cap hit, a franchise would really have to trust Turris to rebound in a new environment.
