Edmonton Oilers forward James Neal will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, head coach Dave Tippett confirmed, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.

Neal, 32, has missed the club's last 16 games after suffering a foot injury on Jan. 29.

The 6-foot-3 winger potted 11 goals in his first 14 outings to start the season, but he's found the net just eight times in 36 games since. Neal needs just one more tally to cement his 11th career 20-goal campaign.

Edmonton acquired Neal from the Calgary Flames for forward Milan Lucic in July. The Ontario native has three years left on his current deal beyond this season, which carries an annual cap hit of $5.75 million.

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Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl put on a show during the Edmonton Oilers' 8-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday.

McDavid (one goal, four assists) and Draisaitl (four goals, one assist) combined for 10 points in the contest, and at least one of the stars was involved in each of Edmonton's eight markers on the night.

The two teams entered the third period tied 3-3, but the Oilers exploded for five goals in five minutes and 17 seconds, capped by Draisaitl's fourth goal and McDavid's fifth point.

McDavid began the third-period rally with a long-range wrister after circling the zone.

Draisaitl potted his second of the game less than a minute later.

Shortly after Zack Kassian's tally, Draisaitl completed his hat trick.

Draisaitl then took a feed in the slot from McDavid on the power play and made no mistake, completing the thumping.

Draisaitl (107 points) and McDavid (94) now sit first and second in league scoring.

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The 2019-20 campaign will be one to forget for Josh Anderson.

The Columbus Blue Jackets forward will miss four-to-six months after undergoing shoulder surgery Monday, the team announced.

Anderson hasn't played since Dec. 14 and was only expected to miss four-to-six weeks. In total, he skated in just 26 contests this season, recording a goal and three assists.

"When Josh suffered the injury, the options were to have it surgically repaired and miss the rest of the season or rest and rehabilitate with a chance to return to the lineup," general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Unfortunately, the injury has not responded as any of us had hoped to the latter and the decision was made to have the surgery now so that Josh will be fully healthy and ready to go next season."

The 25-year-old power forward set career highs in 2018-19 with 27 goals and 20 assists in 82 games. He's set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and was left out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, according to The Athletic's Ryan S. Clark.

It is unclear when Makar suffered the injury. He appeared in Colorado's last game Saturday, logging 24:28 of ice time.

The rookie blue-liner has recorded 12 goals and 35 assists in 56 games with the Avalanche this season. He already missed eight contests earlier in the campaign due to an upper-body injury.

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Reinforcements are on the way.

Toronto Maple Leafs defensemen Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci are on track to return at some point next week, head coach Sheldon Keefe told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

The Maple Leafs also believe rookie forward Ilya Mikheyev will return this season, though his timeline is a bit longer than those of Rielly and Ceci, Johnston added.

Injuries have decimated Toronto's blue line in 2019-20. With Jake Muzzin also sidelined, the Leafs are currently playing without half of their regular top six defensemen.

Rielly, who finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting after last season, totaled 27 points in 46 games before going down with a fractured foot. He was given a timeline of at least two months on Jan. 13. The 25-year-old admitted he had been playing through an undisclosed ailment before suffering the foot injury.

Ceci hasn't played since sustaining an ankle injury on Feb. 5 against the New York Rangers. He's recorded eight points across 54 games in his first season in Toronto.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes' confidence in his game is on full display both on and off the ice.

When asked if he should seriously be considered for the Calder Trophy, Hughes didn't hesitate.

"Yeah, for sure, I think so," he said, according to The Hockey News' Ken Campbell. "I'm not the one making the call, but, especially the last 30 games, I don't know if anyone has been better than me."

Hughes has mustered up six goals and 19 assists over his last 30 contests while averaging 22:19 of ice time. Only Chicago Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik has recorded more points (31) among rookies during that span, according to NHL.com.

The 20-year-old Hughes, who took home Rookie of the Month honors for February, currently leads all rookies with 51 points in 64 games. He's also tied with Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson for the most points recorded among all blue-liners since Jan. 1 with 23.

"I haven't surprised myself because I thought I would do really well," Hughes added, according to Campbell. "I've been doing this my whole life, so why would I be surprised? At the same time, you think you're going to do well, but you never know how things are going to go. So, I'm humbled by that."

Hughes was taken seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 draft.

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