The emotion in Keith Yandle's emphatic goal celebration Sunday showed it was no ordinary tally.

Yes, it was the 100th career goal for the Florida Panthers defenseman, but he admitted he wasn't even aware of the milestone until he got back to the bench. The tally clearly meant a lot to Yandle, who had his ironman streak put in jeopardy this week when the team initially planned to have him serve as a healthy scratch before changing course.

"Anytime I score I'm pretty excited, but it was definitely a special one," Yandle said postgame, according to Fox Sports. "Seeing the guys and how excited they were for me definitely meant a lot."

Here's a look at Yandle's goal and the celebration that followed:

Yandle added that it was a relief when he was told he was going to play.

"Anytime you get to put on an NHL jersey and be able to represent your team is a special thing," he said.

A report initially surfaced Tuesday that Yandle had fallen out of favor with the Panthers and would eventually be a healthy scratch. Head coach Joel Quenneville confirmed three days later that the veteran blue-liner wasn't expected to play, but he then changed his mind prior to Sunday's contest.

"I was happy for him," Quenneville said postgame, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "And the bench was lit up as well. It's one of those moments where you look back at it and you can have a big smile."

Yandle's run of consecutive games played now sits at 867, which is the longest active streak in the league and the fourth-longest of all time.

The 34-year-old has three years remaining on his contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $6.35 million and includes a full no-movement clause. He's one of the league's most productive offensive defensemen, ranking fifth among blue-liners in points over the last three years. He's drawn criticism for his defensive play, though.

However, the Panthers produced 58.9% of the expected goals while Yandle was on the ice at five-on-five during Florida's 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks - the best among the team's defensemen, according to Natural Stat Trick.

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Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller will be in the lineup Monday night for his season debut versus the Calgary Flames, he confirmed Sunday.

Miller missed the club's first three games due to COVID-19 protocols. He never tested positive, but he wasn't able to take to the ice due to close contact with Vancouver defenseman Jordie Benn, who's still unable to play.

"I followed league and government protocols and I was cleared to return," Miller said. "I'm ready to get back at it ... I'm excited for the game tomorrow."

Miller is entering his second season with the Canucks after a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He made an instant impact with Vancouver in the 2019-20 campaign, leading the club in scoring with 72 points in the regular season before a strong playoff showing.

The Canucks are currently 1-2. They were shut out by the Flames and their former netminder, Jacob Markstrom, on Saturday.

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The first Monday of the NHL season treats us to a full day of hockey with the slate beginning at noon ET.

The matinee is the first of 18 games scheduled over the next two days, giving us plenty of options in the betting market.

Here's what we'll be playing:

Hurricanes (-115) @ Predators (-105); Jan. 18, 8 p.m. ET

I honestly couldn't bet this fast enough. When I saw the Hurricanes opened at +105, I raced to the window to secure my ticket. Carolina is an elite team being offered at a significant discount because the market has yet to catch up, and Saturday's loss to the Red Wings is only going to prolong that process.

The Hurricanes owned an absurd 64.62% of the expected goal share at five-on-five in their two opening games against Detroit. Now granted, it's the Red Wings, but that's still an outrageous number from a team that's picking up where it left off last season in that regard.

Meanwhile, despite twice beating the Blue Jackets to open the season, the Predators owned just 43.10% of the expected goal share at five-on-five. Only three teams have managed a worse mark to start the campaign: the Red Wings, Ducks, and Kings. I'd bet Carolina all the way up to -125 here.

Pick: Hurricanes (-115)

Canadiens (-110) @ Oilers (-110); Jan. 18, 9 p.m.

We were on the Canadiens on Saturday night and nothing we saw in that game has scared us off from backing them again here at a short price. There was great value in betting Montreal a day early in Saturday's game at +105, with the line climbing as short as -125 by puck drop. This game should follow a similar pattern, so get your Habs bets in early.

The Canadiens came out flying Saturday night, leading 4-0 after a dominant opening 30 minutes. They put it into cruise control after that with the Oilers piling it on in garbage time, and the advanced stats made the game look much closer than it ever was.

The reality is Montreal poured it on with all four lines, keeping Edmonton hemmed in its own end for much of the first 30 minutes. The Oilers are a very flawed team and have no business being evenly priced against a much deeper, and significantly undervalued, Canadiens club.

Pick: Canadiens (-110)

Sabres (+135) @ Flyers (-155), Jan. 19, 7 p.m.

Be sure to pay attention to the Flyers' goaltending situation for this back-to-back. We're currently expecting to see Carter Hart start Monday with Brian Elliott to follow Tuesday. Philadelphia is being priced the same on both nights despite a massive disparity between the pipes.

The move from Hart to Elliott comes with a decrease of 0.40 goals saved above average per 60 minutes and 0.015 save percentage, according to last season's numbers. There will also undoubtedly be an adjustment period for Elliott in his first appearance in an NHL game since August.

Through their first two games, the Sabres own 59.71% of the expected goal share at five-on-five - fourth in the NHL - despite losing both contests to the Capitals. The Flyers, meanwhile, have managed just a 43.57% share - the sixth-worst mark in the league - despite twice beating the Penguins. There's excellent value in backing Buffalo in the second game of this back-to-back.

Pick: Sabres (+135)

Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. 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, loves a juicy puck line, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson will be out "longer-term" with an upper-body injury, head coach Mike Sullivan revealed Sunday. There's currently no timeframe for his return to the lineup, Sullivan added.

The 26-year-old was injured during the Penguins' second game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers and was a late scratch for Sunday's contest. Defenseman Juuso Riikola took his spot in the lineup.

Matheson averaged 15:52 minutes of ice time over the two games he's appeared in.

Pittsburgh acquired Matheson along with Colton Sceviour in exchange for Patric Hornqvist during the offseason.

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The Arizona Coyotes consider Oliver Ekman-Larsson day-to-day after he suffered a lower-body injury in Saturday's contest, and the captain won't make the team's upcoming trip to Las Vegas, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Sunday.

Ekman-Larsson took an awkward spill into the boards after San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane hit him behind the net.

The 29-year-old didn't return to the game after a trainer attended to and helped him off the ice.

Ekman-Larsson has registered three assists through the Coyotes' first two games of the season. Arizona has two games against the Vegas Golden Knights on its upcoming road trip.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs placed goaltender Aaron Dell and forward Jason Spezza on waivers Sunday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Toronto opted to begin the season with Dell on the active roster as a third goalie alongside Frederik Andersen and Jack Campbell. The club signed him to a one-year, $800,000 contract during the offseason.

Spezza played in all three Leafs games this campaign, averaging 7:44 of ice time per game and registering one assist.

Toronto is facing a cap crunch due to Nick Robertson's injury in Saturday's contest. The rookie forward is expected to miss some time, which means the Leafs are likely waiving Dell and Spezza to create cap space to recall another forward.

A number of goalies were claimed off waivers in the last week, including Anton Forsberg and Troy Grosenick. In 33 games with the San Jose Sharks last season, Dell recorded a .907 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average.

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Keith Yandle's ironman streak will continue for another day.

After Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said earlier this week that it was unlikely Yandle will be in the team's lineup on opening night, he confirmed on Sunday the defenseman will play tonight versus the Chicago Blackhawks, according to team reporter Katie Gaus.

Yandle currently holds the NHL's longest active ironman streak after playing in 866 consecutive games dating back to 2009. It was reported earlier this week that he's fallen out of favor with the Panthers and isn't in the team's plans, suggesting Yandle would be a healthy scratch.

The 34-year-old racked up 45 points in 69 games with Florida last season, playing a crucial role on the team's power play.

He's entering his fifth campaign with the club, and there are three seasons remaining on his contract at an average annual value of $6.35 million. Yandle also holds a no-movement clause.

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