The absence of Morgan Rielly didn't explain the generally poor effort put forth by the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers.

That was Mike Babock's assessment, at any rate.

"I don't think Rielly made us not compete hard enough tonight or not take care of the puck or not stop on defense. I don't think he had anything to do with that," Babcock said after the game.

"Obviously the back end was in trouble lots tonight," he continued. "We weren't very good. We didn't skate (Wednesday) so we should have been fresh and we should have had jump. Obviously we shouldn't have done that, we weren't mentally sharp. We'll get that fixed tomorrow and get right for Ottawa (Saturday)."

The Maple Leafs were outshot 41-25 on the night, and old teammate Michael Grabner scored a pair of third-period goals - one on a shorthanded breakaway and one into an empty net - to seal the win for New York.

Heading into Saturday's game against the Senators, Toronto sits two points back of both Ottawa and Boston in the race for second spot in the Atlantic Division.

Rielly, by the way, remains day to day with a lower-body injury.

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When the Ottawa Senators added Mike Condon for the price of a fifth-round draft pick, the expectation was that he would give the club the occasional spot start while Craig Anderson was on personal leave and in relief of Andrew Hammond.

As it turns out, the 26-year-old undrafted goalie has been relied upon heavily in recent weeks, and is making good on the opportunity.

Condon's latest feat? A 42-save shutout win over the first-place Columbus Blue Jackets.

Since the beginning of December, Condon has started 19 of Ottawa's past 20 games for the Senators, with Anderson still away from the team to be with his ailing wife and Hammond on the shelf with an ankle sprain.

In that time, he's posted a record of 10-6-3, with a save percentage of .910, helping the Senators remain in a playoff spot.

When one considers the alternatives could have been Chris Driedger or Matt O'Connor, general manager Pierre Dorion's decision to ensure a level of depth at such an important position is turning out to be one of the shrewdest moves of the season.

Condon can become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and should shed his status as a journeyman goalie based on his efforts this season.

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Sam Bennett is going to be a spectator for at least one game.

Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan has decided to scratch the young forward from Thursday's game against Nashville, saying Bennett's game isn't where the club needs it to be at this point in the season.

Being scratched, however, is part of the growing process, Gulutzan explained.

"He's 20 years old. Sometimes guys just need a break to sit and watch the game and they come back a lot better," Gulutzan explained, per Torie Peterson on the team's official website. "We've been working with Sam the last three, four weeks, trying to get his game back in order. Sometimes it's good for a young guy - a 20-year-old - to sit and watch a game, get a little bit of a break."

Bennett, who was drafted fourth overall by the Flames in 2014, has recorded nine goals and nine assists in 47 games this season.

Matt Stajan will take his place on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Alex Chiasson.

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Carey Price knows there's plenty of time for the Montreal Canadiens to find their groove.

With his team sitting comfortably atop the Atlantic Division - for the time being at least - the franchise goalie acknowledged the need for improvement if it wants to achieve its ultimate goal.

In the loss to Pittsburgh, Price allowed at least four goals for the sixth time in his past nine games, and the 12th time this season. On top of that, his save percentage has been dropping month by month.

Still, Price knows he can't dwell on those uncharacteristically poor performances.

"You can't stop those pucks now so you just got to look forward to the next game," he said.

Recent struggles aside, Price remains the best in the world at his position, and he could very well carry his team to a Stanley Cup should he find his game when it matters most.

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Carey Price knows there's plenty of time for the Montreal Canadiens to find their groove.

With his team sitting comfortably atop the Atlantic Division - for the time being at least - the franchise goalie acknowledged the need for improvement if it wants to achieve its ultimate goal.

In the loss to Pittsburgh, Price allowed at least four goals for the sixth time in his past nine games, and the 12th time this season. On top of that, his save percentage has been dropping month by month.

Still, Price knows he can't dwell on those uncharacteristically poor performances.

"You can't stop those pucks now so you just got to look forward to the next game," he said.

Recent struggles aside, Price remains the best in the world at his position, and he could very well carry his team to a Stanley Cup should he find his game when it matters most.

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Connor McDavid has put himself in fine company.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar recorded the 100th point of his career upon assisting on a Zack Kassian goal against Florida.

Only three active players have reached that mark in fewer career games.

McDavid, of course, is in the thick of the NHL's scoring race, with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hot on his heels.

Crosby, Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin are arguably the three greatest players of the past decade, and can be named among some of the best of all time. If McDavid keeps it up - and there's no reason to believe he won't - he'll be right up there when all is said and done.

McDavid, by the way, added point No. 101 with a second assist later in the first period.

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Connor McDavid has put himself in fine company.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar recorded the 100th point of his career upon assisting on a Zack Kassian goal against Florida.

Only three active players have reached that mark in fewer career games.

McDavid, of course, is in the thick of the NHL's scoring race, with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin hot on his heels.

Crosby, Malkin, and Alex Ovechkin are arguably the three greatest players of the past decade, and can be named among some of the best of all time. If McDavid keeps it up - and there's no reason to believe he won't - he'll be right up there when all is said and done.

McDavid, by the way, added point No. 101 with a second assist later in the first period.

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Auston Matthews appeared to display hockey smarts beyond his years Saturday in Ottawa.

Presented with a faceoff opportunity in the offensive zone, the Toronto Maple Leafs teenage rookie sensation lost the draw, only to use that to his advantage en route to setting up an important third-period insurance marker.

Here's how it happened.

With the Maple Leafs already up by a goal 12:10 into the final frame, Matthews (34) and Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) set up at the dot for an important draw to goaltender Mike Condon's (1) left.

Pageau won the draw cleanly - too cleanly - and Matthews immediately darted for the loose puck heading to no-man's land, with Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci (5) and winger Tom Pyatt (10) stationed in front of Condon, and defenseman Mark Borowiecki (74) lined up at left wing.

Matthews was indeed able to scoop the puck, and drew the attention of both Ottawa defensemen and its center. Meanwhile, Toronto winger Connor Brown (12) - unchecked by Pyatt - waited expectantly in front of the Senators' net.

Matthews was able to whip a backhand pass to Brown, who promptly fired a one-timer that sailed past Condon's blocker side.

In went Brown's 11th goal of the season, while Matthews recorded his 16th assist and drew an impressive comparison in the process.

Matthews admitted after the game it was indeed by design.

"We kind of planned it, said Matthews," per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. "I said I was going forward so we found a really good spot. I kind of just knew where he was going to be."

Now that Connor McDavid had turned 20, Matthews is without question the best teenager in hockey, at the very least.

(Images courtesy: NHL.com)

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Joe Sakic has a plan.

The Colorado Avalanche general manager is indeed set on making changes to a roster that sits 30th in the overall standings through 39 games this season.

This according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who relayed information gathered from a conversation with Sakic during Thursday's 'Insider Trading' segment:

I chatted with (general manager) Joe Sakic on Thursday, and the bottom line is this: they are going to reboot this thing to some measure, and he wants to get younger and faster.

Now some of that will come internally from a number of kids they like in San Antonio (AHL) who will get promotions next season, but there's no question, as he said, they're talking to other teams about some of their players.

LeBrun added Sakic would not divulge names, but the sense is any player not named Nathan MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen could be had, if the price is right.

First-round draft pick Tyson Jost from the 2016 class would likely be on that list as well, while A.J. Greer - a second-round pick in 2015 - currently leads the AHL club in scoring.

So while much of the talk in recent weeks has revolved around Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene, few are safe in Colorado, it would seem.

As a reminder, the NHL's trade deadline is set for 3 pm EST on March 1.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday, and own the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo on June 24.

The Winnipeg Jets will draft second, while the Columbus Blue Jackets will draft third overall.

Here’s a look at the rest of the lottery results:

Toronto entered the night with a 20 percent chance of winning the top pick, while both Columbus and Winnipeg made a jump up the board, Edmonton and Vancouver fell out of the top three.

Auston Matthews has long been considered the best available prospect heading into the 2016 NHL Draft, with Finnish forwards Patrick Laine and Jesse Puljujärvi expected to round out the first trio of picks.

The 2016 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 24-25 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.

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