After limping out of the gate with just one win in their first eight games of the season, the New York Rangers have gotten things back on the rails.

The club has strung together six straight wins and victories in eight of its last 10 games. It now sits tied for the final wild-card spot with the New York Islanders, just outside of the playoff picture due to games played.

The Rangers have made up a lot of ground over the last couple weeks, and they can attribute much of that success to these five players:

Pavel Buchnevich

Buchnevich doesn't appear to be familiar with the term "sophomore slump." After the Russian forward put up a commendable 20 points in 41 games last season as a rookie, he's off to a hot start with eight goals and 15 points in 18 games.

The 22-year-old has upped his game over the last couple weeks, tallying seven points during the Rangers' six-game win streak. He's also scored in three straight games, recording five points in that span.

It's also worth noting Buchnevich has tallied at least one shot on goal in every game this season.

Michael Grabner

Last season, Grabner eclipsed the 20-goal mark (27) for the first time in five years, and enjoyed his most productive campaign since tallying 34 goals and 52 points with the Islanders in 2011.

He's been even better so far this season. With eight goals through the first 18 games, Grabner's on pace to set a new career high.

He's contributed plenty during the hot streak, too - tallying points in four straight games, including four goals - and his production has come despite largely playing on the Rangers' bottom two lines.

Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad continues to thrive in the Big Apple.

After a respectable 37 points in 56 games last season, the 24-year-old is making the best of his second campaign with the Rangers, leading the club with eight goals and 18 points.

Zibanejad has tallied eight points in his last six games, including two three-point outings. And he's done the majority of his heavy lifting on the power play, recording five goals and 10 points with the man advantage, which has played a huge role in New York featuring the league's third-best unit.

Rick Nash

The puck is finally going in for Nash.

After recording just one goal and one point in his first 11 games of the season, Nash has put up five goals and eight points over the last seven contests - including three goals in the last two.

He also leads the Rangers with 65 shots this season, tied for eighth most in the league. Like Buchnevich, he's recorded at least one shot in every game, while averaging over 3.6 per night.

Kevin Shattenkirk

The free-agent signing of Shattenkirk appears to be working like a charm.

He's been as good as advertised so far, tied for second in league-wide scoring among defensemen and sitting second on the team with nine power-play points. Shattenkirk is also riding a seven-game point streak in which he's tallied a total of 10.

Overall, he's given the Rangers something they haven't had in years - elite offense from the back end.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Stop us if you've heard this before: The Vegas Golden Knights used another goalie.

After Maxime Lagace was pulled with just over nine minutes left in Tuesday's blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Knights threw 19-year-old rookie Dylan Ferguson to the wolves.

He became the fifth goalie to suit up for the Knights this season after Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Oscar Dansk, and Lagace.

Ferguson's first taste of NHL action may have been limited to nine minutes and 14 seconds, but it was nine minutes and 14 seconds against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, so it's understandable if he was a bit nervous while allowing one goal (to Mark Letestu) on only two shots.

Lagace was pulled after allowing his seventh goal of the eventual 8-2 Golden Knights loss. However, early in the third period, he was also looked at by trainers for an apparent injury, so Ferguson could be thrust back into action sooner than later.

Here's what Ferguson had to say about his NHL debut:

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Devan Dubnyk posted his third straight shutout with 30 saves and Nino Niederreiter scored 12 seconds into the game for the Minnesota Wild in a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Dubnyk's third shutout of the season stretched his scoreless streak to 195:05, breaking his mark of 183:16 set last season for the longest in team history. Dubnyk has stopped the last 103 shots he's faced.

Eric Staal and Jason Zucker each scored an empty-net goal for Minnesota, which has won a season-best three straight.

Brian Elliott made 17 saves for Philadelphia, shut out for an NHL-high fifth time this season.

Niederreiter broke Zucker's streak of six straight goals for the Wild, one shy of the NHL record for consecutive goals scored by a player for one team.

Staal won the initial faceoff and had possession of the puck on the left side when he centered to Niederreiter for a quick one-timer past Elliott. It was the fastest goal to start a game in franchise history at home.

Niederreiter, who was playing in his 400th NHL game, missed six games earlier this season with a high ankle sprain but has three goals and three assists in eight games since returning.

The Flyers have not scored in 156:09. Their top line of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek has combined for 23 goals - 46 percent of the team's total.

Philadelphia was 0 for 2 on the power play and has converted one time in its last 18 chances.

NOTES: Minnesota forward Charlie Coyle skated with the team for the first time since breaking his right fibula in a game on Oct. 12. Coyle has missed 14 games. . Philadelphia rookie C Nolan Patrick practiced with teammates as he eyes a potential return on Thursday. Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's entry draft, has missed eight games with a concussion. . Flyers D Mark Alt, a former high schoool and college player in Minnesota, was recalled from the AHL but was a healthy scratch. . Ex-Minnesota North Stars forward Jack Carlson, who has been declared cancer-free after battling the disease, did the traditional ''Let's play hockey'' before the game on Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night.

UP NEXT

Flyers: At the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Wild: Host the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

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More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/tags/NHLhockey

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The dreary, hapless, flat-out miserable Arizona Coyotes 2017-18 season has earned a dubious place in the history books, as the basement-dwelling Desert Dogs became the first team in the NHL's 100-year history to be held without a regulation win through their first 20 games, per Sportsnet Stats.

Tuesday's 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets dropped the Coyotes to 2-15-3, putting the club on pace for 28 points, which is shockingly terrible, considering last season's 30th-place Colorado Avalanche managed to earn 48 in a year when absolutely everything went wrong.

Entering Tuesday, Arizona ranked 25th in goals for (44), 31st in goals against (74), and 30th in save percentage at 5-on-5 (.903). The poor results are particularly disappointing considering the Coyotes were labeled as a team ready to improve this season under the guidance of new head coach Rick Tocchet.

The good news, at least, is Rasmus Dahlin, the consensus No. 1 pick in next June's draft, could make this season's struggles worth it in the end.

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There were eight games around the NHL on Tuesday, and a few goalies were in very fine form indeed.

Here are five saves that simply can't be missed:

1. Bobrovsky's blocker

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is making a bid for a repeat performance, and this save by Sergei Bobrovsky should lead-off a candidacy video prepared by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

2. Lehner's leather

The Buffalo Sabres fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime, but Robin Lehner did his best to keep his team in it with this unreal save off his glove.

3. Luongo's larceny

After falling to the ice to keep the Dallas attack at bay, Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers recovered in time to make a neat blocker save, after which he calmly snagged the puck out of mid-air.

4. Scott Wedge-wall

Scott Wedgewood was pressed into duty by the Arizona Coyotes in relief of Antti Raanta, and impressed with this sweet glove save off the stick of Blake Wheeler.

5. Bonus Bobrovsky

Bobrovsky was so good against Montreal, he makes it in twice.

Here he thwarted a shorthanded breakaway opportunity for Paul Byron.

A few defensemen are on the hook for dinner after these saves.

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Carey Price's "minor," "day-to-day" injury is apparently serious enough for Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin to sign Anttii Niemi - a goalie with a 6.74 GAA and .822 save percentage.

Related: Canadiens claim Antti Niemi off waivers

Factor in that backup Al Montoya is out indefinitely with a concussion, and Habs fans should have good reason to whip out the ol' panic button and start mashing.

But not so fast, Montreal.

Because thanks to a right-handed catching 22-year-old named Charlie Lindgren, those buttons can be put on the shelf - for the time being.

While Bergevin continues to leave fans and experts around the NHL scratching their heads with yet another questionable move, Lindgren is doing his best to put those concerns to rest, as he continues to prove that his strong showing at Canadiens training camp in September was more than just a flash in the pan.

Sure, Montreal took the L against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, but Columbus is one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and Lindgren only allowed two goals on 22 shots for a respectable save percentage of .920.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Not to mention, through five games, Lindgren has posted solid numbers while earning a 3-1-1 record.

In addition, Lindgren offers the Habs a sense of stability in a position that has been in constant flux over the past two weeks, as the rookie netminder plays with a calming serenity that is quickly earning him the trust of his teammates and coaches.

Few positions in professional sports come with as much scrutiny as playing goalie in the city of Montreal. Dealing with the daily doubts from rabid fans and constant questioning from hounding media is enough to drive any guy mad.

But for Lindgren, none of that seems to matter.

Obviously, expecting Lindgren to be the guy to replace the best goalie of this generation is a very bold - and seemingly foolish - assumption. But that doesn't mean he can't fill the void as a serviceable netminder until Price returns.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings made headlines Tuesday night by exchanging veteran forwards Jussi Jokinen and Mike Cammalleri in a trade.

Both players have slid into depth roles at this stage of their careers, meaning the deal probably won't have franchise-altering repercussions. That said, there are still a few takeaways, particularly when it comes to the struggling Oilers.

Self-inflicted wounds

With the Oilers currently dead last in the NHL with 38 goals for through 17 games, this trade was presumably orchestrated to address their lack of offense - a problem that wouldn't need to be solved if Peter Chiarelli hadn't traded away the majority of his team's depth.

If Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle - heck, maybe even just one of them - were still in the fold, perhaps Edmonton wouldn't have felt the need to go out and add a 35-year-old who hasn't topped 70 games in a single season since 2008-09.

Don't be fooled: Jokinen's better

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

While Jokinen has only produced one point to Cammalleri's seven this season, the new Kings forward brings a more complete game to the table.

Cammalleri has just one goal at even strength this season, and Jokinen holds a clear advantage in several advanced metrics.

(Stats courtesy: Corsica, all at five-on-five)

Jokinen's sky-high expected goals-for percentage leads the NHL, while Cammalleri's PDO (on-ice shooting plus save percentage) doesn't appear to be sustainable, as the number generally reverts closer to 100 as the season wears on.

This can't be it, right?

While Tuesday's trade indicates Chiarelli knows his roster needs improved depth, adding Cammalleri can't be his only move if the Oilers want to maximize their opportunity to win this season.

Relying solely on the production of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl has already put the Oilers in a deep hole to begin a season in which they were pegged as Stanley Cup favorites.

Edmonton has until the end of the current campaign before McDavid's salary rockets into the stratosphere. With just over $8 million in cap space available for the remainder of the season, there's an opportunity to add a significant piece or two and actually improve the roster, should Chiarelli choose to do so.

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The Edmonton Oilers have acquired veteran winger Mike Cammalleri from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jussi Jokinen, the club announced Tuesday.

Both forwards joined their now-former teams in the offseason on one-year contracts, with Jokinen earning $1.1 million this season to Cammalleri's $1-million salary.

Jokinen's suited up for 14 games with Edmonton and recorded one assist on an Oilers team ranked 31st in the NHL with just 38 goals for.

Cammalleri, meanwhile, has three goals and four assists in 15 games this season, but has only found the net once in his last 11 contests.

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