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Heading into this evening's action, here are the day's top NHL storylines:
Canucks lose Elias Pettersson to injury on painful looking play against Canadiens
Elias Pettersson's up-and-down rookie campaign with the Vancouver Canucks continues. On Wednesday, his selection to the NHL All-Star game and hitting the 20-goal mark this season earned him nearly half-a-million dollars in bonuses . What happened to him the very next night against the Montreal Canadiens will definitely go in the 'down' column of his first season. [Ouch]
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Please welcome Mike McKenna to the Flyers' goalie carousel
Six goalies have played for the Philadelphia Flyers this season and there may very well soon be a seventh. The Flyers plucked Mike McKenna off waivers on Friday, two days after the netminder was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Vancouver Canucks . [More]
Lamp-lighters
Buffalo doing everything it can to get Jeff Skinner to NHL All-Star game
You have to hand it to One Buffalo. The organization, meant to unite fans of the city's professional sports teams, is doing all that it can to ensure the final spot on the Atlantic division's All-Star roster isn't occupied by a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators , or any other team for that matter. The public has until Jan. 10 to make their selections, but One Buffalo hasn't wasted any time in attempting to get Jeff Skinner to San Jose. [Check this out]
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Making the case against the red-hot New York Islanders
Yahoo Sports' Ryan Lambert has gotten a lot of, shall we say, constructive criticism about his takes on the Islanders this season. He routinely puts them somewhere between the high teens and mid-20s in the Power Rankings, and while they've been creeping up more and more lately because they keep winning, it hasn't been enough to convince people that he is not some sort of deranged Islanders hater. But the Cliff's Notes version of Lambert's skepticism of this team is pretty simple .
Newcomer Brandon Pirri making decision tough on Vegas brass
Brandon Pirri has become a welcome headache for the Vegas Golden Knights . Since being called up from the Chicago Wolves on Dec. 20, the 27-year-old has six goals and three assists in seven games, and he's helped ignite the team's hottest line. He and primary linemates Alex Tuch and Paul Stastny have a combined 12 goals and 10 assists in those games. Vegas wants to keep the party going, but that might be difficult with Max Pacioretty expected off injured reserve soon. [More]
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Eight stunning numbers from the first half of the NHL season
Every month we will take a look around the NHL at some stunning (or even bizarre) numbers that jump out at us. This month we take a look at the return of the 100-point scorer, the Flyers ' revolving door of goalies, and some impressive individual performances around the NHL, including from a pair of standout rookies. [More]
Game of the night
Winnipeg Jets at Pittsburgh Penguins
Heading into Friday's game against the Winnipeg Jets in Pittsburgh, the Penguins are in one of those zones where it seems difficult to lose. Consider Penguins coach Mike Sullivan's assessment following Wednesday's game against the Rangers in New York. "I don't think it was our best effort, especially on this road trip," he said. "We just didn't seem to play with a lot of energy or a lot of intensity." And that was after a 7-2 victory, which gave Pittsburgh (22-12-6) a three-game sweep of its road trip and extended its overall streak to seven straight wins. Winnipeg, which lost 4-3 at home to the Penguins on Nov. 27, has the speed to keep up with Pittsburgh — a popular critical view of the Penguins during some earlier doldrums was that the rest of the NHL had caught up with them in speed. However, the Jets had gotten away from that aspect of their game during a recent two-game losing streak, a skid they broke Monday with a 4-3 win against Edmonton. [Follow on Yahoo Sports]
