The narrative has shifted a tad in La Belle Province.

The Montreal Canadiens, leaders of the Atlantic Division all season long, are in a bit of a slump, one that can only be declared as such when considering the overall success of their season to this point.

Over their last three contests, the Habs are 0-2-1, only mustering three goals in losses to the Flyers, Capitals, and Oilers. Montreal's measly totals over the past few games surely aren't sustainable, but dating back to the turn of the calendar, the Canadiens have hit a bit of a wall offensively.

To be fair, Montreal has been hit with injuries to key players Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, but its offense has become a two-man show as of late.

As one would expect, Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty are leading the way, with 15 and 14 points respectively, in 2017. Trailing the Canadiens' top duo in production is their pivot, Phillip Danault, who's put together a career year and amassed 12 points over his last 17 games.

The aforementioned top line are the only Canadiens forwards to hit double digits in points since 2017 begun.

* Defenseman Shea Weber and Nathan Beaulieu each have 10 points

Montreal is still comfortable atop the Atlantic Division, but their lead has shrunk to eight points, with more games played than the pursuing Senators and Maple Leafs.

Times aren't desperate yet, but Montreal could sure use an offensive resurgence down the stretch.

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Patrick Marleau is both happy and relieved.

San Jose's veteran forward scored the 500th regular-season goal of his career Thursday - all with the Sharks - against the Vancouver Canucks, and more than anything, he's excited about not having to spend a ton of time at 499, which he recorded on Tuesday.

"Yeah, that'll do, getting it right away," Marleau said after reaching the milestone Thursday. "It was good to get it out of the way."

Related: Watch: Marleau becomes 45th NHLer to score 500 goals

Marleau's next goal will make it 20 on the season, the 14th time he's done so in a remarkably consistent career.

"When you hit a mark like this, you just start thinking about everybody who's kind of helped you along the way," he said. "Playing with one club and playing with a lot of guys for a lot of years on this team, it means a lot to share that with them and see how happy they are for you. This are going good right now. We're on a roll. It couldn't come at a better time."

The subject of trade rumors last season, Marleau, 37, is playing out the final season of his contract. He had five goals and eight assists during San Jose's run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, and with the Sharks still in win-now mode, Marleau is gearing up for another shot this spring.

But he will always savor Thursday night.

"The biggest thing for me is just seeing all my teammates and even getting congratulated by some of the other guys on the other team," he said. "It's pretty special."

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It certainly wasn't the start they were looking for.

The Toronto Maple Leafs stood still as the Dallas Stars stormed out of the gate with five goals in the first period Tuesday.

It's the first time Toronto's allowed five first-period goals since April 3, 2009 against the Philadelphia Flyers, per Sportsnet Stats.

Devin Shore got things started for Dallas, just 2:53 into the opening frame.

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The Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche may be going on an extended road trip next season.

The two clubs are "likely" to play two regular-season games in Sweden scheduled for November, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

The decision must be approved by the NHLPA before being finalized, and an answer could be coming within two weeks, Dreger adds.

Both captains - Erik Karlsson of the Senators and Gabriel Landeskog of the Avalanche - are natives of Sweden, adding a nice tie-in to the potential event.

The NHL hasn't traveled to Europe since 2011, when the Ducks, Sabres, Kings, and Rangers all opened their seasons stationed across the Atlantic, playing games in Finland, Sweden, and Germany.

Beyond a possible European expedition, Dreger reports the Kings and Vancouver Canucks are likely to travel to China for a slate of exhibition games, which also depends on approval from the player's association.

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Add another name to the list of NHL greats that have high praise for Connor McDavid: Peter Forsberg.

Forsberg, one of the finest examples of size and skill the NHL has ever seen, crafted a remarkable career, recording 885 points in 708 games, winning two Stanley Cups along with the Calder, Art Ross, and Hart Trophy.

With a resume like that, it should come as no surprise that Forsberg was one of the 100 NHLers honored Friday night in Los Angeles.

While rubbing shoulders with the game's best, Forsberg was asked which player in today's NHL reminds him of himself. Enter the Oilers' captain.

"I wish I could say Connor McDavid, but he's better at everything than I was," the 2014 Hall of Fame inductee said, according to Matt Larkin of The Hockey News. "He skates faster. He sees the game. But I really enjoy seeing him play. He's everywhere on the ice, and he's making his team win. If I could start over I'd like to be like him."

McDavid has certainly done his part in earning the kind words, as the 20-year-old has 107 points in 96 career games, already becoming one of the most captivating players the league has to offer.

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The stars have been given their assignments.

Ahead of the annual skills competition Saturday evening, the NHL announced the participants for each event.

Each squad will compete for points in all events in division-versus-division play, ultimately to determine opponent and start time of their first game Sunday.

Here's a look at the star-studded affair:

Skills Relay

Central Division vs. Pacific Division:

• One-timers: Duncan Keith, Ryan Suter, Vladimir Tarasenko versus Joe Pavelski, Ryan Kesler, and Jeff Carter. (Nathan Mackinnon and Bo Horvat will serve as passers.)
• Passing: Jonathan Toews vs. Drew Doughty
• Puck Control: Tyler Seguin vs. Cam Fowler
• Stick Handling: Patrick Kane vs. Johnny Gaudreau
• Goalie Goals: Devan Dubnyk vs. Mike Smith

Atlantic Division vs. Metropolitan Division:

• One-timers: Erik Karlsson, Vincent Trochek, Kyle Okposo versus Seth Jones, Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Simmonds. (Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh will serve as passers.)
• Passing: Frans Nielsen vs. John Tavares
• Puck Control: Brad Marchand vs. Justin Faulk
• Stick Handling: Auston Matthews vs. Sidney Crosby
• Goalie Goals: Carey Price vs. Brayden Holtby

Four Line Challenge

*Each division will send one shooter per round, order listed as Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific.

Shooter 1: Nikita Kucherov, McDonagh, Suter, Pavelski
Shooter 2: Karlsson, Simmonds, Seguin, Brent Burns
Shooter 3: Trocheck, Taylor Hall, P.K. Subban, Kesler
Shooter 4: Shea Weber, Jones, MacKinnon, Horvat

Accuracy Shooting

Atlantic vs. Metropolitan

• Okposo vs. Tavares
• Matthews vs. Crosby

Central vs. Pacific

• Patrik Laine vs. Connor McDavid
• Kane vs. Carter

Fastest Skater

Atlantic vs. Metropolitan

• Marchand vs. Cam Atkinson
• Kucherov vs. Hall

Central vs. Pacific

• Tarasenko vs. Horvat
• MacKinnon vs. McDavid

Hardest Shot

Atlantic vs. Metropolitan

• Hedman vs. Jones
• Weber vs. Ovechkin

Central vs. Pacific

• Laine vs. Burns
• Subban vs. Doughty

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As if being shut out to the 29th-place Arizona Coyotes isn't bad enough, the Vancouver Canucks did so Thursday in historically bad fashion.

It took Vancouver 28:12 to register its first shot on goal, the longest a team has gone since the NHL started tracking play-by-play in 2003, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Here's a look at the unbelievable performance - for all the wrong reasons - in chart form:

Vancouver ultimately amassed 19 shots (to Arizona's 31), as the loss bumped the Canucks out of a wild-card position in the West. Not ideal.

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This just in: Mike Babcock doesn't like to lose.

Unfortunately for him and his Toronto Maple Leafs, they experienced just that Thursday night in Philadelphia, dropping a 2-1 decision on a late goal from the Flyers.

The Leafs were in the second game of a back-to-back, and while they certainly played like they were out of gas in the third period - where they were out-attempted 32-11 at even strength - Babcock isn't buying into his team being fatigued, citing the glory days of minor hockey as a reference point.

"When you were young, you played three minor hockey games in one day and no one knows (they're tired)," Babcock said, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle. "You eat a burger and then you have some fries and then you put a little ketchup on the side and then you keep playing. You don't know. No one told you you were tired so you're not tired.

"So this is just because now we have all these (sports science) people working for us saying you've got to eat this and do this - forget that. Play the game."

To Babcock's point, the Flyers were also in the second portion of a back-to-back, and heavily carried play as the game wore on.

The compact schedule doesn't stop any time soon for the Leafs, either, as Toronto faces seven more back-to-back situations in the remaining 35 games of its season.

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For fans, All-Star weekend means watching the world's best players "compete" in a series of league-sanctioned events to grow the game. For players and coaches, the break provides a barometer of where a team lies heading into the stretch run of the season, and this year, it's as close as ever.

Remarkably, 12 of the 14 NHL clubs outside the playoff picture are within seven points of a spot, the outliers being the lowly Coyotes and Avalanche, who at this point have a snowballs chance in hell of making it.

Here's a look at the ground the outsiders will have to make up once festivities in Los Angeles conclude:

Eastern Conference (cut-line: 56 points)

The Islanders have surged up the standings since Doug Weight took over behind the bench, moving from last place into striking distance with games in hand.

Elsewhere, the Panthers and Lightning - both heavily expected to make the playoffs this season - have some work to do, while the Red Wings' 25-year playoff streak is in jeopardy, but remains salvageable.

Western Conference (cut-line: 53 points)

Save for the last two entries, the West is even closer than the East.

While the 16 teams slotted in postseason positions may feel comfortable right now, remember, the two teams - the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks - that reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, sat near the basement of their respective conferences last season at the midway point.

So as riveting as the skills competition and All-Star Game will be, try not to wear yourself out folks, because the regular season's final push is going to be a wild ride.

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How 'bout those Edmonton Oilers?

After their second road win in as many nights over a Pacific Division competitor - 4-1 over the San Jose Sharks - the Oilers sit in a tie for first place with 64 points at the All-Star break. This is not a drill.

The victory gives Edmonton a 7-0-1 record over their past eight games, and a win over San Jose - a team they've beat just four times in regulation over their last 32 attempts - shows a changing of the guard for a franchise finally on an upswing.

"I think it's a feather in the cap of the players," head coach Todd McLellan said upon notching first place, according to Eric Gilmore of NHL.com. "They bought into a system, they bought into each other, they care about each other. To scratch and claw and win on the road in theses last two games in very tough buildings is something we should be proud of and we should be confident with, but it's only the All-Star break."

McLellan's right, it is only the All-Star break, but the Oilers snapping their 10-season playoff drought looks like all but a formality at this point. Edmonton is 11 points clear of its wild-card chasers 51 games in, and as their past two games have shown, the Oilers are very well competitive with the best the Pacific has to offer.

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