Like it or not, Jonathan Toews isn't the elite center he once was.

After back-to-back sub-60-point seasons, many expected Toews to bounce back in 2017-18. First-round eliminations in consecutive seasons theoretically provided Toews and the Hawks more time to rest in the summer. They also reacquired Brandon Saad, providing the captain with an offensively proven linemate.

Everything was adding up for him to return to form, but it hasn't materialized.

Toews has just four goals and seven assists in 18 games, putting him on pace for 50 points. Excluding the lockout-shortened season, in which he had 48 points in 47 games, 50 would be the lowest total of his career.

The underlying numbers aren't fully on his side, either. Sure, his shooting percentage is low and his Corsi For percentage is once again high, but his individual high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (iHDCF/60) sits at just 2.67 - his lowest since 2009-10. Last year, it was 4.05, and it has been as high as 5.48 in his career.

So why is Toews' performance declining?

Given the fact he's drawing just 0.17 penalties per 60 minutes after averaging 1.12 over the previous eight seasons in a year where penalties are up would suggest the 29-year-old has lost a step or two. Even in his prime, he was never considered one of the league's fastest players.

Not only is Toews on pace for the fewest penalties drawn in his career, he's also on pace for the most penalties taken. This could either be more evidence supporting the "Toews is getting slower" theory, or it could be attributed to the increase in slashing calls.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

However, the fact that he set a career high in giveaways (37) last year, and is on pace to do so again (45), also raises some suspicion. It's hard to believe a player with his IQ is getting more careless with the puck with age, but it's not hard to believe he's being stripped with more frequency due to declining foot speed.

Now, all of this isn't to say Toews is suddenly a liability to the Blackhawks. Far from it. But is he one of the game's elite centers? It's hard to argue he still is.

That's a major problem for the Blackhawks. With Toews being paid like the elite center he was in the past ($10.5-million cap hit through 2022-23), Chicago's roster is littered with players making the league minimum.

When you lead a team to three Stanley Cups, you deserve every penny of such a massive contract. But that deal is handcuffing the Hawks more than ever now given that Toews can't carry as much weight as he used to.

Looking at the log-jammed Western Conference playoff picture, Dallas, Minnesota, Chicago, Anaheim, and Edmonton are all on the outside looking in. Many expected these clubs to make the playoffs. Vegas and Vancouver seem like the most likely current playoff teams to fall out of contention, opening up two potential spots.

Unless Toews can prove his start this season is an anomaly, the Blackhawks' nine-year playoff streak will come to an end.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Marco Scandella has been fined $5,000 for slashing Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.

The incident occurred midway through the second period of Tuesday night's game. Scandella received a two-minute minor for slashing, while Hornqvist also received a minor for interference on Scandella on the same play.

The fine is the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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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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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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