Following in the footsteps of a famed parent can be be tough. Expectations are often through the roof to begin with, while being a high draft pick can add even more pressure to live up to the family name.

These three players are each struggling to match their famous father's achievements on the ice:

Sam Reinhart - Paul Reinhart

Paul Reinhart might have set the bar a bit too high. During his 11-year NHL career as a defenseman with the Flames and Canucks, he accumulated 559 points in 648 games (0.86 PPG). Unfortunately, he dealt with chronic back problems in his prime and retired at just 30 years old despite still producing at an elite level.

As a former second overall pick, Sam has failed to meet expectations so far in his pro career. He has just 101 points in 201 NHL games, and while he's still only 22 years old, his lack of foot speed will always prevent him from being an elite NHL player like his old man was.

On the bright side for Sam, he's already surpassed older brothers Max and Griffin on the Reinhart family player rankings list by quite a wide margin.

Alexander Nylander - Michael Nylander

Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is well on his way to matching - if not surpassing - his father Michael's career totals, but Alexander Nylander has gotten off to a rockier start.

The Sabres' prospect is still just 19 years old, but in 79 career AHL games, he has just 34 points to show for. While there's still plenty of time for the younger Nylander brother to right the ship, it seems hard to believe he'll ever come close to matching his father's career high of 83 points.

Sam Gagner - Dave Gagner

While the previous two players still have plenty of years left in their respective careers, Sam Gagner's hourglass is half empty.

The 28-year-old has put together a nice resume, but for a former sixth overall pick, he's been a disappointment, never collecting more than 50 points in a single season.

On the other hand, Dave Gagner was a premier point-producer for the Minnesota North Stars in the late '80s and early '90s, collecting 488 points in 513 games during his prime years.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The Edmonton Oilers seem to be finding their way.

Connor McDavid and Co. picked up their third straight win Thursday as the Oilers defeated the St. Louis Blues by a 3-2 score.

It was a comeback effort for the Oilers, as the Blues led 2-1 late in the final frame. Cam Talbot was a key factor in the outcome, as he turned aside 34 shots, including a number of big saves early in the game, to preserve the win.

The victory comes on the heels of wins over the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild to give the Oilers their first three-game win streak of the season.

The latest win shows further signs of a turnaround in Edmonton after the team entered December with a 10-14-2 record. The Oilers now sit five points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Oilers will look to push their streak to four games when they face off against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

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A pair of questionable calls put the Columbus Blue Jackets behind the 8-ball Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After carrying a 1-0 lead into the third period, and then tying it at two late in the final frame, the Blue Jackets fell 3-2 in a shootout.

Both of Pittsburgh's goals came on the man advantage, but it was another call against Columbus that didn't sit well with the Blue Jackets' fiery bench boss.

A faceoff violation call against Artemi Panarin shifted the Blue Jackets' penalty kill scheme and ultimately led to a powerplay marker for Evgeni Malkin.

While Tortorella called it the right decision, the coach took umbrage that the whistled play had an impact on the game's outcome.

"It's a rule, so the teams can't decide the games. Other people decide the games. It's the rule. They made the right call," Tortorella told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. "But it's frustrating that we don't just let the guys who are supposed to put on the show put on the show."

A cross checking call on forward Boone Jenner, who was a handed a major penalty and a game misconduct, earlier in the game also caught the ire of Tortorella, who thought it was too stiff of a punishment.

"I don't get it. It's barely a two-minute penalty," Tortorella added. "I hope we take a long look at that, at least rescind it, so we don't have that on his record.

"I lose a top-six forward. I just don't understand that. You can't guess on those type of plays. In this type of game, the intensity going on there ... it's a tough job there, I know it is. But it's not even close to a game misconduct."

Thursday's loss pushed the Blue Jackets' record to 5-5-1 in December.

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Cam Ward isn't done backstopping the Carolina Hurricanes to victory.

Seemingly replaced as the team's No. 1 netminder after the acquisition of Scott Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks this past offseason, Ward has been taking advantage of his spot starts as of late, most recently stopping 28 of 29 shots in a win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

For the season, Ward is now 7-2-1 with a .911 save percentage, and he's clearly not ready to abdicate a crease he's stood tall in for quite some time.

Those aren't Vezina Trophy numbers, but Ward is giving the Hurricanes a better chance to win than Darling, whose record stands at 8-10-6 with an .896 save percentage.

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Ken Hitchcock is a winner.

The Dallas Stars bench boss picked up his 800th career win Thursday. In perfect Hitchcock fashion, his team prevented the opposing Chicago Blackhawks from finding the back of the net, as Dallas won 4-0.

It's been a year of milestones for Hitchcock, who earlier this season passed Al Arbour for third place on the all-time wins list.

Only two coaches stand between Hitchcock and the top of the chart: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville (868) and legendary bench boss Scotty Bowman (1,244).

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Hampus Lindholm had himself a night.

The Anaheim Ducks blue-liner fired home a trio of goals Thursday, including the overtime winner as the Ducks downed the New York Islanders 5-4.

The trio of tallies gave Lindholm six goals on the season and the first hat trick of his career. The victory also saw Anaheim snap a three-game losing skid.

Ondrej Kase and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Ducks.

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Josh Bailey is here to help.

While it wasn't all smiles for the New York Islanders forward Thursday - as his team fell in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks - Bailey continued to build on his career year.

Picking up three assists on the night, Bailey moved into top spot as the NHL assist leader, leapfrogging Jakub Voracek, Blake Wheeler, and Steven Stamkos.

Bailey now has 35 helpers on the season. He finished last year with 13 goals and 43 assists in 82 games.

The 28-year-old picked the perfect time for a breakout, as he can become an unrestricted free agent in July, meaning pay day could be just around the corner.

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It was a short night for Pekka Rinne.

The Nashville Predators netminder was chased early Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes after allowing four goals on just six shots.

It marked the first time this season in which Rinne got the hook from coach Peter Laviolette. Backup goalie Juuse Saros replaced Rinne at the 6:29 mark of the opening frame.

The veteran keeper entered Thursday with a .927 save percentage and 2.36 goals-against average through 26 games.

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