The Columbus Blue Jackets sent veteran forward Brandon Dubinsky back to Columbus on Tuesday to deal with personal issues that have impacted his season and could put his playing career in jeopardy, sources told The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

The club had been staying in Las Vegas for four days ahead of Tuesday night's game. According to Portzline, the team declined to comment on the report and the Las Vegas Police Department did not have a police report involving Dubinsky.

Dubinsky's agent, Kurt Overhardt, later denied that his client was sent home as part of disciplinary action, explaining that the early departure from the team road trip was for medical reasons.

“He was sent home for medical diagnosis,” Overhardt said. “He's had several injuries this season. The club and my client decided that this was best. There are several issues we've been dealing with behind the scenes to get him healthy.”

Dubinsky, who was stripped of his alternate-captain status for poor play earlier this season, has been sidelined since suffering a broken orbital bone in a fight with Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian last month.

The 31-year-old tallied three goals and nine assists across 31 games prior to the injury.

Columbus' road trip continues Thursday when the club takes on the Arizona Coyotes.

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Ken Hitchcock has coached over 1,500 games in his NHL career, so he's seen just about everything. Even games such as the Stars' meeting with the Panthers on Tuesday, which resulted in 138 penalty minutes.

Hitchcock doesn't seem to mind these type of games, though. During his postgame press conference, a reporter began a question by referring to the game as "weird," but the veteran bench boss didn't agree.

"I didn't find it weird," he told reporters while holding back a smile. "In a very sick way, it was fun."

The Stars came out on top 6-1, so Hitchcock clearly had a reason to be chipper about his team's performance in the rough game.

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Things got pretty heated between the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Chaos ensued after Panthers netminder James Reimer suffered a lower-body injury attempting to stop a point shot, resulting in four fights in the first period alone and six overall.

Panthers' Micheal Haley led all skaters with 39 penalty minutes, including a 10-minute misconduct and later a game misconduct. On the other side, Stars forward Radek Faksa dropped the gloves twice.

In all, the clubs combined for 138 penalty minutes, including 84 in the first period. The Stars ultimately had the last laugh as they skated away with a commanding 6-1 win.

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There was a significant lack of hype leading up to Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid's most recent matchup, but one thing was clear: Eichel came out the big winner.

Eichel picked up a goal and three assists in the Buffalo Sabres' 5-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night, and was clearly the game's most dominant player. McDavid, on the other hand, was quiet, recording just three shots on goal.

While nobody would argue that McDavid has accomplished more in their respective careers thus far, Eichel clearly has the upper hand whenever the two meet head-to-head:

Unfortunately, the hockey world will have to wait until next season for another meeting between the 2015 draft's top two selections. If both teams are competitive by then, it would only increase the rivalry's intensity.

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The Boston Bruins extended their point streak to 17 games Tuesday thanks to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

It marks the first time the Bruins have collected at least a point in 17 straight games since 1983, and the sixth time in franchise history. Over the past six weeks, the Bruins have gone 13-0-4, with their last regulation loss coming Dec. 14 against the Washington Capitals.

The Bruins were backed by their top line once again Tuesday, combining for another four points. The line - Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak - has combined for 136 points on the year.

The Bruins will look to push the streak to 18 games Thursday when they visit the Ottawa Senators.

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The improbable double-digit run of victories by the Colorado Avalanche is over.

A 4-2 victory by the Montreal Canadiens over the Avalanche ended Colorado's win streak at 10 games on Tuesday night.

The last time Colorado lost before Tuesday night's defeat was Dec. 27, 2017 against the Arizona Coyotes. The Avalanche started and ended the 10-game run with wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs that came 24 days apart.

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With an assist on Dominik Simon's second goal of the season, Sidney Crosby tied Jaromir Jagr for second place on the Pittsburgh Penguins' all-time points list.

Crosby picked up point No. 1,079 to tie Jagr who played the first 11 seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. For Crosby it took him 832 games to hit the mark, while Jagr's total came in 806 contests.

Unfortunately for Crosby, he still has a lot of work to do if he plans to claim top spot. Mario Lemieux sits atop the franchise scoring list with 1,723 points, which he collected in an absurd 915 games.

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There's a surprising omission from the Tampa Bay Lightning's lineup Tuesday for their meeting with the Nashville Predators. Potential Rookie of the Year candidate Mikhail Sergachev is a healthy scratch, the team announced.

The 19-year-old defenseman has 27 points in 47 games this season. Performance aside, Sergachev's absence is surprising given that All-Star D-man Victor Hedman remains out of the lineup with a lower-body injury.

During the Lightning's previous game Monday against the Blackhawks, Sergachev took a four-minute, double-minor penalty - two for high-sticking, two for unsportsmanlike conduct - so the missed game may be a way to help the youngster learn a lesson.

On top of that, his offensive production has slowed of late, collecting just four points in his last 15 games.

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