Sometimes all a player needs is a fresh start.

That's what the Colorado Avalanche offered Nail Yakupov in the form of a one-year, $875,000 contract in the offseason.

The 2012 first overall pick was traded by the Oilers to the Blues prior to last season, and he contributed only three goals and six assists in 40 games for St. Louis.

Seemingly on his last legs at the NHL level, the 24-year-old is making good on his opportunity with last year's last-place team.

Yakupov scored during Sunday's win over the Red Wings, bringing his goal total to six through 19 games. That's not groundbreaking production, but it puts him on pace for 26 goals should he appear in all 82 games - a nine-goal improvement on his previous career high of 17 (scored in 48 games as a rookie in 2012-13).

The six goals he has now would put him third on the Oilers, behind only Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

His six goals have come on 33 shots, meaning a shooting percentage of 18.1, well above his 9.9 percent career average. Yakupov may level off, but he's being given an opportunity to succeed in Colorado, and even 20 goals would be a win for both player and team.

At any rate, Yakupov is on pace for a strong season, along with some job security and a raise on his next deal. He'll be a restricted free agent in 2018.

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The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins will renew hostilities in the great outdoors next season, as the two rivals have been selected to compete in the 2019 Stadium Series.

The game will take place Feb. 23, 2019 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home to the NFL's Eagles. The stadium seats nearly 70,000 fans.

The Flyers and Penguins linked up as part of last year's Stadium Series at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The Penguins came away with a 4-2 victory.

Related: 5 teams we'd like to see in the Winter Classic

The game marks the fourth outdoor game for the Flyers and fifth for the Penguins.

On Saturday, the NHL announced the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks will face off in the 2019 Winter Classic.

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P.K. Subban has been left without an answer.

Sixteen months after the trade that sent him to Nashville for former Predators captain Shea Weber, the star blue-liner is left wondering what led to his exit from the Montreal Canadiens organization.

"It's just hilarious when people ask me the question, 'Why do you think you were traded?'," Subban told Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette.

"You know what? Let's get a panel. We can get (Canadiens owner) Geoff Molson, we can get (general manager) Marc Bergevin, we can get (former coach) Michel Therrien. We can get the whole front office and we can just throw those questions at them."

Talk of the blockbuster trade has resurfaced with the Predators and Canadiens set to square off Wednesday in Nashville, marking just the third time the two sides have met since the deal unfolded.

A back injury sidelined Subban for one of last season's games, but he was in the lineup for the Predators' 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Mar. 2, a game in which he picked up an assist, while Weber was held off the scoresheet.

Subban finished last season with 40 points in 66 games, while Weber tallied 42 points in 78 outings.

A deal which many pundits felt favored the Predators nearly reached its tipping point last spring when the Predators advanced the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Subban was a key factor in that playoff run, and his presence in Montreal was evidently missed as the Canadiens fell in the opening round of playoff action.

"The reality is that I didn't ask to be traded," Subban added. "I don't know. I never got an explanation for it."

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Dustin Byfuglien might have to go a couple of months with a new defense partner.

Toby Enstrom was placed on injured reserve Sunday with what the Winnipeg Jets would only classify as a "lower-body" injury.

Jamie Thomas, who works for the club as a reporter, tweeted that it appears Enstrom will be out for eight weeks with the ailment, which the defenseman suffered in Saturday's win over the New Jersey Devils.

Enstrom ranked fifth among Jets blue-liners and 10th on the team in ice time, averaging 16:37, but he collected only two points in 19 games.

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Austin Watson will face the music for a hit he landed in Nashville.

The Predators forward has a hearing Sunday to explain this hit on Dominic Toninato early in Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Watson was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Toninato left the game but later returned.

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It's getting ugly in Montreal.

A 6-0 loss on home ice Saturday to the rival Toronto Maple Leafs was the latest blow for the Canadiens, losers of four of their past five.

That the team was unable to muster a goal, let alone find the win column, is even more surprising after coach Claude Julien uttered his embarrassment following Thursday's defeat to the dead-last Arizona Coyotes.

The loss to the Maple Leafs dropped the Canadiens' record to 8-11-2 on the season. The club is now five points removed from a playoff position.

While it's still early, and the Canadiens have nearly three quarters of the season left to right the ship, there are no assurances that a correction is around the corner.

The Canadiens can't score. Saturday's loss marked the fourth time Montreal has been shutout this season, and the team has found the back of the net more than twice just eight times.

That puts the Canadiens at 2.38 goals per game, ahead of only the lowly Buffalo Sabres (2.30).

To no ones surprise, fans are calling for general manager Marc Bergevin to bring in scoring help. But, the problem is, he has no trade chips to move.

The Canadiens have some interesting young pieces, likes Charles Hudon, Jacob de la Rose, and Michael McCarron, but none of which would return a prime piece in a trade.

Bergevin already moved his most valuable up-and-comer this offseason when he acquired hometown hero Jonathan Drouin from the Tampa Bay Lightning. And while Drouin has been a hit starring for the Habs, more help is needed.

Blame the Canadiens' poor performance at the draft table as a reason for their scoring woes. In the past 10 years, Montreal has selected just four players who have reached double-digit career goals, three of which remain with the franchise: Artturi Lehkonen, Alex Galchenyuk, and Brendan Gallagher.

While immediate help may not be around the corner, a transition to focusing on the future seems just as unlikely. Bergevin is signed through the next five seasons - as is Julien - but a poor finish to the season could leave him without an answer to ownership.

Heavy contracts to the likes of defensemen Shea Weber, Karl Alzner, and goaltender Carey Price, whose eight-year pact hasn't even begun, among others, also makes a major shakeup unlikely.

Simply, there are no quick fixes for Montreal, and possibly worse, the team appears to be stuck in the status quo.

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There were 13 games on Saturday's schedule, and no shortage of drama around the NHL.

Here are five of the best photos with a brief setting of the scene for each.

1. McDavid's lament

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The Edmonton Oilers fell hard to the Dallas Stars in an afternoon tilt, a game in which superstar center Connor McDavid's performance was a mixed bag.

He recorded a goal, two assists, and three shots in 17:42 of ice time, but finished with a minus-2 rating, and his line was on the ice for more shot attempts against than for.

In fairness, one man can only do so much, and he's clearly not the problem in Edmonton.

2. Original 6

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Prior to puck drop in Montreal, the NHL honored its Original Six franchises by having (from left to right) Dave Keon, Ray Bourque, Denis Savard, Yvan Cournoyer, Frank Mahovlich, and Rod Gilbert participate in a ceremonial puck drop.

To please the home crowd, Savard and Mahovlich ditched their respective Chicago and Detroit jerseys in favor of their old Canadiens colors.

3. Ovi down

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

A scary scene unfolded in Washington as Capitals franchise winger Alex Ovechkin crumpled to the ice after taking a puck to the face.

Ovechkin bled quite profusely and was forced to leave the game for medical attention, but was able to return for the third period.

4. Crawford appears to escape injury

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford briefly exited an eventual win over the Pittsburgh Penguins after getting knocked in the head by Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin was penalized for goalie interference. Crawford quickly returned to the crease after being checked by team doctors in the locker room.

5. Auston's all smiles

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Sidelined for four games with an upper-body injury, Auston Matthews made his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup Saturday, and scored his team's fifth and sixth goals of the night in a romp over the Canadiens.

He now has 12 goals in 17 games, and sits in a tie for the NHL's fourth-highest goal total (12) despite the time missed.

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