Alex Burrows won't miss any games for his dangerous butt-end to the face of Dylan DeMelo.

The Ottawa Senators forward was fined $5,000 but not suspended Sunday for the act, which was officially called "roughing" and occurred with the San Jose Sharks leading 4-0 in an eventual 5-0 win over the Senators on Saturday night.

Burrows was given a minor penalty for roughing, a five-minute major for fighting, and a game misconduct in the aftermath.

DeMelo played Sunday night against the Minnesota Wild, but Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said before the game that Burrows' stick scratched DeMelo's cornea and it was close to being a more serious injury, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

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The fourth edition of Matthews vs. McDavid will have to wait, as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will miss Sunday night's showdown versus Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury, the team announced.

Matthews collided awkwardly with Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly late in the third period Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sunday's contest will be Matthews' fifth missed game of the 2017-18 season.

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The Vegas Golden Knights have their No. 1 netminder back, as the team activated Marc-Andre Fleury off injured reserve Sunday.

Fleury's missed the last 25 games for the Knights since being placed on IR with a concussion Oct. 14.

Prior to the injury, the 33-year-old vet was feeling it. He went 3-1-0 along with a 2.48 goals-against average and .925 save percentage for an upstart Vegas club that's used five different goalies so far this season.

In a corresponding roster move, the Knights sent goaltender Maxime Lagace to their AHL affiliate in Chicago. Across 14 games for Vegas, Lagace performed admirably, registering a 6-6-1 record.

The team has yet to announce whether Fleury will man the blue paint when Vegas hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

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A lot can happen in a month.

On Nov. 5, the Ottawa Senators completed a three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators to bring Matt Duchene to the Canadian capital.

The hope was that Duchene could provide an upgrade on Kyle Turris, who headed to Nashville as part of the trade, and give the Senators a top-flight center and potentially the missing piece to a roster with Stanley Cup aspirations.

Five days after his acquisition, Duchene suited up for his first game with the Senators, debuting against his former club.

Duchene was held pointless in back-to-back games against the Avalanche, a streak which extended to nine before he picked up a point against the New York Islanders late last month. In all, Duchene has tallied two goals and two assists since joining the Senators.

Meanwhile, it's been quite the opposite for Turris, whose production has seen an uptick in the Music City, where he is just shy of a point-per-game pace with the Predators.

Since adding Turris, no team has outperformed the Predators, as Nashville has secured a 10-2-2 record and 22 points since the trade. Perhaps more impressive is the Predators' plus-12 goal differential, which trails only the Los Angeles Kings for the NHL's best showing.

In the same time frame, the Senators stand ahead of only the Sabres, having won just three of 14 games, securing only eight points, and a minus-25 goal differential that makes even Buffalo blush.

At the time of the deal, there was little to separate the Predators and Senators. The two teams sat middle-of-the-pack league-wide, as Nashville had collected 18 points in 15 games, while Ottawa obtained 17 points in 14 outings. Ottawa was in a playoff position. Nashville was just outside.

The biggest change? Point to the power play. Firing at 33 percent on the man advantage, the Predators own the NHL's best power play since adding Turris, while the Senators' performance when up a skater has sunk from 12th to 29th.

Only fellow forward Bobby Ryan saw more time on the Sens' power play when Turris was around. Duchene has since filled those minutes, but the production hasn't followed, as he's picked up just two points with the extra man.

Mired in a four-game losing skid, and having won just once in their last 12, time is running short to save Ottawa's season. At the other end of the spectrum, Nashville appears to have added the true missing piece up the middle, as Turris and the Predators look primed for another Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

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Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall has confirmed rookie forward Nolan Patrick will not be loaned to Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship.

Patrick has been limited to 20 games due to a concussion suffered earlier this season, and has recorded two goals and four assists.

He's also averaging under 12 minutes a game, and has posted two shots on goal in his past five games.

Still, the second overall pick from the 2017 NHL Draft won't be making the trip to Buffalo for this year's Under-20 tournament.

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The latest Auston Matthews vs. Connor McDavid showcase may have to wait.

The Toronto Maple Leafs center will be a game-time decision Sunday against the Oilers, coach Mike Babcock confirmed to TSN's Mark Masters.

"We got a few guys bumped and bruised so after warmup we'll know more," Babcock said. "(Matthews is) one of those guys that's bumped and bruised. We have a couple guys. You know, it's the season, you're playing hockey. You see who's available at game time."

Matthews was shaken up in Saturday's win over the Pittsburgh Penguins after colliding with teammate Morgan Rielly:

Sunday marks the second meeting in the past 11 days between the Oilers and Maple Leafs. Toronto took the late November matchup by a 6-4 score, in which Matthews picked up a goal and an assist.

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A harmonious start to the season in St. Louis hit a very sour note with the announcement that Blues forward Jaden Schwartz will be out at least six weeks with an ankle injury.

Schwartz had been excelling on a line with Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko, arguably the NHL's top trio so far this season. Through 30 games, he recorded 14 goals and 21 assists, one point behind Schenn for the team lead and good for ninth in the NHL, tied with Edmonton's Connor McDavid.

Those numbers had him on pace for 38 goals, 57 assists, and 96 points, all of which would demolish previous career highs. Now he'll watch as a Blues team that sits first in the Central Division toils on without him well into 2018.

Here are three teammates who will need to step up in his absence.

Ivan Barbashev

Immediately recalled from the AHL's Chicago Wolves in light of Schwartz's injury, Barbashev is out to prove he belongs with the big club.

A second-round pick in 2014 (33rd overall), the 21-year-old center/winger has appeared in 129 AHL contests, averaging 0.57 points per game after scoring 33 goals and adding 44 helpers. His production has dropped off at the NHL level, though, as he's been good for only five goals and seven assists in 36 appearances, albeit in limited ice time.

Barbashev was a dominant force in his junior days, and St. Louis could greatly benefit from a big step forward taken at this point in his pro career.

Paul Stastny

St. Louis' second-highest-paid forward will likely get a run on the top line with the highest, allowing Stastny to earn that $7-million salary alongside an elite player in Tarasenko.

Stastny can become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, giving him extra incentive to make use of a plum line assignment.

He's recorded a decent 21 points through 30 games, but he's only on pace for 16 goals after scoring 18 in 66 games last season. Stastny's shooting percentage sits at 9.7, down from his 12.6 career average.

There's no better time for an uptick in that department, both for the team and the pending UFA.

Magnus Paajarvi

Drafted 10th overall by Edmonton in 2009, Paajarvi hasn't been able to put it together in the NHL, putting up 45 goals and 96 points in 334 contests.

He's managed to stick around due to some decent AHL numbers (33 goals, 99 points in 141 games), but could find himself struggling to find work in North America if he can't take advantage of the gaping hole left in Schwartz's absence.

Like Stastny, Paajarvi can hit the open market in 2018 with UFA status upon the expiry of his one-year deal that carries a cap hit of $800,000.

If he wants to remain with the Blues, or sign with any NHL team for that matter, he'll need to drastically improve on the two goals and three points posted in 26 games. If not, European hockey is likely in his future.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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The St. Louis Blues will need to make do without Jaden Schwartz, as the club placed the winger on injured reserve Sunday with a right ankle injury.

Schwartz will be re-evaluated in six weeks after sustaining the ailment by blocking a shot in Saturday's win over the Detroit Red Wings.

It's a key loss for St. Louis, as Schwartz sits second in team scoring with 35 points.

In the interim, the Blues have recalled forward Ivan Barbashev from the AHL.

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