It could have been worse.

The Pittsburgh Penguins went into Columbus on Friday night to tangle with the Blue Jackets, their Metropolitan Division rivals, and came away with a point in after a 2-1 overtime loss. And playing without Olli Maatta - out six weeks after hand surgery - and a concussed Justin Schultz, it's safe to say Pittsburgh will take the result, especially in a building that's been tough on opponents in 2016-17.

Related: Pittsburgh's top 3 deadline options with Maatta on the shelf

If Friday's game is any indication, it appears Mike Sullivan and the Pens are going to be relying on 25-year-old Brian Dumoulin while Schultz and Maatta are sidelined.

A steady contributor who played more and more as last season went on, and in the playoffs as the Penguins marched to the Stanley Cup, Dumoulin played a career-high 27:59 on Friday, including a whopping 25:03 at even strength. He and Kris Letang saw the majority of action on the blue line, with Letang logging 29:24 minutes.

Letang's used to that kind of workload - he went into Friday's game averaging 25:18 in ice time. Dumoulin's been playing 19:44 a night, so that's a massive eight-minute jump for the young man playing in only his second full NHL season.

The returns, though, were impressive. As noted, Dumoulin logged a ton of ice at 5-on-5, and finished the game with a 56 percent Corsi For rating at even strength (28 shot attempts for to 22 against), according to Hockey Stats.

Dumoulin and Letang have spent the majority of the season playing together, and when they're on the ice, the puck's in the opponent's zone. The pair went into Friday's game having played over 450 minutes together with a Corsi For rating of 53.69 percent, according to Corsica Hockey.

Here's how the Penguins' defense was used Friday:

It's worth noting that Dumoulin didn't see any power-play time, instead logging a team- and game-high 2:56 shorthanded. Columbus went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Looking ahead, the Penguins will play a great deal of hockey over the next six weeks - like seemingly every team in the league. March is especially brutal, with 15 games scheduled in 29 days.

Support may be on the way if Schultz is able to return sooner rather than later, but the Penguins would be wise to add some help on the blue line. If Pittsburgh wants to defend its title, it's going to play another 20-odd games in the spring, and that's a lot of additional hockey for Mr. Dumoulin and Letang.

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One night after Sidney Crosby hit a major milestone, his nemesis stole his thunder.

Brandon Dubinsky ended the latest chapter in the rivalry between his Columbus Blue Jackets and Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins with an impressive overtime winner Friday night.

It was his first overtime goal in his 675th career game. He now has four goals and 12 points in his last 12 contests.

Crosby notched his 1,000th, 1,001st, and 1,002nd points - including the overtime winner - in Thursday's victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

Dubinsky's goal also came after Evgeni Malkin joined Penguins royalty with his 500th career assist.

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On Friday evening, the NHLPA officially requested an appeal hearing for Antoine Vermette, who was automatically suspended 10 games Thursday for abuse of an official.

If you missed the incident, Vermette slashed a linesman Tuesday after the official dropped the puck for a faceoff while Vermette wasn't ready. He was immediately given a game misconduct.

The NHL's Rule 40 stipulates an automatic 10-game suspension for Vermette's Category II actions, in "which physical force is applied (to an official) without intent to injure."

As ESPN's Pierre LeBrun noted on Twitter, there is precedent for this kind of suspension being reduced:

No date has been announced for the appeal, but any decision to reduce the suspension will be made by commissioner Gary Bettman.

We ask you: What's a fair punishment for Vermette?

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Another night, another personal milestone for a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This time it's Geno's turn.

With an assist on Ian Cole's goal in the second period, Evgeni Malkin became the fourth player to record 500 assists as a Penguin.

Now that's company you want to keep.

The point was Malkin's 59th in 50 games this season, good for fifth in NHL scoring.

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Claude Julien was talkin' 'bout practice.

The new Canadiens head coach - returning for his second tour of duty - held his first practice Friday with his new club, and then met with the Montreal media for the first time since ditching Boston Bruins black and gold for Montreal bleu, blanc, et rouge.

His message to his new team, fresh off its bye week, was simple.

"I wanted them to know how good I think the team is. We're in first place," Julien said, according to NHL.com's Arpon Basu.

"Guys needed to go on the ice feeling good about themselves, and I made sure that happened," he added, according to TSN's John Lu.

"Guys want hope, excitement, and a positive message," he continued, La Presse's Marc Antoine Godin tweeted. "There's no need to panic. There's a need to fix."

For all the "Sky is falling!" talk in Montreal, the Canadiens are indeed in first place in the Atlantic, and have the division's best goal differential (plus-15). While the Habs are certainly struggling, and Ottawa's on their heels at only four points back, the Senators' three games in hand only matter if Ottawa wins them.

And make no mistake, Julien isn't worried about Carey Price's form.

"I have no doubt that Price is one of the best goaltenders in the world," Julien said. "He'll bounce back, and it could be (Saturday)."

That'd be one way for Price to welcome his new bench boss.

Montreal will play six times before the March 1 trade deadline, games Julien and general manager Marc Bergevin will certainly use to evaluate the roster.

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The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets took an unexpected turn Friday night.

An elderly Blue Jackets fan greeted Patric Hornqvist with a double-bird salute as the Penguins forward was being escorted to the penalty box for a goaltender interference infraction early in the first period.

(Image courtesy: ROOT Sports/NHL.com)

Nationwide Arena in Columbus has its share of entertaining fans, and its oft-despised goal cannon makes for an already hostile environment, but this guy took it to a new level.

Never a dull moment in Ohio.

- With h/t to Dimitri Filipovic

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It's safe to say the Montreal Canadiens have officially hit the reset button.

The team hit the ice after its league-mandated bye week Friday, for its first practice under new head coach Claude Julien. Pictures were taken, babies were kissed, and everybody's looking forward to a return to game action Saturday when the Winnipeg Jets visit the Bell Centre.

All-world goaltender and Montreal's most important player Carey Price had the quote of the day:

"It kind of feels like it's a new season," Price told a massive horde of media after practice.

The 29-year-old has to be hoping that's the case, because if the last two years are any indication, the Habs love when a new one begins.

The All-Star said he appreciated his new coach's defensive drills in practice.

"It's nice to see guys playing defense," he said with a smile.

Price was 13-2-1 through November this season, the Canadiens once again looking like Stanley Cup contenders, racing out to a huge lead in the Atlantic Division.

It's been a struggle since December, for Price and his team.

Michel Therrien was fired Tuesday, with former Boston Bruins head coach Julien taking over.

Last year, general manager Marc Bergevin watched his team implode in spectacular fashion after Price went down to injury after only 12 games, 10 of which he won. This time around, Bergevin wasn't going to do the same.

Can Julien fix the Habs? We're about to find out. But a fresh start is clearly what Montreal needed.

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Well, that didn't take long.

Claude Julien wasted no time putting his stamp on the Montreal Canadiens, bumping Alex Galchenyuk up to the first line Friday in the head coach's first practice since he was re-hired immediately following Michel Therrien's firing earlier this week.

Julien's highly anticipated return in Canadiens colors generated just a bit of attention.

Galchenyuk was never fully embraced as a first-liner or a full-time center under Therrien, but he was thrust in between Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov on the top unit Friday.

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Mike Babcock will not be glued to his television or furiously refreshing Twitter on March 1.

With the trade deadline inching closer by the day, the hour, the minute, the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach advised that supporters of the blue and white shouldn't be expecting major moves on deadline day.

"If anyone's looking for us to be the news on deadline day, I'd find something else to do," Babcock said, writes the Toronto Sun's Lance Hornby.

This despite the fact it was confirmed Thursday that Toronto freed up over $13 million in salary cap space earlier in the season by placing injured players Nathan Horton, Joffrey Lupul, and Stephane Robidas on long-term injured reserve.

With a young squad propelled by rookies and a playoff spot in sight, Toronto may simply take its chances with the roster its assembled.

James van Riemsdyk's name has come up in rumors, thanks to a friendly contract and one season left on it, but he's a big part of the top-six forwards Babcock uses, and after two seasons spent accumulating assets, it's likely Toronto now focuses on accumulating valuable stretch-run and - ideally - playoff experience.

William Nylander's another popular option when discussing potential trades Toronto can make at the deadline, but he's precisely the kind of player Toronto spent years coveting. And were it not for his teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the young Swede would be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy - he's that good, too.

While there's a need for another top-four defenseman, it's unlikely Kevin Shattenkirk - who has been the subject of incessant trade rumors - arrives in Toronto on or before the deadline. He's a rental out of St. Louis, and he'll cost a heavy price. The Maple Leafs aren't there, one piece away, just yet.

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The numbers all point to a single, universal truth: Sidney Crosby is like no other.

Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy, Crosby, and Dionne. One hundred years of NHL hockey and those five stand apart, the only ones to average more than 1.30 points per game. And after accounting for era, it's no longer a stretch: Crosby's the best forward not named Wayne or Mario to ever play the game.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

It's time to plan a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia. To thank the land.

Congrats, Sid. To a thousand more.

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