Every coach uses the blender.

On nights when things are running smooth, there's an opportunity to invent and experiment with new forward lines and defensive pairings. Sometimes this leads to a spark, potentially changing the outcome, while other times it leads to the discovery of the next dominant line in the NHL.

Some of which should then be exempt from the pureeing process.

Here are five units that have dominated in the NHL this season:

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak

A constant when all three are fit, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak have come together this season to form a dominant No. 1 line for the Boston Bruins.

Among regular lines, they're the league's top possession unit at 65 percent, and conceding fewer shots than any line.

The quality of their chances hasn't quite measured up to the volume of shots they've put on target. But with a low shooting percentage as a group (even despite Pastrnak's scorching start), we should expect this unit's play to result in a rush of goals.

Sheary-Crosby-Hagelin

Determining who's best fit to flank Sidney Crosby hasn't been as hot a topic of late, the captain's sizzle being omnipresent since the midpoint of last season.

But has the answer all along been as simple as speed?

Patric Hornqvist, Carl Hagelin, and Conor Sheary have been Crosby's primary wingers, with his best numbers coming with the latter speedsters. The Crosby-Hagelin-Sheary unit is up over 71 percent possession, are out-shooting the competition nearly 3-1, and haven't been on the ice for a goal against in 64 minutes at even strength.

This is a small sample, and Crosby's numbers are comparably superb when on a line with Hornqvist. (Let's face it, the data is going to be impressive regardless of who's at his hip right now). But with the speed and finish Sheary possesses, he's brought more upside.

Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik

For another season the Flames are relying on one line. But this year it's the middle-six unit of Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik, and rookie Matthew Tkachuk driving percentages.

Scoring two goals to one against at evens, the trio have close to identical on-ice rates to the Bruins' top line mentioned above. And at a team-best 56.3 percent, they're not the puck hoarders Bergeron's line has been, but they're creating a higher volume of top-grade chances.

Neal-Johansen-Arvidsson

As predicted, Viktor Arvidsson's influence has contributed on a larger scale in an increased role in Peter Laviolette's system.

Ryan Johansen's top-line unit has been at its best with Arvidsson on one side, and either James Neal of Filip Forsberg on the other. It's been Forsberg's turn lately, perhaps in an effort to energize the 30-goal scorer from last season. But the Predators have a reliable option to fall back on.

Neal, Johansen, and Arvidsson created more shots per 60 minutes than any unit with at least 100 minutes at even strength this year, but broke it up before the shooting clip could catch up to the NHL average.

Skinner-Rask-Stempniak

Conversely, the Hurricanes tweaked their ultra-efficient top line before it could begin to revert.

Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask, and Lee Stempniak were outscoring the competition 12-3 at even strength before Elias Lindholm was bumped up onto the right side in place of the veteran Stempniak.

Those 12 goals (scored on a heavily inflated shooting clip) remain second only to Toronto's second line of Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak, and James van Riemsdyk.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks have found their backup goaltender for Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Eric Semborski signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Blackhawks, who had to scramble to secure a netminder ahead of the matinee contest.

The 23-year-old will back up Scott Darling, who's starting because Corey Crawford came down with an illness that prevented him from being able to dress for the game.

Semborski played club hockey with Temple University, not far from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and also suited up for the Empire Junior Hockey League's Jersey Wildcats.

The Blackhawks elected not to call upon goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, the 47-year-old former NHL netminder who often steps in during Chicago's practices when one of Crawford or Darling is unable to skate.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Twenty-six games into the Patrik Laine era, and it's pretty safe to say the Winnipeg Jets are happy with their second overall pick.

Laine's been remarkable, with 15 goals to his name already and a two-point advantage in the rookie scoring race.

After all the pre-draft hype, the Jets were excited to land the Finnish sniper, but they never imagined this sort of production.

"When we got the pick, everyone was excited at the prospect of having Patty," Jets captain Blake Wheeler told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "You heard all the stories about his shot and the dynamic things he could do. That's all well and good, but he's 18. You expect there to be a learning curve, you expect to be some speed bumps along the way.

"All of a sudden, he's leading the NHL in goals, and it's not by mistake. It's crazy. He gets the puck in areas (where) you don't really feel like (he has) a scoring chance. All of sudden, it's in the back of the net. You just kind of shake your head."

Laine has thrived in the spotlight, currently on pace for a whopping 47 goals and already netting two hat tricks in his young career.

Emphasis on young - even the Jets sometimes forget their most dynamic scorer is only 18.

"It kind of blows your mind. You watch them play, and then they're back in the hotel room playing video games all day. You pinch yourself, and you say, 'Right, they're kids,'" Wheeler said of Laine and his cohort of youthful talent across the league.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Two of the NHL's most competitive teams have more in common than being perennial Stanley Cup contenders.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in eerily similar situations when it comes to their goaltenders.

Here are three ways the Eastern Conference powerhouses' respective creases resemble each other:

Struggling veterans

The two teams have plenty in common, and it starts, appropriately enough, with their longtime starting goaltenders.

Marc-Andre Fleury has accomplished plenty for the Penguins throughout his career, but he's no longer consistently dependable.

The 32-year-old took a back seat to Matt Murray last spring, and that trend has resumed now that the latter is back to full health. Fleury hasn't exactly made a strong case for more starts, and he failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to wrestle the crease back with Murray on the shelf earlier in the season.

Ben Bishop's early mediocrity has been a bit more surprising, but his numbers are strikingly similar to that of his Pittsburgh counterpart. The 30-year-old Lightning starter is in the final year of his contract, but he hasn't played like a pending unrestricted free agent.

Sonic youth

Both clubs have the luxury of possessing encouraging young netminders.

Murray's ascent has been well documented, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. The 22-year-old helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup after usurping the starting job last season, and he's been stellar so far in 2016-17 after returning from injury.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is also 22 years old, and his stat line is almost a mirror image of that of his Penguins equivalent, although he hasn't yet been able to steal the starting job in Tampa Bay.

Oddly similar contracts

It's not just the statistics and the ages of the four netminders that are similar.

Bishop and Fleury both carry hefty cap hits, with the Lightning goalie on the books for $5.95 million and the Penguins net-protector coming in at $5.75 million for this season and the following two campaigns.

As if that's not enough, Murray and Vasilevskiy signed nearly identical extensions prior to this season:

So what do the two clubs do about their shared dilemma?

The Lightning tried to trade Bishop at the draft and the Penguins have entertained the idea of dealing Fleury, but neither netminder has much value at the moment.

It's a sticky situation for both teams, but at least Penguins GM Jim Rutherford and Lightning GM Steve Yzerman can understand each other's predicament.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The San Jose Sharks are good; we've known that for a long time. But after their most successful season in franchise history - one that saw the club fall two wins shy of the Stanley Cup - San Jose has maintained that success into the new campaign, but in a different way:

Smothering their opponents.

Led last season by Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Brent Burns, who notched 82, 78, and 75 points respectively, the Sharks had the fourth-most prolific offense, accompanied by a sturdy defensive game.

This time around, improved defense has propelled them to a 15-9-1 record through 25 games, good for first in the Pacific.

San Jose has only allowed four or more goals twice this season. For comparison's sake, the Dallas Stars, the team with the most goals against, has earned that dubious distinction seven times.

Goaltender Martin Jones deserves plenty of credit for the turnaround, too, as the 26-year-old is tied for the league lead in wins (13) and sits fifth in goals-against average (1.99) in 22 starts.

The Sharks' quest for the Cup fell short due to an inability to contain the potent attack of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but more than a quarter through this season, they seem to have steadily improved in that aspect.

If they can keep the trend going, combined with the offensive prowess of the aforementioned All-Star core, expect San Jose to be right back in the mix come springtime.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks sit in the bottom third of the league standings, but the two apparent rivals will be the center of attention Saturday night.

The contest will be the first meeting since their penalty-laced get-together Nov. 5, which saw 171 penalty minutes doled out in the Maple Leafs' victory. Get your popcorn.

NHL senior vice president of player safety Stephane Quintal will reportedly be on hand to ensure cooler heads prevail, but when the puck drops, he'll be hard-pressed to stop any issues from the stands.

Here are three particular matchups Quintal will likely be keeping an eye on.

Gudbranson-Martin

After Leafs enforcer Matt Martin picked rookie Troy Stecher as his sparring partner, Canucks defenseman Erik Gudbranson was caught declaring Martin a dead man. That didn't go over very well with the league.

In hockey circles, standard retribution involves dropping the gloves, which will likely be the outcome between the two heavyweights.

Kadri-Everybody

It's safe to assume Nazem Kadri will be welcomed to Rogers Arena with a series of boos.

Kadri was the focal point of the entire feud last month, following a blind-side hit on Canucks forward Daniel Sedin.

The hit looked like it was a headshot at first, and turned ugly after Sedin's helmet flew off before smacking his head on the ice. But the play didn't warrant a suspension in the eyes of the NHL, much to the chagrin of the Canucks.

Luckily for Kadri, drawing the ire of his opponents is something he's become rather accustomed to over the years.

Rielly-Burrows

Moments before Kadri hit Sedin, Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly leveled Jannik Hansen with a heavy hit in the neutral zone, which didn't sit well with Vancouver forward Alex Burrows.

Burrows wanted to settle the issue with some good ol' fashioned fisticuffs, but not before a quick spear to Rielly's midsection.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens aren't California Dreamin'.

Rather, the Golden State has been a nightmare for the Habs, as a 2-1 loss Friday to the San Jose Sharks extended a 17-year streak for the franchise, one it would prefer to hide in the back pages of the record books. That is, the Canadiens haven't won in Silicon Valley since 1999.

The Canadiens haven't won in San Jose since Napster was a thing. On Nov. 23, 1999, in San Jose, the Canadiens beat the Sharks 3-2. Craig Rivet scored the game-winner. Jose Theodore got the win. And the team hasn't won a game in Northern California since.

They haven't fared much better in SoCal.

On Tuesday, the Anaheim Ducks shot down the Canadiens 2-1. And no doubt Anaheim doesn't feel like Disneyland to the Canadiens, where the team hasn't seen a regulation win since March 8, 2004, back when the Ducks were still Mighty.

The Canadiens will have a chance to win in Hollywood on Sunday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings, where the historical odds aren't in their favor but they have found more success there than the other two locales. Sunday marks five years and a day since the Canadiens last crowned the Kings, beating Los Angeles 2-1 in a Dec. 3, 2011 affair.

As for Montreal, back-to-back losses has dropped their record to 16-6-2, but with 34 points, they still sit atop the East. It's all good, just as long as they stay out of California.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Does Brian Elliott have cause for concern?

A 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday marked the ninth win of the season for Calgary Flames netminder Chad Johnson, the one-time expected backup who has now appeared in 14 games and posted a 9-4-1 record along the way.

Johnson's move to the starter's role is in part due to his strong play - he owns a .930 save percentage, 2.06 goals-against average, and already has three shutouts on the season.

The second part is on Elliott, who's struggled. The veteran netminder has lost his crease and likely his confidence after appearing in just one of the Flames' last six games, and two of the last 11. With the St. Louis Blues last season, Elliott led the NHL with a .930 save percentage. That number has dipped to .885 this year, while he's found only three wins in 13 games.

An interesting wrinkle? Both players are unrestricted free agents at season's end. While the Flames and Elliott had contract talks early in the season, nothing was signed, and it's surely in Elliott's best interest at this point to cool those negotiations until his performance picks up.

Both goaltenders are making similar money this year, with Elliott at $2.5 million and Johnson banking $1.7 million. Looking to the future, age isn't a factor, as the 31-year-old Elliott is just a year older than Johnson.

And while contract talks with Elliott are seemingly stalled, there's no telling what the Flames' position will be should Johnson's strong play continue. He'll want and deserve a hefty raise.

No doubt Flames general manager Brad Treliving has his work cut out for him as he locks in his crease for the future.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.