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.

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Martin Jones with a little showtime.

With Alex Galchenyuk left alone for an uncontested rip on the weak side, Jones momentarily scrapped his technique to rob the Montreal Canadiens forward with a rolling desperation glove stop.

Speaking of roll, Jones entered Friday's contest on one, claiming victories in four of his last five starts.

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Martin Jones with a little showtime.

With Alex Galchenyuk left alone for an uncontested rip on the weak side, Jones momentarily scrapped his technique to rob the Montreal Canadiens forward with a rolling desperation glove stop.

Speaking of roll, Jones entered Friday's contest on one, claiming victories in four of his last five starts.

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The New York Islanders could be looking for a renovation upstairs?

While speculation persists about the future of Islanders coach Jack Capuano, who currently has just nine wins and sits last in the East, Newsday's Arthur Staple reports team ownership, which changed hands in the offseason, is looking to bulk up its front office.

While general manager Garth Snow appears safe, the team is looking to make a separate position of president of hockey operations. Snow currently holds both titles.

Rival NHL clubs have created similar roles in recent years, with Brian Burke holding the presidency of the Calgary Flames and Brendan Shanahan in the same capacity with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to Staple, the Islanders have reached out to two former NHLers to oversee the club operations, Pat LaFontaine and Brad Richards.

LaFontaine previously served as a senior advisor with the Islanders, but resigned when the club fired former GM Neil Smith after 40 days on the job, only to be replaced by then-backup goalie Snow. In November 2013, LaFontaine was named president of the Buffalo Sabres, a role he held for five months.

As for Richards, the recently retired forward has no ties to the Islanders, but spent two seasons with the rival New York Rangers. The 36-year-old retired in July after spending last season with the Detroit Red Wings.

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Steve Yzerman has seen his team raise their level in the absence of captain Steven Stamkos.

Just not lately.

The Tampa Bay Lightning general manager voiced his concern Friday after the club's fourth loss in a row and abrupt drop from the Atlantic Division's top three seeds.

"We were pleased with the direction our team was going," Yzerman told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times of the Lightning's performance since their mid-November road trip. "Not saying everything was perfect. But we were generally pleased with how we were playing, the trend we were going. In two weeks, that has obviously changed significantly."

The biggest change over the last four games - and really the entire season - has been shaky systematic defense and goaltending. Ben Bishop hasn't been able to match his Vezina Trophy-nominated form of last year, but, as Yzerman explained, the Bolts haven't slipped from a top-five team in goals against to one of the worst this season on goaltending alone.

"We need as a group to be collectively better," Yzerman said. "Being a better defensive team takes a commitment from defensemen and forwards. And right now we're out of sync."

Yzerman won't act impulsively, because he, like most fans and pundits, still likes his team. But he wants the players and coaches to feel the same urgency felt in the press box.

"We can't keep sliding," he said. "We need to get points, whether it's getting into overtime or shootouts. We're not getting points, and we're falling behind."

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The NHL All-Star Game will take to Los Angeles in January.

Leading up to the celebration, fans can vote for who they want to see in the game.

Then there's the write-in option, the same tool that led to the theatrics of John Scott at last year's All-Star Game in Nashville. But what about taking it in a different direction this year, and using the "name your all-star" option as a chance to recognize the underrated and underappreciated?

Here are five candidates to consider when heading to the ballot box:

Alex Galchenyuk

Each team is granted four players on the ballot, and the Montreal Canadiens options are frontloaded with the likes of Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher, and captain Max Pacioretty.

That leaves little room for Alex Galchenyuk, the Canadiens center who is finally playing in the middle of the ice after years on the wing, and the results are certainly paying off. The 22-year-old is scoring at a near point-per-game clip, with 22 points in 23 games. Only eight players have more points than Galchenyuk this season. It's time to punch his ticket to All-Star weekend.

Cam Atkinson

The Columbus Blue Jackets are surging, and at 13-5-4, the team has one of the league's top records at the quarter pole.

Part of that success is due to forward Cam Atkinson, who has scored 21 points in 22 games and is on pace to shatter his previous career high of 53 points. He won't get the fanfare with fellow Blue Jackets forwards Brandon Saad and captain Nick Foligno already on the ballot, but Atkinson is surely worthy of an invite to the NHL's weekend showcase.

Michael Grabner

When you sit among the NHL's best scorers, you deserve All-Star consideration. That's the case with New York Rangers forward Michael Grabner, who has 12 tallies on the year. Just five players have scored more goals than Grabner this season, three of which are only a single tally ahead.

And besides, the skills competition that couples the All-Star game needs another speedster to give last year's fastest skater, Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, a run for his money, who set the bar at 13.17 seconds.

Kevin Shattenkirk

St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk knows what's on the line, and is wasting no time in a contract year. A pending unrestricted free agent, Shattenkirk is off to a torrid pace, already with 21 points in 24 games. Should that production keep up, he'll skate past his previous season-best of 45 points.

Often overlooked on a crowded St. Louis blue line that includes the likes of Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, and Colton Parayko, an All-Star invite would no doubt put the spotlight on a deserving player in Shattenkirk.

Jimmy Howard

The Detroit Red Wings netminder was an easy target in the off-season, but Jimmy Howard has had the last laugh this season.

After losing his starter's role last season to young netminder Petr Mrazek, the veteran keeper has come back with a vengeance. Exhibit A - his astonishing .940 save percentage. Only Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk and Montreal's Carey Price have sported better numbers this season. Howard has taken back the net in Detroit, allowing just 19 goals in 12 games.

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The National Hockey League Players' Association has told the NHL that it will not agree to extend the current conditions on the Collective Bargaining Agreement for continued Olympic participation, the Canadian Press reports.

NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr indicated Friday afternoon that the executive board had no interest in the offer, but will continue to work toward an agreement to have the players retain that opportunity.

It was reported that a formal proposal from the NHL was never offered, but the idea was discussed.

The NHLPA still has the right to exercise an opt-out clause on the current deal in 2019.

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Justin Williams will continue to rely on what's tried and true.

Stuck on two goals with his 4.8 percent shooting rate through 22 games in his second season with the Washington Capitals, Williams has toggled between visible and admitted frustration over the past several weeks. At the same time, he remains confident things will turn around.

"I'm getting tested right now, and I know I'm going to pass because I'm not going to go away," Williams told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

"I'm going to keep doing the things I've done my whole career that have made me successful, and I'm going to continue to do those. I know that eventually they'll work and they'll pay off."

He added: "I'm not going to let anything break me."

There have been moments to test this resolve, however. In the waning moments of the first period Thursday night versus the New York Islanders, Williams charged to the far post and steered an exact cross-ice feed from Evgeny Kuznetsov into the back of the net, which appeared to beat the buzzer.

But when it failed to survive the on-ice review, the goal was taken off the board, and television cameras captured the perfect snapshot of Williams' season.

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The New York Islanders know there's nothing better than NHL players posing with puppies.

In October, the club teamed up with North Shore Animal League America on a calendar to help raise awareness and funds for the group, which is "the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization."

The results of the photoshoot were spectacular - obviously.

The calendar went on sale Nov. 25 and can be purchased through the Islanders' and North Shore Animal League America's websites.

- With h/t to For The Win

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Bruce Boudreau says the Calgary Flames are exaggerating the Minnesota Wild's actions and intentions in the aftermath of Johnny Gaudreau suffering a significant hand injury the last time the two teams played.

"I think they're making mountains out of molehills quite frankly because every game you watch, there's little slashes on the hands," the Wild head coach told Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

"I don't know, but I've got to believe we're one of the least penalized teams over the years in the league, so if they think we're targeting people's hands, they're nuts."

Gaudreau was slashed 21 times when the two clubs last met on Nov. 15 - the last of which came courtesy of Wild forward Eric Staal - and he was later ruled out for six weeks after having surgery to repair his fractured finger.

"Eric Staal has never been accused of being a goon or anything, so you've got to believe it wasn't intentional," Boudreau said. "As to what they think, they can think what they think."

Three days after the game, Flames general manager Brad Treliving said, "This wasn't a unicorn" that broke Gaudreau's finger, emphasizing the repeated blows to his star winger's hands.

Calgary captain Mark Giordano said Thursday that the Wild took some "unnecessary whacks," but that the Flames plan to prepare for Minnesota's top players the same way they would against any other team.

"I certainly hope there wouldn’t be instances where they’d be targeting (Gaudreau) directly, but it’s part of hockey. It’s part of playing sports," Flames forward Troy Brouwer said.

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