John Scott is getting one shot with the Montreal Canadiens, but he's not approaching it as his final act.

Acquired from Arizona in a much-talked-about trade ahead of the All-Star Game and then sent down to the AHL, Scott is set to cap his NHL season by appearing in a single game for the Canadiens, a home date with the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

"John's been a professional since coming on board with the organization," said head coach Michel Therrien. "We wanted to give him a chance to play a game."

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to play for the Canadiens. I'm excited to be here." - John Scott #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/MOA0tLcfrF

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 4, 2016

While it would provide Mitch Albom with a tidy ending for the screenplay he's writing about the All-Star MVP's whirlwind season, Scott is hoping more will be added to his story.

John Scott does not consider this game with Habs tomorrow to be his last in the NHL. Remains confident he'll play in the NHL next season.

— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 4, 2016

Scott, 33, has appeared in 285 NHL games, with five goals, six assists, and 542 penalty minutes to his credit.

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The only future Pavel Datsyuk's concerned about is his immediate one.

The Detroit Red Wings superstar wouldn't confirm or deny a weekend report stating he'll likely return home to Russia after this season, according to MLive.com's Ansar Khan. The 37-year-old said he's only concerned about his team's final three games.

"It's hard to say," Datsyuk said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James. "Never know what's going to happen."

A Saturday report from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman says there's a "legitimate chance" Datsyuk foregoes the final season of his contract and finishes his career in the KHL, which the center has discussed as he's gotten older.

"I hear a lot of rumors," general manager Ken Holland said Saturday night, while Datsyuk's agent didn't tip his hand about his client's future.

What complicates matters for the Red Wings is that Datsyuk's salary will count against the team's cap should he in fact head back to Russia.

Datsyuk has 48 points in 63 games, and will need a big week to ensure Detroit continues its streak of making the playoffs. At 24 seasons, the run is in jeopardy, with the Red Wings holding the third and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division as of Monday.

On Wednesday, the Red Wings host the Philadelphia Flyers, who hold the wild-card spot, in a massive game before playing an even bigger one Thursday night in Boston. The Bruins are a point behind the Red Wings in the standings as of Monday, with 90, and a win by Boston on Tuesday will put the Bruins back into an Atlantic playoff spot, and bump Detroit back behind the wild-card holders.

It's going to an interesting week in Detroit, and the stakes are even higher now that these may be Datsyuk's final seven days in red and white.

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A heavily bearded defenseman is sandwiched between two fresh-faced rookies in the NHL's three stars of the week ending April 3.

Chicago Blackhawks winger Artemi Panarin, Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, and Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray earned the honors, the league announced Monday.

Panarin, a likely Calder Trophy finalist, led the league with eight points (three goals, five assists) in three games, helping the defending Stanley Cup champions clinch a playoff berth.

Artemi Panarin (1-3—4) became 1st rookie in @NHLBlackhawks history to record consecutive 4-point performances (also April 1 at WPG: 2-2—4)

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 4, 2016

Burns scored a goal and added six assists, and sits second only to Erik Karlsson in scoring among defensemen.

Filling in for an injured Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray posted a record of 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .929 save percentage, including a shutout win over the New York Islanders - his first at the NHL level.

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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Nazem Kadri won't be playing again for the Maple Leafs this season. The NHL suspended Kadri for Toronto's final four games for his cross-check to the head area of Red Wings centre Luke Glendening. Kadri hit Glendening in t...

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri has been suspended four games for cross-checking Detroit’s Luke Glendening, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

The suspension ends Kadri's regular season, as the Maple Leafs have only four games remaining on the schedule.

It also marks his fourth punishment from the league in 2015-16, carrying a hefty hit to the wallet.

Nazem Kadri has now forfeited $396,078.77 in salary for three NHL suspensions, two diving fines and one throat-slash fine.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) April 4, 2016

Kadri appeared in 76 games for Toronto this season, recording 17 goals, 28 assists, and 260 shots.

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For the third time this season, John Tortorella is relegating Scott Hartnell to the press box.

As the Columbus Blue Jackets prepare for the final four games of the season, the veteran winger will sit as a healthy scratch for Monday's game against the New York Rangers.

#CBJ Scott Hartnell's last 13 games: 0-2-2, minus-10, 20 shots on goal. Healthy scratch tonight vs. #NYR.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) April 4, 2016

Hartnell has three seasons remaining on his contract, at a cap hit of $4.75 million. The Blue Jackets sit last in the Metropolitan Division, but posted an improved record of 31-32-8 under Tortorella.

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Happy Birthday #Luuuuuuuuu! pic.twitter.com/zqg5mAN6Fk

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 4, 2016

Roberto Luongo is celebrating his 37th birthday with a pretty sweet Florida Panthers cake.

Drafted fourth overall by the New York Islanders in 1997, Luongo has appeared in 924 career games - 452 of which have come with the Panthers, the most he's played with one team.

And with a record of 33-19-6 and a .921 save percentage, he's playing some of the best hockey of his career for a team on the verge of finishing first in the Atlantic Division.

This custom creation could also be used to celebrate the playoff berth the team clinched Sunday, with an even bigger party possibly on the horizon in Florida, thanks in large part to the man they call Bobby Lu.

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Dallas Stars winger Ales Hemsky sealed a win with an empty-net goal.

The problem was, the puck - seemingly intended to be passed back to a defenseman - went into his own net, giving the Anaheim Ducks some much-needed insurance in a game that ended 3-1 in their favor.

Oops.

The goal was credited to Ryan Getzlaf.

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The New York Islanders are hurting in net.

The club recalled goaltender Christopher Gibson on an emergency basis Monday in light of injuries to Jaroslav Halak and Jean-Francois Berube.

Halak has been sidelined since early March with a groin injury, and, at the time, was ruled out for at least six weeks. Thomas Greiss was then thrust into the starting role, with Berube backing him up.

Berube played the entirety of the Islanders' last game, a 5-0 loss Saturday to Pittsburgh, but has been listed as day to day with a lower-body injury.

Enter Gibson, the fourth-string option who's made one appearance at the NHL level and carries a .909 save percentage in 42 AHL games this season.

With five games remaining, the Islanders hold the first wild-card spot, two points ahead of Philadelphia and three points up on Boston.

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Players are worried the NHL isn't clamping down hard enough on blows to the head.

So says Florida Panthers captain Willie Mitchell, whose career is on hold after suffering his seventh concussion earlier this season.

"There's a concern with players. Guys are worried about it. Guys talk about it - the league isn't doing enough to protect the players," Mitchell told Arash Madani of Sportsnet.

"A couple of years back, a 20-game suspension was a message. You'd be missing games, you get a big chunk of money taken from your pocket - a quarter of your (annual) salary gone. Those suspensions had gotten the game safer - still physical, still fast. Shanny (Brendan Shanahan, former Department of Player Safety head) did a great job. But it's not like that now."

Mitchell's comments followed the league's decision to suspend Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith six games after he swung his stick at an opponent's face. The apparent "star treatment" doesn't seem to be sitting well with some players.

"Players are worried and guys talk about it here in the dressing room, but don't say much (publicly) because they think they're going to get fined," Mitchell said. "But I can tell you: players are worried about it.

"I'd like to think I'm a rational guy. I'm not an F-U guy. I'm not criticizing the league as a whole. If my game slips, a coach will come tell me, it's slipping. Well, on trying to protect us, the league is slipping."

It remains up in the air whether Mitchell will be able to rejoin the Panthers for the playoffs. He's cleared to play, but there's great concern over what could happen if he suffers another head injury.

Whether or not he's able to make an impact on the ice, he's intent on speaking out and ensuring others don't meet the same fate.

"I want to make sure this guy and that guy doesn't have to go through this," he said. "Even if I'm not playing, I can show leadership within the situation. I'm talking to the kids about it. I want them to be thoughtful and educated, and God forbid they're in the same situation as me."

Mitchell, 38, has appeared in 46 games for the first-place Panthers this season, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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