Corey Crawford's return appears imminent.

The Chicago Blackhawks activated their No. 1 goaltender off injured reserve Tuesday night, reassigning Lars Johansson to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

Crawford has been out since having an emergency appendectomy performed Dec. 3.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday that he was targeting Friday's game against the Colorado Avalanche for Crawford's return, and that's the next time Chicago will play following Tuesday's loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Scott Darling was stellar at times in Crawford's absence, but has given up four goals in three of his last four games.

Crawford was 12-6-2 with a 2.27 GAA and a .927 save percentage before having the procedure.

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Jonathan Drouin is feeling good about himself these days, and that's bad news for the opposition.

The 21-year-old picked up a goal and an assist Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings and his confidence is approaching a high:

Of course his growing confidence comes as his two-point output gives him 10 points in his last eight games, a far cry from the lowly seven points he mustered during his first 17 games of the season.

The Lightning would welcome the confident Drouin they saw in last year's postseason, especially while Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov remain sidelined with injuries. In 17 games, he put up five goals and 14 points, good enough for third team-wide.

The club will also need a confident Drouin - who has 17 points in 25 games - firing on all cylinders if they hope to get back in the playoff picture.

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The effects of Craig Cunningham's on-ice collapse are coming into focus.

On Nov. 19, the Tucson Roadrunners captain dropped to the ice prior to a game against the Manitoba Moose due to an acute cardiac arrest ventricular fibrillation, which almost cost him his life. The event ended Cunningham's playing days as his left foot and leg were severely damaged, raising questions about future functionality, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The good news, of course, is Cunningham is expected to be discharged from hospital before the holidays, and with much to be thankful for.

"I do feel lucky to be alive," Cunningham told McKenzie. "It's taken me awhile to realize what I've been through. They explained to me what happened; the doctors showed me video of when I went down on the ice. ... Now I realize why I'm in such rough shape."

Still, the reality of his playing days being behind him is difficult to process.

"I do feel lucky. I know that. But at night, I think about it, and it bugs me I can't play again. Hockey is the only thing I've ever known. Since I was four years old, the only thing I've ever wanted to be was a hockey player. Now I have to move on, focus on something else.

"To be honest, though," he reiterated, "I'm just so happy to be alive."

On top of that, Cunningham plans on having a future in hockey in some capacity.

"One hundred per cent, I love this game," he said. "It's all I've ever known. I'll find a different way to stay involved.

"The biggest thing now is for me to just focus on getting my health back," he added. "I'm still pretty weak. I've had a lot of surgeries. I have to have another one."

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft by Boston, Cunningham appeared in 63 game with the Bruins and Arizona Coyotes, recording three goals and five assists.

Cunningham is set to meet with the media Wednesday, along with his mother and the doctors who saved his life.

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Carey Price had a rather quiet night Tuesday.

The Montreal Canadiens backstop turned away 12 of the 13 shots thrown his was by the Anaheim Ducks in a 5-1 victory, setting a new career-low for saves in a game that he started and won, according to TSN's StatsCentre.

Price picked up win No. 19 on the season and his second in as many games. After a solid outing from the team in front of him, it's also unlikely he'll be giving anyone the stink-eye Tuesday.

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Andrei Vasilevskiy is ready to take the reins for as long as needed.

That was the clear message he relayed following Tuesday's win over the Detroit Red Wings in which he was pressed into relief after Ben Bishop left with a lower-body injury.

Related: Lightning's Bishop to be evaluated further following injury

This is not the first time Vasilevskiy has been called upon in Bishop's absence. The 22-year-old appeared in all seven Eastern Conference Final games against the Pittsburgh Penguins last season after Bishop was hurt in Game 1, posting a .923 save percentage in a series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

This season, Vasilevskiy has appeared in 13 games, posting a record of 6-4-1 with a .921 save percentage.

Bishop will be further evaluated and the hope is the injury is short term in nature, but there won't be a steep drop off if Vasilevskiy has to run with the starting job in the interim.

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There's a goal Nick Bjugstad won't soon forget.

The Florida Panthers forward scored his first of the season in Tuesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres, but the goal was more notable for who drew an assist on the play, namely Jaromir Jagr.

The point was Jagr's 1,887 in his illustrious career, tying him with Mark Messier for second on the NHL's all-time list.

It should be noted Bjugstad was born on July 17, 1992, at which point Jagr had already amassed 126 points.

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Just call it the mane event.

Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno took the opportunity to adjust his hair Tuesday as he was throwing down with Florida Panthers enforcer Shawn Thornton.

Former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes, now an analyst for the NHL Network, had a priceless reaction while watching it live:

It's always important to look your best, especially if you're exchanging punches to the face.

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Jaromir Jagr should save some of the limelight for Roberto Luongo.

On the same night Jagr tied Mark Messier for second on the NHL's all-time scoring list, the Florida Panthers netminder collected win No. 447, tying Terry Sawchuk for the fifth-most wins in NHL history.

Luongo accomplished the feat after the Panthers withstood a late Buffalo Sabres surge, en route to a 4-3 shootout win.

The 37-year-old matched Sawchuk's mark in 22 fewer games.

Luongo is likely to move even further up the all-time wins list, as seven more victories will match Curtis Joseph's career total of 454.

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It sure didn't take long for Viktor Arvidsson to get the hang of things.

Midway through just his second year in the league, the Nashville Predators forward is quickly and quietly becoming one of the more dominant offensive forces on the club's front end.

With three assists in Tuesday's contest against the New Jersey Devils, the 23-year-old set a career-high for points in a game and matched Ryan Johansen for the team lead with 23 points.

Arvidsson's emergence has come on the back of a solid stretch that has seen him collect nine points over his last eight games.

After managing just eight goals and 16 points in 56 games in his rookie campaign last season, Arvidsson eclipsed that mark early on.

On top of that, he is on pace to put up 23 goals and 58 points - nearly four times the amount of points he had last season - and now leads the NHL with four shorthanded points.

The Predators find themselves just outside a playoff spot at the moment, but if Arvidsson can continue to lead what is currently the league's seventh best offense, the team could very well be playing some extra hockey at season's end.

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Jaromir Jagr tied Mark Messier on Tuesday for second on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,887.

The feat was achieved via a trio of assists Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, with the milestone assist coming on Nick Bjugstad's first goal of the season.

Jagr also needed 94 fewer games than Messier to hit the milestone.

One hundred and three of Jagr's career points have come as a member of the Florida Panthers, and the rest recorded with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1,079), New York Rangers (319), Washington Capitals (201), New Jersey Devils (96), Philadelphia Flyers (54), Dallas Stars (26), and Boston Bruins (nine).

Jagr still sits well behind Wayne Gretzky's 2,857 points, but is one away from sole possession of second place.

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