Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is expected to be a healthy scratch for Saturday's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning, The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reports.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has reportedly been trying to find a trade partner for his star player since the end of December after Dubois made it known he would like a change of scenery.

The situation between the two sides took a turn on Thursday when the 22-year-old was benched for the majority of Columbus' game, playing just 3:55 in a 3-2 OT loss vs. the Lightning.

After declining to speak to the media postgame, Dubois took ownership for his benching after practice on Friday. He acknowledged he wasn't playing at his usual high level and that he needed to step up his game.

Dubois has one goal in five games this season. He has 66 goals and 93 assists in 239 career games.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers won't receive further discipline for his dangerous hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia on Thursday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

The hit occurred toward the end of the third period during the Canucks' 7-3 blowout loss. Myers was assessed a match penalty, and Armia was diagnosed with a concussion.

Canadiens head coach Claude Julien addressed the hit postgame, saying he didn't like it, but the referees handled it well.

"I didn't like the hit from Myers. He (Armia) didn't see him coming," Julien said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "It's an elbow sthat seemed high. I think the refs reacted well giving him a five-minute penalty."

"But I didn't like the hit - especially with 2:28 to go in a 6-3 game," he continued. ... Was it necessary? We're trying to clean these types of hits out of the NHL, so we'll wait and see how they'll deal with it."

The Canadiens and Canucks will play again for the third straight time on Saturday.

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Edmonton Oilers forward James Neal has been activated off the injured reserve and is expected to be in the lineup for the club's rematch with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, the team announced.

The 33-year-old was removed from the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list last Friday, and he returned to practice this week.

The veteran winger tallied 19 goals and 31 points over 55 games during his first campaign with the Oilers in 2019-20. The Calgary Flames traded him to Edmonton for winger Milan Lucic in July 2019.

A consistent goalscorer, Neal was on pace last season to crack the 20-goal mark over an 82-game slate for the 11th time in 12 NHL campaigns.

There are two years remaining on his current deal beyond this season at an annual cap hit of $5.75 million.

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is taking full responsibility for his recent subpar play that earned him a benching for the final two periods of Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"Whenever the next game is, I've got to step up my game," Dubois said Friday, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I acknowledge that. I know it, and I'm ready."

The 22-year-old pivot, who requested a trade before the season began, logged just 3:55 of ice time over five shifts in the Blue Jackets' overtime loss.

Following the game, head coach John Tortorella didn't mince words when explaining his decision to sit Dubois. On Friday, the 62-year-old bench boss wouldn't commit to putting the young forward into Columbus' lineup for Saturday's rematch with the Lightning, Rosen reports.

Dubois is looking to make the most of his next opportunity and admits his game is nowhere near where it needs to be.

"I hold myself to a high standard," Dubois said, per Rosen. "I know what level I can play at. There's not a lot right now that I am satisfied with. I know I can take a step up in every aspect."

The Quebec native tallied 18 goals and a team-leading 49 points through 70 games in 2019-20 but has just one goal in five outings this season.

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Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is taking full responsibility for his recent subpar play that earned him a benching for the final two periods of Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"Whenever the next game is, I've got to step up my game," Dubois said Friday, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "I acknowledge that. I know it, and I'm ready."

The 22-year-old pivot, who requested a trade before the season began, logged just 3:55 of ice time over five shifts in the Blue Jackets' overtime loss.

Following the game, head coach John Tortorella didn't mince words when explaining his decision to sit Dubois. On Friday, the 62-year-old bench boss wouldn't commit to putting the young forward into Columbus' lineup for Saturday's rematch with the Lightning, Rosen reports.

Dubois is looking to make the most of his next opportunity and admits his game is nowhere near where it needs to be.

"I hold myself to a high standard," Dubois said, per Rosen. "I know what level I can play at. There's not a lot right now that I am satisfied with. I know I can take a step up in every aspect."

The Quebec native tallied 18 goals and a team-leading 49 points through 70 games in 2019-20 but has just one goal in five outings this season.

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Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

We had a really nice start to the week, and then things got even better as we swept our Wednesday and Thursday card. This is officially a heater.

Let's keep the momentum going this weekend.

Rangers (+120) @ Penguins (-140); Jan. 22, 7 p.m. ET

This price is something of a gift with Pittsburgh depleted on the back end and Tristan Jarry confirmed as tonight's starter. The Penguins are without three left-handed defensemen with Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson, and Juuso Riikola injured, leaving them in quite a bind early in the season. That's especially concerning given the level of goaltending they've received thus far. Jarry has posted a miserable minus-1.26 GSAA through two starts.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have been a force since their disastrous opening night against the Islanders. In the two games since, the Rangers have owned a 59.7% share of the expected goals at five-on-five and an absurd 66.5% share at all strengths. They only have one win to show from those two games, largely due to MacKenzie Blackwood's heroics.

Don't expect Jarry to steal the show here, as his confidence will be tested early and often behind a patchwork defense, against a Rangers team that's really hitting its stride early on.

Pick: Rangers (+120)

Predators (-120) @ Stars (+100); Jan. 22, 8:30 p.m.

The only sense I can make of this line is oddsmakers are adjusting for it being the Stars' first game of the season. If so, it's an overcorrection. Dallas shouldn't be 'dogs against the Predators on home ice ever, even accounting for the minimal advantage it brings this season. The Stars haven't played yet, but the extra rest will have been welcomed following a deep playoff run while also affording them the luxury of an extra week of training camp.

Maybe I'm a sucker for biting, but the price is too good to pass up. The Predators have been below average at five-on-five through three games, owning just a 46.1% share of expected goals, a bottom-10 mark in the league. The Stars are one of the league's better five-on-five units and a bargain at the current number.

Pick: Stars (+100)

Senators (+140) @ Jets (-160), Jan. 23, 7 p.m.

We're getting a welcome discount on the Senators on Saturday following their 4-1 loss to the Jets in Ottawa on Thursday night. Truthfully, it was just one bad period that killed the Senators in that game, but they were arguably the better team in the first and third, despite trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes. That's five of six periods the Senators have completely outplayed the Jets at five-on-five, yet they have just one point to show for it after blowing a late lead in Wednesday's overtime loss.

Still, if we learned anything over the back-to-back, Ottawa has no issue playing with the Jets. Winnipeg has struggled as a whole this season since a strong opening game against the Flames, suggesting this team is due for regression if its performance doesn't improve.

Add in the fact this is the first game of a back-to-back for the Jets, who are expected to start Laurent Brossoit on Saturday, saving Connor Hellebuyck for Sunday's game against the Oilers, and we're getting a gift of a price here. This is a Senators team due for one against a Jets team they've largely dominated over the last 120 minutes.

Pick: Senators (+140)

Golden Knights (TBD) @ Coyotes (TBD), Jan. 24, 7 p.m.

It's possible I'll be on the Coyotes on Friday and Sunday, but as of now, there's not enough value with Friday's price for me to bite, and I'd rather go against the Knights with Marc-Andre Fleury in net. Vegas has been good about alternating goalies, so the expectation is we see Fleury start Sunday.

The Coyotes have won just once through their first four games, ahead of their weekend doubleheader against the Knights, but the numbers show they've been a bit unlucky. They lost on opening night to the Sharks despite controlling 56.5% of the expected goal share and then managed an almost unheard of 69.1% split in their 5-2 loss to Vegas on Wednesday.

They're playing good hockey, and it's only a matter of time before results start to follow. Arizona is a bet for me on Sunday night, assuming Fleury and Darcy Kuemper get the respective starts in goal and the line sits at +160 or longer.

Pick: Coyotes (+160 or better)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, loves a juicy puck line, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton will miss at least one month with a rib fracture, while star pivot Auston Matthews is day-to-day with upper-body soreness and won't play Friday against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed, according to NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger.

Matthews' absence is said to be precautionary and likely short term.

Thornton, 41, exited Wednesday's contest after taking an awkward hit from Oilers forward Josh Archibald in the third period.

The veteran forward has tallied a goal and an assist through five games this season.

Matthews has recorded two goals and five points over five outings and leads the league with 27 shots on goal.

The 23-year-old has taken another step defensively this season and has been tasked with playing against opponents' top lines. He skated for 12:04 at five-on-five against the Oilers' top trio led by Connor McDavid on Wednesday, posting a Corsi For of 60% against that unit, according to Natural Stat Trick.

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