Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk will have a hearing Thursday for unsportsmanlike conduct Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.

The incident in question is a sneaky spear delivered from the bench to Maple Leafs forward Matt Martin.

Tkachuk was suspended one game in November for unsportsmanlike conduct after tapping the leg of Detroit's Luke Witkowski with his stick as Witkowski was skating off the ice following an ejection.

Calgary's next game is Thursday in Montreal, so a quick decision is expected.

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Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson was held without a point for the 10th consecutive game Wednesday night during the team's 3-0 loss at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks.

The streak is the longest drought in Karlsson's illustrious career, which was previously held at eight games, set during his 2009-10 rookie season.

Unsurprisingly, the Senators have struggled amid the lack of offense from their best player, compiling a 1-8-1 record during those contests.

Amazingly, Karlsson still has 17 points in 21 games despite the cold spell. He surely doesn't care about his overall individual performance as the Sens continue to fall in the standings and sit in sixth in the Atlantic Division.

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Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen has been Toronto's best player over the past month or so, and that says a lot considering he's on a team with Auston Matthews.

Andersen was named one of the three stars of the month after posting a 9-2-1 record with a 2.14 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in November, and his strong play's continued into December, though the Leafs haven't always been at their best in front of him.

He stopped 47 of 48 shots in Toronto's 2-1 shootout win over the Calgary Flames, moving into the league lead in wins that took 40 or more saves with four victories this season, according to NHL Public Relations.

The win also bumped his career record in games where he made at least 40 saves to 10-2-2.

It may not be all that uncommon for a goaltender to find their comfort zone with more work, but Andersen's proving that he is capable of stealing a victory even when the rest of his team doesn't necessarily bring its A game.

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This one's not going to be taken away.

Adam Henrique banged in a one-timer to notch his first goal since joining the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators.

Henrique thought he'd scored for his new club Saturday night against the Nashville Predators, but that goal was later awarded to Corey Perry on a scoring change made Monday afternoon.

The Ducks landed Henrique, forward Joseph Blandisi, and a 2018 third-round pick in a trade with the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Sami Vatanen and a conditional third-rounder last Thursday.

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Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk appeared to spear Maple Leafs tough guy Matt Martin from the Calgary bench during Toronto's 2-1 shootout win, but Martin says it didn't have much of an effect.

"I didn't feel it at the time," he told TSN's Mark Masters. "If he's going to do stuff like that he should make it count. That's child's play."

Martin added that he's fine, and was not injured.

Related - Poll: Should Tkachuk be suspended for spearing Martin?

Despite the apparently harmless result, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock wasn't impressed by Tkachuk's spear, though he noted that the 19-year-old had played well otherwise.

"That's junior hockey stuff. He'll learn," Babcock said, according to Sportsnet's Shawn McKenzie.

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Matthew Tkachuk has already been punished once by the NHL this season, and another call could be coming.

The young Calgary Flames forward jabbed Toronto Maple Leafs grinder Matt Martin while standing on the bench as the teams were wrapped up in a scrum in the first period Wednesday night.

Tkachuk was suspended one game for a similar incident last month, in which he struck Detroit Red Wings winger Luke Witkowski in the back of the leg with his stick, inciting further fisticuffs in that melee.

Given the latest incident and his recent history, does the 19-year-old Flames agitator deserve a suspension for this?

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Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz has juggled his lines more this season than perhaps any other bench boss in the NHL, but he may have finally found a trio that could stick: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and ... Tom Wilson?

Yes, Wilson, the team's bodyguard, has gelled with two of the league's most skilled players. Heading into Wednesday night's tilt with the Chicago Blackhawks, the line had already proved to be one of the team's best (only lines with at least 50 five-on-five minutes together were included):

Legend:
CF% = Corsi For percentage
GF% = Goals For percentage
xG+/- = Expected goals plus/minus
P+/- = Penalty differential

These numbers are about to rise, as Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Wilson each notched a goal in the first period of their meeting with the Hawks. In fact, with assists on both Backstrom and Ovechkin's goals, Wilson tied a career high with the three-point night. His only other three-point game also came against Chicago.

Wilson went on to ascore an em

If Wilson can stick on this line, the 23-year-old should easily surpass his career high of 23 points while providing Washington's top unit with a physical element.

(Stats courtesy: Corsica)

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The early returns are in, and a formidable quartet stands above the rest in the NHL All-Star Fan Vote.

Connor McDavid, P.K. Subban, Alex Ovechkin, and Steven Stamkos lead their respective divisions after the first week of voting to determine the captains for the 2018 All-Star tournament in Tampa Bay.

Here's the full list of how fans have cast their votes so far:

Atlantic Division

1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
5. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

Central Division

1. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
2. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues
3. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
4. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
5. Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Metropolitan Division

1. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
3. John Tavares, New York Islanders
4. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins
5. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

Pacific Division

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
3. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights
4. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
5. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings

Fans have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2018 to make their selections. The All-Star Game, which will once again consist of a three-on-three tourney between the divisional squads, takes place Jan. 28 at Amalie Arena.

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