Cam Ward is peaking at the best possible time.

The Carolina Hurricanes goaltender has earned at least a point in his past 10 starts by posting a record of 6-0-4, tying his career high set from March 14-April 7, 2009 (9-0-1).

The run of strong play extends back to the beginning of 2016, and was interrupted twice as Ward missed six games with a concussion and another two with a leg injury suffered during a win over the New York Islanders, in which he played long enough to be credited with the victory.

Ward is in the final season of a six-year, $37.8-million deal signed with Carolina back in 2010, and approaches the trade deadline as an impending unrestricted free agent, and therefore a candidate to be dealt.

At the same time, the Hurricanes are somewhat surprisingly hanging around in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, sitting two points behind both Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, albeit with more games played.

Ward's string of success means general manager Ron Francis will have to decide whether to ride it out in hopes of qualifying for the postseason or sell his goalie to the highest bidder prior to the Feb. 29 deadline should trade opportunities present themselves.

For Ward, who carries a .910 career save percentage, staying hot down the stretch can only bode well for his future, in Carolina or elsewhere.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

P.K. Subban would prefer to let his numbers do the talking.

The Montreal Canadiens defenseman was his usual dominant self Friday, collecting two assists in his club's 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Related: Canadiens halt 3-game skid with shootout victory

But after receiving blame from head coach Michel Therrien for the club's 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche 48 hours earlier, the former Norris Trophy winner said his production should pre-empt criticism.

Subban sits fourth among all blue-liners with 46 points this season.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes pulled out a 5-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks Friday thanks in large part to a two-goal performance from Jeff Skinner.

His big night gives the club reason to celebrate, but behind the scenes, it adds to a conundrum.

At 23 years of age, following a couple of roller-coaster seasons, Skinner's future with the Hurricanes appears hazy.

Since a remarkable rookie campaign in 2010-11 that saw Skinner pile up 31 goals and 63 points, the Hurricanes have been waiting for him to duplicate that production.

Outside of 33 goals in 2013-14, Skinner has failed to show the same offensive firepower.

However, with 21 goals through 59 games this season, the former Calder Trophy winner has already eclipsed his goal and point totals from one year ago, and is on pace to finish just shy of the 30-goal mark.

The Hurricanes currently find themselves just outside the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, a place very few envisioned them in entering the season.

The team is supposed to be in a rebuild, and heading toward the trade deadline, Skinner may be a good bargaining chip for the Hurricanes as teams look to bolster their clubs with goal-scorers.

The situation is tricky, however, as Skinner is just 23 and under contract through the 2018-19 season with a cap hit of $6 million.

That cap hit could scare off potential trade partners, while the possibility of seeing Skinner return to his former self must remain in the minds of Carolina's management.

A deal could provide the club with draft picks or prospects, but Skinner could turn out to be exactly the kind of player they're searching for.

General manager Ron Francis isn't likely to make a rash decision, but with the possibility of having either a stud or dud on his hands in the same player, no choice appears to be the easy one.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's no place like home.

After dropping three straight games on the road, the Montreal Canadiens returned home and used a gutsy shootout effort to get by the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Friday.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

Despite the club's recent struggles, the win marks the fourth straight for the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, improving their home record to 16-11-2.

The club showed resilience in climbing back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to tie the game thanks to captain Max Pacioretty's 21st goal of the season.

The shootout capped off a contest that was uneventful until the final period and an absolutely wild three-on-three overtime frame.

Related: VIDEO: Crowd emphatically cheers on Subban midgame

The victory allows the Canadiens a huge sigh of relief after headlines earlier Friday suggested defenseman P.K. Subban was on the trade market. Meanwhile, chatter around the city remained focused on the relationship between Subban and head coach Michel Therrien.

The off-ice distractions appeared to have little impact on the team's leading scorer, who collected two assists to reach 46 points on the season.

The Canadiens will take the weekend off before welcoming the Nashville Predators to town Monday, when they'll look to push their home winning streak to five games.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere won't go pointless the rest of the season.

The rookie defenseman threaded the needle to Michael Raffl for a tap-in goal against the Montreal Canadiens that extended his point streak to 14 games Friday.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

The streak is now tied for the third-longest by a rookie since the 1987-88 season, and it's the longest point streak by a defenseman since Brian Leetch's 14-game run back in 1996.

The helper gives Gostisbehere 33 points in 39 games.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After a pair of his defensemen were hurt after being hit from behind by Columbus Blue Jackets forwards, Buffalo Sabres goalie Robin Lehner was ready to take matters into his own hands.

With a scrum ensuing after Boone Jenner knocked blue-liner Zach Bogosian into the boards, the netminder quickly joined the festivities, dropping the gloves to fight Jack Johnson before officials intervened.

The 24-year-old goalie picked up a pair of minor penalties - one for roughing and one for leaving the crease - but all would be forgotten as he made 38 saves on the way to his third career shoutout in a 4-0 win.

Bogosian did not return to the game after the hit, which earned Jenner a game misconduct. Fellow Sabres defenseman Cody Franson was also forced out of the game with an injury after being hit from behind by Scott Hartnell - who received a five-minute major for boarding.

Lehner, meanwhile, is on fire of late, allowing just two goals in his last three starts. And being no stranger to fighting, opposing players likely won't want to mess with the Sabres and their Swedish netminder any time soon.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

While rumblings out of Montreal seem to have pitted head coach Michel Therrien and defenseman P.K. Subban against one another, the Canadiens faithful have made it clear where their allegiances lie.

Related: Subban-Therrien incident remains the talk of the town in Montreal

The Canadiens were in action Friday for the first time since Therrien called out his star defenseman for a miscue in Wednesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche that led to the game-winning goal. Fans appeared to take Subban's side, serenading the 26-year-old with cheers early in the first period.

Subban would pick up a pair of assists on goals by Dale Weise and Max Pacioretty to surpass the 40-assist mark, joining Ottawa Senators blue-liner Erik Karlsson as the only defensemen in the league to reach that territory (Karlsson has 54 helpers).

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New Jersey Devils forward Jordin Tootoo was ejected from Friday's game against the New York Islanders for a dangerous hit from behind.

Tootoo received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for sending defenseman Johnny Boychuk head first into the boards with a cross-check during the second period.

Boychuk left for the dressing room in obvious discomfort, but was back on the bench to start the final frame.

The hit will be reviewed by the NHL Department of Player Safety. Tootoo has been suspended twice in his NHL career, including a five-game suspension in 2007 for punching then-Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas.

Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.