It wasn't without protest, but the NHL's concussion spotters were able to haul Connor McDavid off the bench to initiate mandated protocol after he slammed his mouth on the ice while tripping over the stick of Jared Spurgeon.

McDavid missed a brief two-man advantage, and subsequently the balance of the period, when he walked down the tunnel with six minutes and 28 seconds left in the middle frame.

He returned for the start of the third period.

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The Calgary Flames changed the game in the blink of an eye.

In the second period of Sunday's game versus the Anaheim Ducks, four Flames forwards - Troy Brouwer, Alex Chiasson, Matt Stajan, and Sam Bennett - plus defenseman Dougie Hamilton rallied to score five goals in 6:04.

It was a rough second period for Ducks netminder Jonathan Bernier, who stopped just 14 of the 20 shots he faced.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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With the injury bug finally behind him, Mike Smith is back. Bigly.

The Arizona Coyotes goaltender has battled consistency through his time in the desert, but he's also been no stranger to the injury ward.

No ailment was more significant than last year's double hernia, which sidelined the veteran netminder for 40 games, an injury he tried to play through before ultimately undergoing core muscle surgery last December.

Making his return on March 12 - a 4-0 shutout win over the Edmonton Oilers - Smith has since appeared in 20 games. He's faced 680 shots in the stretch, allowing just 43 goals, good for a .937 save percentage.

Related: Mike Smith turns in career-high 58 saves in loss to Blue Jackets

Coyotes goalie coach Jon Elkin, who has coached Smith since he was 12 years old, attributes a clean bill of health to the rebound performance.

"Apart from the minor setback with the (left) knee earlier this year, he's the healthiest he has been in a long, long time," Elkin told Arizona Sports reporter Craig Morgan last week. "Technically, with all the work he has put in a little more than a year, he's as sound as he’s ever been.

"We've got him low again. The puck comes from the ice and he's a big guy to begin with so by getting low, it gets you dialed in, it allows you to track the puck so much better and it helps you move that much better because you're in an athletic stance."

Smith's strong play has continued through the current season, and aside from that knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for 12 games, he's back to performing as he did his first year in Arizona.

In that 2011-2012 season, Smith won 38 games and posted a .930 save percentage - he's now matched that figure this season - and pushed the Coyotes to their first playoff series win since the franchise left Winnipeg in 1996.

"I've always stressed that health is pretty important and since I came back from my injury I've felt like I could do things I haven't been able to do for a few years," Smith told Morgan. "The knee injury was frustrating earlier this year because coming into camp I felt like I was in my best shape maybe in three to four years, but having been through it before I knew how to get back and I feel good now."

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An early return on, well, his early return.

With his first shot on goal on the first shift of his accelerated return from a broken finger, Johnny Gaudreau gave the Calgary Flames the lead over the Anaheim Ducks.

Gaudreau's sixth of the season came about three weeks ahead of schedule. He was expected to miss six weeks after having a procedure to repair the digit, but ended up missing just 10 games.

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Kane to Panarin. We'll never get sick of that.

With less than seven minutes remaining in Sunday's match between the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets, the Hawks top line made magic.

Gaining the Winnipeg zone, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane set up linemate Artemi Panarin with a quick cross-ice pass, who fired the pretty feed by Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck for his 10th goal on the season.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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Henrik Zetterberg's recent roll has carried him beyond Pavel Datsyuk.

While extending his goal streak to three games in a win over the New York Islanders on Sunday, Zetterberg passed his long-time teammate on the Detroit Red Wings' all-time goal-scoring list with the 315th of this career.

He now ranks alone in seventh on the all-time list after entering the season tied with Brendan Shanahan for eighth.

Somewhat surprisingly, Zetterberg surpassed Datsyuk in fewer games, though the two late-round steals that epitomize what made the Red Wings great for so many years share a near-identical per-game scoring rate.

Zetterberg is 63 points behind the recent NHL retiree on the club's all-time points list. He made his debut with the Red Wings one season after Datsyuk's arrival.

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Luckily for Artemi Panarin, he makes his living as an artist on the ice, not one with an easel and palette.

As part of a recent initiative supporting Blackhawks Charities, several Hawks traded in their hockey sticks for paint brushes. A handful of players took part in the effort, including Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, and Brian Campbell.

Proceeds to the charity support a number of initiatives throughout Illinois, including education, housing, and health and wellness.

Fans wishing to support the charity can visit the official NHL Auctions website. Bidding on the artwork continues through December.

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Clarke MacArthur has unfinished business.

The Ottawa Senators winger had hoped to make a healthy return this season, only to suffer a head injury in training camp following a nasty hit by farmhand Patrick Sieloff.

The veteran winger has missed the entire season and was limited to just four contests last year as he continues to deal with post-concussion issues.

No doubt his return would be a boost to the Senators, a team seeking offensive depth. Ottawa has scored just 59 goals on the season, the seventh-worst tally in the league.

"I want to play for sure," MacArthur told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. "Things are slowly getting better. We've got to do the tests but if I'm medically cleared, I'm for sure playing."

While MacArthur understands the risks after suffering four concussions in the past year-and-a-half, that hasn't stopped his plans for a return to the ice. Retirement certainly isn't on MacArthur's mind, as has been the path of many others who have dealt with post-concussion symptoms.

"The way things kind of ended, I don't want it to end like that. I feel like I can still play," MacArthur added. "I haven't been able to fulfil anything in this contract I've signed, and that's a kind of cloud over top of me. You want to come back and earn your money and do what you're supposed to do. That's something that has been bugging me for some time here so I definitely want to get back out there and do whatever I can."

MacArthur joined the Senators as a free agent in 2014, scoring 55 points in his first season with the club. He is signed through the 2019-20 season and carries a $4.65-million AAV.

In the meantime, MacArthur continues to skate and hopes to lose his 'no-contact' jersey soon as he continues to progress toward a return. MacArthur has circled early January as his target date to return to game action.

"After the bye week (from Jan. 2 to Jan. 7) would be ideal for me," MacArthur said. "To get back in it full swing. That's what I’m shooting for. I'm sure when I get back it's going to be an adjustment early. But I feel when I get in real game shape and back at it, I have full confidence that I'll be able to get back to what I was before."

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Top Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk suffered an apparent right leg injury in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Though the club was quick to announce he would not return after the accidental collision with Anze Kopitar left him hobbled, it did not provide an update on the severity the injury after the game.

It's expected the Canadiens will have more information Monday.

In tandem with Alexander Radulov, Galchenyuk has fueled Montreal's offense this season, accounting for a team-high nine goals and 23 points.

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