Anthony Duclair is off to Tucson.

The Arizona Coyotes assigned the young winger to their AHL affiliate Thursday, the NHL club announced.

"Anthony is a good young player," general manager John Chayka said in the statement. "Unfortunately, he has struggled this season. We felt this was a good time to send him to Tucson to work on a few things and hopefully regain his scoring touch. We hope to have him rejoin our team soon."

Duclair managed only three goals and six assists in 41 games with the Coyotes this season. He was held without a point in each of the last five games, and in seven of his last eight.

The 21-year-old posted 20 goals and 44 points in his first full season with the Coyotes in 2015-16.

He was acquired by Arizona from the New York Rangers in the deal that sent defenseman Keith Yandle to the Big Apple at the trade deadline in 2015.

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The Ottawa Senators said it best.

Indeed, Erik Karlsson's pass to set up a Kyle Turris breakaway goal was a thing of beauty.

Turris' finish, resulting in his 16th goal of the season, was also pretty nice in its own right.

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John Tavares is doing his best to endear himself to the new coach.

The New York Islanders captain scored a sensational goal in the first period of Doug Weight's first game as the Islanders' new interim head coach on Thursday night.

Tavares put the puck between the legs of Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg before lifting a shot over Kari Lehtonen, giving his club a 1-0 lead - surely a delight to the new bench boss.

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It's no surprise that many of the NHL's goaltenders aren't fans of the less bulky equipment being rolled out across the league, but one netminder has a different method in mind to boost offense.

Corey Crawford says ice conditions play a larger role in determining quality of play than the size of goalie gear.

"I've always thought the real issue isn't goalie equipment,” he told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "The issue is ice. If you can make ice like the way it is in Colorado, the way it is in Washington, Edmonton - you make the conditions like that for every game in every rink, guys are going to score."

Crawford has played in his fair share of outdoor games, and he drew on that experience to further his point.

"Look at the Winter Classic, where plays are so much harder to come by," he said. "Guys are struggling with the puck on the ice, where they have to get their head down, to make sure the puck's (settled) down. If those top players have their heads up, and don't have to worry about where the puck's going to be … it's a massive difference. Massive difference between battling with the puck and making sure it's going to be on the ice, and just playing."

The veteran goalie pointed specifically to Tuesday's 6-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver, an arena known for having favorable ice conditions.

"I don't care how big your equipment is, if you can't react to it, you're not going to stop it, anyway," Crawford said. "Like, how fast was that game in Colorado? How fun was that game to watch? That was a fast game. You watch a game where the ice is just horseshit - it makes a huge difference. It's way more fun to watch."

Crawford tried out the new tighter goalie pants last Friday against the Washington Capitals, and the experiment didn't go so well, as the netminder allowed five goals in a 6-0 defeat.

"Tough one to try them out in," Crawford said with a laugh. "I wore them in practice, too. They're definitely thinner. It's not going to make a huge difference, but there are some little tweaks to be done with the equipment."

Smaller pants or not, Crawford has been inconsistent since returning to action following appendix surgery last month, posting a save percentage just north of 90 in the 10 games since he was forced to take a three-week absence.

The new equipment standards will become mandatory on Feb. 4.

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Sam Bennett is going to be a spectator for at least one game.

Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan has decided to scratch the young forward from Thursday's game against Nashville, saying Bennett's game isn't where the club needs it to be at this point in the season.

Being scratched, however, is part of the growing process, Gulutzan explained.

"He's 20 years old. Sometimes guys just need a break to sit and watch the game and they come back a lot better," Gulutzan explained, per Torie Peterson on the team's official website. "We've been working with Sam the last three, four weeks, trying to get his game back in order. Sometimes it's good for a young guy - a 20-year-old - to sit and watch a game, get a little bit of a break."

Bennett, who was drafted fourth overall by the Flames in 2014, has recorded nine goals and nine assists in 47 games this season.

Matt Stajan will take his place on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Alex Chiasson.

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Michael Grabner is becoming arguably the comeback player of the year, a shock to some, but not to his former teammates in Toronto.

Ahead of the Rangers' second clash with the Maple Leafs in the span of a week, some of Grabner's former teammates spoke of the 29-year-old's impeccable year, that sits him among the league leaders with 19 goals.

"I'm not surprised at all,'' Nazem Kadri said, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "He had a ton of chances last year. It seems like he had a breakaway every single game. He's always had that goal-scoring potential in him. He scored 30-plus goals before. With that incredible speed he has and how good his stick is - he comes up top and forces the defenseman to make bad plays. He's just unbelievable at that.''

Grabner was acquired by the Maple Leafs during the offseason last year as the team was desperate to free up the number of contracts they could carry. He ultimately went unsigned by Toronto this past summer, but as head coach Mike Babcock admits, the decision didn't have much to do with his on-ice performance.

"Grabby is a guy we really liked here; he did a real good job for us," Babcock said. "We would have loved to have kept him, but we felt that, with the wingers we had coming, one of these kids wouldn't have gotten the ice time.''

Having not hit the aforementioned 30-goal mark since the 2010-11 season, Grabner is now making the most of a two-year deal with the Rangers. The Austrian has already surpassed last year's output by 10 goals and nine points in 36 fewer games and is on his way to setting a career high, all while making very few adjustments to his game.

"He played exactly the same way he is now, but he just didn't score; they didn't bounce in for him," said Leo Komarov. "He got a breakaway almost every game. He was really good. He probably had like 30-40 breakaways last year. This year he's scoring, too. He's got the confidence back. He's a good player and he's obviously showing everyone that.''

Grabner has become a great redemption story, but with the Maple Leafs and Rangers both currently holding down playoff spots, it's unlikely either party is too upset about how things worked out.

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On the verge of reaching the 1,000 points for his career, Henrik Sedin delivered the perfect response when asked if he would have family in town to celebrate the milestone.

"Well, Daniel will be here," Henrik said, according to TSN 1040's Jeff Paterson.

Yes, Daniel will be there all along.

The Sedin brothers have racked up 1,966 points between them since breaking into the NHL together in 2000. Henrik is reaching the milestone a few months sooner, due to dressing in 23 more games and owning a fractionally higher points-per-game rate than his sibling.

It will be a special night for all if the Sedins can combine for a goal Friday night versus Roberto Luongo's Florida Panthers.

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The Detroit Red Wings aren't throwing in the towel.

Like their arena's namesake, the occupants of Joe Louis Arena aren't giving up the fight - that is, keeping alive the NHL's longest active playoff streak which dates back 25 seasons.

Under the tutelage of general manager Ken Holland, who joined the club in 1997 and moved up to the top job a year later, the Red Wings have been the NHL's model of excellence over his tenure, one that includes four Stanley Cup championships, with the most recent coming in 2008.

On Wednesday, a come-from-behind shootout victory over the Boston Bruins marked three straight wins, as the team pushed its record in January to 4-3-2. The Red Wings now have a shot at a four-game winning streak Friday when they face the Buffalo Sabres.

How the team performs down the stretch will ultimately decide its playoff chances, particularly with 26 of its remaining matches coming within the East, half of which are against Atlantic Division foes.

The Red Wings stand points ahead of only the Sabres and New York Islanders in the East, but just four points from the final wild-card spot, with the team carrying a 20-19-6 mark through 45 games.

"We're going to continue to try and be competitive, we're going to continue to try and make the playoffs and our ultimate goal is to eventually be a Cup contender," Holland told Peter Wallner of MLive.com.

With the Red Wings beginning to pass the torch to their younger players, the likes of Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou have been key contributors this season, joining Dylan Larkin, who finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting a year ago. All three have played big roles under coach Jeff Blashill as the Red Wings' focus remains on winning while rebuilding on the fly.

What to do about Thomas Vanek?

When the Red Wings lost top center Pavel Datsyuk in the offseason, who returned home to Russia, the focus turned to recruiting would-be free agent Steven Stamkos. Ultimately, that didn't happen, leaving the Red Wings to split their summer money three ways, adding Frans Nielsen, Vanek, and Steve Ott through free agency.

Vanek and Ott signed one-year deals, making them free agents this summer, meaning the club must soon decide their fates, while the 32-year-old Nielsen was brought in on a six-year pact.

Vanek has impressed through his first season in Detroit. After being bought out by the Minnesota Wild, Vanek landed in Detroit with hopes of rebuilding his game, and the early returns have been positive.

Despite an injury taking 11 games from his season, Vanek is the Red Wings' leading scorer, tallying 31 points. He's been a valuable add by the Red Wings, both on the ice and in regards to the salary cap, as he agreed to a bargain-friendly $2.6-million deal.

But could the Red Wings move Vanek before this year's trade deadline, particularly if the postseason doesn't appear to be in the picture?

If Vanek has his way, it appears he'd like to stay in Detroit, particularly after bouncing around four teams since 2013-14.

"I enjoy my time here. I like the guys. My family likes it here. So obviously I'm hoping to put a good streak here together to get ourselves back in the picture so I can be here," Vanek told Nicholas Cotsonika of NHL.com. "But obviously I understand the business side of it. If I'm moving, I'm getting pretty good at that too."

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A thoughtful Robin Lehner met with the media Thursday, and addressed the circumstances surrounding his contentious removal from Tuesday's loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Buffalo Sabres netminder was lifted after allowing three goals in less than 10 minutes - shortly after waving back at a fan acknowledging him live during a timeout through a phone held by their mother.

Lehner defended his moment with the fan between sips during the stoppage, taking issue with the broadcast's portrayal, and how his intentions were framed in that moment.

He said it was made out to be a "half-Hollywood movie."

"It's a mom with a 5-year-old kid waving in his pajamas," Lehner told Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald. "You know what? I'm going to wave back. I don't care what anyone thinks."

Lehner stared down Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma after being lifted from the game. He slammed his helmet in frustration, and flung off a few other pieces of equipment before sitting down beside the fan who was on their phone with their kid, adding to the theater.

"I understand what it's coming from, it's all entertainment to them, but it's a real-life reaction from me, and I accept the responsibility of it. I got mad. I let in three goals in 10 minutes."

He added: "I'll make adjustments. But at the same time, it's hypocritical to apologize for who you are. I'm a competitive guy that doesn't want to get out of the net. I don't want to get out of the net. I want to sink with the ship or be able to stand in there and come back."

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Andrei Markov needs a little more time.

Speaking Thursday, Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien announced that the veteran blue-liner is still sidelined on a week-to-week basis with a groin injury and will be out at least one more week, reports Eric Engels from Sportsnet.

Markov was originally diagnosed as day to day. However, he has not played since Dec. 17, missing 15 games.

The 38-year-old has 21 points through 31 games this season.

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