Following Rasmus Dahlin's five-point game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato predicted the defenseman won't be an All-Star snub for much longer.

"He was a force. I don't know (the site for All-Star voting). Whatever it is, there should be some clicks tonight because that was a special night by him," Granato told reporters after Buffalo's 6-5 victory. "To watch that unfold was impressive."

The league's department of hockey operations selected Tage Thompson to represent the Sabres during next month's festivities, but there are still three remaining spots on each lineup. An online fan vote will determine those slots.

Dahlin has put together an All-Star-calibre season. He currently ranks third among defensemen in scoring with 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 36 games.

The 22-year-old also tied a franchise record for most points by a blue-liner in a single game Saturday. Dahlin forced overtime with his second goal of the game and chipped in with three assists, including on Victor Olofsson's winner.

Dahlin logged a team-high 29:25 of action against the Wild. He was about to leave the ice prior to factoring in on Olofsson's overtime dagger, but he stayed on after Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin went off to the races on a partial break.

"I have to play defense, I have to take responsibility," he said of his action-packed shift. "(Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) made a great save (on Brodin), so thanks to him."

Granato wasn't surprised to hear about Dahlin's relentless drive.

"That's where you see his compete. ... I'm sure there was a shot of adrenaline through him at that moment, of feeling, 'Hey, I might feel exhausted, but that's an excuse. I gotta get a job done here.'

"And he's identifying better with how to get a job done positionally, technically, learning his position, learning the league. We've seen that as Sabres fans and us in our positions, we've seen the growth in him in just game knowledge and how to shut (teams) down, and it was all on display there."

Dahlin's next chance to build on his spectacular campaign will come Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

All-Star Game voting will be open until Jan. 17.

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The Washington Capitals will welcome a familiar face back to the lineup Sunday, with veteran pivot Nicklas Backstrom making his season debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Backstrom has been sidelined the entire 2022-23 season after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in June. The 35-year-old has dealt with hip issues for a large portion of his career. He missed the opening 28 games of last season while recovering from an injury and had arthroscopic surgery in 2015.

His resurfacing procedure was considered much more serious than previous operations.

Backstrom has spent his entire 15-year career with the Capitals after he was drafted fourth overall in 2006. He's racked up 1,011 points in 1,058 games with the franchise but struggled last season with a career-low 0.53 points-per-game average.

The Capitals have been hit hard with injuries this season, playing half the campaign without Backstrom and top-six fixture Tom Wilson. They've overcome the key absences in spades, though, currently holding the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 50 points.

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Jon Cooper criticized his Tampa Bay Lightning for failing to stay out of the penalty box during a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.

"It's a complete lack of discipline," the Bolts head coach said following the defeat. "It was embarrassing what we did. How many five-on-threes you're up against in one season, you (can) count on maybe one hand, and we gave them two minute-and-a-half five-on-threes in one game. Unacceptable.

"That shouldn't happen," Cooper continued. "Good on Winnipeg. Honestly, it was really a nothing game going on. That game could've been 0-0 and a shootout. They stayed disciplined, said, '(Let's) sit back and wait for Tampa to screw it up,' and they did."

Cooper expanded upon his thoughts when asked whether he expected the game to be so intense.

"Honestly, I didn't find that game intense at all," he said with a laugh. "Tell me what happened in the game other than us taking penalties and giving them opportunities."

The Jets scored on both five-on-three chances in their victory, adding an empty-netter while down two skaters after the Lightning pulled their goaltender on a power play. Pierre-Luc Dubois netted Winnipeg's first goal with the man advantage in the second period, and Kyle Connor buried the second to make it 3-2 for the Jets early in the third.

Morgan Barron potted the shorthanded empty-net tally with under two minutes left in regulation.

Tampa Bay fell to 24-13-1 this season. The team won three straight games to close out 2022 and beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Tuesday before losing 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. The Bolts still have a nine-point cushion for third place in the Atlantic Division, but the fourth-place Buffalo Sabres have two games in hand.

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Technically, Thomas Hickey hasn't retired from pro hockey. The longtime New York Islanders defenseman has yet to file the paperwork to make it official.

For all intents and purposes, though, Hickey is retired, and he's already a few months into a second career, having transitioned to a studio analyst role with MSG Networks following his release from the New Jersey Devils during training camp. He works Islanders broadcasts alongside host Shannon Hogan on the pregame, intermission, and postgame shows.

For a rookie analyst, Hickey, 33, is polished and especially adept at translating on-ice tactics into plain English. His biggest challenges at the moment are learning TV industry lingo and presenting the right body language to the camera. It took a minute, but he has managed to reframe the Isles in his brain.

"I remember saying 'we' early on, and somebody was in my ear going, 'OK, watch the we. You don't want to say we,'" Hickey, an Islanders player from 2012-2022, said Thursday during a phone interview. "And I know (that's the proper approach) because I don't play for the team. ... It's something you try to snap out of."

After our conversation, the Isles lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers, dropping their record to 22-16-2, points percentage to .575, and goal differential to plus-18. New York, which failed to make the postseason in 2021-22, is the Eastern Conference's second wild-card team heading into Friday's games.

"This team is where they deserve to be," Hickey said, before adding that it'll be a "fight until the very end" in the Metropolitan Division. The Isles are in fifth place with 46 points, four behind the third-seeded Rangers.

"It's clear that the bedrock of the team is goaltending, and the team will go as far as the goalies will take them," Hickey said of Vezina Trophy contender Ilya Sorokin (.925 save percentage) and backup Semyon Varlamov (.919). "Through 40 games, they've proven that's not going to be an issue and that's something you can rely on. And they've also proven they can score, too."

The Isles are icing essentially the same roster as last season, but first-year bench boss Lane Lambert has installed a less conservative system than that of Barry Trotz, the coach behind trips to the conference finals in 2020 and 2021.

Backstopped by elite goaltending, Lambert's Islanders are fine with exchanging more scoring chances and goals against for more chances and goals for. The results are promising: The Isles are up to 15th in the league from 23rd last year in goals per game - a 12th-ranked power play helps - while sitting eighth in goals against per game, the same as last year.

To Hickey, the starkest change from Trotz - who he played for - to Lambert, previously an assistant, can be seen in "the aggression in the offensive zone."

"Barry was conservative in the sense that when you're trying to win games 2-1 or 3-2, you don't need to risk having the defenseman pinch down the walls in the O-zone when it's maybe a 60-40 play," Hickey explained. "That's 60% you will get the puck, 40% you won't, and that 40% can really bite you.

"This year, it's a go-for-it mentality, and it's become somebody else's responsibility to fill in at the (vacant) point. You can create so much more offensive-zone time when you do take those educated risks and bets, keep a puck in, and then play in the other team's zone for 40, 50, or 60 seconds."

Lambert encouraging his blue-liners to pinch, and, as Hickey points out, to also join or lead the rush on the breakout, has the Isles ranking first in the league in goals by defensemen, with 25. Last year, New York's rearguards combined for 32 goals over 82 games, which tied them for 21st.

"The team is understanding that, after playing such a conservative game for so long, you can add risk and still win hockey games," Hickey said.

"What's the right amount of risk? I think they're still finding that out."

McDavid's underappreciated tear

Let's talk about Connor McDavid. More specifically, let's talk about the damage he's been inflicting on opponents night after night since October.

McDavid, who turns 26 next Friday and is now in his eighth NHL season, has amassed 33 goals and 42 assists for 75 points in 40 games. The Edmonton Oilers captain leads the NHL in points by 15, primary points by six, and points per game by 0.30. (Teammate Leon Draisaitl is second in all three categories.)

McDavid has been held off the scoresheet only five times all year and has factored in 53% of all Oilers goals. To truly understand what McDavid's been up to over the past three months, consider this: The Chicago Blackhawks have 80 goals in 37 games - just five more goals than McDavid has points.

McDavid's been comically hot for a while now, and I don't think he's getting enough attention. But I get it; McDavid's greatness is nothing new. And like LeBron James, he's never not been great, so we're a bit numb to it.

Assuming McDavid stays healthy, here are three plausible second-half scenarios:

Scenario 1: Continues current pace

McDavid, who hasn't missed a game this season and is nearly averaging a career high in ice time at 22:46, is on pace for 68 goals and 86 assists for 154 points. His best comparable in recent history is Mario Lemieux, who piled up 69 goals and 92 assists for 161 points in 70 contests in 1995-96.

Lemieux recorded 150 points or more three other times. Wayne Gretzky did it on nine occasions, while Steve Yzerman, Phil Esposito, and Bernie Nicholls all hit 150 once. That's it; five 150-point guys in NHL history. And only nine players have ever hit the 68-goal mark.

Scenario 2: Reverts back to career pace

It's possible McDavid loses his momentum in the second half and over his final 42 games produces at his career averages heading into the season.

If that's the case, he'll accrue 21 more goals (0.50 goals-per-game average) and 40 more assists (0.96), bringing his 2022-23 totals to 54 goals and 82 assists for 136 points. He'll still establish career bests in all three categories and likely win his fifth Art Ross, third Hart, and fourth Ted Lindsay trophies.

Scenario 3: Produces below career pace

While less likely, it's possible McDavid struggles. For argument's sake, let's say "struggles" means the superstar produces at half of his career averages.

Under these terms, 0.25 goals per contest over the final 42 games will lead to 11 more goals, while 0.48 assists per contest will yield 20 additional assists. His totals: 44 goals (ties career high) and 62 assists for 106 points in 82 games.

So, McDavid will still eclipse 100 points for the sixth time if everything falls apart from January onward. What a phenomenal first half.

Kings' Kaliyev slowing evolving

Arthur Kaliyev's calling card has always been his ability to fire the puck. The Los Angeles Kings, despite being well aware of on-ice red flags that were turning other teams away, drafted him 33rd overall in 2019 precisely for his goal-scoring.

However, Kaliyev's howitzer can take him only so far. When the puck isn't going in, for whatever reason, the 21-year-old winger must find subtler ways to make a positive impact. His transition to the pro ranks hasn't been seamless, but prior to going down with a lower-body injury on Dec. 20, Kaliyev had been flashing glimpses of a well-rounded game.

"He's realized the stats will come if you do all of the other things," Kings head coach Todd McLellan said recently. "He's added an element of physicality to his game that wasn't there. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's fitter. He's been able to improve his engine so that he can play more minutes at a higher pace. The improvement in his game has been noticeable over the last year."

Kaliyev, who's spent time on every forward line this season, is averaging just 12 minutes of ice a night. He's been active during his shifts, though, leading L.A. in shot attempts per 60 minutes (20.93, 146 total attempts) and sitting second in goals per 60 (1.29, nine total). Both rates are upgrades on last year's numbers when Kaliyev played 80 games as a wide-eyed NHL rookie.

As McLellan mentioned, Kaliyev has ratcheted up his physicality, going from 1.84 hits for per 60 and 6.29 against per 60 last season to 4.01 for and 7.45 against this season. It's a key development, as a lack of physical engagement and slow pace of play were the two main concerns ahead of the 2019 draft.

Is the hope, then, that the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder can evolve from a one-dimensional, trigger-happy forward to a trustworthy power forward who scores, wins puck battles, and bowls over the odd opponent? McLellan answered "yes," before wondering aloud about the player archetype.

"I don't know what a power forward is anymore," he said. "Is a power forward the guy who is running over guys and commanding ice? Or is a power forward the guy that's bombing pucks by a goaltender? Is he established in the crease or does he play on the perimeter and scores? I'm not sure what the definition is anymore. We're at that stage right now."

Parting shots

Sticky business: Trevor Zegras' stick broke mid-shift Wednesday, so he decided to steal one from the Dallas Stars' Joel Kiviranta - right out of the poor guy's hands. The face of the Anaheim Ducks was quickly issued a minor penalty for using an illegal stick. Nevertheless, it was an amusing sequence in a 2-0 Ducks win. (See below.) I found Zegras' postgame remarks especially funny. "Everybody knew it was a penalty but me, I guess," he told reporters with a veiled grin. He then added, "I tried to claim that I found it on the ice, which nobody was buying."

Tracking data: Earlier this week, NHL public relations passed along some 2022 player and puck tracking data highlights. Buffalo Sabres star sniper Tage Thompson recorded the hardest shot in a regular-season game - 101.69 mph on Nov. 8 against the Arizona Coyotes. Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot traveled the longest distance in a regulation game - 24,748 feet on March 14, also against Arizona. That's 4.7 miles or 7.5 kilometers. And McDavid skated the most total distance - 1,609,734 feet (305 miles/491 km) over 72 games during the calendar year. Wow, OK, now I'm curious about No. 97's crossover numbers:

Moritz Seider: The Detroit Red Wings blue-liner's points-per-game rate has dropped from 0.61 last year to 0.36 this year. It can be tempting to slap the "sophomore slump" label on Seider, but there's nuance here. How do the Red Wings view the Calder Trophy winner's performance so far in Year 2? "Excellent," head coach Derek Lalonde told theScore last week. "I think the biggest thing with Mo is that he's continuing to play winning hockey. It's not about offense. It's not about what he creates. It's about winning. You can see, in games where he's been really good and we've won, he's been a huge part of defending against their top line and leading the breakout. If the offense comes, great, but it's him managing his game, not turning pucks over."

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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The Winnipeg Jets are getting quite a few reinforcements for Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Blake Wheeler, and Cole Perfetti plus defenseman Nate Schmidt are all returning to the Jets' lineup after stints on the sidelines.

Ehlers has missed 36 games after undergoing sports hernia surgery in November. The 26-year-old tallied three assists in the first two games of the season before being injured. He tallied 28 goals and 55 points across 62 contests in 2021-22.

Wheeler underwent groin surgery in December after blocking a shot against the Nashville Predators. The former Jets captain accrued nine goals and 26 points prior to suffering the injury. He has missed the last nine games.

Schmidt has also missed nine games. The 31-year-old has registered three goals and six points while playing less than 20 minutes per contest for the first time since 2016-17. Schmidt was injured on a hit from Nashville's Tanner Jeannot.

Perfetti has been a pleasant addition to the lineup in his first full NHL season, tallying six goals and 20 points across 33 contests. The 21-year-old has been out for five games with an upper-body injury sustained against the Boston Bruins.

The Jets are second in the Central Division with a 24-13-1 record.

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The NHL announced its initial 32 All-Stars on Thursday for this year's festivities in Florida, with 12 more players to come Jan. 19 after fan votes are tabulated.

The four division-based teams are headlined by a crop of the usual suspects, but several prominent superstars didn't make the initial cut. There's a decent chance some, or all, of the players on this list of snubs ultimately get the nod, but as John Scott and Zemgus Girgensons can attest, fans don't always take voting seriously.

The All-Star Game itself isn't taken all that seriously by players either; some veterans prefer to spend the time off with their families, while the "one representative from each NHL team" rule tends to dilute the talent pool and takes away from the luster of a true best-on-best format.

Major changes to the All-Star Game format don't appear to be on the horizon, though, so without further ado, here are five players we were surprised to see missing from the initial rosters.

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Matthews isn't quite having the MVP-caliber season we've grown accustomed to seeing over the past couple years, but he's still one of the game's most recognizable players and elite talents. The NHL should be focused on showcasing its best and most marketable stars in this event rather than appeasing fans of every team. Be honest: Would you rather watch someone like Brock Nelson in the skills competition and three-on-three tournament, or Matthews? The Maple Leafs have a handful of worthy All-Stars this season, but the back-to-back "Rocket" Richard winner is the face of the franchise and has more goals and points this season than Toronto's chosen candidate, Mitch Marner.

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

The "one representative from each team" format might be most unfair to Draisaitl. What other player could rank second in points and top 10 in goals and have legitimately no shot at being their team's All-Star representative?

When creating the All-Star rosters, Connor McDavid's name has to be the first one written down. Draisaitl's exclusion from the initial lists is an indictment of the format, not the selection process. Any player with 22 goals and 60 points in 38 games should be an automatic participant in the game. Draisaitl has more assists than Pacific Division All-Stars Troy Terry, Nazem Kadri, and Matty Beniers have points, for goodness sake.

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Pastrnak was left off the debut Atlantic roster in favor of Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark, who is having a fantastic season. That said, no one tunes into All-Star Weekend for the goalies. Fans want to see as many goals and fun offensive plays as possible, and goaltenders' involvement in the skills competition generally feels forced. It's not exactly fair to send out a cold backstop to attempt to stop the world's best players while they try out their best breakaway moves.

Pastrnak is fifth in the league in goals and seventh in points while leading Boston in both categories by huge margins. He's a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate that might not be involved in the league's premier showcase of talent. It doesn't make sense. Beyond his top-tier production, Pastrnak is one of few NHL superstars with the charisma (just look at that picture above) to match his skills, and he should have been guaranteed the chance to show off both at All-Star Weekend.

Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche

What does Rantanen have to do to get some All-Star recognition? The 26-year-old has just one All-Star Game appearance, coming back in 2019. Not only is he tied for sixth in goals with 26 tallies, he's the only player on the Avalanche with double-digit goals through 37 games.

Rantanen was an All-Star snub last year due mainly to Colorado's unbelievable array of talent. Sure, it's hard to get too upset when Cale Makar is representing the Avalanche instead. But few players have been as important to their team in 2022-23 as Rantanen, and his production has kept Colorado in the hunt through significant injury woes. It's been good enough to put him in the Hart discussion.

If his overall numbers weren't enough, then surely his superb play over the past month should've been. Rantanen has 11 goals in his last 13 games, averaging an astonishing 25:00 in ice time over that stretch. That deserves an All-Star nod, even if it has to come at Makar's expense.

Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

Sorokin has unquestionably been the Islanders' best player this season. His 26 goals saved above expected lead the NHL by a notable margin, which he has done in a league-leading 30 appearances.

Islanders representative Brock Nelson has had another quality season with 15 goals and 38 points, and it's great to see him spotlighted, but he's nowhere near major award discussions. Sorokin is squarely in the Vezina conversation and should get Hart votes if New York snags a playoff spot.

Sorokin has been better than Igor Shesterkin - the All-Star goaltender for the Metropolitan Division - in nearly every statistical category except for wins. The Rangers also have multiple excellent All-Star candidates at forward and defense. Bringing Nelson and Shesterkin instead of Sorokin and, say, Adam Fox is a curious choice.

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The Montreal Canadiens announced a pair of absences due to lower-body injuries Friday.

Defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss at least eight weeks, while veteran forward Brendan Gallagher is out two weeks.

Guhle has been a bright spot for the struggling Canadiens. The 20-year-old has tallied 14 points in 36 games to lead Montreal defensemen in scoring. His 20:46 average time on ice ranks third among rookie blue-liners.

Guhle has already missed three games, last playing against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 29. He appeared to be injured after an awkward collision with Aleksander Barkov.

Gallagher has been limited to 25 games this season due to various injury issues. The 30-year-old has tallied just four goals and nine points while playing 14:12, the fewest minutes he's played since his rookie campaign. Gallagher did not play in Thursday's loss to the New York Rangers.

The Canadiens are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and are last in the Atlantic Division. They're back in action against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

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