PITTSBURGH - The depleted Pittsburgh Penguins defense has taken another hit. Coach Mike Sullivan says defenseman Ron Hainsey is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
The Penguins acquired the 35-year-old Hainsey just before the trade deadline. Hainsey has one assist in 10 games since joining Pittsburgh. The Penguins called up Derrick Pouliot from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton ahead of Friday night's game against New Jersey to fill in for Hainsey.
Pittsburgh is already missing injured defensemen Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, though all three are expected back by the playoffs.
Sullivan said center Evgeni Malkin will sit out Friday with an upper-body injury. Sullivan added Malkin, who is fifth in the league in scoring with 72 points, had been dealing with the injury for some time.
On the heels of the NHL100 Classic announcement, the Canadian government designated the Stanley Cup as a National Historic Event in front the collection of dignitaries in Ottawa on Friday.
Though it has long held that distinction within Canada's collective conscious, as MP Catherine McKenna eluded to in her announcement, it will now officially be recognized as one of "Canada's most treasured prizes."
The Stanley Cup routinely tours the country during the summer months, but it's coming up on a quarter-century since a Canadian franchise won Lord Stanley's mug.
Wilkins: Who needs a rebuild when you have David Pastrnak?
After dipping his toe into the harbor last season with 15 goals in 51 games, the Boston Bruins winger has made a bigger splash in his third pro season, recording 31 goals and sitting just shy of a point-per-game pace.
Not bad for a player selected 25th overall. Among his fellow 2014 draftees, only Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has outpaced Pastrnak, coming up with 118 points to his 115, but doing so in 18 more contests. Still, no player has tallied more often than Pastrnak, who has collected 55 goals since making his NHL debut in 2014-15.
This season, Pastrnak has found a home on the Bruins' second line alongside veteran center David Krejci. The 20-year-old sits second in team scoring and has emerged as a key cog in the next wave of talent in Beantown.
Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf get most of the attention in Anaheim, but it's Rakell who leads the club with 30 goals, and he's done it in only 59 contests. His goals per game (0.51) is fifth-best in the NHL among qualified players, fractionally trailing the NHL's leading scorer Brad Marchand.
Rakell's production has increased every year since entering the league in the 2012-13 season, but few predicted he'd be on pace to net 36 goals in an abbreviated 2016-17 campaign.
The Ducks rank in the league's bottom third in scoring, so the fact that he's provided one-sixth of the team's 180 goals further underscores how important his offensive explosion has been.
Mikael Granlund
Hagerman: Maybe it's the new coach, maybe it's some newly found confidence, or maybe it's simple development, but Mikael Granlund is having a monstrous season.
Through just 69 games, the Minnesota Wild forward sits 11th in league scoring and has already smashed his previous career bests set last season. He's put up 11 more goals and 21 more points in 13 fewer games, and at his current pace should score four more goals and 12 more points before the year is out.
It doesn't end there. He's put up career highs in power-play goals and points, shorthanded goals and points, and his 15.6 shooting percentage is nearly twice as high as his previous best. In fact, his 65 points are already more than any Wild player has posted in a season since 2009-10, when Mikko Koivu paced the club with 71.
Factor in that Granlund also ranks third among the club's forwards in takeaways, fourth in shots, fourth in blocks, and second in shorthanded time on ice and it's clear that not only has he been lethal on the scoreboard, he's been the complete package for the Wild.
Jack Eichel
Cuthbert: Rejoining a non-contender after missing the first six weeks of the season due to injury, Jack Eichel's sophomore campaign would be readily glossed over if it weren't so impressive.
Eichel has not just outshone the vast majority of last season's monster rookie class in his second year - he's been one of the league's most productive players since he's returned from a high ankle sprain.
With 27 points in 22 games since the beginning of last month, Eichel has increased his overall count to 20 goals and 48 points in 50 games, a historic near-point-per-game rate for a 20-year-old.
He fashioned the second-longest point streak this season, marking the scoresheet in 11 consecutive games, and he's sandwiched in between James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter in terms of all-situations points rate, ranking 21st in the league.
The NHL officially announced Friday that the Ottawa Senators will host the Montreal Canadiens at Lansdowne Park on Dec. 16 in the next installment of the league's outdoor series: the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic.
"By bringing the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens together, outdoors at Lansdowne Park, we recreate - and reimagine - a matchup of founding NHL franchises who launched 100 years of remarkable history for our league and our fans," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
"The 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classicwill serve as another signature event in our Centennial celebration, will set the stage for the next 100 years of NHL excitement, and will contribute a unique sports moment to Canada's sesquicentennial."
The outdoor showcase will be staged three days before the 100th anniversary of the first NHL game in Ottawa.
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, March 17 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
C Sidney Crosby (99K) & LW Conor Sheary (48K), Penguins (vs. Devils): New Jersey will be playing its second game in as many nights. Crosby and Sheary play together at 5v5. With Evgeni Malkin sitting out Friday, it's possible Sheary will be promoted from PP2 to PP1.
C Sean Monahan (52K) & LW Johnny Gaudreau (62K), Flames (vs. Stars): Calgary's winning streak came to an end, Wednesday, against Boston. Nonetheless, this duo should have no problem picking up where they left off. Dallas has the second-highest xGA60 (expected goals against per 60 minutes) in the NHL.
C Rickard Rakell (44K) & RW Patrick Eaves (44K), Ducks (vs. Sabres): It's a shame Rakell is listed as a center even though he plays LW. You have to choose between he and Ryan Getzlaf, but it's an easy choice considering the latter costs nearly twice as much. Rakell has 30 goals on the year. He and Eaves could each have multi-point nights against a Sabres team playing the second half of a back-to-back.
Bargain Plays
RW Michael Grabner (32K), Rangers (vs. Panthers): When you rely heavily on breakaways to score, your production isn't going to be consistent. However, 32K for a player with 27 goals provides outstanding value, even if Grabner is a complete boom-or-bust player.
LW Remi Elie (25K), Stars (at Flames): Elie is 11th among NHL skaters with 4.45 iSCF60 (individual scoring chances for per 60 minutes). He has played only six games, but he has a goal and two assists in his last four. If LW Jamie Benn (upper body) can't go, Elie will likely slot in on Dallas' top line with Cs Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin.
G Anders Nilsson (75K), Sabres (at Ducks): There's a good chance Nilsson get's the call between the pipes on the second night of a back-to-back. It's not an ideal scenario, but he has been a reliable backup netminder this season and the Ducks offense ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of goals per game.
Top Fades
LW Jamie Benn (67K), Stars (at Flames): It's unclear whether Benn is going to suit up or not. Even if he does, he isn't worth rostering against the red-hot Flames.
RW Corey Perry (67K), Ducks (vs. Sabres): Perry has been relegated to a third-line role and isn't even on the top power-play unit anymore. At 67K, better value can be found elsewhere.
D Dennis Wideman (29K), Flames (vs. Stars): Wideman has been in and out of the lineup these days and doesn't play significant minutes when he does suit up. Even with a bargain salary and a juicy matchup, don't roster him.
Contrarian Options
C Tyler Seguin (72K), Stars (at Flames): Seguin will likely be faded with a tough matchup and a high salary, but there is a chance Brian Elliott (illness) won't be at 100 percent if he does play, Friday. This could open the door for a big night from one of the league's most talented players.
G Brian Elliott (96K), Flames (vs. Stars): On the flip side, Elliott's status on Squad Up is considered questionable, which will leave him with little ownership even though he was on the ice for Thursday's practice. Obviously if you roster Seguin, or any other Stars, don't roster Elliott.
D Rasmus Ristolainen (42K), Sabres (at Ducks): Ristolainen will have low ownership with a matchup against the defensive juggernaut Ducks. However, he can return value without scoring. He is capable of putting up 5-plus shots, hits and blocks in a single game.
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
Another dramatic swing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Two days after relative catastrophe - with every result from Tuesday night's schedule hurting their playoff chances - the Maple Leafs bounced back to smash the Lightning in their latest most important game of the season. In doing so, Toronto saw every other competitor in the race for the final few seeds in the Eastern Conference postseason come up empty.
The Islanders, Panthers, Senators, Bruins, Flyers, and Lightning, of course, all suffered regulation losses, allowing the Maple Leafs to sneak back into the eighth seed.
Over in the West, the Kings collected two points in their win over the Sabres. But their postseason chances took a hit, as the Oilers, Predators, and Blues were all winners as well.
The Oilers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a pair of goals 59 seconds apart by Maroon, who upped his career-high goal total on the season to 24.
Edmonton got another goal three minutes later as David Desharnais hooked around the net and sent the puck in front to Pouliot, who poked it past goalie Tuukka Rask. It was Pouliot's second goal in two games after breaking a 28-game scoreless drought against Dallas on Tuesday.
Boston got one back on a power play with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the opening frame when Marchand made a perfect pass to set up Pastrnak at the side of the net for his 31st goal of the season, and fifth in his last five games.
The Bruins made it 3-2 with two minutes to go in the first, as Marchand was left alone at the side of the net to score his 37th goal of the season and 12th in his last 11 games.
The Oilers scored again with 51 seconds remaining when Slepyshev batted the rebound of McDavid's shot out of the air and past Rask.
Edmonton made it 5-2 two minutes into the second on the power play as Drake Caggiula's pass went off Bruin forward Riley Nash's skate and into the net. Rask was replaced in the Boston net by Anton Khudobin.
Boston fought back a couple minutes later, getting a short-handed goal from Moore.
Draisaitl made it 6-3 Edmonton seven minutes into the second, picking off a pass at mid-ice and going the distance to score his 60th point, the most ever in an NHL season by a German-born player.
Edmonton added another power-play goal with five minutes left as a puck hit Lucic and got past Khudobin. It was the second game in a row that the Oilers have scored seven goals, and the first time they had done that at home since 1988.
Krejci scored on a Boston man advantage with 32 seconds left in the middle period.
NOTES: There was no scoring in the third, but a brief scare when Boston forward Matt Beleskey was hit in the right side of the head with a shot from Patrice Bergeron in the game's final minute. He was slow to get up, but skated off with the assistance of Bergeron.
