Max Pacioretty's lower-body injury could put the Canadiens in the market for a winger.
For a team that seemed set on its forward lines a few days ago, the Habs entered Thursday's game against the Blue Jackets with concerns that might force GM Marc Bergevin to make a move.
Pacioretty came up lame Tuesday against the Jets, and despite a battery of tests since the team returned home a clear determination of his injury was not provided the morning before Jackets game.
The Habs also made winger Rene Bourque a game-time decision with what the team called the flu.
Also Thursday, the Canadiens said defenseman Davis Drewiske will miss at least five months after shoulder surgery on Wednesday. Drewiske was felled in training camp.
Pacioretty was unable to put weight on his left foot as he was helped off the ice Tuesday after getting tangled up in front of the Jets net. His absence will be felt because he was seeing significant minutes and was the team's leading scorer the past two seasons.
There's a problem for Bergevin to work out should Pacioretty be down long. The Habs don't have much cap space to use on a replacement.
However, it appears Daniel Briere turned a corner in recent games after starting the season so poorly he was demoted to the fourth line. Once a top-line talent, Briere will be key in replacing Pacioretty's production.
TAVARES EXPECTATIONS
John Tavares is on a mission to get the Islanders back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Last spring's stunning first-round success against the Penguins only whetted his appetite.
If a successful start to the season brings that goal closer for Tavares it also could help him gain consideration for a berth on the Canadian Olympic team.
Not that he will admit desire for that dream assignment.
"You don't try to worry about what you need to do too much," Tavares told NHL.com. "That can maybe kind of sidetrack you in some ways. It's I just keep playing the same way, the same mindset, the same attitude, the same drive that I've had, and I think everything should take care of itself."
Playoffs and Olympics? Both seemed distance for Tavares when he entered the league as the youngest player drafted back in 2009. The Isles were a miserable outfit until they turned the corner on the coattails of Tavares, who as a Hart Trophy candidate last season.
A moribund franchise now has a bright future, with a move ahead to Brooklyn's Barclays Center. But that is distant, and an outdoor game at Yankee Stadium is closer. Making the Olympic team requires selection in a formidable field of centers.
While Tavares won't look too far ahead, he doesn't have to; things are good these days for the Islanders.
"You can see a lot of things starting to head in the right direction for us, and it's important for us to keep trending that way," he said. "These are all great opportunities and now we have to take advantage of them."
NOT MIGHTY DUCKS
Wednesday saw the Ducks clock their fifth consecutive victory, keyed by Teemu Selanne's 676th career goal. Also of important in the win against the Flames was the goaltending of second-year backup Viktor Fasth.
Winning conceals problems, and the Ducks have a big one. Their power play is the league's worst. Given their talent, going 1-for-24 is a head scratcher. Or worse.
"I wouldn't call that a power play. It's embarrassing," Selanne said. "It's a joke right now. I can only laugh at that right now, seriously, and I'm a big part of it. That's the one thing we've got to fix ... [there's] no confidence, no shots. We just tried to make some fancy plays. It's not pretty to watch. Not for the kids."
Selanne also labeled the man-up unit "power killers." That was especially true when Lee Stepniak got a short-handed goal for the Flames.
At 5-1, the Ducks are off to their best start. Imagine what a few power-play goals would do for them
MAX FACTOR
Maxim Lapierre will be in New York on Friday for his in-person hearing with NHL disciplinarians. A lengthy suspension is expected as punishment for the hit Lapierre laid on Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle this week.
Brad Stuart stepped into Boyle's slot for Thursday's game against the Stars.
There was no immediate update from the Sharks on Boyle, who was knocked out by Lapierre's check. He was being evaluated in San Jose.
Stuart has been absent from the defense corps most of the season. He sat out three games with a lower-body injury and once healthy three more under suspension for a hit to the head of the Rangers' Rick Nash.
Boyle passed along word is his OK after the incident. And on Thursday his agent told CSNBayArea that Boyle was having no headaches. Still, given the NHL's focus on concussions it will be a bit before Boyle is back in the lineup.
Lapierre will find out how much time he will miss after his hearing. Five games is believed to be a minimum.
Contibutors: Ray Slover, Sean Gentille, The Associated Press