--The Columbus Blue Jackets are one game away from tying the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the longest winning streak in NHL history. That Penguins team was obviously loaded with talent, but that record was set many years ago, which makes it a little hard to remember. BarDown shares five facts about that run. (BarDown)
--Many people thought shipping Shea Weber for P.K. Subban was the right call for the Preds, but a few months later, it appears as though Nashville might be lacking an identity and some leadership. “If there’s one word that describes our almost first half of the season it’s ‘inconsistency,’” general manager David Poile said. “In October we were not very good. In November we were one of the best teams in the league. In December we faltered. The question remains -- are we October or are we November?” (ESPN)
--Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky didn’t appear to be himself last year, and it was ultimately one of the reasons why his team was terrible in 2015-16. This year, he’s one of the leading candidates for the Vezina and Hart trophies. “You look at his body last year and the body composition, and all his body fats and all that, you’d say it was impossible,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. “But he did it. He basically sculpted his body into a different form in the off-season, and it wasn’t fat that was coming off his body, I can tell you that. That just tells you about his dedication and how serious he is about his professionalism and how he approaches every day.” (The Hockey News)
--After suffering an ugly loss to the Sabres on Tuesday night, the Rangers bounced back with a big 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. You can watch the highlights from that game by clicking the video at the top of the page.
--After former Bruin Milt Schmidt passed away yesterday, Sportsnet shared a terrific 2015 piece on how tough hockey players in Schmidt’s era were. Here’s an except from the article: Remembering his playing days, (Schmidt) curled back his upper lip, pointed to his front teeth and said: “These are not mine. These are Rocket Richard’s.” Story went that Richard broke Schmidt’s nose and teeth with his stick. The team doctor put Schmidt’s face back together, then Schmidt got on the ice again and drilled Richard. (Sportsnet)
--Auston Matthews grabs most of the headlines in Toronto, but Rotoworld’s Gus Katsaros explains how important William Nylander’s been for their improved power play. Nylander’s contributed to 92.3 percent of his team’s on-ice goals on the man-advantage. (Rotoworld)
--Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly visited the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto over the Christmas break and he brought plenty of holiday cheer with him. “I think that when you get time off it’s important that you try to do stuff that you might not have time for during the season regularly and it’s my first Christmas here in Toronto,” Rielly said. “You get the day off, come make a difference and just have some fun with the kids.” You can watch the video on NHL.com.