by Eric Duhatschek , The Globe and Mail

The three-time Olympian had hoped that a fast start might put him in the mix for a fourth Olympic appearance in his hometown of Vancouver. So far, he isn't on the radar screen. ... The Dallas Stars' captain, Brenden Morrow , had just one point in the month and might have been slipping down the chart for Canada's 2010 Olympic team, until a rib injury sidelined the Los Angeles Kings' Ryan Smyth for a minimum of four weeks. The link between Kariya and Morrow: Both are veteran players coming off major operations (Kariya hip, Morrow reconstructive knee surgery) who haven't come close to returning to their previous form. ... How much of an effect will Smyth's absence have on Anze Kopitar , the NHL's leading scorer? Hard to say, but the chemistry is demonstrably different with Alexander Frolov playing on the top line. Smyth likes to go to the net; Frolov generally does whatever he can to stay on the outside. If coach Terry Murray sticks with that line, it means Justin Williams will need to do much of the dirty work on the line. ... Good news for the Pittsburgh Penguins from the medical ward: Both Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot played Thursday night v. Ottawa, Gonchar for the first time in a month after breaking his left wrist and Talbot for the first time all year, since shoulder surgery last summer. ... Also back, Milan Lucic , returning to the Bruins' lineup after a 14-game absence with a broken finger. Lucic adds beef and muscle to a Boston team that badly missed those elements during his stay on injured reserve. ... Ceding to his wishes for a move back home, the Columbus Blue Jackets assigned Nikolai Filatov to CSKA Moscow of the Continental Hockey League for the remainder of season. The move saves Columbus a year off Filatov's entry-level deal, plus the rest of his contract for the season, which will be picked up by Red Army. It also permits Filatov, a slender six-footer weighing only 172 pounds, to fill out before taking another run at regular employment in the NHL. ... Unexpectedly, the Anaheim Ducks were bringing up the rear in the Western Conference, even with Corey Perry challenging for the scoring lead in the NHL, and his regular centre, Ryan Getzlaf , tied with Joe Thornton for the assists lead with 20 apiece. No, what ails Anaheim is the inability to keep the puck out of the net, something even J.S. Gigu?re (he of the 3.38 goals-against average and winless in five tries on the year) acknowledges. "If this team wants to move forward, goaltending is going to have to be better," Gigu?re told the L. A. Times. ... A final thought on the Mitchell hit on Toews, from Blackhawks' coach Joel Quenneville , who noted: "You can't complain about it," even though Toews didn't see Mitchell, who had just stepped out of the penalty box before delivering the hit. "I don't think there was any intent [to injure]. It's part of the game. If he [Mitchell] wanted to hurt him, maybe he leads with his elbow, but he kept it down. Sometimes it can go in your favour as well. We all like hitting as part of the game. We'll let other people worry about it and police it." ... Former NHL Players' Associated executive director Paul Kelly has accepted a new role as the executive director of College Hockey, Inc., a new organization dedicated to promoting Division I Hockey in the United States.

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