In the hockey hotbed that is Toronto, Mitch Marner has found himself firmly under the microscope in the wake of Auston Matthews' recent shoulder injury. Marner has shouldered the load in the interim, collecting six points since Matthews went down and eight in his past seven overall heading into the Toronto Maple Leafs' game against the visiting New Jersey Devils on Friday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had the Washington Capitals on the ropes in the spring, winning Games 1 and 2 on the road of their first-round series before the latter provided the knockout blow with four consecutive victories. The Metropolitan Division foes will face off for the first time since that series on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington.

The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have regained their footing after stumbling out the blocks to start the season. The red-hot Rangers bid for their fifth consecutive victory on Friday when they open a brief two-game road trip against their Original Six rivals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

After a lukewarm start, the St. Louis Blues are getting the return they expected when they paid a large sum to acquire Ryan O'Reilly. The 27-year-old center attempts to extend his point streak to nine games when the Blues host the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

The Winnipeg Jets are getting a bit antsy to start playing games again, finally returning to the ice Friday at home against the Colorado Avalanche following a week-long break after their two-game series in Finland last week. The Jets, who split two games with the Florida Panthers in Helsinki, will play just their third game in a 13-day span Friday, and while the practice time has been beneficial, the players are ready to resume the season.

The Anaheim Ducks attempt to post back-to-back wins for the first time since mid-October when they host the Minnesota Wild on Friday. Anaheim, which hasn't won consecutive contests since Oct. 14 and 17, began its three-game homestand on Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over Calgary.