If Dallas Stars right wing Valeri Nichushkin continues to impress coach Lindy Ruff with his effective combination of speed and power, the likelihood of him soon moving up to the top line to play with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will go up.

"It's a good possibility that if he's going that well, to put a bigger body there, a guy that can hang onto the puck, a guy who can physically dominate," Ruff said. "It worked really well in [Nichushkin's rookie season] and it's a real good possibility that you'll see it again."

Nichushkin fared well with Benn and Seguin as a rookie two seasons ago, when he put up 14 goals and 34 points in 79 games, and Seguin and Benn each had a breakout season.

He missed all but eight games last season because of hip surgery and was off to a slow start this season as he tried to work his way back into the speed of the game.

Ruff thinks Nichushkin is close to being all the way back now.

Here is the Nov. 18 edition of Dan Rosen's weekly mailbag, which will run every Wednesday in the Over the Boards blog during the 2015-16 NHL season. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

Let's get to it:

Do you believe there's any danger of the Tampa Bay Lightning missing the playoffs after their poor start? -- @kinglewimcmxc

I received a lot of questions about the Lightning this week. I couldn't choose them all. This one cut right to the heart of the issue, and that's why I selected it. I'll answer some others here, and credit the person (Twitter handle) for asking the question.

TORONTO -- That Edmonton Oilers forward Nail Yakupov has only one point, an assist, in five games since rookie center Connor McDavid went down with a fractured clavicle isn't all that surprising given the chemistry they were creating before the injury.

"It was a fun line to watch," said Hockey Hall of Fame member Igor Larionov, who doubles as Yakupov's agent, following the Legends Game at Air Canada Centre during Hall of Fame Weekend on Nov. 8.

Larionov, though, indicated that even without McDavid as his linemate, Yakupov is finally at peace in Edmonton and should be able to deliver consistently strong performances, which has been a problem for him since he came into the League in 2012-13 after being the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.

The key for Yakupov, Larionov said, is Oilers coach Todd McLellan.

A winning streak will come to an end when the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs play against each other at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

The Rangers have won eight consecutive games and are 10-0-2 in their past 12 games. The Maple Leafs have won three in a row and have gone five straight games without a regulation loss (3-0-2). Toronto won only two of its first 12 games (2-8-2) before its five-game point streak.

This will be the Rangers 11th home game, the most of any team in the Eastern Conference to date. They are 8-1-1 at home this season, including a 3-1 win against Toronto at the Garden on Oct. 30 behind forward Mats Zuccarello's hat trick and goalie Henrik Lundqvist's 22 saves.

NEW YORK -- Two interesting voices were heard weighing in on the ongoing debate about scoring being down again this season and what, if anything, the NHL could or should do about it.

Prior to their game Thursday at Madison Square Garden, New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault and St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock were asked about the issue that was raised at the NHL General Managers meeting Tuesday in Toronto.

The NHL is on pace to have the fewest goals scored this season since 2003-04. There has been an average of 5.34 goals per game to date, according to hockeyreference.com. That's down from 5.46 last season and from 6.17 per game in 2005-06.

The GMs discussed if they want or need to address the issue of scoring, and potential ways to create more goals in the game, all the way from reducing the size of the goalie equipment to making the nets bigger.

NEW YORK -- No team has more road wins than the St. Louis Blues, who will try for their fourth straight victory and eighth in 10 games away from Scottrade Center when they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-MW, MSG).

The Blues' success away from home is why the Rangers believe they're going to have to raise their level despite the fact that they've won six straight, are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games, and 7-1-1 overall at the Garden.

"It's going to be a good matchup to have a little test to see where we're at," Rangers left wing Rick Nash said. "They're a hot team right now, hot goalie. They're one of the best teams in the [Western Conference]."

Here is the Nov. 11 edition of Dan Rosen's weekly mailbag, which will run every Wednesday in the Over the Boards blog during the 2015-16 NHL season. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

Let's get to it:

Do you think the Colorado Avalanche deal Matt Duchene this spring? -- @ch1088

When it comes to trade speculation I've learned to say anything is possible, nothing will shock me, and there is no way to predict what will happen. All that said, I just don't see why the Avalanche would trade Duchene this spring after trading Ryan O'Reilly during the offseason and letting Paul Stastny sign with the St. Louis Blues after the 2013-14 season. It would take a roster that was rich with talent down the middle and sap it of its depth. That doesn't make sense at all. Center, especially in the Western Conference, is a vital position; Duchene is a legitimate first- or second-line center.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban said he wasn't aware of his career numbers against the Pittsburgh Penguins, or that they were the worst he has against any Eastern Conference team, before being asked about it during a phone interview Monday.

"What are they?" Subban asked.

They are one goal, five assists and a minus-2 rating in 18 games going back to the 2010-11 season. Subban's regular-season goal against the Penguins came on March 2, 2013. Montreal is 8-6-4 against Pittsburgh with Subban in the lineup.

TORONTO -- Sergei Fedorov accepted his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque from fellow Russian and honored member Igor Larionov on Monday. When he got to the podium to deliver his speech, he put on his glasses and spoke slowly, as if he was making sure to appreciate every second he had in the spotlight.

"In my wildest dreams I would never expect something like [this]," Fedorov said in his opening remarks. "I never believed and thought something like [this] would happen to me. It's such an honor to be here tonight, to speak in front of you. I've been so fortunate."

He started by thanking the Hall of Fame Selection Committee for inducting him. He thanked his family, including his mother, Natalia, who was in the crowd, filming the speech on her iPhone. Fedorov mentioned that his wife, Corrina, could not be in attendance because she is expecting their first child.

Fedorov then went into some details on his career and what led him to the Hall of Fame. Here are three highlights of Fedorov's speech:

TORONTO -- Chris Pronger accepted his Hockey Hall of Fame plaque from a former teammate, fellow Hall of Fame defenseman and mentor.

Al MacInnis handed Pronger his plaque and then heard his name as one of the dozens of people Pronger thanked in his thorough yet quick speech that was as much about opportunity and belief as it was about honoring the people who helped get him to the Hall.

"I was given an opportunity in Dryden, Ontario, and from there was born a passion for the game," Pronger said. "I loved it and it was all I thought about growing up."