TORONTO -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have the top-rated power play in the NHL, but their special-teams work at the other end of the ice helped preserve a 2-1 win Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto had six opportunities with the man-advantage, including a 6-on-4 situation for two minutes late in the third period, but Pittsburgh's penalty killers were perfect.

"It is all about dedication and blocking shots, hard work and goaltending," Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis said. "All these pieces were on point [Friday] and that's why we came out of here with a big win."

COLUMBUS -- Having spent seven seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded in June to the Columbus Blue Jackets, left wing Scott Hartnell laughed when asked what kind of reception he expects Friday in his return to Wells Fargo Center.

"It's Philly, man," he said. "I'm sure I'll get a round of applause, but the way I play a lot of cities don't like me. That means I'm doing a good job in that way.

"If I run over (Claude) Giroux first shift I'm sure I'll get some boos."

Hartnell may or may not be jesting about taking a run at his former linemate, but if that would create a spark for the slumping Blue Jackets (4-10-1) then he would gladly risk the wrath of the fans that used to cheer him in exchange for a long-sought victory.

MONTREAL -- It's not easy to pull a positive out of a 5-1 loss, particularly when it comes on the heels of a 6-1 loss.

But if there is one glimmer of good for the Boston Bruins coming out of another loss to the Montreal Canadiens, it would be that this time, they didn't beat themselves.

They just got beat. Badly.

The Bruins had a 1-0 lead after one period Thursday before the Canadiens scored the next five goals on the way to their eighth win in the past nine regular-season games against Boston.

MONTREAL -- It is a regular-season game in mid-November.

But for the Boston Bruins, their visit to Bell Centre to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN360) should mean much more.

It is not just one of 82 regular-season games.

It is a test.

The Bruins have been one of the NHL's model franchises for years, and when they stumbled out of the gates this season there were whispers their long reign as the Eastern Conference's best team was coming to an end.

HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- When the St. Louis Blues made it known in July that they signed center Jori Lehtera and persuaded the Finland native to leave the Kontinental Hockey League for the NHL, nobody was happier than Vladimir Tarasenko.

Lehtera and Tarasenko played together for Sibir Novosibirsk of the KHL for two seasons, and the chemistry was impeccable.

The Blues knew they had two-thirds of a line, and it was no secret that Russian native Tarasenko and Lehtera would join forces once again in St. Louis once the signing was announced.

TORONTO -- A work in progress.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri has been called that so often it might as well be his middle name.

And yet 15 games into his third full season with the Maple Leafs, Kadri is still working toward establishing himself as a bona fide top-two center with the team. The 24-year-old London, Ontario, native who was the seventh pick in the 2009 NHL Draft started the season as Toronto's No. 2 pivot behind Tyler Bozak, who has skated the last few seasons between left wing James van Riemsdyk and right wing Phil Kessel.

When that trio failed to light it up early, Toronto coach Randy Carlyle replaced Bozak, not a prototypical top-line center, though he has been productive as well as the defensive conscience on the line, with Kadri.

"I haven't gotten too much opportunity over the past couple of years, but it is always nice to play with Phil," Kadri said. "He's a great player. The thing with this team is we need all the lines to contribute and secondary third- and fourth-line scoring is definitely going to increase our chances of winning."

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Every four years Dustin Brown gets a reminder of why he appreciates Jonathan Quick. It happens when Brown and Quick are playing for the U.S. Olympic team instead of the Los Angeles Kings.

Brown has been with Quick throughout the 28-year-old goalie's NHL career, so he's used to seeing Quick carry the Kings and hide their weaknesses during rough patches.

"But going to the Olympics and him making saves over there and seeing guys react on the bench that way that haven't played with him on a day-to-day basis [reminds me]," Brown said. "Just seeing guys, how they reacted when he made some saves that probably very few goalies make."

The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to string wins together. The Boston Bruins are thriving, not just surviving, without their captain and top defenseman, Zdeno Chara.

They're each in Stanley Cup Playoff position one month into the 2014-15 season, separated by two points in the Atlantic Division. With a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference improving their rosters during the offseason, every point, even this early in the season, is critical.

The Original Six clubs will get together in the first game of a NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry doubleheader at Air Canada Centre (8 p.m. ET), when the Bruins will be seeking their sixth straight win. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, will try to make it three in a row.

On the other side of North America, the Los Angeles Kings will head down the freeway to take on the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center (10:30 p.m. ET) in the first game between the teams since the Western Conference Second Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which the Kings won in seven games.

Anaheim has lost its past three games, but it enters Wednesday with a five-game point streak (2-0-3). Los Angeles is on a three-game point streak (2-0-1).

Here are five things to watch in the Wednesday Night Rivalry games:

MONTREAL -- When the Montreal Canadiens entered training camp, the big question facing them was which of their two young, first-round draft picks on defense would be able to claim the final roster spot.

Two months later, it appears neither Nathan Beaulieu nor Jarred Tinordi has been able to convince Canadiens brass he is ready to seize the job.

General manager Marc Bergevin added some veteran help on defense Tuesday when he acquired Sergei Gonchar from the Dallas Stars in exchange for forward Travis Moen.

And the help doesn't get much more "veteran" than Gonchar; at 40, he is the oldest defenseman in the NHL by 22 months.

Gonchar is not likely to be asked to play much more than the 13:01 of ice time averaged in the three games he played with the Stars since returning from a broken foot that kept him out of the first 11 games of the season.

ANAHEIM -- The incredulous look came across Ryan Kesler’s face when he was asked how quickly he checked the 2014-15 NHL schedule after he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, as if someone questioned his competitiveness.

Yes, the first game against his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, on Sunday at Honda Center (9 p.m. ET; CITY, PRIME), has been on his radar for a long time.

“I’m a competitive guy. I want to win. Obviously I want to have success against that team,” Kesler said.