Forward Ryan Strome is back with the New York Islanders and ready to prove himself, beginning with their game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; MSG+ 2, FS-F).

Strome, who played in 81 regular-season games last season and all seven games of the Islanders' Eastern Conference First Round Series against the Washington Capitals in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, was assigned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League earlier this month.

"I settled down a little bit, got my feet under me and got back to the basics," Strome told the Islanders website. "I really wanted to become better out of it, it really helped me."

Strome had one goal and five points in 12 games with the Islanders (11-8-3) before he was sent down on Nov. 6. Coach Jack Capuano said he expects certain things of the fifth pick in the 2011 NHL Draft now that he's back in the NHL.

The NHL Network will have live coverage of every United States game at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The 2016 WJC will be held Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. The U.S. is in Group A along with Canada, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, and will play all its preliminary-round games at Helsinki Ice Hall.

Group B, which will play at Hartwall Arena, consists of the Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Belarus and Slovakia.

The U.S. will play its first game against Canada at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 26, followed by games against Sweden at 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 28 and Switzerland at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 30. The U.S. will close preliminary-round play against Denmark at 9 a.m. on Dec. 31.

Catch up on the latest NHL news right here each day. Be sure to check out our ICYMI blog every Monday through Friday.

NEWS:

Blues' Stastny returning from broken foot vs. Sabres
St. Louis Blues forward Paul Stastny will return to the lineup Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. Stastny sustained a broken foot Oct. 16 against the Vancouver Canucks and has missed the past 16 games.

Jets' Pavelec out through December with knee sprain
The Winnipeg Jets placed goaltender Ondrej Pavelec on injured reserve Monday with what coach Paul Maurice called a significant knee sprain that will keep him out through at least December.

Jones, Sedin, Shattenkirk named NHL's 'Three Stars'
San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones, Vancouver Canucks left wing Daniel Sedin and St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending Nov. 22. Jones went 3-0-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average, .951 save percentage and one shutout during the week.

Predators in search of scoring against Rangers
If the Nashville Predators are going to break out of their scoring slump Monday, they'll have to do it against the team giving up the fewest goals in the National Hockey League. The Predators enter Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers without a goal in their past 153:47, including back-to-back 4-0 losses.

Flyers separate Giroux, Voracek against Hurricanes
Right wing Jakub Voracek, who has played on Claude Giroux's line for most of the past few seasons, was shifted to right wing on a line with left wing Chris VandeVelde and center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare at practice Monday. The Flyers have been shut out two straight games and three times in their past six.

The Philadelphia Flyers (6-9-5) will try two new forward combinations in a quest to rediscover their offense when they play the Carolina Hurricanes (7-10-3) on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, CSN-PH).

At practice Monday top-line center Claude Giroux was flanked by left wing Michael Raffl and right wing Brayden Schenn. Right wing Jakub Voracek, who has played on Giroux's line for most of the past few seasons, was shifted to right wing on a line with left wing Chris VandeVelde and center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Scott Laughton, who sustained an upper-body injury on his first shift Saturday against the Ottawa Senators, will play Monday. He came out near the end of practice and was confirmed for the lineup by coach Dave Hakstol.

Laughton will play in his regular spot, between Taylor Leier and Sam Gagner. Sean Couturier will stay at center between Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds.

Catch up on the latest NHL news right here each day. Be sure to check out our ICYMI blog every Monday through Friday.

NEWS:

Canadiens goalie Price returns against Islanders
Goaltender Carey Price will start for the first time in three weeks for the Montreal Canadiens when they play the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Friday. Price, who missed the past nine games with a lower-body injury, is 7-2-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and two shutouts this season.

Kane aims for 15th straight game with point
Patrick Kane has been on a tear for weeks scoring at least one point in Chicago's previous 14 games and he'll look to keep it going when the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Calgary Flames Friday. The NHL's leading scorer has posted 10 goals and 14 assists during this stretch.

Red Wings' Richards back in lineup vs. Kings
Brad Richards is returning to the Detroit Red Wings lineup after missing 13 games because of a sore back. Richards, who has two assists in six games this season, last played Oct. 21.

Oilers look to snap three-game slide
The Edmonton Oilers hope to get back in the win column Friday against the 10-7-1 New Jersey Devils, who have been one of the League's most surprising teams thus far.

NHL community marvels about Ovechkin
What people around the hockey world are saying about Alex Ovechkin as the Washington Capitals captain breaks records and approaches several milestones.

Mathieu Joseph, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, scored two goals to lead the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to a 6-4 win against Russia on Thursday in the final game of the CHL Canada-Russia-Series at Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Jeremy Lauzon (Boston Bruins) had one goal and two assists for the QMJHL and Anthony Beauvillier (New York Islanders) had one goal and one assist. Nicolas Aube-Kubel (Philadelphia Flyers) and Nicolas Meloche (Colorado Avalanche) also scored. Goaltender Mason McDonald (Calgary Flames) made 27 saves.

Forwards Julien Gauthier and Pierre-Luc Dubois, A-rated prospects for the 2016 NHL Draft in NHL Central Scouting's September players to watch list, each had a plus-2 rating.

Catch up on the latest NHL news right here each day. Be sure to check out our ICYMI blog every Monday through Friday.

NEWS:

Rangers go for 10th straight vs. banged-up Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without at least four of their top nine forwards Thursday when they play the red-hot New York Rangers at Amalie Arena. This is the first game between the teams since the 2015 Eastern Conference Final, which the Lightning won seven games.

Road-tested Stars look to deny Ovechkin goal record
The Dallas Stars have won eight of their past nine road games and boast the NHL's best road record so far this season. They face a tough test against record-seeking Alex Ovechkin and the 12-4-1 Washington Capitals Thursday.

Sharks' Marleau can reach 1,000 points vs. Flyers
San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau will attempt to become the 83rd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points when the Sharks play the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.

Sabres' Kane set to make return against Blues
The Buffalo Sabres will get left wing Evander Kane back from injury when they face the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Kane, who missed 10 games because of an MCL injury in his left knee, will play alongside rookie Jack Eichel and second-year player Sam Reinhart on the Sabres' second line.

Islanders' Hamonic cites family matter for trade ask
New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic addressed his trade request following practice Thursday, saying it is strictly for personal reasons.

Defenseman Josh Manson will return to the Anaheim Ducks lineup against the Florida Panthers on Thursday at BB&T Center (7:30 p.m. ET; PRIME, FS-SD, FS-F) after missing the past two games with flu symptoms that got worse during a cross-country flight to North Carolina on Sunday.

"I felt it in the morning," Manson told The Orange County Register. "I didn't sleep that well [Saturday] night. And then on the plane is when it really started. I realized I had something more than a stomachache. It's on its way out now though."

Manson will play for Korbinian Holzer, who took his place in games this week against the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.

"I thought I'd be back to 100 percent today," Manson said. "It's just lasted longer than I thought it would. But I'm good. You know hockey players, they find a way. I can't be any different."

Catch up on the latest NHL news right here each day. Be sure to check out our ICYMI blog every Monday through Friday.

NEWS:

Canadiens' Price practices, no target date for return
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price took the ice for practice with his teammates Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury that has kept him out since the end of October.

Ovechkin tries again when Capitals visit Red Wings
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will once again try to break Sergei Fedorov's record for goals by a Russian-born player against Fedorov's longtime team, the Detroit Red Wings. Ovechkin doesn't have a point in his past three games, so Capitals coach Barry Trotz has reunited him and center Nicklas Backstrom on the top line.

Penguins' Maatta (upper-body injury) remains hospitalized
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta was injured Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild and stayed overnight at a hospital for observation. Maatta was to be re-examined later today and the Penguins said his injury was not related to any injuries he has sustained in the past.

Callahan day-to-day as Lightning injury list grows
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the Lightning announced Wednesday.

Hall of Famer, five-time Cup winner Olmstead dies
Bert Olmstead, a Hockey Hall of Fame member and five-time Stanley Cup champion who at one point co-held the record for points in a single game, died Monday. He was 89.

Forward Artur Lauta, a prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft, scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period to help Russia beat the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League 3-2 on Tuesday in the fifth game of the CHL Canada-Russia Series, at Lamgold Arena in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.

Forward Andrei Svetlakov, also a 2016 draft prospect, had a goal for Russia, as did Sergei Boikov, a Colorado Avalanche draft pick, Goaltender Alexander Trushkov, a 2016 draft prospect, made 31 saves to help Russia win its first game in the series. Russia was swept in two games each against the Western Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League.

Anthony Richard (Nashville Predators) and Nicolas Roy (Carolina Hurricanes) scored for the QMJHL. Goaltender Samuel Montembault (Florida Panthers) made 17 saves.