Howard returns for Red Wings; Yakupov scratched; speechless Yeo (Puck Headlines)

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• After missing almost three weeks with a sprained MCL, Jimmy Howard will get the start tonight for the Red Wings when they host the Predators. [@DetroitRedWings]

• Nail Yakupov is back in the press box as he'll be a healthy scratch against the Coyotes on Tuesday. [PHT]

• Michal Neuvirth's agent wants his client traded because his opportunities in Washington have disappeared. (In a "Really?" moment, Neuvirth's agent is Patrik Stefan. Yes, that one.) [NBC Washington]

• Patrick Sharp, Ryan Miller and James Neal are your Three Stars of the Week. [NHL]

• Wild head coach Mike Yeo on the team's loss to the Islanders Sunday night: “I’ve been thinking about it since the game ended and I can’t find the word to describe the feeling right now. … Believe me, it’s our job to find explanations, but holy cow, that’s a tough one to find an explanation for. There’s no reason, no excuse for what happened.” [Star Tribune]

• Taking a deeper look at Canada's World Junior loss to the Czech Republic. [Buzzing the Net]

• Having missed 10 games due to a concussion, Bruins forward Loui Eriksson skated on Monday prior to the team's practice. There's currently no timetable for his return. [CSNNE]

• Rangers rookie defenseman Connor Allen impressed Alain Vigneault Sunday night. How soon until Michael Del Zotto is shipped away from Broadway? [NY Rangers Blog]

• Things are going so well in Philadelphia now that Zac Rinaldo and Jakub Voracek are participating in end-of-practice skating races. [Daily News]

• A rise in viewership of the Punjabi version of Hockey Night in Canada has hopes for the South Asian community to produce future NHLers. [Hockeyland Canada]

• Taking a look at the successful and not-so-successful Islanders defense pairings. [Lighthouse Hockey]

• Exploring the Coke Zero Fan Zone at the Sirius/XM Hockeytown Winter Festival. Puck Buddys]

• Leo Komarov is playing in the KHL this season, but he would really, really love to return to the Maple Leafs. [KHL.hr]

• There are a lot of things wrong with the Carolina Hurricanes, so much so that this is Part 1. [Section 328]

• After some early season struggling, it appears as if Brad Marchand's game is finally coming around. [Bruins Daily]

• There's going to be a hockey flavor to U.S. Olympic speedskating team in Sochi. [Prep Rally]

• The Maple Leafs beat the Hurricanes with Justin Bieber in attendance. Certainly he's now their good luck charm. [The Leafs Nation]

• Size ain't a thing when it comes to these stud college hockey players. [SBN College Hockey]

• Five potential wingers to replace Pascal Dupuis next to Sidney Crosby. James Neal had a pretty good tryout, I'd say. [Dobber Hockey]

• Finally, via PensBender, here's Evgeni Malkin video-bombing Neal during a post-game interview and celebrating his teammate's hat trick: