The NHL Evening Skate for Dec. 10

Heading into this evening’s action, here are the day’s top NHL storylines:

Struggling Blues beat each other up during tense practice

There have been plenty of reasons for St. Louis to sing the blues this season (Sorry). They just put goalie Chad Johnson on waivers. Then more frustration within the team boiled over during practice on Monday, with video emerging of Robert Bortuzzo putting a licking on Zach Sanford before coaches separated the two. Bortuzzo ended up getting the majority of the swings in while Sanford protected himself. After the hands were thrown, Bortuzzo wasn’t done, as he continued to yell in Sanford’s direction while he skated away. [Watch the fight]

Plane carrying Carolina Hurricanes makes emergency landing

A passenger says a Swift Air charter plane carrying the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes made an emergency landing in Oklahoma over the weekend after a noxious smell filled the cabin. The Boeing 737 landed at Tulsa International Airport about 4 a.m. Saturday while traveling from Long Beach, Calif. to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The aircraft was returning the hockey team to North Carolina after a game. [More details]

Report: Some NHL owners want to expand the playoffs

Despite the NHL being one of just two of the major four North American sports leagues which has over 50 percent of its teams making the playoffs, some owners apparently want more. [Here’s why]

Lamp-lighters

31 Takes: Tampa Bay Lightning quietly running away with the league

It’s been an interesting NHL season to date, with plenty of storylines to distract from the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning are the best team in the league by a pretty wide margin. They have the most wins and points in the league. They have the highest points percentage in the league. They have the sixth-best 5-on-5 possession numbers in the league, which is made even more impressive by the fact that they’ve had about 130 more minutes leading in their games than the next-closest team. [31 Takes]

Koskinen has Oilers thinking playoffs again

Many hockey fans were left scratching their heads when Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli signed Mikko Koskinen to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The move was a little random considering Koskinen hadn’t suited up in the NHL since the 2010-11 season. Not only did Koskinen put an end to Calgary’s five-game winning streak on Sunday, he also helped extend his team’s streak to three games. [More]

Fantasy forecheck

Under-owned wingers showing midseason promise

With much of the attention from fantasy owners focused on thriving at the important positions of center, defense and goaltending, it’s easy to overlook wingers — especially with so many to pick from and so many factors coming into play Over the past few weeks, a group of lesser-known wings have clicked with new linemates, returned from injuries, or have just found their stride in general. [Here they are]

Game of the night

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins (12-10-6) and New York Islanders (14-11-3) are separated by a point in their division and will meet at Nassau Coliseum. Pittsburgh beat the Islanders 6-2 last Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. Phil Kessel and Kris Letang each scored two goals in that game. [Follow on Yahoo Sports]

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