NHL: Pluses and minuses around the league

Times columnist Helene Elliott rates the pluses and minuses in the NHL from the previous week:

+ Fans in Winnipeg who waited so long for the NHL to return might get a thank-you bonus of playoff hockey. The Jets are four points out of eighth in the East and are among the league’s best home teams thanks to their enthusiastic fans. When the Jets faced Washington last week, fans serenaded Alexander Ovechkin with chants of “Crosby’s better.” Ovechkin didn’t mind. “It’s always nice when they talk about you and give you attention. I love it. It’s great for the league,” he said.

+ So far so good for Sidney Crosby’s return to the Penguins’ lineup. He had five assists and a plus-five defensive rating in his first two games and helped Pittsburgh extend its winning streak to 11 before he was blanked in their 3-2 overtime loss Sunday at Philadelphia. He attempted to block Scott Hartnell’s game-winner and doesn’t seem afraid of contact.

+ Happy birthday, Bobby Orr. The Hall of Fame defenseman turns 64 Tuesday. If you didn’t get to see him in his prime, find some vintage footage and watch his mastery of every aspect of the game.

- Commissioner Gary Bettman, wrapping up the general managers’ meetings last week, said he had no update on collective bargaining talks with the Players’ Assn. because there haven’t been any talks. The union said in a statement it expects negotiations to begin “when we have players available to participate in bargaining sessions.” The latest possible end for the Stanley Cup finals is June 15. The collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15. It seems doubtful that’s enough time to formulate a new deal without losing games next season. The season-opening games in Europe were canceled because the NHL and the union couldn’t agree on procedures in case the games couldn’t be played.

- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews apparently had a setback last week in his recovery from a concussion and has sat out 13 straight games. But Coach Joel Quenneville told the Chicago Tribune on Sunday that Toews “is trending in the right way.”

- No team could weather the extensive injuries the Detroit Red Wings have experienced. During a 3-7-1 slump, which includes an 0-3-1 trip, they have been without, at times, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Todd Bertuzzi, Johan Franzen, Darren Helm, Jonathan Ericsson and others. Lidstrom, out three weeks because of a bruised ankle, might return this week.