The following is an exerpt from Scott Cullen’s Bog which appears on TSN.ca.  Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen.

A lot of lesser known players are getting quality opportunities.  Patrick Maroon, Joe Colborne, Tomas Tatar, Michael Bournival and more are covered in Scott Cullen’s latest blog.

1. Injuries (Dustin Penner, Saku Koivu, Jakob Silfverberg, Matt Beleskey) continue to thin out the lines for the Anaheim Ducks, but they have also provided an opportunity for Patrick Maroon to skate with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the Ducks’ top line.

Maroon is a 25-year-old power forward who has had some minor league success, scoring 118 AHL goals in five-plus seasons, but had just three points in 15 NHL games coming into the season. He’s held his own in the possession game and is taking to his new surroundings well, putting up four points and a plus-6 rating in the last five games.

Given his limited track record, it’s early to buy-in on Maroon totally, but he’s getting an opportunity and if he makes the most of it, he could earn a regular spot in the lineup.

2. It seems like forever ago that Flames C Joe Colborne was drafted 16th overall by the Boston Bruins and, in some ways, the last five years might feel like an eternity to Colborne, who has been traded twice and is just getting a chance to play a regular role in the NHL after scoring 125 points in 211 AHL games.

Colborne had six points in 16 games over the last three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but when training camp neared an end and the Leafs didn’t want to risk sending Colborne down to the AHL, knowing that he would likely be claimed on waivers, they got what they could in trade, a conditional fourth-round pick from the Flames.

With former Leafs GM Brian Burke now the President in Calgary, it’s not a surprise that Colborne is getting a chance to play. At the same time, it’s not like he was giften an opportunity, playing under nine minutes in four of his first five games with the Flames.

The ice time has picked up a bit, as has Colborne’s production (1 G, 1 A, plus-4 in last 3 GP). He played a season-high 15:18 against Washington Saturday, skating on a line with LW T.J. Galiardi and RW Mike Cammalleri. It may not last or Colborne may just be the guy who has nine points in 26 career NHL games.

3. While Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has bemoaned his club’s lack of offensive production, I’ve taken up the cause of rookie C Brandon Pirri, who had three points in his first three games of the season, despite playing fewer than 10 minutes in each of them.

Pirri had two points in seven NHL games over the last three seasons while he primarily plied his trade in the AHL, developing to the point that he put up 75 points in 76 games last season.

Pirri got more of an opportunity Tuesday, centering Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane, picking up a pair of assists in a 5-1 Blackhawks win.

While it was a positive step, there are still reasons to have modest expectations for Pirri. One, he likely wouldn’t have even had that opportunity if not for an injury to veteran C Michal Handzus, who has played a lot of second-line centre for the Blackhawks since he was picked up from San Jose for a fourth-round pick last season.

The other concern is that Pirri is at the bottom end of the possession metrics for Blackhawks forwards. He’s not far behind Handzus, but Pirri needs to improve his all-around play (or simply benefit from injury) if he’s going to get an extended look in the role that seems totally suited to his skills.

4. Detroit has been forced to juggle their lines, trying to elicit offensive production from those not named Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk or Daniel Alfredsson.

One of the beneficiaries has been winger Tomas Tatar, who joined a line with Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. While Tatar doesn’t have any points in four games this season. The 22-year-old hasn’t been sent to the AHL because he requires waivers and would never clear after he scored 39 goals and 70 points in 85 (regular season plus playoff) games last season.

Tatar played a career-high 15:11 for the Wings against the Rangers Saturday, more than he had played in his previous 30 NHL games, and he’s been solid enough in his limited playing time this year. There’s offensive upside with Tatar, but he’ll have to get some consistent playing time before it’s fair to place expectations on him.

By splitting up Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings left Datsyuk to play with Alfredsson and Todd Bertuzzi. With those forwards comprising the top two lines, the obvious player to fall out is Stephen Weiss, a free agent signing in the summer who has been having a really hard time in his first dozen games with the Wings, scoring two goals and posting a minus-5 rating.

5. Injuries have hit the Montreal Canadiens’ forward lines hard, but it has opened up an opportunity for rookie winger Michael Bournival, who has been spending recent games skating with veteran C Tomas Plekanec and RW Brian Gionta.

Bournival hasn’t looked out place in the least, putting up strong possession numbers along with two goals and six points, with a plus-4 rating, in nine games.

Once Max Pacioretty, Danny Briere, Brandon Prust and others make their way back to the Canadiens’ lineup, Bournival may not be in such a prime spot, but as long as he remains productive, he’s going to make it more difficult to send him back to the American Hockey League.

6. There hasn’t been a ton of stability on the Minnesota Wild top line, with Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu going through Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter before their latest right winger, rookie Justin Fontaine.

A 25-year-old who played collegiately at Minnesota-Duluth, Fontaine wassn’t drafted, but had 152 points in 124 games over his last three college seasons, and had 111 points in 137 AHL games in his first two pro seasons.

Fontaine has three goals and a plus-5 rating in 13 games this year, but two of those goals have come in the last four games and he’s also played more than 16 minutes in two of the last four games (he’s played under 14 in the other 11).

Like others on this list, Fontaine is not necessarily positioned to stick in his current role, but it’s worth seeing what he can do with the chance he’s being given.

7. Goals haven’t been easy to come by in New Jersey and perhaps that shouldn’t come as a shock considering that Ilya Koalchuk bolted to the KHL in the offseason and their top two centres coming into the year, Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique, had combined for 36 points in 90 games last season.

Henrique and Zajac both have one goal and four points through 11 games this season, so there is an opportunity for Andrei Loktionov, a player who has shown some skill, with 97 points in 135 AHL games, but hasn’t yet been able to make a mark in the NHL. Last year’s 12 points in 28 games with the Devils represents a career-high.

Though he only has three points in 10 games this year, Loktionov is getting a shot with veteran Czech wingers Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr. If 23-year-old Loktionov is going to prove that he’s capable of putting up points in the NHL, those are wingers that should help find his offensive mojo.

FIRST NHL GAMES
Michael Chaput, C, Columbus – Acquired from Philadelphia in the Tom Sestito trade, Chaput played a modest 7:48 against Anaheim, skating on a line with Ryan Craig and Jared Boll. That’s not going to provide much opportunity, but the 21-year-old has 36 points in 79 AHL games and could probably use more time to develop before getting a real shot to stick.

Kevin Connauton, D, Dallas – Picked up from Vancouver in the Derek Roy deal last season, Connauton has played three full seasons in the AHL and has to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL, so he’s been biding his time in Big D and played 16:05 at Calgary, playing mostly with veteran Sergei Gonchar.

Jayson Megna, RW, Pittsburgh – A 23-year-old winger who was signed as a free agent in 2012 out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Megna had 12 points in 56 AHL games as a rookie pro, but started this year better, putting up five points in six games before getting recalled due to injuries taking James Neal, Beau Bennett and Chuck Kobasew out of the Penguins’ lineup. Megna had a goal and an assist in his second game and has a chance to stick around with all those players out of the lineup.

Darren Archibald, LW, Vancouver – A physical 23-year-old winger, Archibald wasn’t drafted and worked his way up through the ECHL to the AHL, where he had 22 points in 55 games last season. He’s not playing much, but Archibald and Jeremy Welsh are giving the Canucks some size on the fourth line.