Nick Blankenburg tried to suppress his smile, but the sheer joy of his first assist in the NHL won out. It took the Blue Jackets' rookie defenseman just over two periods in Wednesday's 5-1 win ...

Blankenburg almost made the team out of trading camp and was one of the last players to be assigned to Milwaukee (AHL) prior to opening night, but less than two months later, the Preds called again.