Thanksgiving is traditionally line-in-the-sand time for teams.Teams outside the bubble, teams that are struggling, teams that have been laid low by injury have historically found it difficult to catapult themselves back into the playoff fray after the fourth Thursday in November. Conversely, franchises entrenched in the top eight come Turkey Day have traditionally been able to hold on to those coveted postseason berths. But history and tradition are relative.Heres a look at which key players and coaches on those teams deserves an extra slice of pie -- and which look like postseason turkeys.Making it look as easy as pieAlain Vigneault, head coach,?New York RangersKudos to Vigneault, who must have wondered whether his ship had sailed when the Rangers were bounced in the first round of the playoffs in five games last April by the eventual champs from Pittsburgh. Now New York, which looked at the seasons outset to be a playoff bubble team, leads the Metropolitan Division and boasts the leagues best goal differential by a wide margin. With Vigneault getting the most out of a speedy, highly skilled group that leads the NHL in goals per game, we can now talk in terms of which of the three elite Metro teams -- the Rangers, the?Pittsburgh Penguins or the Washington Capitals?-- will emerge as a division winner and send the other two into a first-round playoff clash.Tuukka Rask, G,?Boston BruinsRemember when Rask was too ill to play in a must-win game, Bostons final regular-season tilt in April? It was a disappointing ending for both Rask and the Bruins, who lost Game 82 without him and were denied a ticket to the postseason ball for the second season in a row.With the Bs still in transition, there were plenty of questions during the offseason about the team as a whole and its goaltending specifically. Rask has quieted those questions with this answer: Back off. Im still pretty damn good. The 29-year-old former Vezina Trophy winner is tied for the league lead in wins and has a sparkling .942 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average. And the Bruins look like theyre back on that playoff track. If the vote were held today, Rask would be a Vezina Trophy finalist for sure -- and, Im guessing, a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.Time to talk turkeysFilip Forsberg, W, Nashville PredatorsThe Predators, from whom so much was expected, got off to a pretty bumpy start. And it seems clear that Nashville is going to need Forsberg to find his groove again. The highly skilled Swede led the way for the Predators a season ago with 33 goals. He was only OK -- with two goals and four points -- in the postseason, had one goal and an assist in four World Cup of Hockey games, and now has just one goal through 18 games this season, putting him on pace for about seven goals in 2016-17. Yikes.Forsberg, who does have 12 assists, is just 22, so I cant be too hard on the kid. But whether its a confidence issue or how hes being defended, Forsberg is taking about one-third fewer shots than he did a season ago, when he averaged more than three shots a game over 82 games.Lindy Ruff, head coach,?Dallas StarsSure, the Stars have been more than a little banged up this season -- but what team hasnt dealt with injuries of various sorts and sizes? And, relatively speaking, Dallas has avoided losing key personnel for long stretches like many other teams have.Yet something is definitely amiss for the defending Central Division champions, who led the league in goals last season but have slumped to 13th in goals per game this season. And how about that team goals-against average? The Stars are second worst in the league with an ugly 3.30 GAA. Lots of that is on goalies Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi?-- and that means its on GM Jim Nill, too. But the power play, fourth last season, also ranks a middle-of-the-road 13th, while the penalty kill has dropped 17 spots from a year ago to 27th.All of this means that theres lots of heat on Ruff to get this team, which has won two games in a row just once this season, back on track.Brian Elliott, G,?Calgary FlamesA former goalie told me during the offseason that although the Flames had flirted with acquiring the?Tampa Bay Lightnings?Ben Bishop, he liked Elliotts mental toughness and felt he was ready to be the man for a Canadian team looking to build off a playoff run two years ago.That hasnt happened so far. Elliott has a bloated 3.43 GAA and unsightly .883 save percentage and hits Thanksgiving mired in a six-game losing streak. As the Flames try to make do without Johnny Gaudreau for six weeks or so, Elliott will have to prove hes the man the Flames hoped hed be and not the one hes been.Garth Snow, GM, New York IslandersIf you immediately think tire fire when you hear Islanders, then youre not alone. The Isles have gone almost overnight from a team on the rise to one in disarray. The Islanders occupy last place in the Metropolitan Division in spite of a home-friendly schedule that saw them play 12 of their first 17 in Brooklyn. They finally earned their first road win of the season in a shootout over the?Anaheim Ducks?on Tuesday.Big offseason additions Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera have combined for three goals, and at this point the Isles look likely to miss the postseason just one year after winning their first playoff series since 1993. The franchises new ownership cant be too thrilled with that prospect -- nor can captain John Tavares,?who has one more year left on his deal. Speculation is already rampant that Tavares will take the first train out of Brooklyn when the time comes. At some point, either Snow will be proven right and the Isles will shake out of this, or someone will have to pay the price. Im going with Option B.Henrik Zetterberg, W,?Detroit Red WingsFor 25 consecutive playoff seasons, the Red Wings have been a playoff fixture. But that streak is definitely in danger as Detroit hits Thanksgiving in a tailspin that saw it lose four in a row and seven of nine in November.There has always been a marquee guy in the Red Wings lineup, often a handful of them. But with his longtime teammate?Pavel Datsyuk back in Russia, it has become even more apparent that the teams classy captain is no longer the force he once was. Zetterberg has three goals in 19 games -- and, coming off a 13-goal campaign a year ago, seems to be signaling that times are changing in Motown. Nike Air Pegasus 34 Womens . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Nike Air Pegasus 33 Womens . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. http://www.airzoompegasussale.com/ .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Nike Air Pegasus Buy Online . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Nike Air Pegasus 31 Sale . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Chicago Bears likely will be without quarterback Jay Cutler and several defensive starters when they visit the Dallas Cowboys while trying to avoid a second 0-3 start in as many seasons under coach John Fox.Not that Fox is putting much focus on the lengthy injury list .You dont have any choice, Fox said. Nobody comes to rescue you. Theyre not going to cancel the game. I dont get much into it.And not that the former Denver coach is particularly stressed about another 0-2 start. Four years ago, his Broncos went from 2/3 to 13-3.So its a start. Its not an ending, the coach said. A lot of times on the outside its a crisis or carnival and we dont look at it that way. Its two games.If Cutler is sidelined Sunday night with a sprained right thumb that forced him out during last weeks 29-14 loss to Philadelphia, Brian Hoyer is in line for his 27th career start with his fourth different team -- and his first against the Cowboys.The eighth-year pro was with Houston last season when the Texans rallied from 2-5 to a playoff spot, although he threw four interceptions in a 30-0 wild-card loss to Kansas City and wound up with the Bears.I think a lot is made (of) early on, trying to get things together, said Hoyer, whose career record is 15-11. But its a long season. Thats the biggest thing to stress.The Bears lost to a rookie quarterback in Carson Wentz of the Eagles last week and face another one this week. Dak Prescott, the third-stringer when training camp started, is filling in for Tony Romo after the 36-year-olds fourth back injury in less than four years. Backup Kellen Moore broke an ankle in camp.Prescott, with an NFL-record 75 pass attempts without an interception to start a career, led a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter of a 27-23 win at Washington.Now hes trying to double the number of wins the Cowboys (1-1) had without Romo in 14 games over three seasons before the 23-year-old joined them as a fourth-round pick.I just take a lot of pride in what I do, in my job, said Prescott, the first quarterback drafted by Dallas since 2009. My job is to play quarterback for this organization and to prepare each and every day to do my best, so thats more of what I take pride in.Things to consider in the Bears first trip to Arlington since a 34-18 romp four years ago on a Monday night. Cowboys defenssive coordinator Rod Marinelli had the same job with Chicago then, and the Bears intercepted Romo five times.dddddddddddd.SOUR HOME: The Cowboys have lost eight straight home games dating to last years opener. But Romo has missed seven of them, and he didnt finish the other one. Romos second broken left collarbone of the season came in a Thanksgiving loss to Carolina . I didnt even know it was really that bad until you all just said something about it, said receiver Cole Beasley, the team leader with 13 catches.MORE MISSING BEARS: Although the Cutler injury grabs the headlines, the defense is hurting more. Linebacker Lamarr Houston tore a ligament in his left knee in the loss to the Eagles, and linebacker Danny Trevathan had thumb surgery this week. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman missed some practices after spraining an ankle against the Eagles. Safety Adrian Amos and nickel back Bryce Callahan went into the concussion protocol, and thats just the short list.THEY FOUND DEZ: Receiver Dez Bryant led the Cowboys with seven catches for 102 yards against Washington after getting just one for 8 yards in an opening loss to the New York Giants. It didnt change Bryants approach to his rookie quarterback. Dez has been great since Ive gotten here and since his one catch last week to his catches this week, said Prescott, who hasnt thrown a touchdown pass but has a rushing TD.HANDING OFF: No matter whos at quarterback, Fox would like to commit to the run. The Bears are tied for 25th in the NFL at 68.5 yards rushing per game. Chicago getting behind in games didnt help. I think any quarterback, I dont care what status they are, will tell you the running game is one of their best friends, Fox said.DAK IN PRIME TIME: Prescott gets his first prime-time start, and perhaps his only one for a couple of years if Romo has recovered from the broken bone in his back for Dallas next Sunday night game Oct. 30 against Philadelphia, also at home. Every games prime time to me, Prescott said. But I mean, Sunday night? Yeah, its a little different I guess. 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