Takes, thoughts, and trends is theScore's monthly spin around the NHL.––––––––––Lacrosse-goal feverFirst, it was Nils Hoglander in October during a Swedish league game. Then it was Andrei Svechnikov a few days later during an NHL game. Then it was Svechnikov again in early December. And, as if to say "let me catch up here," Hoglander did it again last week at the World Junior Championship.The so-called lacrosse goal was all the rage toward the end of 2019. A Minnesota high schooler recently got in on the fun as well:Svechnikov, the fantastic Carolina Hurricanes sophomore, isn't the only NHLer capable of filling the highlight reel with such skill. Someone will join him soon.Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Auston Matthews has tried to pick the puck up behind the net numerous times this year. Elias Pettersson, the wizardly Vancouver Canucks center, is open to the idea. Might Jack Eichel, whose puck skills are off the charts, attempt a lacrosse goal in the near future?"Probably not. ... If the opportunity presented itself, maybe, I don't know," the Buffalo Sabres captain said this past weekend. "You've seen it done a few more times, so teams are probably a little more prepared for it. It's tough to do. To be able to do it as smoothly as (Svechnikov's) done it, it's really, really impressive. You've seen a lot of guys try and not be successful, and he's done it twice. It's awesome, honestly."Old-school Boston Bruins forward David Backes - who, at 35 years old, admits he would never try to pull off a lacrosse goal - is intrigued by the recent development and tips his cap to Svechnikov. As he explains, so much goes into the result."Fresh ice, fresh stick, warmer puck - all of those things. What you've got on your stick for tape or wax. Everything can factor into how easy or difficult that would be. Or, if it just hops (onto the toe of your stick) as you're going behind the net, maybe you can fling it in there. I'm impressed by them," Backes said before adding with a smile: "Would I try to take a run at that guy in the next shift against him? I certainly would. But that's my thought process."Fully evolved EichelSpeaking of Eichel, he's firmly in the Hart Trophy discussion. For my money, Nathan MacKinnon has been more valuable to his team, but if the Sabres break their eight-season playoff drought, Eichel has a chance with voters. It's been a treat to watch him level up to bona fide superstar status.Always a strong skater, a neutral-zone champion, and the heartbeat of the Sabres, it's this year - his fifth in the NHL - that's been Eichel's most impressive. He's produced 52 points in 39 games, and at times, he's been unstoppable. The 23-year-old plays 21:51 a night, second on the entire squad.Asked what he's learned about Eichel since joining the Sabres in training camp, forward Marcus Johansson's eyes widened."I didn't know that he could be so dominant so consistently like he's been. I don't know how many games he's won for us this year. He's got something special," said Johansson, who has also played for the Capitals, Devils, and Bruins over a 10-year career. "There's only a couple of guys, maybe, that have that. He can take over games completely, and he puts the team on his shoulders. It's impressive. I don't know what to say - if it's a talent or what it is - but it's special."What exactly is Eichel doing so well when he's dominating?"(It's about) how in control he is," Johansson said. "He's got the puck on his stick a lot. It's anything from making moves to unbelievable passes, unbelievable shots. There's just nothing that he can't do. To be as big as he is and to have all of that skill, it's pretty fun to watch."Johansson didn't mention the sequence below as an example of this evolved form of Jack Eichel, but it qualifies, with a tremendous mix of skill, confidence, and patience on display:

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenseman Justin Holl to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $2 million, the club announced Tuesday.Holl has collected 11 points in 38 games in 2019-20 and has become a reliable defender for Toronto after working his way up from the ECHL and AHL.He became the first Maple Leafs player and sixth blue-liner in league history to score a goal in each of his first two NHL games in 2017-18.The 27-year-old joined the Maple Leafs organization in July 2015 when he signed an AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies. Holl inked his first NHL contract in July 2016.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Jake Guentzel for at least the rest of the regular season, as the talented forward is expected to miss four-to-six months after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder, the club announced Tuesday.Guentzel was hurt when he fell awkwardly into the boards after scoring a goal against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.

Alexis Lafreniere is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship, Team Canada assistant coach Andre Tourigny told TSN before the contest.Lafreniere, who's missing his second straight game with a knee injury, took part in an off-ice warm-up session Tuesday and looked good, according to Tourigny.The star forward also sat out Canada's 4-1 win over Germany on Monday. He was hurt in a 6-0 loss to Russia on Saturday.On Sunday, Tourigny revealed that Lafreniere underwent an MRI that showed no fractures or torn ligaments.The presumptive first overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft piled up four points in Canada's tournament-opening victory over the United States on Thursday.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is expected to miss at least a month after suffering a torn meniscus during a shootout against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, his club announced Tuesday.Korpisalo, who was given a four-to-six-week timetable for his recovery, underwent surgery Monday.The 25-year-old was hurt in non-contact fashion on the Blackhawks' first shootout attempt Sunday.

This year will undoubtedly be remembered as the one in which hockey's coaching fraternity first faced a reckoning for inappropriate conduct.Though several former players only came forward relatively recently, the revelations they've shared have already had an immeasurable impact on hockey culture and will continue to resonate for years to come.The year also featured its share of other major talking points both on and off the ice, from contract squabbles to shocking playoff results and more.Here are the 10 biggest NHL stories of 2019:10. Blackhawks suspend CrawfordIn early December, after two NHL head coaches came under fire for inappropriate behavior, the Chicago Blackhawks launched a review of assistant coach Marc Crawford, citing "recent allegations ... made regarding his conduct with another organization."The team took action after Sean Avery said Crawford kicked him during a game with the Los Angeles Kings in 2006 and after Brent Sopel's allegations of several instances of abuse by Crawford during his tenure with the Vancouver Canucks.On Dec. 16, Chicago suspended Crawford until Jan. 2. The veteran bench boss admitted he'd "sometimes went too far" in using "unacceptable language and conduct toward players in hopes of motivating them," and revealed he'd been in counseling on a regular basis over the last decade.9. Marner's contract saga and the slew of star RFAsKevin Sousa / National Hockey League / GettyThe last thing the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted was a repeat of William Nylander's holdout. Though Mitch Marner's contract negotiation didn't cost the player two months of the season, as Nylander's did, it was yet another prolonged impasse that threatened to derail the team's campaign.From July 1 until he signed a new contract during the preseason, Marner's situation was a constant source of debate, especially after Nylander's drawn-out negotiations and his disappointing performance following that stalemate. Marner ultimately got his deal done without missing any regular-season games, agreeing to a six-year, $65.36-million pact on Sept. 13.Though Marner's negotiations dominated headlines, he was just one of several high-profile restricted free agents in a group that also included Mikko Rantanen, Patrik Laine, Matthew Tkachuk, Brayden Point, and Brock Boeser. There was even an offer sheet, as underwhelming as the Montreal Canadiens' attempt to poach Sebastian Aho from the Hurricanes ultimately was. All of the young phenoms eventually re-signed with their respective clubs, but this RFA crop was the biggest subplot of the offseason.8. Stars fire Montgomery for 'unprofessional conduct'When the Dallas Stars dismissed head coach Jim Montgomery on Dec. 10 due to "unprofessional conduct," they provided few specifics beyond general manager Jim Nill's assurances that it didn't involve present or past players, Stars employees, or a criminal investigation. It also reportedly had nothing to with an awkward radio interview Montgomery gave five days earlier.The lack of clarity left many wondering what Montgomery did to warrant the pink slip - and arguably made the situation worse than it would've been had the team disclosed its reasoning, even in general terms, at the outset.7. 'Bunch of jerks'Karl DeBlaker / National Hockey League / GettyDon Cherry wasn't the first pundit to criticize Carolina's unique "Storm Surge" celebrations, but the team embraced its new moniker when the then-"Coach's Corner" personality dubbed the Hurricanes "a bunch of jerks" in February. Turning the phrase into a rallying cry, they projected it onto their home ice, printed it on T-shirts, and adopted it as a nickname en route to an unexpected appearance in the Eastern Conference Final.6. Leafs fire Babcock amid losing skidIt had become inevitable following six straight losses, but that didn't make the Maple Leafs' firing of Mike Babcock on Nov. 20 any less significant.The former Team Canada bench boss had been the NHL's highest-paid head coach after Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan signed him to a mammoth eight-year, $50-million pact ($6.25 million annually) in the spring of 2015.In retrospect, though, it was only a matter of time, as Babcock was hired before Kyle Dubas took over as general manager. Dubas' handpicked choice, Sheldon Keefe, was the obvious successor, having guided Toronto's AHL club to a championship in 2018 after working with Dubas in the OHL.As it turned out, Babcock's name would resurface in the headlines before the year was out.5. Babcock's treatment of playersGregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / GettyDays after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock, Marner and the former head coach both confirmed a report that Babcock had shamed the then-rookie in 2016-17, asking Marner to rank the club's players by work ethic before sharing the list with the team.Further accounts of Babcock's poor behavior soon followed, dating back to his days behind the Detroit bench. Former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen called Babcock "the worst person I have ever met," and confirmed Chris Chelios' claim Babcock verbally abused Franzen in 2012.4. Lightning come crashing downNobody expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to have any trouble dispatching the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after the Bolts put together one of the most dominant regular seasons in NHL history.But the upstart Blue Jackets flipped the script. A Columbus team that had decided to keep multiple stars with expiring contracts and go all-in for a postseason run pulled off an utterly stunning sweep.Lightning head coach Jon Cooper later lamented the fact that, in his view, his club didn't play much meaningful hockey ahead of the playoffs because it had been so far ahead of every other squad. But no matter the explanation, Tampa Bay's collapse was one of the most surprising developments of 2019.3. Don Cherry's demiseCherry had a long history of making inappropriate comments during broadcasts with both the CBC and Sportsnet, without being held accountable. But the latter network finally took action in November after the polarizing pundit gave an offensive rant about immigrants in Canada during a "Coach's Corner" segment ahead of Remembrance Day.Sportsnet initially apologized for Cherry's comments without firing him, but it let him go one day later amid massive public uproar.Allowed to remain on the air over the years despite previous improprieties including comments about women and Europeans, Cherry was removed after nearly four decades in his role.2. Blues go worst to firstPatrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyIn January, the St. Louis Blues had the worst record in the NHL. Then, they listened to "Gloria" at a Philadelphia bar, and the rest was history.OK, it wasn't that simple. But St. Louis' midseason turnaround and eventual Stanley Cup triumph was nothing short of remarkable. Craig Berube's squad climbed out of the league's basement, qualified for the playoffs, and claimed hockey's ultimate prize thanks to a balanced roster and the emergence of steady rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington.After suffering three final-round sweeps in their first three years of existence, the Blues won their first game in a Stanley Cup Final. They then secured the first championship in franchise history with a Game 7 victory over the Boston Bruins, who defeated St. Louis the last time the Blues reached the final in 1970.1. Aliu sparks a reckoningAs impressive as the Blues' unexpected title was, another story transcended single-season results and was unquestionably the biggest hockey narrative of 2019.In late November, former NHL player Akim Aliu, who was born in Nigeria, accused then-Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters of directing the N-word toward him multiple times when Peters coached Aliu with the ECHL's Rockford IceHogs in 2009-10. Two former teammates corroborated Aliu's allegations, and Peters resigned from his role with the Flames within days of Aliu publicizing the incident.Aliu shared his story after Babcock's treatment of Marner came to light. His revelations, which preceded Crawford's and Montgomery's situations, brought heightened awareness to coaching abuse around the league and prompted others to come forward with their own accounts; former Hurricanes blue-liner Michal Jordan soon accused Peters of kicking him and punching another player in the head when Peters was behind the bench in Carolina.The NHL later met with Aliu and has since announced new steps to address inappropriate conduct, underscoring the impact of Aliu's courageous admission and cementing him as the central figure in the league's ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive environment.Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In TV, as in life, trying situations can occasionally be optimized by choosing to focus on the positive.Jan. 1, 2018 was a frosty afternoon in New York City. Beers froze over in the stands at Citi Field, where 41,821 people layered up to watch the Rangers and Sabres play hockey outdoors. Jon Miller had never been colder at a sporting event, no trivial distinction for the president of programming at NBC Sports and NBCSN."But I'll tell you what's amazing," Miller said. "They had a sellout crowd and the fans had a great time, and everybody really enjoyed it. To me, that's the mark of a great event."The Jan. 1 scene Miller will take in later this week promises to be a little easier on the skin. He's gearing up for the 12th edition of the NHL Winter Classic, the recurring New Year's Day contest that Miller and his production team are helping usher into the 2020s - with a visit to, of all places, hallowed college football territory.Sam Hodde / National Hockey League / GettyWhen the Predators and Stars face off Wednesday at the Cotton Bowl, the Winter Classic will be far removed from the Mets' ballpark in Queens and from the home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, the stadium where the series debuted in a snowstorm to considerable fanfare back on New Year's Day 2008. Nashville at Dallas constitutes perhaps the least conventional matchup in the game's history. An Original Six team has appeared in all but two previous Classics, and both of those outliers included the magnetic presence of Sidney Crosby.Understandably, this will also be the first Winter Classic - and one of very few outdoor games, period - to be played in a southern state. Yet the Cotton Bowl is an oddly fitting locale to jumpstart a new decade of NHL action, and not solely because of the league's perennial desire to grow the sport in summery settings.The Boston Bruins won the 2019 Winter Classic. Brian Babineau / NHL / Getty ImagesBefore the Winter Classic entrenched itself as a fixture of the sports calendar - the NHL's answer to the NFL's Thanksgiving slate and the NBA's monopolization of Christmas Day - it came to life as a product of Miller's imagination. He thought up the conceptual contours of the game in 2004, when NBC, newly in possession of NHL telecast rights, was searching for two distinct forms of programming: a way to showcase its hockey coverage and a production of any kind to attract eyeballs on New Year's Day.Among the factors that led Miller to suggest that a yearly outdoor game could bridge that gap: he sensed that college football was no longer predominant across all hours of Jan. 1. After all, the Cotton Bowl Classic - once a marquee TV event of the early afternoon - had moved away from that year's holiday to be played on Jan. 2."The Rose Bowl was on but it was late, and the Orange Bowl was on in prime time. But the other big games on New Year's Day had all kind of disappeared," Miller recalled during a recent phone call. "My feeling (was that) we had a window there to do something."Jon Miller (right) and John Collins at the 2012 Winter Classic. Courtesy of NBC Sports GroupA heap of hindrances prevented the Winter Classic from being organized immediately. The 2004-05 lockout wiped out what would have been NBC's first full season as the NHL's U.S. broadcaster. Commissioner Gary Bettman liked the idea of the Classic, Miller said, but was unsure teams would participate. When marketing executive John Collins, a friend of Miller's, joined the NHL late in 2006, he championed the concept within the league but soon reported back to Miller that only one club, the Sabres, was willing to host such a game.Ever since that 2008 game in Buffalo, though, the Winter Classic has largely come to own its 1 p.m. ET time slot. (The exception: the 2011 Penguins-Capitals matchup that was rescheduled to 8 p.m. for fear it would rain in Pittsburgh earlier in the day.) Just about every team in the league has expressed interest in featuring in the series, according to Miller. The process now calls for cities to submit formal bids to host the game, a far cry from the Sabres' involvement by default."I don't envy Bettman and (deputy commissioner) Bill Daly having to make those decisions on where they go to play," Miller said.Glenn James / NHL / Getty ImagesThe league's decision to broaden its sights as far south as Texas is how the Predators and Stars - nontraditional franchises that are nevertheless strong attendance draws - have each come to appear in their first outdoor game of any kind. (After Jan. 1, six of the NHL's 31 teams won't have played outdoors: Arizona, Carolina, Columbus, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Vegas.) The Cotton Bowl game is the third Winter Classic, and second in a row, to be held in a cavernous college football stadium.More than 80,000 tickets to Predators-Stars sold out in a matter of hours back in the spring, meaning Wednesday's game should feature the second-largest crowd in league history. The 2019 Winter Classic (Bruins vs. Blackhawks) accommodated 76,126 fans at Notre Dame Stadium; the 2014 game pitted the Maple Leafs against the Red Wings before 105,491 people at Michigan's Big House.Miller said that in seasons to come, he'd like to see the Winter Classic return to past host locations for the first time. He thinks Buffalo deserves another game, and Fenway Park was a great backdrop for Flyers-Bruins in 2010. Though the Notre Dame experience proved there's no shortage of viable venues."I think what the league is finding now is that they can go to places that don't necessarily have a hometown team, like South Bend," Miller said. "Maybe Penn State, State College is in the mix. Who knows? That's a decision that (the NHL will) have to make, but there are certainly a lot of different places that would do a good job of this."Wherever it's played, the game now gives Miller annual occasion to appreciate how his brainchild project - "his baby," as an NBC spokesperson put it - became something greater than a novelty. He figures the competitiveness of the series has helped it sustain: nine of 11 Winter Classics have been decided by one or two goals, and four lasted beyond regulation. So has buy-in from players, whose excitement at getting to compete outdoors, in the wind and snow and all else the environment entails, tends to be laid plain on their faces.NHL outdoor games aren't an uncommon sight. This fall's Heritage Classic was played outdoors in Saskatchewan; the next iteration of the Stadium Series is in Colorado in February. But to Miller, New Year's remains a special date: "There's nothing quite like having all of the attention focused on you on a national holiday." And in a landscape in which the NCAA stages 41 bowl games, Miller can return to one irrefutable, and irrefutably positive, truth."There's only one Winter Classic."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the third edition of theScore's Calder Trophy Power Rankings, we feature one rookie making his debut on the list, and four others who have been jockeying for position throughout the 2019-20 season.5. Ilya Mikheyev, Toronto Maple LeafsMark Blinch / National Hockey League / GettyGPPATOI xGF%392315:3553.02Unfortunately, this will be Mikheyev's final appearance in these rankings, as he's been sidelined indefinitely following a scary incident when a skate sliced his wrist.Although he's bound to fall out of the race, Mikheyev's freshman showing deserves some recognition. The 25-year-old Russian is fourth in rookie scoring, and he developed into a fixture in the Maple Leafs' top six under head coach Sheldon Keefe before the injury.4. John Marino, Pittsburgh PenguinsIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPPATOI xGF%371820:0757.58A pair of defensemen have been dominating these rankings, but it's time to shed some light on Marino, the rearguard who's been shining in anonymity for the Penguins.Injuries have thrust the 22-year-old into an elevated role, and Marino now ranks fourth among rookies in average ice time, is tied for seventh in points, and he owns the top expected goals rate among Pittsburgh blue-liners.3. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver CanucksJeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyGPPATOI xGF%392821:1555.89Hughes is enjoying a fantastic season, but although he's likely to be a finalist by the end of the campaign, the Canucks defenseman has fallen out of the No. 2 spot on our list for the first time.The 20-year-old ranks first in rookie ice time and third in points, but a quiet December production-wise bumps him down a spot. After finding the scoresheet 12 times over 14 games in November, Hughes registered just six points in 13 contests this month despite an uptick in minutes.2. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo SabresJared Silber / National Hockey League / GettyGPPATOI xGF%403418:4848.52Olofsson returns to our ranks after missing the cut in November. The Sabres rookie posted his best month yet in December, recording six goals and eight assists in 13 games.The 24-year-old sniper should remain in the Calder conversation throughout the year while playing alongside Jack Eichel on Buffalo's top line.1. Cale Makar, Colorado AvalancheIcon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPPATOI xGF%312920:2752.98He's only appeared in five games this month, but Makar is still the front-runner for rookie-of-the-year honors.Despite missing eight outings, the Avalanche defenseman still ranks second among his peers in points, and first in points per game. While he was out, Colorado's usually dangerous power play ranked 20th while converting just 18.5 percent of its opportunities, and the team struggled to find consistency, posting a 4-4 record.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl was as blunt as possible when talking about his recent slump."I can't speak for them (teammates), I can only talk for myself, and obviously I know I've been pretty shit lately," Draisaitl said to reporters on Monday, per TSN. "It happens, those stretches, they happen. Maybe it's a little too long for myself, but you know tomorrow's a new day."Despite still being second in the league in scoring, trailing only teammate Connor McDavid, Draisaitl has been on a bit of a skid as of late. He's a -18 over his team's last 10 games, of which they've lost eight. During that span, he's recorded three goals and five assists."I've always been very good at assessing my own game and I have no problem saying that I haven't been playing to my capabilities," Draisaitl added. "Like I said, those stretches happen and I've always come out of them as a better player and I'm positive that it'll happen this time too."The 24-year-old had an electric first half of the year, recording 22 goals and 61 points in 41 games. Once atop the Pacific Division, the Oilers now sit in fifth place.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.Nothing says outdoor hockey quite like Dallas, am I right? And when you think of Cotton Bowl Stadium, your mind obviously goes straight to the National Hockey League, not the Red River Rivalry.On New Year's Day 2020, the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators will meet in the NHL's annual outdoor special. Here's everything you need to know about the game from a betting perspective:Line movementThe Stars opened as slight favorites at -120, with the Predators sitting at -105. Nashville is 6-2 straight up (SU) as underdogs this season, while Dallas is 2-5 SU as favorites between -110 and -125. A total of 5.5 is expected.Betting breakdownFirst and foremost, this will be the southernmost outdoor game in North American hockey history. Of the over 100 outdoor contests previously held in North America, only five have taken place south of the 39th degree of latitude - yes, we're getting technical.DATELOCATIONLEAGUERESULTJanuary 2017Bakersfield (Calif.)AHLCondors 3-2 ReignJanuary 2017St. LouisNHLBlues 4-1 BlackhawksDecember 2015SacramentoAHLHeat 3-2 CondorsFebruary 2015Santa Clara (Calif.)NHLSharks 1-2 KingsJanuary 2014Los AngelesNHLKings 0-3 DucksDallas has an average daily high temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit in January, similar to that of Bakersfield, Sacramento, and Santa Clara. Warmer climates result in softer ice surfaces, which drastically impact game totals. All five matchups listed above finished under 5.5 goals.Those conditions happen to be right in line with the type of hockey the Stars prefer to play. Dallas is 25-12-2 (67.6%) to the under this season, the highest percentage of any NHL team. The Stars are also the most profitable club to the under on home ice, posting a 16-5 record.However, the Predators are the most profitable team to the over on the road, with a 13-4 mark in that regard, and the last six regular-season meetings between these clubs in Dallas have gone over the total. It'll be a true clash of styles when these two meet at Cotton Bowl Stadium.Nashville has won three of its last four regular-season games in Dallas, though the Predators lost two of their three trips to Texas in the playoffs last season.X-factorIce quality will be a significant determining factor in how this game plays out. The warmer the weather, the softer the ice will be, leading to slower play and less offense. That plays right into the Stars' strengths.PickUnder 5.5 goalsIt's hard to imagine the conditions in Dallas being conducive to a fast-paced hockey game. The soft ice will mitigate the high tempo the Predators typically like to employ and result in a low-scoring affair. Roll with the under, and parlay it with a Dallas win, if you're looking to start 2020 out with a bang.Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The rosters for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game were announced Monday. The league's annual weekend festivities will take place Jan. 24-25 in St. Louis.Each club will consist of 11 total players, including nine skaters and two goalies. The NHL will allow fans to vote for the last player to make each team, with voting set to open Jan. 1.Here are the lineups for each division:Atlantic DivisionPositionPlayerTeamFDavid Pastrnak (C)BOSFAuston MatthewsTORFJack EichelBUFFAnthony DuclairOTTFJonathan HuberdeauFLAFTyler BertuzziDETDVictor HedmanTBLDShea WeberMTLGTuukka RaskBOSGFrederik AndersenTORMetropolitan DivisionPositionPlayerTeamFArtemi PanarinNYRFMathew BarzalNYIFKyle PalmieriNJDFTravis KonecnyPHIFJake GuentzelPITDSeth JonesCBJDJohn CarlsonWSHDDougie HamiltonCARGJoonas KorpisaloCBJGBraden HoltbyWSHPacific DivisionPositionPlayerTeamFConnor McDavid (C)EDMFLeon DraisaitlEDMFAnze KopitarLAKFMatthew TkachukCGYFElias PetterssonVANFJakob SilfverbergANAFLogan CoutureSJSDMark GiordanoCGYGMarc-Andre FleuryVGKGDarcy KuemperARICentral DivisionPositionPlayerTeamFNathan MacKinnon (C)COLFRyan O'ReillySTLFPatrick KaneCHIFTyler SeguinDALFMark ScheifeleWPGFEric StaalMINDAlex PietrangeloSTLDRoman JosiNSHGJordan BinningtonSTLGConnor HellebuyckWPGCopyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for multiple weeks, head coach John Tortorella said Monday.Korpisalo suffered a non-contact injury while facing the first shooter of a shootout on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins all won multiple championships over the last 10 years, but which NHL squad put together the best single-season during that span?We'll be revealing our cumulative all-decade team power rankings Wednesday, but in the meantime, here are the five best NHL team campaigns of the 2010s, as voted on by theScore's hockey staff:5. Boston Bruins, 2010-11Harry How / Getty Images Sport / GettyRegular-season record: 46-25-11

NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell was not amused by John Tortorella's postgame tirade.Campbell called Tortorella's comments "unprofessional" and "unacceptable" after the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach heavily criticized on-ice officials and the league's replay crew in Toronto for an apparent clock error that cost Columbus an overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday."The whistle is blown at 19.2 (seconds) on the clock," Tortorella said. "For some reason, the clock is run down a second-and-a-tenth to 18.1. For whatever reason, I have no goddamn idea. So instead of resetting the clock, we have them tell our captain 'we're not going to do it.'"Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski scored what would have been the game-winning goal just after time expired in the extra frame, and starting goalie Joonas Korpisalo suffered a non-contact injury in the subsequent shootout as Columbus lost 3-2."Toronto doesn't step in, refs don't do their freaking job, and now we lose the game and we lose our goalie," Tortorella continued.Campbell explained why time was not re-added to the clock after officials assessed the Blackhawks a too-many-men penalty in overtime, saying referees took advantage of the Blue Jackets' ensuing time-out call to thoroughly review the play:

With the decade drawing to a close, theScore looked back and voted on 100 moments that defined the sports world in the 2010s. Below is the final installment of our month-long series, counting down moments 20-1.100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-120. Germany 7, Brazil 1 ⚽July 8, 2014Marcos Brindicci / ReutersThis was Brazil's shot at redemption. Despite the nation's unparalleled World Cup success, it had never truly recovered from losing the 1950 final on home soil. The 2014 edition of the tournament, though, was supposed to exorcise those demons. In the eyes of many Brazilians, it was destiny. And then everything came crumbling down on a surreal, eerie evening in Belo Horizonte. An emotional Brazil side, playing without the injured Neymar, were blown away in the semifinals; Germany scored five goals in the opening 29 minutes en route to a remarkable 7-1 win. In the stands, disbelief morphed into tears, and, eventually, anger. Brazilian fans consoled one another, to no avail. - Gianluca Nesci19. UMBC pulls off historic upset 🙀March 16, 2018No. 1 seeds were 132-0 against 16-seeds until 2018, when America East champion UMBC met overall top seed Virginia in Charlotte. The Retrievers had never won an NCAA Tournament game and weren't expected to on this day. But everything went right. UMBC began the second half on a 17-3 run and never looked back, embarrassing Virginia 74-54 and making history. The UMBC athletics' Twitter account ballooned from 5,400 followers to 41,000 as it fired off sassy but clever tweets during the stunning performance. - Mark Cooper18. Kevin Durant's 'Next Chapter'July 7, 2016After blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals to Golden State, Durant did the unthinkable and joined the enemy. The formation of the "Hamptons Five" brought KD together with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala to form one of the most dominant units in NBA history. Durant was blasted for the move he described as "the hardest road" as it fundamentally altered the balance of the league, but it's hard to argue with the results. What followed was three straight trips to the Finals, two titles, and a pair of Finals MVPs for Durant. - Mike Dickson17. Villanova at the buzzer ⏰April 4, 2016The name of the play was Nova. In a tie game with 4.7 seconds left, Jay Wright called it. Ryan Arcidiacono brought the basketball up the court. Kris Jenkins, the inbounder, trailed him. As Arcidiacono reached the 3-point line, he shoveled the ball to Jenkins. "Bang," Wright mouthed from the sideline as Jenkins coldly hit the 3-pointer that gave Villanova a 77-74 win over North Carolina and a national championship. Moments before Jenkins' shot, UNC's Marcus Paige knocked down an acrobatic, equally impressive 3-pointer that was soon forgotten. - Cooper16. The Fierce Five 🖐️July 31, 2012THOMAS COEX / AFP / GettyOriginally referred to as the Fab Five before a Jalen Rose rant forced a name change, the Fierce Five of Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber dominated the artistic gymnastics event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. While the team earned the U.S. its first gold medal on international soil in the women's competition, the fivesome also gained notoriety when Douglas became the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in the individual competition, and Maroney's unimpressed podium look became a famed internet meme. After the Olympics, they visited the White House, were inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, and came forward as survivors of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse of gymnasts. - Bryan Mcwilliam15. Boston Marathon bombingApril 15, 2013On a day normally reserved for celebration of the human spirit, tragedy struck. Two bombs, detonated 14 seconds apart, killed three people and injured hundreds. A manhunt for the two bombers followed, culminating in the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a Watertown, Massachusetts backyard. Rather than focus on the perpetrators, stories of the heroes that ran towards danger to help became a beacon. Through grief and heartache, a city battled together and "Boston Strong" became a rallying cry for not only New England, but also the world. - Devang Desai14. Leicester City defy the odds 🦊May 2, 2016ReutersNearly four years later, it still gives you goosebumps. Going into the 2015-16 Premier League season, Leicester City were 5,000-1 underdogs to win the title; at the time, you could get the same odds on Elvis Presley being found alive. They couldn't possibly do it. After all, they had only been promoted to England's top flight the year prior. But powered by a journeyman striker, an unassuming manager, and the football gods, the Foxes shocked the world. Claudio Ranieri sobbed, Andrea Bocelli (!) performed at the King Power Stadium, and Wes Morgan led a trophy celebration that will never be forgotten. Anything's possible. - Nesci13. 'Kick Six' sinks Alabama 🏃💨Nov. 30, 2013This high-stakes Iron Bowl meeting had one of the wildest endings in 150 years of college football. Tied at 28 in the final seconds, Nick Saban sent his kicker out to try a 57-yard field goal. Standing in the end zone, Auburn's Chris Davis caught the kick when it fell short and took off. Davis' 109-yard return - the "Kick Six" - gave the Tigers a walk-off, 34-28 win, and eventually sent Auburn to the national championship game while handing Alabama its first loss. - Cooper12. Michael Phelps stands alone 🏅July 31, 2012CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP / GettyA new generation was ready to take over, but in the end, Michael Phelps still made history. Phelps, who announced the London games would be his last, passed Larisa Latynina to become the all-time record holder for most Olympic medals won. That same night, Phelps settled for silver after Chad le Clos prevailed in the 200m butterfly. The South African said Phelps was the reason he started to swim competitively, and he wasn't alone in citing "The Baltimore Bullet" as an inspiration. Phelps decided to return to the five rings party in Rio, finishing his Olympic career with 28 medals and a genuine claim to be the greatest athlete of all time. - Desai11. Patriots' unbelievable comeback 😲Feb. 5, 2017

The Boston Bruins placed defenseman Charlie McAvoy on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the team announced Monday.McAvoy suffered the injury during the Bruins' win over the Washington Capitals on Dec. 23 and then missed the club's past two games.The 22-year-old has arguably been Boston's most valuable rearguard this season. He's logged a team-high 23:10 of ice time per game and is counted upon in all situations.Despite firing 52 shots on net, the snakebitten McAvoy is still without a goal this campaign, but he's contributed 13 assists through 38 contests.The Bruins' blue line has taken a hit recently, as McAvoy is joining fellow defensemen Torey Krug and Kevan Miller on IR.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Every Monday, theScore offers a weekly fantasy hockey column detailing a handful of moves you should make. This week's edition focuses on Week 13. Ownership percentages and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.Add Noel AcciariTeam: Panthers

Arizona Coyotes forward Derek Stepan entered the concussion protocol after Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars following a high hit from Jamie Oleksiak, head coach Rick Tocchet said postgame, according to The Athletic's Craig Morgan.

John Tortorella was in vintage form Sunday night after the Columbus Blue Jackets were deprived of an overtime winner in an eventual shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.The Blue Jackets head coach expressed his anger with the officiating crew and the NHL's replay crew in Toronto after Zach Werenski's winner was disallowed, and - according to Tortorella - after the game crew wound a full second off the clock following a delay of game penalty.Tortorella was also upset because Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was injured in the ensuing shootout."The whistle is blown at 19.2 (seconds) on the clock," he said. "For some reason, the clock is run down a second and a tenth to 18.1. For whatever reason, I have no goddamn idea. So instead of resetting the clock, we have them tell our captain we're not going to do it. Toronto doesn't step in, refs don't do their freaking job, and now we lose the game and we lose our goalie."So the chain of events if it was done right, we don't lose our goalie (and) we win the hockey game," he continued. "So (with) all this goddamn technology, right? The technology and getting things right. The stubbornness (Sunday night) by the officials and by the league and by Toronto, however it's supposed to goddamn work, screws us."It's ridiculous. I'm not taking any goddamn questions," he added before abruptly leaving the podium.The officials whistled the Blackhawks for delay of game with 19 seconds remaining, and Werenski's would-be goal came just a few tenths of a second after the buzzer in the extra frame."Video review determined that the puck crossed the Chicago goal line after time had expired," read the NHL's situation room's full explanation of the video review. It did not address the timekeeping issue on the stoppage beforehand.The NHL will be calling Tortorella to address his remarks, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada will not have star winger Alexis Lafreniere for its World Junior Championship contest against Germany on Monday.Lafreniere suffered a left knee injury in the second period of Canada's 6-0 loss to Russia on Saturday and had to be assisted off the ice. Despite being ruled out for Monday's game, he could still return during the tournament, assistant coach Andre Tourigny said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.Tourigny also confirmed that the MRI on Lafreniere's knee did not reveal any fractures or torn ligaments. The projected No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft wore a brace on his knee while watching practice on Sunday.Lafreniere posted one goal and three assists in Canada's tournament-opening victory against the United States.All five nations in Group B are deadlocked through two contests for the first time since the group format was introduced at the world juniors in 1996. Canada, however, sits last due to goal differential ahead of its crucial matchup with Germany.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's not every day we witness a star player change jerseys in the NHL. Blockbuster trades in the salary cap era have been few and far between, so it's rather memorable when a major deal comes to fruition.Here, we look back on the five biggest swaps of the decade.5. Bruins trade Seguin to Stars Glenn James / National Hockey League / GettyDate: July 4, 2013The trade:Stars acquireBruins acquireF Tyler SeguinF Loui ErikssonF Rich PeverleyF Reilly SmithD Ryan ButtonF Matt FraserD Joe MorrowThrough 203 games with the Boston Bruins, a 21-year-old Tyler Seguin had already racked up 56 goals and 121 points, and was quickly becoming one of the league's most electrifying talents. What could Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli and his staff have possibly been thinking when they dealt him away?Wish you could be a fly on the wall for such a discussion? Voila!"He's a star player, there's no doubt, but does he fit with our culture?" Bruins director of player personnel Scott Bradley questioned.The Bruins believed Seguin relied too heavily on his skill and lacked a physical edge that the club looked for in its players. They also weren't thrilled with his off-ice habits; one week earlier, Chiarelli publicly said Seguin needed to "become more of a professional.""I just think there are too many red flags with him," said Bradley. "You know, he has a lot of talent, we know that. He should be scoring ... like he brings up (Patrick) Kane, if he gives us half of Kane we win the Stanley Cup."After much deliberation, Chiarelli decided to pick up the phone and shop his young star. The result was a seven-player blockbuster that saw Seguin land in Dallas while veteran winger Loui Eriksson highlighted the Bruins' return.Since being traded to the Stars, Seguin ranks fourth in the NHL in goals (217) and sixth in points (495) - more than any Bruin during that span.4. Canucks deal Luongo back to Panthers Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyDate: March 4, 2014The trade:Panthers acquireCanucks acquireG Roberto LuongoG Jacob MarkstromF Steven AnthonyF Shawn MatthiasThe tale of the Vancouver Canucks trading away two of the decade's top goalies in the span of nine months is one for the ages, and it ends with Roberto Luongo back on a beach in Sunrise.Luongo inked a 12-year, $64-million contract with the Canucks in September 2009 that would kick in ahead of the 2010-2011 season. But with a young Cory Schneider outperforming his backup role, the club found itself with a pair of top-tier goaltenders and some important decisions to make.With several postseason disappointments to begin the decade, including the Canucks' infamous Game 7 loss to the Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, Luongo turned into the scapegoat for fans and the media. The 6-foot-3 puck-stopper reportedly requested a trade after losing the starting role to Schneider midway through the opening round of the 2012 playoffs.When the Canucks couldn't find a suitor for Luongo's mammoth contract, general manager Mike Gillis instead shipped Schneider to the New Jersey Devils at the 2013 NHL Draft. Problem solved, right? Not so fast.The following season was a disaster for the Canucks, as the club missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. Head coach John Tortorella opting to play backup Eddie Lack at the 2014 Heritage Classic proved to be the final straw. The damaged relationship between Luongo and the Canucks became irreparable, and the veteran was traded back to Florida two months later.3. Senators trade Karlsson to SharksBrandon Magnus / National Hockey League / GettyDate: Sept. 13, 2018The trade:Sharks acquireSenators acquire D Erik KarlssonF Chris TierneyF Francis PerronF Rudolfs BalcersF Josh NorrisD Dylan DeMelo1st-rd pick (2020)2nd-rd pick (2019)Just 16 months after leading the underdog Senators to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, Erik Karlsson, the club's homegrown franchise talent, was gone. The deal officially marked the beginning of a rebuild, and general manager Pierre Dorion delivered a promising message of hope to fans five days later.Karlsson was one of the greatest Senators of all time, but with his contract expiring and a hefty payday on the horizon, the veteran blue-liner no longer fit the club's plans.The San Jose Sharks were a perfect suitor - they were a Stanley Cup favorite that also had expendable assets in their system and money to dish out for an extension. In June, the two-time Norris Trophy winner inked an eight-year, $92-million deal to stay in the Bay Area after the team lost in six games to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final.Karlsson holds the Senators' franchise record for goals, assists, and points by a defenseman. Only Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza have recorded more points and assists for Ottawa.2. Canadiens, Predators swap star blue-liners Francois Lacasse / National Hockey League / GettyDate: June 29, 2016The trade:Canadiens acquirePredators acquireD Shea WeberD P.K. SubbanIn 2016, 23 minutes shifted the NHL landscape completely. Just 17 minutes after the most memorable trade of the decade (we'll get there), the Canadiens and Predators joined in on the fun, as P.K. Subban was dealt to Nashville in exchange for Shea Weber, who headed back to Montreal.Each player was more than just a star for their respective clubs - Subban and Weber were the faces of each franchise. But Subban didn't have the same connection with the front office as he did with the fan base. His flashy, charismatic style didn't jive with head coach Michel Therrien's old school approach; two days before a no-trade clause was to kick in on his long-term deal, the stalwart defenseman was dealt."Right now I'm going to a team that wants me," Subban said after the trade, according to CBC.com. "I'm just happy to be in a situation where I can excel and feel good about myself coming to the rink every day."While Subban's career continued to blossom in Nashville, an aging Weber struggled to stay healthy, and many touted Predators general manager David Poile as a genius for turning back the clock on his defensive anchor.Fast-forward to the end of the decade, and Subban is a member of the New Jersey Devils while Weber looks to have reinvented himself with the Canadiens.1. Oilers trade Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyDate: June 29, 2016The trade:Oilers acquireDevils acquireD Adam LarssonF Taylor HallChiarelli makes another unfortunate appearance on our list - this time at No. 1 as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers.The decade's most remarkable trade also paved the way for arguably the most memorable hockey tweet of all time. While fans and pundits alike awaited for the Oilers' return, TSN's Bob McKenzie provided the jaw-dropping answer:

Team Canada and the presumptive first overall pick in next June's NHL draft may have dodged a bullet.The left knee injury Alexis Lafreniere suffered in a loss to Russia at the World Junior Hockey Championship on Saturday isn't as severe as it appeared, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston."Since this has happened ... what we can tell you is that he's had an MRI and it's not as bad as it was initially feared," Johnston said during "Saturday Headlines.""Now, they're waiting for final word from the medical staff," he continued. "He took that MRI at a hospital in Ostrava in the Czech Republic. Those images were sent back to Calgary to be looked at by (Canadian) doctors and they'll determine just how serious this is, but he's not been ruled out yet of the world junior tournament."Lafreniere left Canada's 6-0 defeat after twisting his leg in a collision with Russian goaltender Amir Miftakhov in the second period. The Canadian star had to be helped off and couldn't put weight on the leg.

San Jose Sharks forward Melker Karlsson took a slap shot to the head Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period and went straight to the dressing room.

Marc-Andre Fleury continues to climb the ladder and pass the game's goaltending greats.The Vegas Golden Knights netminder stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, earning his 454th career win.That ties him with Curtis Joseph for sixth place on the all-time wins list. Fleury needed 825 games to reach that perch, which is 118 fewer than Joseph, who also posted the third-most losses in league history (397).New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist ranks fifth in career wins with 458, and Martin Brodeur is the NHL's all-time leader with 691.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The injuries continue to pile up for the Toronto Maple Leafs.Defenseman Jake Muzzin has been listed as week-to-week with a broken foot, the team announced Saturday.Muzzin has been an essential piece on the blue line for the Maple Leafs this season. The veteran rearguard logs the second-most minutes per game on the team, averaging 21:21 of ice time while leading the club in both hits (87) and blocks (69).Toronto owns a share of 54.06% of five-on-five scoring chances with Muzzin on the ice, which is the best mark among Leafs defensemen. The 30-year-old is an important penalty killer too, averaging 2:24 of shorthanded ice time per contest.The Leafs also lost forward Ilya Mikheyev on Friday, who will be out for several months after suffering a wrist laceration against the New Jersey Devils. Forwards Trevor Moore and Andreas Johnson also remain sidelined for the blue and white.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It simply wasn't Canada's night Saturday at Ostravar Arena.The Canadians suffered a 6-0 blowout loss to Russia in a contest that saw star forward Alexis Lafreniere depart with a knee injury. It was the first time in tournament history the Red and White lost by more than five goals.Lafreniere injured his left knee in the second period after colliding awkwardly with Russian netminder Amir Miftakhov, who made 28 saves for the shutout victory.Russia came out firing in the opening frame, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission on goals from forwards Alexander Khovanov, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Nikita Rtishchev.Moments after Lafreniere exited the game, Nikita Alexandrov extended Russia's lead to 4-0, ending Canadian netminder Nico Daws' night. Joel Hofer replaced Daws after the latter allowed four goals on 17 shots.With Saturday's result, all five teams in Group B are deadlocked through two contests - a first since the group format was introduced in 1996. Canada sits last due to goal differential.TeamGPWOTWOTLLGFGAPTSRussia21001943United States210011093Czech Republic21001773Germany21001793Canada210016103Canada will look to rebound Monday against Germany before closing out the preliminary round against the host Czech Republic on New Year's Eve.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada star Alexis Lafreniere exited Saturday's contest against Russia after suffering an injury to his left knee, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.Lafreniere, who is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, twisted his left leg awkwardly after colliding with Russian netminder Amir Miftakhov in the second period.The 18-year-old winger couldn't put weight on his leg and had to be assisted off the ice.

Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner will be sidelined three-to-four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Saturday.The 27-year-old was injured in the third period of the Sabres' loss to the Bruins on Friday after colliding with Boston forward David Pastrnak in front of his team's bench.

With 2019 coming to a close, we look back at the five best individual seasons of the decade.5. Erik Karlsson, 2016-17Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOIxGF%7717547126:5050.9*Stats in tables include only regular season.It was never a question of whether Karlsson would make this list, but rather which of his standout campaigns would be featured. He won the Norris Trophy in 2011-12 with 78 points, 25 more than any other defenseman. Four years later, he recorded a career-high 82 points and led all players with 66 assists.However, the most dominant we've ever seen Karlsson was during the 2017 playoffs when he carried the Ottawa Senators to within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final. He tallied 18 points in 19 games while logging over 28 minutes per night. From his ridiculous saucer pass to Mike Hoffman to his dynamic feed to Derick Brassard, his postseason highlights live on forever.There were legitimate conversations at the time about whether Karlsson was the best player in the game.4. Nikita Kucherov, 2018-19Scott Audette / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOIxGF%82418712819:5852.4Kucherov's 128 points were the most since Mario Lemieux (161) and Jaromir Jagr (149) set the hockey world on fire in 1995-96. That total also represents the single-season points record by a Russian-born NHLer, which is especially impressive when you consider the number of talented players who have emerged from the country.However, Kucherov's historic campaign falls just shy of the top three due to the fact that he, as a winger, plays less of a 200-foot game than those who are featured ahead of him. Also, as incredible as his year was, a spike in scoring league-wide (6.06 goals per game, the most of the decade) contributed to his gaudy totals.3. Tim Thomas, 2010-11Jim Rogash / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPWGAASV%SOGSAA57352.00.938945.77Thomas didn't have a long career, but his peak was better than any other goalie's this decade.The Boston Bruins netminder led the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage, and goals saved above average to capture the Vezina Trophy during the regular season.Thomas was even better during the playoffs. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP thanks to a .940 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average, as the Bruins took down a stacked Vancouver Canucks team in the Stanley Cup Final.2. Evgeni Malkin, 2011-12Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAPATOIxGF%75505910921:0156.7This was the season when we truly saw how Malkin can elevate his game when a certain teammate is sidelined. Asked to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin put the team on his back night after night.Despite missing seven games himself, Malkin captured the Art Ross with 12 more points than runner-up Steven Stamkos - who played all 82 - and was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.When focused and motivated, Malkin is perhaps more dominant than any player of his era.1. Sidney Crosby, 2013-14Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAPATOIxGF%80366810421:5856.3Crosby is the best player of the decade and was at the height of his powers during this season.He won the scoring title by a whopping 17 points - the largest winning margin of the decade - and received 128 of a possible 136 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy.In addition to his individual brilliance, no other player today exemplifies the ability to make their teammates better the way Crosby does, and that was most evident during this outstanding 2013-14 season.Penguins linemate Chris Kunitz shattered his previous career high with 35 goals thanks to Crosby's efforts and was even selected to Canada's stacked Olympic team due to those numbers. And when Team Canada traveled to Russia to compete in the games, it was Crosby who captained the squad to the gold medal.Just missed the cut:

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev is expected to miss several months after suffering a wrist laceration during Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils, the team announced Saturday.Mikheyev underwent successful surgery to repair an artery and tendons in his wrist after he caught Jesper Bratt's skate on his arm in the third period. He immediately went to the locker room following the incident and was transported to the hospital, where he stayed overnight.The 25-year-old rookie will be re-evaluated in three months. He's expected to make a full recovery and will remain in the hospital in New Jersey for further monitoring before returning to Toronto.Mikheyev is fourth in the rookie scoring race with 23 points in 39 games.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With just one win in his team's last 10 games, San Jose Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner has had enough.The Sharks are in a downward spiral, the likes of which they haven't experienced in quite some time. San Jose dropped to last place in the Western Conference with Friday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and Boughner wasn't pulling any punches postgame."Some guys have got to look in the mirror and put it on themselves," Boughner told reporters. "You can't dress 12 forwards and have eight or nine show up. That was the problem tonight."San Jose entered the third period up 2-0 before the Kings' Martin Frk cut the lead to one early in the frame. After the goal, Sharks forwards Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc skated just three shifts each, and Meier didn't see the ice in the eventual overtime session."We had to shorten our bench and we had a couple of guys that were just not sticking with the structure, not playing within the team system," Boughner said. He added: "They know who they are and it's a wake-up call for a couple of guys in that room right now."The Sharks will look to get back on track when they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev left Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils after being cut on the arm by a skate.Mikheyev departed and went straight to the dressing room after Jesper Bratt's skate caught him on the wrist in the third period.

Alex Ovechkin won't take part in the All-Star festivities in January, the Washington Capitals superstar told reporters, including the Washington Post's Samantha Pell, following a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.Ovechkin was named the Metropolitan Division captain for the event last Saturday."It’s a hard decision, obviously, being the captain and missing the All-Star Game, but (I) have to do (what's) best for me and for my team," he said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.It's the second straight year Ovechkin will sit out the midseason showcase, and he'll be forced to miss a regular-season game either right before or right after the break as a result.St. Louis will host the 2020 All-Star weekend Jan. 24-26.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Cale Makar is officially back.The rookie defenseman returned to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild on Friday after missing the club's previous eight games with an upper-body injury.Makar suffered the ailment against the Boston Bruins on Dec. 7 after taking a heavy hit from forward Brad Marchand behind his net.The 21-year-old blue-liner recorded eight goals and 28 points through 29 games before sustaining the injury and remains a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy.Colorado weathered the storm in his absence, posting a 4-3-1 record. The Avalanche occupy the second spot in the Central Divison and enter Friday's action five points back of the first-place St. Louis Blues.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tim Thomas didn't expect this - the pain, the suffering, being open about both. Yet there he was, signature goatee and all, speaking candidly with a small group of reporters earlier this month in Washington.His voice trembled. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He bore it all."I wake up everyday and basically have to reorder everything in my mind for the first couple hours of the day and then make a list and try to make some choices to get some stuff done," Thomas said.Tim Thomas in 2014 Eliot J. Schechter / Getty ImagesThe former NHL goalie feels better now than he did when he retired in 2014. But, overall, Thomas is not OK. His brain simply doesn't function like a 45-year-old's should. He says a 2015 medical scan revealed two-thirds of it was getting less than 5% blood flow while the other third was averaging about 50%. Concussions sustained between the pipes have scrambled his brain."I couldn't communicate with anybody for a few years," Thomas said of his early retirement days, when he'd ignore loved ones. He later mentioned he "sat out in the woods" for a while, presumably to limit contact with the world.The decade began with such promise for Thomas, who played a starring role in Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup victory. At 36, he authored a season for Bruins lore, posting a remarkable .939 save percentage in 82 total games played, claiming both the Vezina and Conn Smythe trophies.Thomas was in D.C. for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Dec. 12. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who on several occasions has denied there's a link between hockey concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease known as CTE, was part of the Hall's incoming class, too.During Thomas' two-and-half-minute acceptance speech that night, Bettman was seated a few feet away, providing nods of support as the former netminder nervously stammered through some of his remarks.The scene was surreal, all things considered, and a fitting end to the 2010s.The concussion decadeDr. Ann McKee, a Boston University neuropathologist, made a key discovery in late 2009. Former NHLer Reggie Fleming, who died at 73 of progressive dementia, became the first hockey player diagnosed with CTE. The disease, she noted, should no longer be considered exclusive to football and boxing.McKee's finding coincided with the NFL - the "it" league - finally acknowledging concussions can lead to long-term neurological problems. This set the tone for an enlightening past 10 years in the hockey world. "This idea of brain injuries being important in hockey has really sunk in during the last decade," University of Toronto neurosurgery professor Dr. Charles Tator said in an interview.Sidney Crosby at the Winter Classic Dave Sandford / Getty ImagesThe issue truly hit critical mass when Sidney Crosby, the best player on the planet, took two blows to the head in the first four days of 2011. He left the Winter Classic following a blindside hit by David Steckel, and then was nailed from behind by Victor Hedman. From there, Crosby exhibited classic concussion symptoms, including headaches, balance problems, dizziness, and sensitivity to light. He battled setbacks, and didn't appear in a single game for 320 days. It was an extreme, worrisome, and very public situation.The NHL reacted. New concussion protocol and an update to Rule 48 were introduced during Crosby's recovery period. Team physicians were authorized to send players into the "quiet room," and officials were authorized to call penalties on all hits to the head, not just some, with the ability to dish out either a minor or major penalty, not just a major.Around this time, three former NHL enforcers were found dead over a span of four months. Derek Boogaard, 28, accidentally overdosed on medication while recovering from a concussion. Rick Rypien, 27, and Wade Belak, 35, committed suicide. Tests performed posthumously found all three had CTE. If it didn't already, the league now had a full-blown controversy to wrestle with.In the wake of Boogaard's death, The New York Times asked Bettman about a possible link between hockey and CTE. "There isn’t a lot of data, and the experts who we talked to, who consult with us, think that it’s way premature to be drawing any conclusions at this point," he replied. Eight years later, with the list of former NHL players diagnosed with CTE reaching double digits, Bettman made a similar remark to a concussion committee in Canadian Parliament. "Other than some anecdotal evidence," he said this past May, "there has not been that conclusive link."Derek Boogaard in 2010 Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesBy the end of the decade, Bettman had ammo in the form of a legal victory. In 2013, a group of ex-NHLers filed a lawsuit against the NHL, claiming the league failed to protect its players from head injuries and didn't properly warn them of the game's health risks. The two sides settled for $18.9 million, or $22,000 for each of the 318 players involved. The 2018 payout, which included other medical help, was a fraction of the billion-dollar settlement between the NFL and a group of 20,000 former players. And, unlike the NFL, the NHL avoided liability. In a legal sense, they didn't admit any wrongdoing."When you have a defendant who has spent millions of dollars litigating a case for four years to prove that nothing is wrong with getting your brain bashed in, you can only get so far," NHL player attorney Stuart Davidson told the Associated Press shortly after the settlement.In an interview with theScore earlier this month, player agent and lawyer Allan Walsh labelled the payout a "joke" that amounts to a "drop in the bucket" for the retired player community. Walsh, co-managing director for Octagon Hockey, has been one of Bettman's harshest critics, regularly taking the commissioner to task on Twitter for denying the concussion-CTE link both inside the courtroom and within the court of public opinion."(The denial) has huge significance, and the significance is this: Bettman is using that fallacy, that false narrative, to disclaim any responsibility for helping the players who are no longer in the NHL and who are experiencing issues," Walsh said. "It's a way of (saying), 'We are not responsible, we are not liable, and by the way, there's no association between blows to the head and CTE.'"Walsh's passion for the issue has been fueled by difficult conversations with loved ones of former players and the players themselves. In one instance, a longtime client couldn't find his way home from a nearby market. The player, helpless and confused, couldn't connect the dots. "He didn't recognize streets," Walsh said. "He pulled over, started having a panic attack and called me and said, 'It's only two miles away and I can't find my way home, I'm lost.'"Dr. McKee holds an ex-NFLer's brain Boston Globe / Getty ImagesAccording to Boston University, CTE symptoms include "memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidality, Parkinsonism, and eventually progressive dementia." However, since CTE cannot be diagnosed in the living, doctors can only say a living player may have it. "If we don't know exactly who's got it, it's hard to start treating people," Tator, who has worked in this space for decades, said. "A lot of the treatments do carry a risk, for example, so you wouldn't want to give a drug to people you don't really know they've got CTE. Lack of ability to diagnose this in the living is really holding things up.""There's a lot of fear out there with players who are experiencing symptoms," Walsh said of pro hockey alumni. "They're asking themselves, 'Do I have CTE? Am I going to get CTE?'"As the 2010s moved along and investigative journalists continued to humanize the impact of concussions on former pros - TSN reporter Rick Westhead has led the charge in this area, profiling homeless ex-player Joe Murphy, among many others - a group of active NHLers hung up their skates earlier than planned. Marc Savard, Rick Nash, Clarke MacArthur, Johan Franzen, and Brenden Morrow all cited head trauma as a major reason for retirement. Ex-fighter Daniel Carcillo, who stopped playing in 2015, has been particularly outspoken about the issue, asking for accountability from the NHL.Through it all, lawyer-speak has persisted. It became a theme of the decade, really, as various high-profile NHL figures - front-office executives, team owners, medical consultants - not only denied a conclusive link between hockey concussions and CTE through carefully worded statements, but also, in some cases, flat-out claimed while under oath during legal proceedings that they were unaware of CTE altogether.Citing lawsuit deposition transcripts from 2015, Westhead reported Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs was asked by a lawyer representing the players if he had ever heard of the neurodegenerative disease.His answer? "No."'Hockey can be saved'To the NHL's credit, there seemed to be a shift towards better concussion awareness, prevention, and treatment in the back half of the 2010s. The concussion-spotter protocol, for instance, was updated again in 2016 to add another layer of support. There are now both in-arena spotters and centralized spotters in the league's New York office assigned to each game.This past August, the NHL and NHLPA released a 13-minute educational video about concussion symptoms and how to identify a concussed player. Every NHLer must watch the video at training camp, according to the official concussion evaluation and management protocol. Brochures and posters are also resources for players, while medical personnel and coaches are required to attend separate concussion-related sessions at different points in the season.Teams that do not comply with protocol guidelines - say, if a club doesn't use all the mandatory concussion-assessment tools before allowing a player to return to action - are subject to a minimum fine of $25,000. Subsequent offenses in the same season lead to "substantially increased fine amounts."Gary Bettman speaks to media on Nov. 8 Dave Sandford / Getty Images"We've put a tremendous amount of effort in diagnosing protocols, return-to-play protocols, making sure players are educated, changing the culture of the game so that players know that it's OK to say, 'I'm having symptoms,'" Bettman told reporters earlier this month at the U.S. Hockey Hall induction. "We want to make sure that we're doing everything possible, that we're staying on top of the medicine and the science as it's being told to us to make sure we're diagnosing and treating appropriately."From Chris Nowinski's perspective as CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, the NHLPA's role in this process cannot be ignored. He says the players' union hasn't been proactive enough. "I think we are closing in on a decade since anyone from our research team had a formal meeting with anyone from the NHLPA," Nowinski said. "Considering 93% of NHL players studied (13 of 14) have had CTE, I would think they’d be more interested in understanding it, as they actually have the power to prevent it." For what it's worth, the PA donated $500,000 to concussion research in 2015.Nowinski also hopes to see active NHL players pledge their brain for future CTE research. Only former New Jersey Devils defenseman Ben Lovejoy has made that commitment so far, when he announced his donation in late 2017. "Active players have the attention of the public in a way that retired players do not," Nowinski noted. "If they continue to choose to remain on the bench in the CTE fight, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves when there is still no treatment for CTE in 30 years, when some of them will certainly need it."The NHL Alumni Association, meanwhile, is in the middle of a research partnership with Canopy that aims to "investigate the efficacy of cannabinoids as an integral part of a novel treatment for post-concussion neurological diseases in former NHL players." Roughly 100 ex-players are said to be participating in the randomized, double-blind study. Also, Westhead reported earlier this month that the NHLAA has established a "resource team" to support its membership, and hired a social worker.Steve Montador in 2011 Rocky W. Widner / Getty ImagesDespite all of this, corners of the hockey world wonder if perhaps the way the game is played, promoted, and officiated needs to be recalibrated. Concussions are inevitable in all sports, since a direct blow to the head is not the only way to sustain a brain injury. "It could be just a jiggle of the brain," Tator said. "Anything that shakes the head on the shoulders can cause concussions." Logically, then, making hockey safer, at all levels, should result in fewer concussions. One way to do this is by minimizing physicality.Hall of Famers Eric Lindros and Ken Dryden have gone on record about their shared desire to ban body contact. Lindros' career ended because of brain injuries; he's a tireless advocate for research and funding. Dryden released a biography about Steve Montador, who had CTE, in 2017; he's been a staunch Bettman opponent. The idea of no contact has its merits, but is a rather extreme idea at this point.Walsh has a less drastic solution to propose: "I think the most sensible proposal out there - which makes absolute common sense in every way - is to actually have a ban on all hits to the head and to have the current rules that are on the books more strictly enforced," he said. "By a ban on hits to the head, that means a strict liability ban. You're not looking at intent, you're not looking at whether it's accidental. If there's a hit to the head, it's penalized."Cody Glass helped off the ice on Dec. 8 Ethan Miller / Getty ImagesThere's hope for the future of hockey, Tator says, but only if certain rule changes pass and proper precautions are followed. "I'm not sure football will survive the ravages of brain injury. But I think hockey can be saved," he said. "There's enough prevention measures that (the hockey community) can follow to save the game."As for Bettman and the denials, in Walsh's opinion, the clock is ticking."Time is working against the NHL and against Bettman," he said. "He's on the wrong side of the issue and he will ultimately be proven to be on the wrong side of history. I think his position on this issue here will be a stain on his legacy forever."John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

From top to bottom, the NHL boasts arguably the most talent it's had in its history. With players now coming from more leagues around the world than ever, drafting and scouting have become trickier processes than they used to be. It's not always clear who to select with the No. 1 pick, and it gets even murkier as the draft goes on.Let's take a look at which years have yielded the most talent to date.5. 2014The 2014 draft, headlined by Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad going first overall, is one of the most solid of the decade. The Boston Bruins really hit the lottery by scooping up Czech forward David Pastrnak 25th overall. This class has the potential to get even better as some players have yet to break through or hit their peaks.Top 5 scorersPlayerTeamPickGPPointsLeon DraisaitlEDM3391373David PastrnakBOS25358338Dylan LarkinDET15356235Sam ReinhartBUF2369235Brayden PointTBL79261228Notable players: Nikolaj Ehlers, Viktor Arvidsson, Aaron Ekblad, William Nylander, Nick Schmaltz, Jakub Vrana, Alex Tuch4. 2011The Edmonton Oilers' woes weren't solved by the addition of No. 1 pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as they won the draft lottery in 2012 as well. The top 10 from the 2011 class have fared extremely well, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames found hidden gems in Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.Top 5 scorersPlayerTeamPickGPPointsNikita KucherovTBL58481502Gabriel LandeskogCOL2600430Johnny GaudreauCGY104433416Mark ScheifeleWPG7485410Jonathan HuberdeauFLA3503407Notable players: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, John Gibson, Mika Zibanejad, Dougie Hamilton, J.T. Miller, William Karlsson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vincent Trocheck, Rickard Rakell3. 2010The decade kicked off with the great debate about whether Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin should be selected first. The choice still isn't clear ten years later as the pair have become two of the game's biggest stars. Hall has a Hart Trophy on his resume and Seguin's name is inked on the Stanley Cup. While the two lead the class in terms of points, talent oozed throughout the draft. Mark Stone slipped all the way to the sixth round while Brendan Gallagher and John Klingberg lasted until the fifth.Top 5 scorersPlayerTeamPickGPPointsTyler SeguinBOS2710615Taylor HallEDM1596539Jeff SkinnerCAR7699461Ryan JohansenCBJ4628431Vladimir TarasenkoSTL16507428Notable mentions: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mark Stone, Brendan Gallagher, Jaden Schwartz, John Klingberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Frederik Andersen2. 2013It was debated all year long who should be taken atop the 2013 draft, as there wasn't a consensus No. 1 pick right until draft day. The Colorado Avalanche ended up going with Nathan MacKinnon, who's blossomed into one of the league's most dangerous players. Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones were the next three selections, and they all proved to be game-changing players in their own regard.Top 5 scorersPlayerTeamPickGPPointsNathan MacKinnonCOL1493457Sean MonahanCGY6510393Aleksander BarkovFLA2449385Elias LindholmCAR5494294Bo HorvatVAN9415250Notable mentions: Seth Jones, Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, Jake Guentzel, Rasmus Ristolainen, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, Andre Burakovsky, Shea Theodore1. 2015For years, people predicted that Connor McDavid would be the first overall pick of the 2015 draft and one of the league's generational talents. He has surpassed all expectations that were set of him, dominating the league since his rookie season. What wasn't anticipated, though, was how good the rest of his draft class would be. With only a handful of seasons under their belts, nine players selected in 2015 have already reached the All-Star Game, including second-round steal Sebastian Aho. A number of players have already secured lucrative long-term deals with their teams, meaning we'll see a ton of action from this draft class for years to come.Top 5 scorersPlayerTeamPickGPPointsConnor McDavidEDM1327434Jack EichelBUF2323310Mitch MarnerTOR4268259Mikko RantanenCOL10260234Sebastian AhoCAR35279231Notable players: Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Zach Werenski, Thomas Chabot, Ivan Provorov, Timo Meier, Dylan Strome, Travis Konecny, Noah Hanifin, Jake DeBruskCopyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the calendar flipping to 2020, theScore reached out to folks from across the hockey world to put together an NHL all-decade team for the 2010s.The voting processFirst, some important information regarding this subjective exercise.The all-decade panel included two scouts, one video analyst, one statistical analyst, one coach, one broadcaster, and one journalist. In other words, six industry insiders - four of whom work for NHL teams - and myself, theScore's national hockey writer.Each panelist was asked to rank this decade's top 12 forwards, top six defensemen, and top two goalies. Only the very best players of the 2010s deserved a spot on this hypothetical club; panelists were told to ignore typical team-building factors, such as handedness, chemistry, and salary.Once all seven lists were in hand, average scores were calculated for each player.The top NHLer on each positional ranking received a score of one, the second player a score of two, the third a three, and so on. Therefore, the lower a player's average score, the higher he'd appear on the team. A player selected by some panelists but not others received a score of 13 (forwards), seven (defensemen), or three (goalies) every time they were absent from a panelist's list. This standardized penalty helped keep the process simple and rankings fair.Alright, let's check out the results and then review the squad.The NHL's all-decade teamForwardsBill Smith / Getty ImagesRANKPLAYERAVERAGE1stSidney Crosby1.32ndAlex Ovechkin3.93rdPatrick Kane4.14thConnor McDavid5.1t-5thPatrice Bergeron6.1t-5thEvgeni Malkin6.17thSteven Stamkos7.1t-8thClaude Giroux10.3t-8thJonathan Toews10.3t-10thAnze Kopitar10.6t-10thJohn Tavares10.6t-10thPavel Datsyuk10.6Just missed the cut: Martin St. Louis, Nicklas Backstrom, Aleksander Barkov, Nikita KucherovAlso received votes: Ryan O'Reilly, Marian Hossa, Nathan MacKinnon, Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, Brad Marchand, Phil KesselDefensemenIcon Sportswire / Getty ImagesRANKPLAYERAVERAGE1stErik Karlsson2.42ndDuncan Keith3.43rdDrew Doughty4.04thBrent Burns4.65thVictor Hedman4.96thZdeno Chara5.3Just missed the cut: Kris Letang, Shea WeberAlso received votes: John Carlson, Mark Giordano, Alex Pietrangelo, Roman JosiGoaliesIcon Sportswire / Getty ImagesRANKPLAYERAVERAGE1stHenrik Lundqvist1.42ndCarey Price2.0Just missed the cut: Marc-Andre FleuryAlso received votes: Tuukka RaskThe footnotesSidney Crosby was the least controversial player in this exercise. Six of seven panelists had the Pittsburgh Penguins captain in the No. 1 forward spot.And why not? Despite missing chunks of the decade due to injury, Crosby is on pace to finish second to Patrick Kane in scoring in the 2010s - with 788 points in 630 contests - and is second to Connor McDavid in points per game at 1.25. He also collected a pile of team and individual accolades along the way - two Stanley Cups, two Conn Smythes, two Rocket Richards, two Lester Pearsons, one Hart, and one Art Ross - and was named a first-team All-Star three times.McDavid, who could do some serious damage over the course of the next decade, entered the league roughly halfway through the 2010s. The 22-year-old superstar still made his way onto every panelist's list, though nobody seemed to agree on his placement, ranking him first, second, fourth, sixth (twice), eighth, and ninth among forwards.Len Redkoles / Getty ImagesAs for names that jump off the screen, Claude Giroux and Pavel Datsyuk qualify for different reasons. Giroux was sneakily effective throughout the decade. He's currently fourth in points and sixth in games played among all NHLers during the 2010s, yet he never won a Cup or an individual award. Datsyuk, meanwhile, was a wizard on skates - one of the best two-way forwards of all time - who last played in 2016. He barely made the top 12.Martin St. Louis, with an average score of 11.4, was right behind Datsyuk. He even received a vote for the second-best forward of the decade, a bold choice considering he suited up for only 404 regular-season games and wasn't a first-team All-Star in any of his six seasons during the 2010s.The submissions for the 12th-best forward were all over the place. Nicklas Backstrom earned three votes, while Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Phil Kessel, and Alex Ovechkin all received one. Ovechkin, who cemented himself as one of, if not the best, goal-scorers of all time during the decade, appeared on all seven lists, ranking second (five times), fifth, and seventh.On defense, there were no eyebrow-raising surprises. All six players on the team are household names. Erik Karlsson, the only blue-liner to win multiple Norris Trophies in the 2010s, definitely earned his spot as the No. 1 defenseman. With less than a week left in the decade, he sits first among blue-liners in total points, points per game, and first-team All-Star nods (four). Duncan Keith's three Cup wins are notable, of course, but his game has tailed off.Panelists kept on the straight and narrow with their goalie selections. Henrik Lundqvist and/or Carey Price made all seven lists. Lundqvist, who had the same .919 save percentage as Price during the 2010s, picked up four votes for best goalie compared to the Canadiens netminder's two. Marc-Andre Fleury, a Cup winner in 2016 and 2017 and Cup finalist in 2018, claimed the other No. 1 vote, while Tuukka Rask - whose .921 save percentage this decade leads all goalies with at least 400 regular-season appearances - garnered one second-place vote.The takeawaysIt was fascinating to complete this exercise with six people who are so embedded in hockey but see the game through different lenses.For instance, it's fair to suggest the coach has a bias toward two-way forwards. Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron, Ryan O'Reilly, and Aleksander Barkov ranked third, fourth, seventh, and ninth, respectively, on his list. Theory: All of those hours spent watching video of the opposition and being at ice level for heated competition has given the coach a greater appreciation for the little things.Mark LoMoglio / Getty ImagesRecency bias might have factored into the process, too. The statistical analyst had Nikita Kucherov seventh on his forward list while the video analyst had Taylor Hall 11th. In the scope of the past few years, you could make the case Kucherov and Hall were ranked fairly. However, over the entirety of the 2010s, that's a hard sell. Then again, who's to say Giroux's consistency this decade is more impressive than short-term dominance? It's all about perspective.Some more food for thought: While an all-decade club celebrates individual talent and success, nobody really cast aside team results. There's no doubt the stocks of Blackhawks, Kings, and Penguins players were boosted by their Cup rings. It makes you wonder how far up the list John Tavares could've jumped if his clubs had won more than one playoff series in the 2010s. Tavares is third in goals and sixth in points with less than a week to go. But the panelists ultimately placed him 11th among forwards - which seemed to fit.Overall, it wasn't an easy exercise. The end product - filled with future Hall of Famers - is a remarkable group. For fun, here's a mock lineup of the all-decade team, which features a dream top forward line.LW C RWOvechkinCrosbyKaneStamkosMcDavidMalkinTavaresBergeronDatsyukGirouxKopitarToewsLD RD KeithKarlssonDoughtyBurnsHedmanCharaNow, it's your turn to chime in. Feel free to comment below.How did the panel do? Who did we nail? Who did we miss? What do you think of the mock lineup? And, most importantly, who would you have included on your NHL all-decade team?John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's been plenty of memorable playoff hockey over the past decade, and as the calendar shifts to 2020, it's time to count down the top five series of the 2010s.5. Flyers vs. Penguins - 2012Result: Flyers in 6

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was impressed with what he saw from Justin Bieber during their holiday shinny game."He's actually better than I thought he was," Marner told NHL.com's Dave McCarthy after him, Auston Matthews, and Tyson Barrie hit the ice with Bieber. "He's got pretty good hands and a pretty good shot on him. I think he surprised us."Marner said he and Matthews had been talking to Bieber about getting together for a game since the pop star attended the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 25. The opportunity came Thursday while Bieber was back in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario for the holidays.

Sergei Zubov is once again a member of the Dallas Stars.The former NHL defenseman has been hired as senior consultant to hockey operations, the Stars announced Friday.Zubov will report directly to general manager Jim Nill and consult the club's hockey operations department with all matters concerning the team."We are thrilled to bring Sergei back into the Stars family," said Nill."He has been a big part of building hockey here in Dallas as a player, and we are excited for him to continue adding to that legacy in this management role. He has a brilliant hockey mind and his presence in the organization will benefit us all."Zubov played 12 seasons with the Stars from 1996-2009, capturing one of his two Stanley Cup championships with Dallas in 1999. The Russian rearguard holds franchise records in points (549) and goals (111) among defensemen.Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, Zubov amassed 152 goals and 771 points through 1068 NHL games with the Stars, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi will return to the lineup Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced.Kotkaniemi has missed the club's last eight games after suffering a concussion Dec. 5 against the Colorado Avalanche. The sophomore forward landed awkwardly on his head after Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov hammered him against the boards.

The Boston Bruins have placed defenseman Torey Krug on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the team announced Friday.Krug, 28, was injured during the second period of Monday's contest after taking a hard hit from Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson. The 5-foot-9 rearguard exited the game and did not return.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly, interview-style podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.Note: The episode was recorded before Jeremy Roenick's "unacceptable" remarks and subsequent suspension.NBC Sports president Sam Flood joins this week's show to discuss a variety of broadcasting-related topics, including:

Team Canada is off and running at the world juniors.Alexis Lafreniere delivered the game-winner late in the third period and added three assists to help Canada to a 6-4 victory over the United States on Thursday.Canada caught fire on the power play, clicking for three goals with the man advantage, including a pair from team captain Barrett Hayton.After falling behind 2-0 in the opening frame, the Red and White exploded for three straight second-period goals from forwards Connor McMichael, Hayton, and Nolan Foote.Hayton's second goal of the game gave Canada a 4-2 lead in the third before forwards Nick Robertson and Shane Pinto tied the game for the Americans, setting up Lafreniere's late heroics.Canadian netminder Nico Daws made 28 saves to record the victory.Canada will look to keep rolling when it meets Russia on Saturday.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Chicago Blackhawks have lost a pair of key defensemen for the remainder of their campaign.Brent Seabrook and Calvin de Haan have both been placed on long-term injured reserve ahead of season-ending shoulder surgery, the team announced Thursday. Seabrook is also scheduled for surgery on each hip in 2020.Seabrook, 34, missed the club's last four games leading up to the Christmas break while receiving further medical evaluation for an undisclosed injury.The veteran rearguard has seen his minutes decline over four straight seasons. He's recorded four points through 32 games in 2019-20 while averaging 18:09 of ice time per game. Seabrook has four-and-a-half years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $6.875-million.Chicago acquired de Haan in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes this past June. The 28-year-old played a key penalty-killing role for the Blackhawks, averaging 2:41 of shorthanded ice time per game. He also contributed six points in 29 contests while leading the club in both hits (93) and blocked shots (73).Approaching the midway mark of the season, the Blackhawks sit last in the Central Division and rank 24th defensively, allowing 3.18 goals against per game.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

"Small but mighty" best describes Finland's current standing in hockey.In the last four NHL drafts, Finland produced six top-five draft picks, tied with Canada for the most in that span. In the 12 drafts prior to that, the country had a grand total of one. The Finns have won gold in three of the last six world juniors - also the most in that stretch - after winning the tournament just twice in its previous 36-year history.Finland has managed that dominance despite being significantly smaller than hockey's other prominent nations.CountryPopulationTotal rinksTotal playersFinland5.5M32765KCanada37.7M8300621KUnited States329M2035568KRussia142M3322112KSweden10.3M49655K(Source: IIHF.com)From Aleksander Barkov to Patrik Laine to Mikko Rantanen to Miro Heiskanen to Kaapo Kakko to Sebastian Aho, Finland's elite talent across the NHL can't be missed. And all of these players are under the age of 25.The turnaround didn't happen overnight, though."It started five-to-six years ago," Jere Lehtinen, a former NHL star and now general manager of the Finnish national team, said in a telephone interview. "I think it was six years ago after we had a world championship in Finland and the federation made some money there and they put that money in the club teams surrounding Finland."It's more skill coaching. That was one reason - to get more individual coaching and help to club teams - to teach young kids more individual stuff."RvS.Media/Monika Majer / Getty Images Sport / GettyFinland, which opens the 2020 World Junior Championship on Thursday against Sweden, was always a respected hockey country, but becoming elite required approaching things a bit differently.For starters, Finland's national-team coaches typically stay with an age group for at least three years, creating a tight player-coach bond.For example, Petri Karjalainen, an assistant coach on Finland's gold-medal-winning world junior team in 2014, was the head coach of Finland's under-16 national team in 2018-19. This year, he's the head coach of the under-17 team. Next year, he'll likely move on to the under-18s."All our national-team head coaches are full time, so we have time to take the message about the player/game to his team coach where (the) development is happening," Karjalainen wrote via email. "We have really good cooperation between national team coaches and then with team coaches. We have to do all these really well 'cause we don't have numbers."Jussi Ahokas, who coached Finland to gold at the 2019 world juniors, believes the system helps build trust."For example, I've known Henri Jokiharju for four or five years," Ahokas said in a telephone interview. "Who else? Patrik Laine was '98 born … pretty much all guys born from '98, '99. I’ve been working with (Urho) Vaakanainen, (Kristian) Vesalainen, (Eeli) Tolvanen. There's quite many. Pretty much all those guys. I know all our top-end players."Markku Ulander / AFP / Getty ImagesKasperi Kapanen became a national hero after scoring the overtime winner in the gold-medal game of the 2016 world juniors in Helsinki. Although he lived in North America until he was 12 while his father, Sami, was playing in the NHL, he believes Finland's coaching continuity benefits players."It's nice," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward said following a team practice ahead of the Christmas break. "You get familiarity with the coach and it's easy to play for him once you kind of know what he wants and what he wants you to do, so I think it's a good idea."Through these tight-knit relationships, coaches are able to give players the individual feedback necessary to help them reach their potential. Then the aforementioned skill coaches can help improve players' weaknesses and develop their strengths.It's a stark contrast to how things are done in Canada - the standard-bearer for player development for so many years.In Canada, major junior hockey is a business. Owners need to sell a winning team to get fans to attend games, leaving less time for individual development. If a player makes a mistake, he might be benched. In Finland, that's not the case."If you lose a game, you make a mistake, it's over (right) away," said Lehtinen, a three-time Selke Trophy winner with the Dallas Stars. "You're not gonna think about that for too long. You just keep playing. You learn."Markku Ulander / AFP / Getty ImagesWhile competition in Canada might be stronger, the team's results are the priority. In many cases, a Canadian family may have to look outside a child's team for additional skill work as the player grows up.In Finland, individual growth is equally important - much like USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, which dominated the 2019 NHL Draft with 11 first-rounders. The Finns want to develop the most talented players possible and then teach them how to play together. They understand everyone progresses differently."They wanted to get more individual. You try to look at one player and not every time as a group," Lehtinen said of the Finnish system. "You wanna give more individual coaching for those players and more skills … and once you get all those (skilled) players together you can teach them to play a team game."It's more than just on-ice skill sessions; the Finns emphasize helping players away from the rink as well."We try to reach every person as an individual and how we can help him become the best he can be," Ahokas said. "Every player can have some other thing. Somebody needs more work with the game, somebody needs more help with the eating habits or mental side. We look at them as individuals, but they still have to know the team game is for the better of the team and that they can be great team players and still be good individuals."This development program has also been implemented at the grassroots level and should begin to bear fruit soon. Finnish hockey has already transformed itself into an international powerhouse, and it's possible the best is yet to come.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With 2019 just about in the books, it's time to start looking ahead. Here are five predictions for the 2020 NHL calendar year:Avalanche win Stanley CupIt's quite remarkable where the Avalanche stand despite missing core players Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog for 16 games apiece. More recently, the club has had to overcome the absence of rookie sensation Cale Makar.But the Avs continue to win with Nathan MacKinnon leading the way. If they can get fully healthy heading into the playoffs, the Avalanche will be a force, with speed, skill, depth, and grit in equal doses. With ample cap space and prospect capital, general manager Joe Sakic possesses the ammunition to make a big trade deadline splash, too.This season, the Western Conference seems like it'll provide the easier path to the Stanley Cup Final. The St. Louis Blues pose the biggest threat in the west, but if Colorado can get past the defending Stanley Cup champs, no club in the Pacific Division can stop this team.The Eastern Conference is loaded with talented squads, making it difficult to pick a champion from that group. The Avs are therefore the safest Stanley Cup pick right now.Red Wings draft Quinton Byfield 1st overallVaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport / GettyThese predictions aren't designed to be overly bold, but this one may be considered as such.Alexis Lafreniere has been the favorite to go first overall in the 2020 draft for over a year now, but it'll be Byfield who hears his name called first. Here's how the two have performed this season so far:StatLafreniereByfieldTeamRimouski (QMJHL)Sudbury (OHL)GP3230G2322A4725P7057Lafreniere is putting up better numbers, but he's also a year older than Byfield.The Red Wings are dead last in the NHL, and we're predicting they win the lottery and secure the top pick. GM Steve Yzerman knows the value of centers, and he'll pass on the skilled winger in favor of the 6-foot-4 pivot.Chara, Thornton, Marleau all retireAn era will end in 2020, with future Hall of Famers Zdeno Chara, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau hanging 'em up in the same offseason.The Sharks' reign of dominance is seemingly ending this season, making it hard to imagine Thornton and Marleau playing another year. Neither forward has been very good in 2019-20 while combining for 23 points, and they'll retire with their chances of winning a cup in San Jose likely over.Even though Chara is the oldest of the three, he still seems most likely to ruin this prediction. But the towering defenseman, who turns 43 in March, may decide enough is enough.Taylor Hall signs with BruinsNorm Hall / National Hockey League / GettyTaylor Hall has played just five career playoff games. That should change this spring with the Arizona Coyotes, but when he makes a long-term career decision this summer, expect him to join a stable organization with a chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Enter the Boston Bruins.The Bruins, like nearly every competitive team, are dealing with cap issues. But even though Hall will likely demand over $10 million per season, Boston could still bring him aboard.However, that may require letting Torey Krug walk in free agency this summer and not re-signing David Krejci after the 2020-21 season. The team could theoretically keep Krug, but then Krejci would need to be traded before July 1 to clear cap space.The Bruins are financially flexible enough to make a Hall signing happen if they so desire, largely due to the bargain contracts Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy signed.Byfgulien returns, helps Jets make playoffsOne of the biggest storylines of the 2019-20 season has been the ongoing Dustin Byfuglien saga.To recap: The Jets suspended Byfuglien indefinitely without pay for failing to report to training camp while he was reportedly mulling retirement. In October, Byfuglien underwent ankle surgery for what he claims is a hockey-related injury, and therefore he should still be getting paid.But the Jets say he was healthy at his end-of-year physical. A neutral arbitrator will rule on the disagreement after the NHLPA filed a grievance on Byfuglien's behalf. And in December, Byfuglien reportedly began rehabbing his ankle in consultation with the team.That's a lot to take in, but it sounds like Byfgulien and the Jets are trying to mend their relationship. Whenever the defenseman is healthy - which is expected sometime in February - he'll return to the ice with the Jets.Winnipeg is currently in a playoff spot, but holding onto that position is far from a guarantee. With an effective Byfgulien back in the fold, the Jets will punch their postseason ticket for the third straight campaign.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2020 world juniors are upon us, and as the best collection of young hockey talent convenes in the Czech Republic, here are 10 players to keep your eyes on over the course of the tournament.2020 draft eligiblesAlexis Lafreniere, Canada 🇨🇦Position: LW

Team Canada's leadership group for the 2020 World Junior Championship will be led by Barrett Hayton.Hayton was named captain Wednesday. The Arizona Coyotes forward has recorded four points in 14 games this season.Joe Veleno, Ty Smith, and Ty Dellandrea will serve as Canada's alternate captains in the Czech Republic.Team Canada's campaign begins Thursday against the United States.Hayton was the No. 5 pick in the 2018 draft and will be the only player with NHL experience in the Canadian lineup.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL on NBC host Kathryn Tappen released a statement Tuesday condemning the recent comments made by co-worker Jeremy Roenick that led to his indefinite suspension from the network."While Jeremy and I continue to be good friends, what he said was unacceptable, especially among workplace colleagues. I do not condone his comments," Tappen said, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.Roenick was suspended Monday without pay for inappropriate comments he made during his appearance on the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast. The former NHLer brought up a trip to Portugal in which he, his wife, and Tappen traveled together, and he made multiple references to the three of them having sex."I play it off like we're going to bed together every night, the three of us," Roenick said. "If it really came to fruition, that would be really good, but it's never going to happen."Roenick, who's been with NBC since 2010, later said Tappen is "one of the most professional sports personalities I know."He hasn't commented on the matter since his suspension.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.