Zach Werenski can relate to what Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Calvert went through Saturday night, and the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman says the officials should have blown the play dead after his former teammate took a puck to the head."Has to be blown down. This play has to stop," Werenski tweeted early Sunday morning before issuing a clarification about seven hours later."To clarify, this is a tough spot for the refs based on the rule, it puts them in a tough position and I’m sure they don’t want to see anyone hurt on the ice," he added. "Have to find a way to make it more clear in situations like this."In the final minutes of Saturday's game between the Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks, Calvert took an Elias Pettersson shot to the head. The Canucks scored shortly thereafter, as play continued with Calvert bleeding while laying on the ice.Avalanche blue-liner Erik Johnson tore into the officiating crew postgame, saying, "It's a f------ joke," and the refs "should be ashamed of themselves."Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon also questioned the decision not to stop the play, calling the rule "pretty crazy." While acknowledging it wasn't the refs' fault, MacKinnon said he didn't think Calvert was "faking it, trying to get a whistle."Under Rule 8.1 of the NHL rule book, officials aren't mandated to immediately blow a play dead when a player can't continue playing:

The Colorado Avalanche held on to a win over the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, but defenseman Erik Johnson wasn't a fan of one particular decision the referees made late in the match.Up by two with under three minutes to play, Avs winger Matt Calvert blocked Elias Pettersson's shot with his head. The referees opted not to blow the play dead, and the Canucks scored with Calvert on the ice in pain and bleeding from his head."It's a f------ joke. You want to protect a guy? Guy's got a family at home, he's laying there bleeding out of his head and you don't blow the whistle?" Johnson said postgame, according to The Athletic's Ryan S. Clark. "It's a complete joke. An absolute joke. They should be ashamed of themselves."

It's suddenly not so far-fetched to say Calder Trophy favorite Cale Makar should be in the early conversation for a Norris Trophy nomination.The Colorado Avalanche phenom racked up a career-best four points - all assists - in Saturday's win over the Vancouver Canucks, giving him 22 points through 20 games this season.Makar's second helper of the contest put him in rarefied air, as he became the first rookie defenseman with 20 points in his team's first 20 regular-season games since Hall of Famer Brian Leetch in 1988-89, according to Sportsnet.The 21-year-old reached the 20-point mark faster than any other defenseman to debut with the Quebec Nordiques or Colorado Avalanche, and only five skaters in franchise history required fewer games to notch 20 points in their first season. Those forwards were Real Cloutier, Hall of Famers Peter Stastny and Joe Sakic, and Stastny's brothers, Marian and Anton.Makar leads by seven in the NHL's rookie points race and sits tied for second among all of the league's rearguards entering Sunday's action.He burst onto the NHL scene last spring, posting six points across 10 games in the playoffs. The 2017 fourth overall pick won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player in April after piling up 49 points through 41 contests in his sophomore season with UMass-Amherst.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews admits the Toronto Maple Leafs are a disheartened group after a 6-1 thumping against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday marked the club's fifth straight loss."It's tough to get worse from here," Matthews said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "It's frustrating. In the locker room, confidence isn't exactly high right now. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. It's really up to us."The Leafs found themselves trailing early once again after the Penguins opened up a 2-0 first-period lead against backup netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo, who was making his NHL debut.Toronto has now allowed the opening goal in seven straight contests and has only two regulation wins in its last 15 outings."We're 22 games into the season," Matthews said. "These points start to matter. We can't just say, 'It's just one game. We'll get it next time.' It's been repetitive, and for us, we want to make sure it stops now and we want to get back on track."With a 9-9-4 record, the Leafs have suffered their worst start through 22 games with this core group and sit two points out of a wild-card spot.Toronto continues its six-game road trip with a battle against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the Toronto Maple Leafs' biggest offseason acquisitions, defenseman Tyson Barrie, has failed to make a splash so far with his new club.With the team struggling to get in the win column and Barrie failing to produce, the Leafs have received calls regarding the blue-liner, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman."I'm hearing Toronto's received calls on him," Friedman said on Hockey Night In Canada's "Headlines" segment. "So far, they've rejected the idea, they don't want to trade him."The Leafs sent Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen, and a 2020 third-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, and a 2020 sixth-round pick. Colorado also retained half of Barrie's salary in the trade.Barrie is set to hit free agency at the end of the season. He currently carries a cap hit of $2.75 million."He has not asked for a trade. However, I think that there's an understanding that it hasn't worked," Friedman added.Barrie has yet to score a goal this season and has six assists in 22 games. He recorded 14 goals and 59 points in 2018-19.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean addressed former "Coach's Corner" partner Don Cherry and his divisive comments directed at Canadian immigrants on Saturday.During the first intermission of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Pittsburgh Penguins contest, MacLean spoke about the ending of "Coach's Corner," his relationship with Cherry, and why he chose to speak out against his longtime partner."Coach's Corner is no more," MacLean said. "We are all hurting, I have collapsed a 100 times this week, if not more." ... I've sat all week long reflecting, and I've heard you (the viewer) I've reflected by listening to my own heart, and I've struggled mightily to find the words and I'm not sure I have them even now," MacLean said. "But they say it's a good thing because when you can find the words, it's dead in your heart, and it's not dead in my heart."

If there wasn't any bad blood between the Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames, there certainly is now.Tempers flared between the two sides after Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau cross-checked Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers in the dying seconds of the second period Saturday.After Calgary's Matthew Tkachuk followed up with a nudge to the fallen Demers, Arizona netminder Darcy Kuemper took exception, throwing Tkachuk to the ice. Kuemper's response prompted Flames goaltender David Rittich to join the action as a full-on melee ensued.

Mike Babcock departed Scotiabank Arena on Friday night as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he may be packing his belongings the next time he returns.The floundering Leafs fell to 9-8-4 on the season after a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Friday. It was Toronto's fourth straight loss, and the team has recorded just two regulation wins over its last 14 games. For a squad that's arguably one of the most talented in the league, that stretch is unacceptable.It won't get easier, either, as the Leafs embark on a six-game road trip Saturday:DateOpponentNov. 16@PITNov. 19@VGKNov. 21@ARINov. 23@COLNov. 27@DETNov. 29@BUFThe first four games of the road trip are especially tough. The Penguins and Avalanche may be shorthanded, but the Leafs are also missing a few regulars, including Mitch Marner. Vegas has been as inconsistent as Toronto, but the Golden Knights are still a threat. The Coyotes, meanwhile, are one of the stingiest teams in the league, allowing the third-fewest goals per game (2.45).A 1-3 record over those games seems very possible. That would lead to a 1-7 run during the team's last eight games, which may be the final straw for Babcock. Moreover, a three-day gap before facing the Red Wings on Nov. 30 at Scotiabank Arena would give a new head coach time to prepare.Does Babcock deserve to go?Norm Hall / National Hockey League / GettyFair or not, when a talented team in any sport is underperforming, fingers get pointed at the head coach. In Babcock's case, the blame is justified.The Leafs haven't played well since jumping out to a 26-10-2 start to begin last season. Over the team's last 82 regular-season games, Toronto has logged more losses than wins, posting a 40-30-12 record.The results have been strange because the Leafs' defense, which was considered to be the squad's biggest flaw, has improved greatly on paper since the start of the last campaign:InOutHoldoversTyson BarrieJake GardinerMorgan RiellyJake MuzzinRon HainseyTravis DermottCody CeciNikita ZaitsevJustin Holl**Holl played only 11 games in 2018-19The Maple Leafs routinely lead in shot-attempt differential each night, but this season they aren't generating enough high-quality chances, and their defensive-zone lapses are enough to drive any coach up a wall.Most of Toronto's chances so far in 2019-20 have come from the outside:HockeyVizHowever, a year ago the Leafs created far more opportunities from the slot:HockeyVizA young, talented team that's supposed to be improving each season is getting worse under Babcock. The Leafs are clearly declining, too, and not just experiencing a slump or bad luck.General manager Kyle Dubas has constructed a roster rooted in all-out skill. His strategy is bold, interesting, and innovative, but Babcock - an old-school type - is clearly ill-suited to lead this team. It's like putting together a band full of rock stars, but asking Mozart to write the music.Sheldon Keefe, the man waiting in the wings, could be the Dave Grohl who can solve this conundrum.Keefe is the head coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies - the team Dubas oversaw before his promotion to Leafs GM. Prior to joining the Marlies in 2015-16, Keefe was the head coach of the OHL's Soo Greyhounds, and Dubas - then the club's GM - hired him in 2012-13.To prevent Keefe from seeking other NHL opportunities, the Leafs reportedly made him one of the highest-paid coaches in AHL history. It seems clear Dubas envisions Keefe eventually coaching the skill-heavy roster he's built, and it's becoming more obvious that promotion should happen now.The Leafs' struggles aren't all Babcock's fault. The players need to take some accountability for the defensive lapses, sluggish starts, and overall inconsistency. Some smaller coaching details are inexcusable though, like Nick Shore being on the ice while trailing with three minutes to go on Friday, making Marner and other wingers take faceoffs on the penalty kill, and only playing Auston Matthews 18:48 in a do-or-die Game 7 last spring.Babcock may have helped change the culture in Toronto after arriving in 2015-16, but it's clear his message is no longer getting across in the Leafs' dressing room. It's time for a fresh voice.In the salary cap-era when it's so hard to win championships, the Leafs can't afford to sink or swim with Babcock steering the ship. He doesn't deserve another chance.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens placed Jonathan Drouin on injured reserve Saturday after the forward suffered an upper-body injury during Friday's win over the Washington Capitals, the team announced.Drouin was on the wrong end of a massive collision with Alex Ovechkin during the second period of Friday's game. He was visibly shaken up and temporarily left the contest, but he returned to play six shifts in the third period. The team said the injury occurred in the third frame.

The segment previously dedicated to "Coach's Corner" on Hockey Night in Canada could be headed in a new direction following Don Cherry's dismissal."We're taking the time to explore new formats for the first intermission," Sportsnet communications director Andrew Garas told The Canadian Press' Gregory Strong on Friday.This Saturday night's first-intermission segment will highlight the 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees ahead of Monday's induction ceremony, Garas added.Sportsnet fired Cherry on Monday after the longtime pundit made offensive comments during last Saturday's broadcast.Ron MacLean, who hosted "Coach's Corner" alongside Cherry for decades, said this week he plans to address the matter again Saturday after apologizing last Sunday.Amid speculation about MacLean's future, he tweeted Friday that he is "not leaving Saturdays.""Coach's Corner" has been a fixture of CBC - and later Sportsnet - broadcasts on Saturday nights since 1982. The segment was built around Cherry, and it began with the 85-year-old being featured alongside host Dave Hodge in 1982. MacLean took over for Hodge in 1986 and hosted the segment since.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

By the second period of Great Britain's last game at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, the evidence on offer seemed damning: The Brits didn't belong at the tournament.Little else could be said for a team that had returned to the top flight of international hockey for the first time in 25 years. After six mostly humbling losses to the likes of Canada, Finland, and Denmark, the Brits stumbled to a 3-0 deficit against France, another lowly trespasser in the mighty round-robin gamut. Britain had been outscored 41-5 to that point in the tournament. No outsider could have thought the final 30 minutes of action would look much better.Only someone on the inside, then, could adequately explain the comeback that ensued - three British goals in the span of 10 minutes, followed by a backhand deke in overtime that found twine.Cue the celebratory hysteria. Cue the sense that Britain maybe did deserve to stick around."We just had that kind of British-bulldog fight," forward Liam Kirk said several months later as he reminisced about the 4-3 victory. "We never gave in. We kept fighting. We kept believing. That was the big thing - the belief that we were going to do it."Sage advice, that, especially for a player in Kirk's situation. By stunning France, the Brits guaranteed themselves another appearance in the World Championship's top division next spring. Avoiding relegation was an affirmation of Britain's hockey credibility and a welcome step in the nation's quest to enter the stratosphere - if not quite the innermost circle - of the sport's elite. Hang around long enough, and the case for perpetual admission will be strong.In the meantime, there's more that Britain can do to keep pace with the Frances of this world. No born-and-bred (emphasis on the "bred") Englishman, Welshman, or Scot has ever played in the NHL. If all goes to plan - if self-belief, supplemented by tantalizing offensive skill, coalesces with sufficient good fortune - Kirk will become the first.In Canada, Kirk, 19, is authoring the type of junior season that suggests he could one day hack it in the pros. Through 20 games, his 12 goals and 27 points slot him among the Ontario Hockey League's top 20 scorers, a hair behind his Peterborough Petes teammates (and Toronto Maple Leafs prospects) Nick Robertson and Semyon Der-Arguchintsev. Such production is hardly shabby from a winger with a radically atypical upbringing - a path from childhood to teenage stardom to, possibly, the next level that resembles no one else's in hockey.Kirk with Great Britain at the 2019 worlds. MB Media / Getty ImagesWhen the Arizona Coyotes selected Kirk in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft, he'd just played a full professional season with the Sheffield Steelers of Britain's top-tier Elite Ice Hockey League. Kirk was born in nearby Maltby, England, and his ascent to the Steelers' roster marked the end of his advance through Sheffield's minor system, where the scarcity of available ice time tended to limit his teams to a single hour of practice per week.That constraint constitutes the simplest explanation for why Britain has never sent a homegrown player to the NHL. Retired veterans such as Ken Hodge, Owen Nolan, and Steve Thomas were all born in the United Kingdom but raised in Canada. Detroit Red Wings winger Brendan Perlini, the son of a Canadian who spent most of his career starring in Britain, lived in England's Surrey region until age 11 but moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for the rest of his formative years.Kirk is fully a product of his nation's hockey programs. Now, he's looking to prove himself worthy of an entry-level NHL contract and capable, someday, of taking that elusive next milestone step."That will show others that they can do the same thing," he said. "I never left Sheffield. I never left the country (before age 18) to play hockey. And I still got drafted and still have this opportunity to make it further."It has to be said that Kirk is far from a surefire future NHLer. Plenty of seventh-round picks don't wind up with a contract offer from the team that drafted them. Even if Kirk does impress the Coyotes this season, his shot at the show would still be several years off. No seventh-rounder selected in any draft since 2015 has earned a regular role in the NHL.Kirk at Coyotes development camp this summer. Norm Hall / NHL / Getty ImagesWith those caveats in mind, boosters of British hockey have reason to be proud of Kirk's unique rise, and to err on the side of cautious optimism when envisioning his potential. Coaches and teammates describe him as a creative, unselfish forward whose offensive gifts are copious: good hands, feet, and hockey sense, with a coolness under duress and a quick, deceptive shot release."Whether he's got the puck on his stick or you pass to him, you know you've got a good chance of scoring," said Petes captain Zach Gallant, a San Jose Sharks forward prospect."We all know he can skate. We all know he can shoot. We all know he can pass," Peterborough head coach Rob Wilson added. "But I think what Liam's growing on, and trying to grow on, is the fact that now that the adjustment is over, he can be a North American hockey player. He's finding his feet and doing a very good job of it."Kirk's adjustment to Canadian ice - and, simultaneously, to life on an unfamiliar continent - manifested in a 13-game pointless streak early in the 2018-19 season, when he first joined the Petes from Sheffield. Comfort arrived with time. Kirk has scored at a point-per-game clip ever since that dry spell, profiting from a mutually beneficial partnership with Robertson and Der-Arguchintsev, his frequent linemates at the top of Peterborough's depth chart. Scoring chances abound when Wilson deploys that talented trio.The top line's collective breakout, not coincidentally, has run parallel to an uptick in the Petes' fortunes. The junior franchise, which counts Hall of Famers Bob Gainey, Larry Murphy, Chris Pronger, and Steve Yzerman as alumni, has played mediocre hockey for most of this century, stumbling to nine losing seasons in 13 years since a surge to the OHL championship in 2006.Kirk with the Petes this season. Chris Tanouye / Getty ImagesWith nearly a third of this season in the books, the Petes are 14-5-1, second in the OHL's Eastern Conference through Friday's games and 10th in the Canadian Hockey League's weekly national rankings (as voted on by a panel of NHL scouts). Hunter Jones, a 19-year-old Minnesota Wild prospect, is tied for fifth in the OHL among starting goalies in save percentage. Declan Chisholm, a 19-year-old Winnipeg Jets prospect, has more assists (25) than any other OHL defenseman. Kirk, Robertson, and Der-Arguchintsev, meanwhile, have combined to score 35 of Peterborough's 90 goals; the latter figure is the No. 3 team total in the league."Once you put a lot of lethal power into one line and we produce a lot, I think it carries on through the whole team," said Robertson, the top unit's primary finisher with 19 goals (and nine assists). "All three of us demand the puck and are comfortable with the puck on our stick and want it all the time."As for how Kirk, in particular, is playing?"He's performing under pressure, with trying to sign (with Arizona) and whatnot," Robertson said. "I just see a lot of confidence."The context of Robertson's assessment is an inescapable subplot of Kirk's season. Next summer looms as a watershed juncture in his career. If Arizona offers him an entry-level contract, he'll have three years of runway to audition for a second pro deal and a possible future call-up to the NHL. If the Coyotes renounce his rights - they have until June 1 to decide - he'll become a free agent without that security and a prescribed pathway forward.Kirk, for his part, said he tries to avoid thinking too far into the future, though he acknowledged that playing well enough to sign (and, hopefully, to earn an AHL roster spot next year) is his main personal goal for this season. He's focused on increasing his physicality, which is in line with Arizona's desire to see him play a more direct game - "Frankly, a North American-style game," said Coyotes director of player development Mark Bell - by venturing with greater frequency to the middle of the ice and into grimy goal-scoring areas."We're keeping a keen eye on him, and we've got a decision to make," Bell added. "There's only so many contracts we can hand out. We'll see if he earns one."Kirk with Great Britain at the 2019 worlds. PressFocus / MB Media / Getty ImagesThis contract calculus has cost a promising young British player before. Colin Shields might have toppled his nation's NHL barrier had the Philadelphia Flyers - the club that drafted the Scottish forward during the sixth round in 2000 - offered him a deal out of the University of Maine. They didn't, nor did the Sharks after a subsequent tryout, and Shields' American hockey travels peaked in the ECHL over two seasons in the mid-2000s.Shields soon returned to the U.K. and carved out an unassailable legacy as the leading scorer in EIHL history (603 career points in 559 games). He played for Britain as the national team clambered from the third flight of the World Championship into the top division. He shared the ice with Kirk at each of the last two worlds before retiring at age 39 following the famous win over France.While speaking over the phone from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Shields recounted the appreciation he gained for Kirk's attitude - his lack of cockiness and resolve to leave the ice last at practice - and for the youngster's strength on his skates despite entering this season at 6-feet, 166 pounds. He passed along the advice he'd give to Kirk heading forward: Stick it out in North America for as long as possible."The hockey in the U.K. is always going to be here," Shields said. "If it doesn't work out, there's always an opportunity for him to come back and play here as long as he wants."For now, Kirk has laid down some roots on this side of the pond. He's wearing an alternate captain's "A" this season in Peterborough, where he's introduced the occasional Briticism to the dressing room - "body armor" as a synonym for shoulder pads, for instance, which Robertson initially mistook to mean deodorant.Kirk's also grown close to his billet family. His billet mother was there last week when Kirk's parents - in town for an unexpected visit - moved him to tears in the arena concourse after a home game.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin doesn't think there was anything egregious about his heavy hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin."It's hockey, it's not a ballet," Ovechkin told reporters, including The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir, postgame Friday.Ovechkin crunched Drouin with a massive bodycheck early in the second period of Montreal's 5-2 win.

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin keeps on trucking at the ripe old age of 34.Ovechkin unleashed a thunderous hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin at the beginning of the second period during Friday night's matchup.

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.You may not want to leave your house this weekend.It'll be an especially mesmerizing few days in the Eastern Conference as both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are playing back-to-back games, the two division leaders meet at TD Garden, and the league's hottest team faces a tough test in the City of Brotherly Love.The Western Conference slate might lack the same fireworks, but there are still some great games during a weekend with something for every kind of hockey fan.Game bettingBoston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs (Friday)It's tough to say a team is in a must-win situation this early in the season, especially when that club is just a point back of second in its division. But this certainly has the feel of a must-win contest for the Leafs. Toronto has lost three straight, and it seems like everyone in the organization has their finger on the panic button.Back the Leafs to come out with some real urgency and take care of business on home ice. Wait until close to puck drop to do it, as the line is dropping to nearly even with the public on the Bruins.Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (Friday)It seems like every Capitals home game finishes with seven goals. Six of their nine contests at Capital One Arena have finished at that number, making the Caps the second-most profitable over team on home ice this season, one game shy of Vegas.However, Capitals-Canadiens matchups aren't always high scoring. Just two of the last 16 meetings between these teams in Washington have gone over the total. Look for the Habs to play a tight defensive game while Carey Price stays hot, keeping this contest under 6.5 goals.Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers (Saturday)It's been an entertaining week to watch the Oilers, with the team producing 25 goals in three games. Captain Connor McDavid has recorded six goals and four assists already this week, but adding to his tally is far from guaranteed against the Stars.Dallas has established itself as a defensive juggernaut, with the Stars allowing just eight goals in their last five road contests. The Oilers are no stranger to low-scoring games either, as this week's outburst has been more the exception than the norm.The total here should be inflated due to Edmonton's recent offensive explosion, and this is a spot to ride with the under.Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins (Saturday)The Atlantic Division leader hosts the top team in the Metropolitan Division on Saturday night in what could be an Eastern Conference Final preview.There arguably hasn't been two better teams in the NHL so far this season, and with both clubs also playing on Friday night, this game will likely feature two backup goalies. You should feel confident siding with the Bruins' Jaroslav Halak over Ilya Samsonov, especially on home ice. Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are still likely experiencing nightmares from Halak stonewalling them in the 2010 playoffs.Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday)The Leafs have been unmistakably awful during the second half of back-to-back games this year, posting an 0-5 record. The Penguins will also be dealing with a back-to-back set including travel in this spot, meaning the contest will likely feature a pair of young goalies.Kasimir Kaskisuo is in line for his NHL debut after the Leafs waived Michael Hutchinson. Meanwhile, the Penguins' Tristan Jarry has been nothing short of excellent this season, posting a 2.26 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He'll be the difference on Saturday when the Penguins drop the Leafs to 0-6 in back-to-backs.New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers (Saturday)This game deserves plenty of attention, too. The Islanders are on a simply remarkable 12-0-1 run, with head coach Barry Trotz working his magic once again. The Flyers have been solid in their own right, and both teams look like strong bets to reach the playoffs and potentially even meet in the first round.Philadelphia will be at a disadvantage after playing on Friday night, with fatigue a possible issue as the team plays its fifth game in eight days. The first three of those games all went to a shootout.Back the Isles to stay hot as they start their Pennsylvania trip with two points.Game propsNew York Rangers at Florida Panthers (Saturday)As much as the over looks like a great play in this spot - it's hit in each of the last nine meetings between these teams, including last weekend - let's focus on the Rangers here because we'll get their team total at a much better price.They've scored three-plus goals in each of their last nine games against the Panthers, and New York has tallied four-plus markers in seven of those clashes. And it's not like Florida is playing great defense these days.Anaheim Ducks at St. Louis Blues (Saturday)These two teams don't allow a ton of goals, play disciplined hockey, and rarely experience defensive breakdowns. Goals will be at a premium in this one, and as much as the overall under looks nice, the first-period under will come at a much better price.Seven of the last eight meetings between the Ducks and Blues in St. Louis have gone under the first-period total. Of course, John Gibson and Jordan Binnington patrolling the creases here also helps our cause.Player propsDetroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (Saturday)No team has allowed more goals this season than the Red Wings, and they also own the league's worst penalty kill. Evander Kane leads the Sharks with seven power-play goals, and he's in a good spot to add to that tally on Saturday night.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.

Calgary Flames defenseman TJ Brodie hasn't been given a timetable to return after he collapsed and started convulsing on the ice during practice on Thursday, general manager Brad Treliving announced.Brodie was immediately taken to hospital and later discharged. He's now recovering at home.Flames doctor Ian Auld said Brodie's episode is likely related to fainting rather than a brain issue, but the veteran is still undergoing tests, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie."He's feeling good. He's feeling sore... All tests have come back normal," Treliving said.Brodie was standing alone at practice when he collapsed. He was alert and responsive while being transported to the hospital.The 29-year-old has spent his entire 10-year career with the Flames, and he's posted eights assists in 21 games this season. With Brodie out of the lineup, Calgary has recalled blue-liner Oliver Kylington from the AHL.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid lit up the hockey world on Thursday night with a remarkable six-point performance versus the Colorado Avalanche, and his teammates were blown away."I wouldn't want to be on the other side, but sometimes there's nothing you can do," linemate Leon Draisaitl told Sportsnet's Mark Spector. "He's just too good. I'm not taking anything away from those guys over there (Colorado), but sometimes it's just unstoppable."McDavid came out of the gate steaming hot, registering four points in the first period before adding two more in the second. The center's night concluded with three goals, three assists, and six shots on goal over 17:55 of ice time in his best NHL performance to date.The phenom's efforts pushed him into second in league scoring with 37 points in 21 games, trailing only Draisaitl, who recorded five assists in the 6-2 victory to bring his season points total to 41."It's just another day at the office for them," said Zack Kassian, the third member of Edmonton's dominant top line. "They're probably thinking in that second period, 'Hey, let's go get eight!' Or, "I can get nine!'"They're wired differently. They're the elite of the elite. Edmonton is spoiled to get to watch these two guys every night."The Herculean efforts of the Oilers' big guns on Thursday helped boost the club's cushion atop the Pacific Division. Edmonton now sits four points clear of the Arizona Coyotes with a 13-6-2 record.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Alexander Kerfoot is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair facial dental fractures, the team announced Friday.Kerfoot originally sustained the injury Nov. 5, and he experienced discomfort in the club's most recent game against the New York Islanders before consultation determined surgery was required.During the game Kerfoot was hurt, he was hit hard by Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter and briefly left the game as a result. The Maple Leafs have played four games since then.Toronto has dealt with multiple injuries to key forwards this season, including John Tavares and Mitch Marner, who is currently sidelined due to a high ankle sprain.Jason Spezza took Kerfoot's spot on Toronto's third line alongside Ilya Mikheyev and Trevor Moore at practice, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. The club plays its first game of a back-to-back Friday night against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Arena.Kerfoot, 25, was brought in along with Tyson Barrie in the July 1 blockbuster trade that sent Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche.In his first 20 games with the Maple Leafs, Kerfoot's notched five goals and three assists while averaging just under 15 minutes per night.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews' disorderly conduct charge has been dropped.Matthews and the female security guard who filed the complaint against him reached a settlement, a spokesperson for the City of Scottsdale said, according to Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star.Under Arizona law, an individual charged with a misdemeanor offense can come to a financial agreement as a means of settling the case."On Nov. 13, the matter was settled between the parties and the criminal matter was dismissed," the spokesperson said.The charge stemmed from a May 26 incident involving Matthews and a female security guard in the forward's hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.According to the police report of the incident, Matthews and a group of males tried to open the security guard's car door at 2 a.m. in the parking lot of his condo complex while she was doing paperwork inside of the vehicle. After she exited the car, Matthews dropped his pants, bent over, and grabbed his buttocks as he walked away. His underwear appeared to stay on.The report also detailed that Matthews, who appeared intoxicated, told her he thought it would be funny to see how she would respond.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Connor McDavid didn't just outduel Nathan MacKinnon on Thursday night.The Edmonton Oilers superstar had a night he'll never forget, pouring in a career-high six points in a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.McDavid buried his third power-play marker of the game to secure a hat trick and his fifth point midway through the second period.Then, toward the end of the second frame, he established a career-high with his sixth point of the contest, earning a primary assist on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' second goal of the night.

Calgary Flames defenseman TJ Brodie has been discharged from a local hospital and is doing well in recovery at home with his family following a scary incident at practice, the club announced Thursday night.The blue-liner collapsed and started convulsing during the team's on-ice session earlier in the day, according to CTV's Glenn Campbell.Flames general manager Brad Treliving released the following statement Thursday afternoon:"TJ Brodie experienced an episode on ice at practice today. He is alert and responsive and has been transported to local area hospital for evaluation. We will provide a further update when available. Thank you."The 29-year-old was standing by himself during a drill when he collapsed, Kristen Anderson of the Calgary Sun added.He has played his entire 10-year career with the Flames.The Flames will provide another update on Brodie's condition Friday.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bobby Orr is in Don Cherry's corner.Cherry was fired by Sportsnet on Monday after nearly 40 years on the air after a rant about Canadian immigrants not buying poppies ahead of Remembrance Day."You people that come here, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that," Cherry said on Saturday's edition of "Coach's Corner".The legendary blue-liner came to the 85-year-old's defense Thursday."I know Grapes better than anybody," Orr told "Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria on WEEI." "He's not a bigot and he's not a racist. This guy is the most generous, caring guy that I know."What they've done to him up there is disgraceful. It really is."

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said his club isn't currently looking to make any external moves despite enduring a rash of significant injuries early in the season."The guys on this team, they're behind each other," Rutherford told The Athletic's Josh Yohe on Wednesday. "They care about each other. We'll watch it. We'll see how it goes. I'm not trying to make any moves right now. I just don't think it would do us good at this point in time. Almost everyone on this team is playing well and (coach) Mike Sullivan is doing a very good job."Sidney Crosby, the latest member of the Pens to hit the shelf, was ruled out Thursday for a minimum of six weeks due to a core muscle injury. Patric Hornqvist and Kris Letang are also out with long-term injuries, while Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Nick Bjugstad missed time before their recent returns to the lineup.Rutherford wasn't so committed to his roster last year. He shipped out Carl Hagelin, Daniel Sprong, Derek Grant, Jamie Oleksiak, Derick Brassard, and Riley Sheahan in separate in-season deals before trading Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes over the summer."I just like this team," Rutherford said. "I don't feel near the pressure to make moves that I did last year."Despite all the man-games lost this season, the Penguins own a 10-6-2 record and hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.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.Have you ever ended a relationship out of boredom to go in search of something new, only to realize what a great thing you had with your ex?The early stages of the relationship were new, exciting, and passionate. Then, over time - it could have been weeks, months, years - you got bored for no real reason and ended things so you could chase that feeling again?Now you're back on the open market looking for someone to give you exactly what you just had. But once you realize that, it's too late. What you had is gone and your ex is doing great. They're onto bigger and better things while you sit with the lights off in your basement listening to Radiohead, wondering how you could be so naive.The Washington Capitals are that ex.Following a first-round playoff exit and a quiet offseason, the Capitals began the year at a very reasonably priced 20-1 to win the Stanley Cup. Nine teams had shorter odds than the 2018 champions and perennial cup contenders.Instead of capitalizing on that value by betting on a squad that's always among the last handful of teams still playing in late-April, people were too busy searching for something new and exciting. One of the most heavily bet teams this offseason, because of all the moves they made, was the New Jersey Devils. The price got driven all the way to 25-1. There's not one person holding a Devils futures ticket that doesn't have a considerable degree of regret.Essentially, the betting public was digging for the next Washington Capitals, only the current Washington Capitals hadn't gone anywhere. The market was slow to adjust and now all the value is gone.The Capitals are the current Cup favorites in most spots, with their odds shortening to as low as 5-1 in some places following a scorching 13-2-4 start to the season - the best in the league.While you missed the boat with Washington, there's still time to hitch your wagon to few other teams before the value is gone.Value picksDallas Stars (25-1)The price on the Stars was too short in September with them being somewhat of a popular preseason pick, but the value has been restored after they stumbled through the first few weeks of the season. Dallas has since battled back, winning seven of its last nine, and is just three points back of third place in the Central Division. The Stars are a deep team with experience, good puck movers on the blue line, solid goaltending, and good coaching. They could be 15-1 before long.Montreal Canadiens (30-1)At what point will the Canadiens start getting the love they deserve from oddsmakers? Hopefully, the answer is never. The Habs have taken 13 of a possible 16 points over their last eight games to move just three back of the Bruins for the division lead. And there's a lot to like about this Montreal team when it comes to its chances of winning in the playoffs.The thing about the Habs is they can beat you in so many ways. They're capable of playing with speed and skill, but also won't back down from a fight. They have a deep group of forwards and can be exhausting to play against when they're rolling all four lines. Shea Weber is healthy and playing at an elite level, while Carey Price is zoned in and remains a front-runner for the title of world's best goaltender. The Canadiens also have the cap space and assets to make a splash at the trade deadline if they're in a position to do so.Arizona Coyotes (30-1)The Coyotes are constructed similarly to the Canadiens in the sense that they are a deep team that relies more on committee scoring than a few high-end skill guys. Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller have been excellent, among others, and it's only a matter of time before Phil Kessel starts scoring. Darcy Kuemper has been excellent and Antti Raanta is one of the league's best backup goalies.In a weak Pacific Division, the Coyotes a strong bet to secure a playoff berth. Once there, depth scoring and disciplined defensive play will make them a tough out.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.

It's an age-old question in hockey: At which point in the season should we start believing what we're seeing? Is it mid-November, when the quarter-way point of the NHL schedule hits, or is it closer to the new calendar year?In this case, we'll go with the former. We've identified four early-season team trends and taken a temperature check on each of them.Real or mirage: The Canadiens' potent offenseFrancois Lacasse / Getty ImagesMatisz: I'm going to sit on the fence here. On one hand, the Canadiens have proven over the past 13 months that they can generate plenty of offense without a superstar forward. On the other, maintaining their current pace (3.4 goals per game, which ranks sixth league-wide) will be a difficult task over a full season. Above-average talent, versatile skill sets, and a boatload of speed combine to make Montreal's attack a notable threat on most nights, yet the team's true difference-makers - Shea Weber and Carey Price - play defense and goalie.Wegman: Real. I think a top-10 offense is viable. Despite not having a single player who's averaging a point per game, Montreal is getting contributions from the entire lineup thanks to some outstanding forward depth. The underlying numbers are fantastic, as this team ranks fifth in expected goals per 60 minutes and fourth in high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (at five-on-five). Another key has been the Canadiens' respectable power play (14th) after they ranked just 30th with the man advantage a year ago.Real or mirage: The Oilers' hot startIcon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWegman: Mirage. The Oilers' 12-6-2 record is perhaps the most surprising story of the young season. But as much as we'd love to see Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl dominate together in the playoffs, I don't think this start is sustainable. Edmonton's lack of secondary scoring will hold the team back when McDavid and Draisaitl go through stretches of human-like play. Additionally, I don't have faith that goalies Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith can keep up a combined .920 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average.Matisz: Mirage. Pose this question again in February and the answer may differ, but as of now the math just doesn't add up. McDavid and/or Draisaitl have recorded a point on 75% of Edmonton's goals, which is an absurd reliance on two skaters. That dynamic is entertaining to watch, but the goaltending tandem, bottom-six forward group, and third defense pairing don't inspire much confidence. The Oilers have certainly earned some respect and a comfy spot in the standings through 20 games, but the dam is primed to burst soon.Real or mirage: The Islanders' dominanceMike Stobe / Getty ImagesMatisz: Real. The Islanders are flat-out one of the best teams in the NHL. There's no denying it at this point. Through 17 games, they've looked clinical and are continuing to employ the highly effective meat-and-potatoes brand of hockey that took the league by storm in 2018-19. The throwback style promotes strong team defense, and heat maps prove the Isles almost never surrender shots from the slot, which is a big reason why both goalies - Thomas Greiss (.942 save percentage) and Semyon Varlamov (.917) - are excelling in a platoon system. Also of note: The top defense pairing of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock is grossly underrated as an all-around unit. Last year, the Islanders finished with 103 points. This year, they're on pace for 130. Expect a drop-off, obviously, but not a tumble down the standings. This team seems bulletproof.Wegman: Real. I've doubted the Islanders before due to some poor underlying numbers, but I can't make the same mistake again. Barry Trotz-led clubs have long defied analytics, and these Isles are awfully reminiscent of the coach's Predators teams from 2005-12: few big names up front, some underrated defensemen, and stellar goaltending. I believe in Trotz, who's not only the best active coach in the NHL, but one of the best ever. His players buy in, respect the hell out of him, and play their hearts out.Real or mirage: The Sharks' implosionIcon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWegman: Mirage. I think the Sharks can turn this thing around - with the caveat that Doug Wilson must acquire a netminder. Martin Jones has been one of the league's worst goalies over the last year and a half, and I don't think Wilson, one of the smartest GMs out there, will watch this ship sink without taking action. Cap space is an issue, but Ottawa Senators goalie Anders Nilsson could be a fit. I believe this strong leadership group is capable of rallying together to make the postseason despite some early adversity.Matisz: Real. San Jose struggled mightily out of the gate, losing 11 of its first 15 contests while getting outscored 56-36. Despite a four-game winning streak, the early-season hole feels too deep to climb out of, especially because the team's poor goaltending seems unfixable in the short term. The offseason departures of Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi have turned a traditionally lethal offense into something average. This squad still has talent, but perhaps the mileage accumulated over the years has overcome too many core pieces.(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders placed forward Andrew Ladd on waivers Thursday, the team announced.Ladd is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $38.5-million contract he signed with the Islanders on July 1, 2016. The deal, which carries a $5.5-million cap hit, is viewed as one of the worst in the NHL.The 33-year-old scored three goals and added eight assists in 26 games with the Isles last season before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. He just completed a five-game conditioning stint with the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers.General manager Lou Lamoriello said the organization did not see enough from the veteran winger in those five games to warrant an NHL return at this time, according to Newsday's Andrew Gross.Ladd, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks, has 248 goals and 537 points in 946 career games. He was the captain of the Winnipeg Jets franchise from 2010-11 to 2014-15.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will miss a minimum of six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a core muscle injury, the team announced Thursday.Earlier in the week, it was reported that Crosby was considering his options for a sports hernia that's been bothering him since training camp. Along with surgery, he could have elected for steroid injections and physical therapy, which would have kept him in the lineup but put him at risk of further injury.Crosby aggravated the hernia in Saturday's contest versus the Chicago Blackhawks. He was subsequently ruled out for Pittsburgh's matchup with the New York Rangers on Tuesday.The Penguins have already dealt with numerous injuries to key forwards this season, including Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Nick Bjugstad. The club has still managed a 10-6-2 record and holds the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Crosby leads the team with 17 points in 17 games and he's averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time per night.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

John Tavares believes the Toronto Maple Leafs are still searching for their identity after suffering a third straight loss Thursday against the New York Islanders."We're not where we want to be," Tavares said following the 5-4 defeat, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "We obviously want to play a lot better, a lot more consistent. We got to keep working to find a way."The Maple Leafs have won just nine of their first 20 games of the campaign. They've conceded the opening tally in 15 of those contests and allowed a 21st-ranked 3.25 goals against per game."When you evaluate what we've done in 20 games, we don't like it as a group," head coach Mike Babcock said, according to Masters. "We think we can be better and we'll identify the areas again tomorrow as we go through it and grind our way out of this."We got ourselves in the spot we're in, we've got to grind our way out of it."Toronto boasted the majority of possession against the Islanders, posting a Corsi For rating of 62.37% while generating 54.72% of the scoring chances. But defenseman Jake Muzzin said a recent lack of focus has proved costly."We have confidence in this group, in the team, in the room, we're just having some weird lapses through the game and it's costing us," Muzzin said. "We just have to be sharper throughout a full 60, shift to shift, more focused, better preparation and we'll come out on top in these games."The Maple Leafs face a tough stretch to close out November. Toronto plays back-to-back contests against the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins this weekend, with the latter tilt kicking off a six-game road trip.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to Puck Pursuit, a weekly NHL podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.Arizona Coyotes president of hockey operations and general manager John Chayka joins this week's show to discuss a variety of topics, including:

Florida Panthers franchise icon Roberto Luongo is joining the organization's front office as a special adviser to general manager Dale Tallon, the team announced Wednesday."I've had the honor and privilege to work with Roberto during his time playing for the Panthers and am proud to welcome him to our franchise's hockey operations staff," said Tallon. "Roberto always approached every game with an unmatched work ethic and we are confident he will take to this new role with the same passion. A cornerstone player in our franchise's history, we are thrilled that 'Lu' will have a hand in shaping our franchise's future."Luongo retired this offseason after spending 19 seasons in the NHL, including 11 with the Panthers. The 40-year-old is Florida's all-time leader in wins, saves, shutouts, and minutes.Tallon was the executive responsible for bringing Luongo back to Sunrise for his second stint with the Panthers.Florida's hockey operations department features other familiar names such as Chris Pronger, Bryan McCabe, and Peter Mahovlich.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wayne Gretzky turned down an offer to coach Team Canada at this year's Spengler Cup after general manager Sean Burke courted him for the position, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.LeBrun had reported Tuesday that Gretzky viewed the offer from Burke as an honor but needed time to mull it over."It was a nice surprise when Sean called," Gretzky told LeBrun. "I thanked him. I was excited about it. Team Canada is pretty special. I think the Spengler Cup is the oldest tournament that we know of. It's a pretty nice honor. I told him I needed some time. The only problem for me is that it's over Christmastime. It's a tough decision to make."Gretzky has never coached at the international level, but he did build the victorious Canadian teams at the 2002 Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He also coached the Arizona Coyotes for four seasons, accumulating a 143-161-24 record before stepping down.This year's Spengler Cup will run from Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby is mulling over his treatment options, which include surgery, for a sports hernia that has been bothering him since training camp, sources told The Athletic's Rob Rossi.Crosby aggravated the hernia during Saturday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, Rossi reports. The Penguins captain left in the third period and didn't return.The 32-year-old is weighing the opinions of medical personnel, and recovery from surgery typically requires four-to-six weeks, Rossi adds.A different option includes a steroid injection and physical therapy, which would allow Crosby to delay surgery until the end of the season but would put him at risk of further aggravating the hernia.The Penguins are waiting for Crosby to make a decision before updating his status, according to Rossi.Crosby has appeared in all 17 of the Penguins' games this season, recording five goals and a team-leading 17 points.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche netminder Adam Werner pointed to two things after making an NHL debut for the ages against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night."Great karma and great positioning," Werner said following the 4-0 win, according to NHL.com's Darrin Bauming.Werner entered the game after just 31 seconds when starter Pavel Francouz was injured in a scary collision with Jets forward Mark Scheifele. The 22-year-old stopped all 40 shots he faced but won't get credit for the individual shutout because he played only 59:29.The rookie goaltender was selected by the Avalanche in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft and has remained focused on earning his spot despite spending the previous three seasons bouncing between Europe and the AHL."You need to have a dream, and a big dream out there, and work for it, and be prepared if something happened," he said.Starting netminder Philipp Grubauer missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, and head coach Jared Bednar didn't provide an update on Francouz's condition postgame.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Los Angeles Kings have informed forward Ilya Kovalchuk he will not be in the team's lineup for the foreseeable future, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The 36-year-old is welcome to practice with the club but will not be seeing any game action, Friedman adds.Kings general manager Rob Blake would only say Kovalchuk was a healthy scratch against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, according to The Athletic's Lisa Dillman.Kovalchuk, who left the NHL in 2013-14 to play professionally in his native Russia, signed a three-year, $18.75-million pact with Los Angeles prior to the 2018-19 season.The 6-foot-3 marksman has failed to meet expectations in his return to North America, tallying 19 goals and 43 points over 81 games with the Kings.Head coach Todd McLellan called out his club in October, specifically stating there were "some veterans that really have to pick up their play."This isn't the first time the Kings have removed Kovalchuk from the lineup. He was a healthy scratch this past March under former bench boss Willie Desjardins, a decision Kovalchuk deemed "horrible."Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not in the market for a veteran backup goaltender despite placing Michael Hutchinson on waivers Monday, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported during Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."Hutchinson, who cleared waivers Tuesday, went winless over five starts for Toronto this season, posting a 4.44 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage.The Maple Leafs recalled Finnish puck-stopper Kasimir Kaskisuo from the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Tuesday, and it appears the 26-year-old will get a chance to prove himself at the NHL level.Toronto has played five sets of back-to-back contests this season and will play five more before Dec. 31, including one this weekend. Head coach Mike Babcock has opted to play starter Frederik Andersen in the first game of each set, so it's likely Kaskisuo makes his NHL debut in the Maple Leafs' latter matchup Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Kaskisuo has been excellent for the Marlies this season, posting a 6-1-1 record with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage through eight starts.Andersen, 30, has carried the league's largest workload since joining the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, leading all NHL netminders with 206 starts and 12,045 minutes played over that span.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche netminder Pavel Francouz departed Tuesday's contest after just 31 seconds following a collision with Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele.

The Great One might give coaching another shot.Sean Burke, Canada's general manager for the upcoming Spengler Cup tournament, approached Wayne Gretzky about guiding the team in December."It was a nice surprise when Sean called," Gretzky told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday. "I thanked him. I was excited about it. Team Canada is pretty special. I think the Spengler Cup is the oldest tournament that we know of. It's a pretty nice honor. I told him I needed some time (to sort things out). The only problem for me is that it's over Christmastime. It's a tough decision to make.""So, we're talking about it and debating it," he added. "But it's a great honor that he reached out."The hockey legend has never coached Team Canada but represented his country numerous times. He also built the Canadian squad that won Olympic gold in 2002, as well as the Canadian team that won the World Cup of Hockey in 2004.Gretzky served as Arizona Coyotes bench boss from 2005 to 2009. The club went 143-161-24 during that time before he stepped down ahead of the 2009-10 campaign.More recently, he coached the Metropolitan Division All-Stars, including Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, to victory in the three-on-three format at the 2017 festivities in Los Angeles.The 2019 Spengler Cup will take place from Dec. 26 to 31 in Davos, Switzerland.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Don Cherry isn't happy with former Hockey Night in Canada partner Ron MacLean.MacLean publicly apologized Sunday for Cherry's offensive comments from the night prior.Cherry, who was fired by Sportsnet on Monday, said MacLean "buried" him with his response."Very disappointing," Cherry told Global News on Tuesday. "We're still friends, but I was very disappointed in the way he handled it. I don't want to go and condemn him or anything like that, but I was very disappointed."

Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri provided a unique perspective following the aftermath of Don Cherry's dismissal from Sportsnet on Monday for making offensive comments about Canadian immigrants."(Cherry) has been there for so long, it's going to be hard to see (Hockey Night in Canada) without him. That's definitely unfortunate," Kadri told the Denver Post's Kyle Fredrickson. "I know Grapes and I don't think it came across like everyone is making it sound. I think with what he said, it was maybe just said incorrectly. People maybe took it out of context a little bit. I know Grapes is a great person and am sad to see him go."

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The post-win ritual always began with a quick exchange of text messages between pranksters. Matthew Ford, the veteran captain of the Grand Rapids Griffins, would smirk to himself in the visitors' dressing room as a question beamed from his iPhone."Who should we pick on?" video coach Bill LeRoy would text following victories on the road.After tapping out a short response, Ford and the rest of the AHL squad - players, coaches, staffers - would board the team bus and settle in for the long ride. The next stop might be another minor-league outpost. It might be home. No matter the destination, LeRoy had the stage."We'd start pulling out," Griffins head coach Ben Simon recalled, "and Billy would scream at the top of his lungs, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop the bus! Stop the bus!'"The bus driver would be in shock and be like, 'What's wrong?' And one of the players would be like, 'What's wrong, Billy?!'" Then, it was time for LeRoy to ask the player that Ford had chosen: "Hey, did we remember to pack the two points?"The punchline hit every time, with the player tabbed to "pack" those cherished standings points - a distinction considered a badge of honor - chuckling along too. "The whole bus," forward Dominic Turgeon said, "would go wild."Bill LeRoy at his Van Andel Arena workstation Mark Newman / Grand Rapids GriffinsOver the past 11 days, reminiscing about that postgame bus ritual and other memories of the quirky LeRoy has helped members of the organization cope with the loss of someone largely unknown to the public but immensely valuable to the Griffins' inner circle.LeRoy, video coach for the Detroit Red Wings' top affiliate since 2001, died on Nov. 1. The 56-year-old passed away in his Winnipeg hotel room ahead of the Griffins' weekend set against the Manitoba Moose. The cause of death has yet to be determined, though foul play has been ruled out. A diabetic, LeRoy had battled serious health issues for several years."Nothing can prepare you for this type of thing," general manager Ryan Martin said. Turgeon spoke for Griffins players, current and former, when he said: "He was family to us."––––––––––Bill LeRoy was never much of a hockey player. His brother, Tim, said a local men's league was the height of Bill's on-ice pursuits. He instead excelled at baseball, playing collegiately.LeRoy also wasn't a typical hockey coach. Sure, he bore the title of "video coach" for 36 seasons - 18 with the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings and then 18 with the Griffins - but he was more of a video savant than a traditional coach, working efficiently behind the scenes. He kept a low profile."There were days you didn't even know he was there," said legendary coach Ken Hitchcock, who spent three years in Kalamazoo in the mid-1990s.This cloak of relative anonymity allowed LeRoy to bring a fresh perspective to meetings. By nature, head coaches live almost exclusively in the moment, focused on the next game or practice. The guy manning a laptop in the bowels of the arena offered an alternative viewpoint."Billy always had his opinions, but we had to ask him. He always had his ears open," said Todd Nelson, the head coach who led Grand Rapids to its AHL title in 2017.Todd Nelson (left) and Ben Simon behind the bench Getty ImagesFrom age 20 to 56, LeRoy worked under 18 head coaches. Half of them - Hitchcock, Nelson, Curt Fraser, Kevin Constantine, Jim Playfair, Guy Charron, Claude Noel, Bruce Cassidy, and Jeff Blashill - graduated to the NHL. Grand Rapids is a model AHL club known for developing and nurturing both coaches and future Red Wings. The odd couple of LeRoy and equipment manager Brad Thompson became the through-line during countless personnel changeovers."He was always off my left shoulder. We're always together. And now, I'm a one-man wolf pack," Thompson said. "Even at the airport on the way home (from Winnipeg), I kept looking back. I'm always like, 'Billy, c'mon. Let's go, man! We've got to get going!' That was my job, to get him from Point A to Point B for 20 years."LeRoy was "a different bird," as former Griffins player Daniel Cleary put it, and there's no shortage of stories to back up the claim. Thompson remembers a young LeRoy asking him for black spray paint on multiple occasions so he could add a shine to his shoes ahead of games. LeRoy's all-time practical joke involved leaving a dead fish in a hot hotel bed to get even with a staffer. "Got him," he dryly told Thompson after the deed was done.Then there's the time a staffer caught LeRoy ironing his necktie with a coffee pot moments before a road game. "Billy leaned over, put his tie on the table, and put the coffee thing on his tie to iron it out," said Cleary, who's currently a development coach for the Red Wings. "And he wasn't doing it to be funny. That's him. He's just like, 'What are you looking at? I'm trying to iron my tie. What's your problem?' That's him." A grainy image of the act is part of Griffins lore.Normally, hockey video coaches aspire to move up the ranks, with the ultimate goal of one day becoming a head coach. LeRoy had no such aspirations. "Bill had no interest in anyone else's job," Simon said with a laugh. "None. He came in and he was happy with what he did. He took pride in what he did. And he was good at what he did. This is what he loved to do."LeRoy was best known for his meticulous work cutting live clips for the coaching staff to watch during periods. He also tracked faceoffs, scoring chances, and time on ice. "You don't realize what you have until it's gone," Simon said of LeRoy's impact on his job.Brian Lashoff appeared in his first game with the Griffins when he was 18. Now 29, the defenseman is a trusted mentor for young players as Detroit undergoes a significant rebuild. LeRoy was there from Day 1 of Lashoff's tenure and, along with unsung heroes like Thompson, helped create a middle ground between the players and the coaching staff. Bonds grew organically."When we won a couple of (Calder) Cups with him, the look on his face is something you'll always remember," Lashoff said, choking up over the memories of 2013 and 2017. "The ovation the guys gave him when he got the Cup at the end, it showed how much he meant to us."From conversations with more than a dozen of LeRoy's loved ones and colleagues, an overwhelming theme emerges: He was deeply satisfied with living an uncomplicated life. The man cared about his 21-year-old twin children, Tyler and Becca; his parents and brother; his girlfriend, Tami; his hockey team; and that's about it. "My brother," Tim LeRoy said, "was a simple person."LeRoy with former assistant equipment manager Andrew Stegehuis Grand Rapids GriffinsSelfless, too. A few years ago, after the Griffins had bowed out of the playoffs, Martin received a handwritten note from Bill LeRoy. The letter to the GM asked if it would be OK if LeRoy donated his playoff bonus to Simon, who at the time was earning only a small stipend as the newest assistant."He knew how much Ben meant to the team, how many hours he had put in, and I just thought it was an unbelievable gesture," Martin said. "I called him up personally, told him, 'That bonus was meant for you. But I appreciate that you recognize what Ben's done.' It showed his character."––––––––––A couple of weeks before he died, LeRoy purchased Joe Hicketts' fantasy football team. The Griffins were on the road in Texas when the video coach and defenseman completed the transaction. Almost immediately, the other players in the league pounced, sending LeRoy wild trade proposals.He didn't bite, but the non-hockey banter benefited everyone. It's the kind of thing that bonds co-workers into family. And then, one Friday in Manitoba, he vanished from their lives."Initially, it was just such a shock," forward Matt Puempel said. "You see this person, you have a relationship with them, and you saw them 10 hours earlier or 12 hours earlier. They're on the trip with you, in the same hotel only a few floors apart, and then you hear about this tragedy."The Griffins are still dealing with the loss and trying to move forward as they await funeral details. Puempel, who made a habit of catching up with LeRoy while coaches held penalty kill sessions with teammates, now sits alone with his thoughts. Ford isn't used to walking by the coaches' room at Van Andel Arena and seeing LeRoy's empty desk and chair. Turgeon misses joking around with LeRoy, a stats guy, about his faceoff numbers.There are no immediate plans to fill LeRoy's role. "We are going to take some time to let things settle down," Simon said. "Then we will evaluate and see what our needs as a staff are."Dominic Turgeon wearing 'BL' helmet sticker Sam Iannamico / Grand Rapids GriffinsTim LeRoy, who's the equipment manager for the Columbus Blue Jackets, says his brother suffered from various health issues relating to diabetes. Without complaining, he endured kidney and pancreas transplants, a heart surgery, and multiple procedures on his eyes and feet.Through it all, the Griffins remained a part of his life. A part of his being.With the LeRoy family in attendance this past Friday, the Griffins honored Bill and then beat the Toronto Marlies 4-1. Players donned "BL" helmet stickers while staffers wore matching patches on their jackets. The 7,000-plus inside Van Andel Arena paused for a moment of silence before puck drop."We miss you, Billy," PA announcer Eric Zane said. "But don't worry, we'll always remember to pack the two points."John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman said he'll make his season debut on Wednesday against the New York Islanders, according to the Toronto Star's Mark Zwolinski.Hyman suffered a torn ACL in Game 4 of the club's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins this past spring. He stayed in the lineup for the remainder of the seven-game series, unaware he had suffered the major knee injury.Hyman was given a six-month recovery timetable after undergoing surgery on April 29.The 27-year-old set career highs with 21 goals and 41 points in 71 games last season. He's expected to take his familiar spot at left wing alongside John Tavares, with Kasperi Kapanen likely rounding out the line while Mitch Marner remains sidelined with an ankle injury.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat agrees with Sportsnet's decision to fire Don Cherry after the longtime host of "Coach's Corner" went on a divisive rant about immigrants not wearing poppies during his most recent segment on Saturday."He's been in the game for a long time and he's been around, but at the same time hockey's supposed to bring people together and there's no place for stuff like that," Horvat said, according to CBC's Eva Uguen-Csenge."I think it's the right decision to be made."Cherry was let go on Monday after intense backlash from his comments lit up social media."You people that come here, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that," Cherry said on Saturday.After being axed from the job Cherry held since 1981, he doubled down rather than apologizing, saying "I know what I said and I meant it."Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo and forward Nic Petan from the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the team announced Tuesday.Kaskisuo is slated to fill in the backup role behind starter Frederik Andersen after Michael Hutchinson was placed on waivers Monday. The 26-year-old Finland native is 6-1-1 in eight starts with the Marlies this season with a .928 save percentage. He could make his first NHL start as early as Saturday as Toronto travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins in the second half of a back-to-back.Petan was waived by the Leafs last week but went unclaimed. He returns to the big club in the wake of the recent injury to Mitch Marner, who is sidelined for at least four weeks with an ankle injury.The 24-year-old has appeared in five games for the Maple Leafs in 2019-20, notching one assist. Petan's also registered seven points in three contests in the AHL this season.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sebastian Aho's second tally was the highlight of the night as his Carolina Hurricanes rolled over the Ottawa Senators 8-2 on Monday night.The dynamic forward showed tremendous patience after the puck deflected up onto the glass, waiting for it to fall below the crossbar before batting it out of midair and into the net early in the third period.

Don Cherry was fired by Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada after his rant about immigrants and poppies aired during the latest segment of "Coach's Corner," the network announced Monday."Sports brings people together - it unites us, not divides us. Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night's broadcast, it has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down," Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley said in a statement. "During the broadcast, he made divisive remarks that do not represent our values or what we stand for."Don is synonymous with hockey and has played an integral role in growing the game over the past 40 years. We would like to thank Don for his contributions to hockey and sports broadcasting in Canada."After the news of his firing broke, Cherry spoke to the Toronto Sun's Joe Warmington."I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honor our fallen soldiers," Cherry said.He added, "I speak the truth and I walk the walk. I have visited the bases of the troops, been to Afghanistan with our brave soldiers at Christmas, been to cemeteries of our fallen around the world, and honored our fallen troops on 'Coach's Corner.'"Remembrance Day in Canada honors people who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces. Leading up to Nov. 11, veterans' groups and volunteers distribute poppy pins and stickers in exchange for donations, and the poppies are worn as a symbol of remembrance.Cherry found himself on the hot seat Saturday and through the weekend after he complained that he hadn't seen Canadian immigrants wearing poppies as the date approached."You people that come here, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that," Cherry said."These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada."Sportsnet, the NHL, and Hockey Canada all released statements condemning Cherry's stance.Cherry's longtime broadcast partner, Ron MacLean, issued an apology of his own Sunday on Sportsnet after staying silent while Cherry spoke during Saturday's segment."Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory - which were flat-out wrong," MacLean said. "... We know diversity is the strength of the country. We see it in the travels with our show and with Hockey Night in Canada."After a career coaching in the NHL, Cherry, now 85, was hired full-time by CBC in 1981.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.If you followed the weekend betting preview, you probably made enough money to buy yourself a hot tub in preparation for winter.Now we start building the holiday fund, with plenty of games scheduled this week to help reach our target.Game bettingColumbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens (Tuesday)The Canadiens have taken 11 of a possible 14 points over the past two weeks, and they seem to be hitting their stride. Wins over the Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights have the Habs building their resume and looking like a legitimate playoff team, and now they welcome the Blue Jackets to Montreal.Columbus hasn't been able to reach .500 while struggling to score. Goals should be scarce in this game, and the under looks a strong play.Arizona Coyotes at St. Louis Blues (Tuesday)This is one of the toughest spots so far this season, with the Coyotes playing their sixth game in nine nights. It's also the second leg of their second back-to-back set of games in a week, including a daunting travel schedule that saw them go from Edmonton to Calgary, to Arizona, to D.C., and now St. Louis.Not much will be left in the tank against a Blues team that's won four straight on home ice. Lay the chalk with St. Louis.Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks (Tuesday)Vancouver has won just once in November, and the Canucks have fallen on hard times following four straight losses. Still, the Canucks are a very tough team to beat on home ice, and after scoring just five goals over their last four games, the team is due for another offensive breakout.The Predators, meanwhile, are concluding a weird road trip that started on the East Coast in Detroit and will now end in the west, with stops in Colorado and San Jose. They'll be excited to return home for a three-day break, so this could be a nice chance to fade them and back the Canucks.Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders (Wednesday)The Islanders' 10-game win streak was snapped on Thursday against Pittsburgh, but they quickly got back to their winning ways while beating Florida on Saturday. Now they welcome a reeling Leafs squad to Nassau Coliseum, and the arena should be rocking for a visit from former captain John Tavares.Under Barry Trotz, the Islanders are likely the most well-coached team in the NHL. They should be able to contain Toronto's firepower while exploiting the Leafs' defensive inefficiencies. Back the Isles to add to Toronto's misery.Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (Wednesday)This is one of the more underrated games of the week. The Flames are a juggernaut at home, posting a 6-1-2 record this season at the Saddledome, while the Stars are on a five-game point streak after winning seven of their last nine. As good as Calgary is on home ice, a highly talented Dallas team should be ridden while it's hot.Take the Stars on Wednesday to win their fourth straight at the Saddledome, and seventh in nine tries.Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers (Thursday)In two road games without Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche have scored just one goal. The offense hasn't dried up completely, as it scored nine times this past week against the Predators in Denver, but the team has a different feel and approach away from home.The Oilers are generally strong defensively at Rogers Place, which should lead to a low-scoring contest, even as two of the NHL's best scorers in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon square off. Under is the play here.Game propsDetroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks (Tuesday)The Red Wings rank 29th in the NHL while averaging two goals per game away from home. The Ducks, meanwhile, are eighth in the league in goals allowed per game. They haven't experienced the best week, but this is a good opportunity for John Gibson to get back on track. Play under 2.5 on the Red Wings' team total.Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders (Wednesday)Speaking of goals against per game, the Islanders lead the league in that category while allowing just 2.19, which is far ahead of the Bruins' 2.41. With Mitch Marner out for the Leafs, expect Toronto's offense to struggle against Trotz's unit. The Leafs scored just three goals over three games against the Islanders last season. Under 2.5 and 1.5 are both very appealing.Winnipeg Jets at Florida Panthers (Thursday)In the Panthers' last five home games, 13 goals have been scored in the first period, and the same total has been produced in the Jets' last five away games. These teams score early and concede early, so there's no reason not to back the over in the first period at BB&T Center.Player propsFlorida Panthers at Boston Bruins (Tuesday)The Panthers allow a lot of goals in the first period, averaging the NHL's fifth-highest goals surrendered in the opening frame at 3.53. The Bruins' top line should be firing in this one following two straight losses. Look for Brad Marchand to score after torching the Panthers last season.New York Rangers at Tampa Bay Lightning (Thursday)Steven Stamkos loves playing the Rangers. He's averaging over a point per game against them in his career and potted four goals in three games against New York last season. The Rangers aren't stopping many teams from scoring these days and the Lighting are rounding into form, so backing Stamkos to grab a goal here could be profitable.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.

Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno has been suspended three games for his high hit on Colorado Avalanche forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced on Monday.

Editors's note: This article was published before news broke that Don Cherry was fired.Don Cherry doesn't represent me. He likely doesn't represent you. The Canada he longs for, and the hockey community he longs for, have both long since passed out of date.But, in choosing a set of carefully crafted words over swift action for his most recent diatribe, Rogers Communications and its Sportsnet brand continues to make it appear as though Cherry does represent us.This is inexcusable for a company that, since taking over the Hockey Night in Canada franchise in 2014, has had multiple opportunities to part ways with the divisive commentator. Saturday night was the latest invitation for Sportsnet to take Cherry off the air, and they whiffed."Don's discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network," Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley said in a short statement released Sunday morning in the wake of significant online backlash. "We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks."A statement such as this - one in which Cherry's boss acknowledges the discrimination and vaguely apologizes for it - is better than nothing. But it's not nearly enough. Sportsnet, and by extension Rogers, one of Canada's largest employers, is enabling xenophobia by keeping Coach's Corner alive in its current form.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is still being evaluated for a lower-body injury suffered on the weekend and will not play Tuesday versus the New York Rangers, head coach Mike Sullivan announced.Crosby first got banged up in Saturday's contest versus the Chicago Blackhawks during a collision with Erik Gustafsson, then later blocked a shot.The Penguins have already dealt with numerous injuries this season and just recently got Evgeni Malkin back into the fold after an 11-game absence.Here's how Pittsburgh lined up at practice Monday with Crosby unavailable:

The Arizona Coyotes have signed general manager and president of hockey operations John Chayka to a long-term extension, the team announced on Monday.Chayka became the youngest GM in NHL history when he took over the Coyotes in May 2016 at the age of 26. Prior to joining the Coyotes organization as an assistant GM in 2015, he co-founded the hockey analytics firm Stathletes.Arizona has failed to return to the playoffs during his tenure, but the club is off to a 9-6-2 start this season.Chayka has locked up the team's core over the last few seasons, signing Nick Schmaltz, Christian Dvorak, Clayton Keller, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jakob Chychrun to contracts lasting at least six years. He's also made several key additions, most notably trading for Phil Kessel this summer and dealing for starting goalie Darcy Kuemper in 2018.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the fourth edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for 2019-20. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.In this edition, we identify each team's biggest disappointment so far this season.1. Washington Capitals (13-2-3)Previous rank: 4It's tough to nitpick the NHL's first-place squad as it rides a six-game winning streak, but Braden Holtby's .898 save percentage through 13 starts for the Capitals certainly isn't ideal.2. St. Louis Blues (12-3-3)Previous rank: 12The reigning champs are on a major heater, winning nine of their last 10. Despite the Blues' record, though, seven regulation wins on the season is a bit concerning.3. Boston Bruins (11-3-3)Previous rank: 1Losing to the lowly Red Wings last week had to be pretty disappointing for the Bruins, who boast two of the NHL's top four scorers, the best power play, and the top goaltending duo.4. New York Islanders (12-3-1)Previous rank: 6The Islanders have fully committed to Barry Trotz's style of play and earned at least a point in 12 consecutive games - including 11 wins - as a result. Things are nearly perfect on the Island at the moment, but 2014 fifth overall pick Michael Dal Colle still hasn't found his NHL groove. Despite a regular dose of minutes, the 23-year-old has mustered just three points in 15 games this season.5. Colorado Avalanche (10-5-2)Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 2A recent spell of unfortunate injuries to key players is just about the only disappointing development for the high-flying Avalanche so far in 2019-20. Despite being hit hard by the injury bug, Colorado doesn't seem intent on slowing down.6. Edmonton Oilers (12-5-2)Previous rank: 5After a career-high 22 goals last season, forward Alex Chiasson has registered just a single tally thus far. He's not the most important piece of the Oilers puzzle, but an uptick in production would take a major load off the shoulders of Edmonton's big guns.7. Nashville Predators (9-5-3)Previous rank: 8Kyle Turris appears to be regressing into something of a non-factor for the Predators. The veteran pivot is on pace for only 38 points this year while logging 13:50 per contest - his lowest average ice time since his age-21 season.8. Montreal Canadiens (9-5-3)Previous rank: 20The Canadiens have performed well to this point, but a 29th-ranked penalty kill is a big disappointment for a team that's made significant improvements on the power play this year.9. Pittsburgh Penguins (10-6-1)Previous rank: 15Alex Galchenyuk, the main return in the Phil Kessel trade, has yet to record a goal. He's missed time due to injury, to be fair, but the Penguins would warmly welcome an offensive outburst any time now.10. Calgary Flames (10-7-3)Gerry Thomas / National Hockey League / GettyPrevious rank: 17This past summer's Alberta netminder swap has not gone as well for Cam Talbot as it has for Mike Smith. The Flames' backup is 1-3-0 with an .899 save percentage in five appearances.11. Philadelphia Flyers (10-5-2)Previous rank: 16Travis Konecny's emergence as a top-line scorer has helped mask sluggish starts from perennial point producers Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The veteran forwards have combined for just five even-strength goals through the Flyers' first 17 games.12. Toronto Maple Leafs (9-6-4)Previous rank: 14The Maple Leafs have too much skill to look so perplexed on the power play. Toronto has just five goals in its last 41 opportunities with the man advantage, operating at a subpar 18.2% rate on the season.13. Tampa Bay Lightning (8-5-2)Previous rank: 13After a historic 128-point campaign for the Lightning in 2018-19, Nikita Kucherov hasn't been himself to begin the year. It's still early, but the reigning Hart Trophy winner is on pace for his lowest goal total since his rookie season.14. Vancouver Canucks (9-6-3)Previous rank: 10Offseason signing Micheal Ferland has struggled to find his game with the Canucks. After inking a four-year, $14-million pact with Vancouver in July, Ferland has one goal in 12 contests and ranks second-last on the team in average ice time.15. Vegas Golden Knights (9-7-3)Previous rank: 11For a team that's traditionally benefited from a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights have been somewhat disappointing on home ice with just three regulation wins in nine contests.16. Dallas Stars (8-8-2)Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 24Joe Pavelski is on pace for 14 goals this season, which is not what the Stars paid for when they handed the veteran a three-year, $21-million deal in free agency this summer.17. Anaheim Ducks (9-8-1)Previous rank: 18The Ducks' four power-play goals this season are tied for last in the league - and only one more than they've scored shorthanded.18. Arizona Coyotes (9-6-2)Previous rank: 9Phil Kessel has picked up his play of late, but the Coyotes' prized offseason acquisition still sits seventh on the team with just three goals through 17 games.19. Florida Panthers (7-4-5)Previous rank: 19The Panthers boast one of the league's top offenses - which is very fortunate considering newcomer Sergei Bobrovsky's underwhelming performance in goal. The Russian netminder has started to find his form, but an ugly October has him posting career-worst numbers so far this season.20. Carolina Hurricanes (9-7-1)Previous rank: 7The Hurricanes have the talent to keep up with the league's elite, but inconsistency has been their Achilles' heel. Carolina began the season with five straight wins before losing four of its next five. After rebounding with three consecutive victories, the club currently rides a four-game slide.21. Buffalo Sabres (9-6-2)Harry How / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 3Nobody expected Jimmy Vesey to set the league ablaze in Buffalo, but the Sabres' newcomer is yet to score a goal this season and has just two assists over 14 games.22. Winnipeg Jets (10-7-1)Previous rank: 21Jets captain Blake Wheeler has mustered only 10 points in 18 games for a 45-point pace over 82 contests. That would represent about half his production from each of the last two seasons after back-to-back 91-point campaigns. Regression might be setting in for the 33-year-old.23. San Jose Sharks (7-10-1)Previous rank: 23Though the Sharks have won three straight games, goaltending has been their biggest concern. Martin Jones played well in Saturday's win, but he's been inconsistent overall, posting an .888 save percentage on the year and allowing four or more goals in seven of his 13 starts this season.24. Ottawa Senators (6-9-1)Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 30Expectations were quite low for the rebuilding Senators entering this season, so there haven't been many true disappointments in Ottawa. But Craig Anderson has all but lost the No. 1 goaltending job to Anders Nilsson after authoring a subpar .897 save percentage and only two wins in eight starts.25. New York Rangers (7-6-2)Previous rank: 26The Rangers have allowed the second-most shots on goal per game in the NHL and rank top 10 in most goals allowed per contest. The serviceable play of goalies Henrik Lundqvist and Aleksandar Georgiev has masked the team's defensive woes.26. Columbus Blue Jackets (6-8-3)Previous rank: 22Defense was supposed to be the Blue Jackets' focus this season with Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Co. holding down the fort after the offseason exodus of star forwards and a franchise goalie. Yet Columbus is outside the top 10 in shots allowed and ranks bottom 10 in goals against.27. Minnesota Wild (6-10-1)Previous rank: 27Devan Dubnyk was looking to bounce back after posting a .913 save percentage in 2018-19 - a career-worst over a full season. But the Wild's veteran netminder has authored a paltry .887 mark across 11 appearances in 2019-20, and backup Alex Stalock has outperformed him while playing only two fewer games.28. Chicago Blackhawks (6-7-4)Previous rank: 28Veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook has looked a shadow of his former self early this season. He's posted a lone goal and no assists in 15 contests with the Blackhawks, serving as a healthy scratch for only the second and third times in his 15-year career.29. New Jersey Devils (5-7-4)Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPrevious rank: 29Expectations were high for Nikita Gusev, the 2018-19 KHL MVP whom the Devils landed in a trade with the Golden Knights. The Russian sniper hasn't exactly exploded out of the gate, though, scoring four goals in 13 games with only one marker in his last six contests.30. Los Angeles Kings (5-11-1)Previous rank: 25Even head coach Todd McLellan agrees the Kings' veterans deserve plenty of blame. Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, and Ilya Kovalchuk are among the experienced Los Angeles players who have underachieved to this point.31. Detroit Red Wings (6-12-1)Previous rank: 31Andreas Athanasiou was looking to build on the career-high 30 goals he netted across 76 contests last season. Instead, he's taken a significant step backward in the scoring department, burying only two markers over 17 games with the Red Wings.Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.