COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Blue Jackets made it 12 straight wins Friday night, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 to maintain the best record in the NHL.Columbus, improved to 23-5-4 - its best start in franchise history - and has not lost since Nov. 26. Montreal, which outshot Columbus 37-24, fell to 21-9-4.The win was a league-leading 20th for goalie Sergei Bobvrosky, who kept Columbus in the game despite an apathetic third period in which the Blue Jackets took just five shots.Sam Gagner put Columbus on the board at 17:50 of the first period, 16 seconds into a Canadiens bench minor for too many men on the ice. It was his 15th goal on the season and sixth on the power play.The Jackets made it 2-0 with Brandon Saad's 13th goal of the season, just 1:22 into the second period.The Canadians dominated the puck in the third period, and made it 2-1 with Jeff Petry's goal at 9:08.Notes: Both Columbus and Montreal were playing the second of two games in consecutive nights. ... The Blue Jackets signed RW Vitaly Abramov to a three-year entry-level contract. Abramov was the Jackets' third-round selection, 65th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft. ... With his assist in the first period, Cam Atkinson became the fourth player in Columbus history to score 200 points. ... Seth Jones left the game at 1:12 of the first period after taking a puck to the mouth. ... Atkinson continued his career-high nine-game point streak. He currently leads the team in goals (15).UP NEXT:The Canadiens play Wednesday at Tampa Bay.The Blue Jackets are off until Tuesday when they host Boston,Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Auston Matthews gave his hometown crowd something to cheer about early into his Arizona debut Friday.The Toronto Maple Leafs rookie made a slick play to keep the puck onside in the Coyotes' end before setting up Connor Brown who promptly beat Mike Smith with a wrist shot short side.The goal gives Brown goals in two straight games, while Matthews now has 26 points on the year.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

All is well in the State of Hockey.With a 7-4 win over the New York Rangers on Friday, the Minnesota Wild extended their current win streak to 10 games, setting a new franchise record.Here's how they got it done:DateOpponentResultDec. 4@ OilersW 2-1 (OT)Dec. 7@ Maple LeafsW 3-2Dec. 9OilersW 3-2 (SO)Dec. 11BluesW 3-1Dec. 13PanthersW 5-1Dec. 15@ PredatorsW 5-2Dec. 17CoyotesW 4-1Dec. 20AvalancheW 2-0Dec. 22@ CanadiensW 4-2Dec. 23@ RangersThe streak has helped solidify the Wild's hold on second place in the Central Division, sitting two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks with three games in hand.Suffice to say the hiring of Bruce Boudreau as head coach is paying off quite nicely so far.

It was a scene straight out of the Old West.Arizona Coyotes fans acknowledged Shane Doan's 1,500th NHL game by tossing cowboy hats onto the ice prior to puck drop.The appreciative captain put one on and signed some others before heading back to the locker room.

Cam Atkinson is having a fine season, and he's jumping up the Columbus Blue Jackets' all-time scoring list as a result.With an assist during Friday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, Atkinson joined rather exclusive company in the annals of franchise history.

The New York Islanders aren't exactly the best team around these days, but they are giving one of their more notable celebrity fans the bobblehead treatment.That would be Ralph Macchio of "Karate Kid" fame, seen below wearing a home jersey while adopting the crane kick pose made famous in the climactic scene of the 1984 film.

It's been an interesting first third of the season for the Winnipeg Jets, to put it simply.The club has looked to be a tire fire at times and a potential Cup contender at others. Nevertheless the club is just a point out of the final wild-card spot in the West thanks in large to some incredible individual performances.Mark Scheifele for a time led the entire league in scoring and looked to be the hottest player going. Meanwhile, Patrik Laine has been flirting with several rookie scoring records en route to hammering 19 pucks past opposing netminders so far.However, a player that has been nearly equally as impressive - but has not received the same praise - is Nikolaj Ehlers.Now in his second season after a commendable rookie campaign that saw him post 15 goals and 38 points in 72 games, the 20-year-old is set to obliterate last year's totals.Just 36 games into the season, Ehlers has nine goals and 29 points, putting him on pace to close out the season with 20 goals and 66 points.What is surprising in all of this has been that while his linemates have populated the headlines, Ehlers has flown under the radar despite being just a point behind Laine and two back of Scheifele for the team lead.His production in itself shouldn't be that unexpected. After all, the Jets selected him ninth overall in 2014 after Ehlers posted back-to-back 100-plus-point seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.Ehlers is an exceptional talent who is only just scratching the surface as to what he can really do. If he keeps riding his current pace, it will be only a matter of time before he finally starts getting the credit he deserves.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's safe to say former NHLer Steve Downie's career won't be resuming in the desert.The 29-year-old spent 26 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season, and he didn't enjoy the experience.Downie took to Twitter on Thursday night and again Friday to express his displeasure with the organization and the club's head coach, Dave Tippett.Some of the language is a bit colorful:

Winning is good for business.The Columbus Blue Jackets are evidence of this lately, especially in terms of television rights holders.Related: Blue Jackets surprise again - this time for the betterAccording to Fox Sports Ohio, Columbus' 7-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday was viewed in about 38,000 homes in the region. In the final 30 minutes of the broadcast, the number of viewing households jumped to 55,000.The game's 4.1 household rating, or the percent of total households that tuned in to the game, was the highest regular-season rating the club has drawn in seven years, per Evan Weese of Columbus Business First.The Blue Jackets have not generated those kind of viewing numbers since clinching their first playoff berth in a game against Chicago back in 2009.Columbus vaulted into a tie with the Blackhawks for first in the overall standings with the win in front of a sellout crowd of 19,113, and will host the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.For the time being, many eyes are on this suddenly successful team.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It doesn't make sense to Dylan Strome.Speaking with TSN on Friday, the Team Canada captain commented on the decision by USA Hockey to leave Alex DeBrincat off its final roster."It's their decision," Strome said. "I think it's good for us that he's not there. (He's got) a lot of goals. A little strange decision, but they obviously wanted to go a certain way with their team and he wasn't part of it."I feel bad for him, but at the same time I'm playing for Canada right now."A native of Farmington Hills, Mich., DeBrincat has scored 30 goals and 30 assists through 28 games this season with the OHL's Erie Otters, where he is teammates with Strome.The Chicago Blackhawks selected DeBrincat 39th overall in last year's NHL draft.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Just one rink will be lit up in Arizona on Friday night - with the local hero finally taking center stage.Home for the holidays, Auston Matthews will compete in an NHL game in his home state for the very first time as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Arizona Coyotes.

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Detroit Red Wings have circled March 27 as the makeup date for December's postponed game.The Hurricanes and Red Wings were originally scheduled to play Dec. 19 at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., but an issue with the arena's ice cooling system ultimately postponed the game.As a result of the rescheduling, the teams will now play back to back, with both games taking place in Carolina. The makeup game has been added before an originally scheduled game on March 28. Furthermore, it will mark three games in three nights for the Red Wings, who also host the Minnesota Wild on March 26.The two teams met earlier this season, with the Red Wings winning the Oct. 25 game by a 4-2 score. Thomas Vanek, Andreas Athanasiou, and a pair of goals by Dylan Larkin pushed the Red Wings to victory.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Captain Coyote is about to join an exclusive group.When the Arizona Coyotes and their leader Shane Doan take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, it will mark the 1,500th game of Doan's long-tenured career, one in which he has spent entirely with the same franchise.With the feat, Doan will become just the sixth player in NHL history to play as many games with one organization:Player Team GamesGordie HoweDetroit1687Nicklas LidstromDetroit1564Alex DelvecchioDetroit1549Ray BourqueBoston1518Steve YzermanDetroit1514Shane DoanArizona1500Doan also becomes just the 17th player to reach 1,500 games all together.It won't be the only mark that Doan could hit Friday. The wily veteran sits one goal shy of 400 for his career, and has the chance to achieve the feat versus Arizona-born Auston Matthews."Anyone that gets to 400, I've definitely taken the longest," a humble Doan told reporters. "Anyone that's played this long should have had 400 a long time ago."Drafted seventh overall by the original Winnipeg Jets in 1995, Doan stayed with the club when it left the Manitoba capital for Phoenix the following year.Ever since, he's claimed every record in franchise history, as Doan holds the top slot in the team's all-time goals, assists, and points categories, scoring 954 points over the course of his career.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Things have never been lower in the Mile High City.Indeed, it's been a rocky season for the Colorado Avalanche. Following Thursday's 6-0 stomping by the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of their home fans, the Avalanche fell to 11-20-1 on the season, further cementing their place in the NHL's basement.The loss comes less than two weeks after the Avs lost by more than a touchdown to the Montreal Canadiens, on the wrong end of an ugly 10-1 score. Things weren't much better against Toronto, where Colorado failed to tally on two separate 5-on-3 man advantages, leaving the Denver faithful - who have witnessed just four home wins on the season - wanting more.It's been a nightmare month for the Avalanche, who have come away with just two wins through 11 games in December. That stretch has seen the Avs shutout three times, and out scored 42 to 18.Those aren't the results expected from a roster that boasts the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Matt Duchene.It's a roster that once included Paul Stastny, who left in free agency, and Ryan O'Reilly, who was sent to Buffalo for a package of players including Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov, neither of which has had much impact through two seasons in Denver.But for all of their offensive options, the Avalanche can't seem to score. And they surely can't defend with so little depth on the back end.That problem was further compounded following the loss of top blue-liner Erik Johnson, sidelined with a broken leg and not expected back on the ice until February. The Avalanche are 2-7 in his absence. That's left Tyson Barrie and veteran Francois Beauchemin to hold down the fort in the meantime. Really? 50 more games of this?Season GP Record Points2016-173211-20-1232015-168239-39-4822014-158239-31-12902013-148252-22-8112Things were supposed to get better once Patrick Roy left his coaching post. After all, it was supposedly his system and his style that was holding back the Avalanche. But new coach Jared Bednar, fresh off a Calder Cup win in the AHL, hasn't been swept up with offense of his own. Still, as a first-year on the job, he's safe for now.And short of a world where the Avalanche can cut loose general manager Joe Sakic, the most prolific player in franchise history, that means change must come elsewhere.Poor draftingIt starts at the draft table, where the Avalanche have scored with their higher picks. MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Duchene were all taken within the top three, and are now big pieces of the Colorado core. Meanwhile, the likes of Tyson Jost and Mikko Rantanen, both 10th overall picks in the past two drafts, have delivered impressive early returns.But the team hasn't had nearly as much luck on the second day of the draft, where clubs make their picks in rounds two through seven. Go back a decade and the results just aren't there. Outside of the opening round, only five picks have seen 100 games in the NHL - Barrie, O'Reilly, Kevin Shattenkirk, who was flipped to the St. Louis Blues for Johnson, plus T.J. Galiardi, now in the KHL, and the ever-obscure Bradley Malone.So what's the answer for the one-time dominant franchise that made the postseason every year in its first 10 after uprooting from Quebec, a stretch which included two Stanley Cups and four other trips to the Conference Finals?It's a distant past for the Avalanche, winners of a single playoff series since 2007 and just a three-time postseason participant in that time.Blueline repairA team that once featured the likes of star blue-liners Rob Blake and Adam Foote, former teammates of Sakic, surely knows the value of defense. After all, it wins championships.Owners of the league's worst goals against, the Avalanche allow 3.25 goals per game. And at minus-40, their goal differential is a full 10 points worse than the second-last club, and 20 worse than the third-lowest.That's led to many long nights for goaltenders Calvin Pickard and Semyon Varlamov, who both own save percentages in the .900s, despite standing behind a porous defense. Varlamov, after all, is just two years removed as a Vezina nominee. Surely the 28-year-old's game hasn't fallen off that quickly.

The Edmonton Oilers will be without forward Tyler Pitlick for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, the team announced Friday.Pitlick suffered the injury in Monday's overtime win against the St. Louis Blues.The oft-injured winger was beginning to prove himself to be a valuable part of the future in Edmonton, but will now have to overcome another setback to truly make his mark.Pitlick suffered a lacerated spleen two years ago, and other injuries contributed to him dressing in just 37 games - all in the minor leagues - last season.This season he scored eight goals and amassed 11 points, seeing some time on Connor McDavid's wing, before suffering the injury.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Throw out what it is you know about the Columbus Blue Jackets.Who predicted that after finally "arriving" while nose-to-nose with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs that they would go belly up in the season that followed - and rank 25th in the standings when they hosted the All-Star Game? Or when they healed up late that season and finished on a 15-1-1 run, who was it that had them pegged to lose seven straight out the shoot upon return, replace Todd Richards with John Tortorella, and morph into something truly beyond futile?Surely there wasn't a soul who predicted they'd be the top team in the NHL at the holiday break, this season.Except delusion has sorta become Columbus' thing.The Blue Jackets thrashed the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins on Thursday (a statement win whether they want to admit it), and finally sit alone atop the overall standings as winners of 11 straight games and a team that has avoided a regulation loss across six weeks.Tortorella's side have scored 108 goals relative to a league-low 64 pulled out of their own net, for a goal differential 11 points better than the next most efficient team. The power play has been outrageous, firing at 27 percent for the season, and at 81.8 percent, its penalty kill is proficient enough to maintain the league's second-best combined special teams. And while their PDO suggests they will have to come down a touch, strong possession metrics indicate the crash won't be too hard.What's perhaps most amazing is that aside from bolstering a previously shoddy defensive corps with star rookie defender Zach Werenski, this is the same team that was walloped by opponents and critical media and fans alike throughout all of last season.Brandon Saad's elevated his game to a superstar level after a strong, 30-goal debut season with Columbus. His even-strength points rate is higher than both Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, and he trails only the two megastars and Evgeni Malkin in primary points.Columbus' scoring leader, though, is Cam Atkinson, owner of the NHL's fourth-best per-game scoring rate behind only Crosby, McDavid, and befallen Tampa Bay Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos. Atkinson collected his league-best 16th power-play point versus Pittsburgh, and has two shorthanded goals to further underscore his specialty teams contributions.There are career-best projections all over the lineup, from top center Alexander Wennberg to thrifty fourth-line find Sam Gagner. And most importantly, netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has sizzling numbers that compare to his Vezina Trophy campaign in 2013 through 27 starts.Through a third of the season, and with one game left before the holiday break, the Blue Jackets are soaring at a 129-point pace - which would smash the club record by 36 points.In the ultra competitive Metropolitan Division, the Blue Jackets cannot afford to sink too low when they inevitably approach a valley in their season. But with the progress made so far, even the sharpest 180 may not be able to prevent this from being the greatest season in their history - even by Blue Jackets standards.Surprise, surprise.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard has been sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with a sprained knee, general manager Ken Holland told Brendan Savage of MLive.com.Earlier this week, the Red Wings placed Howard on the injured reserve and recalled Jared Coreau from Grand Rapids (AHL).Howard has appeared in 17 games with the Red Wings this season, posting a 5-7-1 record, alongside a .934 save percentage.The Red Wings sit in last place of the Atlantic Division, posting a 14-15-4 record, good for 32 points on the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Friday, Dec. 23:Triple Threat

We're airing some grievances in this week's edition of "On the Fly," theScore's Friday NHL roundtable series. Below are four players taking an axe to our respective fantasy teams, and we're not pleased about it. Oh, and Happy Holidays.Patrice BergeronIan McLaren: Hopes were high in regards to Patrice Bergeron this season, and for good reason.From 2013-14 through 2015-16, the versatile Boston Bruins center averaged 29 goals and 62 points, marking some of the most offensively productive seasons of his career.Through 32 games this season, however, Bergeron is well off that pace, having recorded only five goals and five assists. His shooting percentage is well below his career average, meaning the puck is bound to start going in at some point. But what's most baffling is the fact he's playing with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, who are both posting solid numbers. So where are the assists?At this rate, he'll be good for 12 goals and 25 points, which is flat-out unacceptable for a player drafted in higher rounds.Bergeron did score Thursday against Florida, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come.Evgeny KuznetsovCraig Hagerman: If you're unfortunate enough to have Evgeny Kuznetsov on your fantasy team, you're likely less than impressed with his production this season. If you used a spot in a keeper league on Kuznetsov and can no longer drop him, then you're really ailing - trust me, I know.After a career-high 20 goals and 77 points in 82 games last season, when he led the Capitals in scoring, Kuznetsov's limped through the first three months of 2016-17.He's got just three goals and 17 points through 31 games, putting him on pace to net only seven goals and 44 points - 33 fewer than last season. He has just four power-play points, no game-winning goals, and is also on pace to record nearly 50 fewer shots than last season.Making matters worse, his trade value isn't very high at the moment, while the concept of giving him away for nothing is hard to justify, with the ever-possible chance the 24-year-old turns things around - something fantasy owners must be praying happens soon.Kyle PalmieriNavin Vaswani: Never put your faith in a Devil.Kyle Palmieri was money in 2015-16. Dude scored 30 goals and led New Jersey in points with 57. And it wasn't even close. Adam Henrique's 50 was the next best on the Devils.It was a good story, too: After back-to-back 14-goal seasons in Anaheim, the latter in only 57 games, Palmieri finally got a chance to play top-six minutes and rewarded the Devils' faith in him. A career 11.4 percent shooter, he was at 13.5 percent last year - it clearly wasn't all luck.But, maybe it was. Palmieri's got five goals in 31 games, only three on the power play after 11 PPGs in '15-16, his shooting 8.5 percent, and his ice time's down, too. Even his Corsi's down, from 45.33 percent to 44.44 percent. It's literally all bad.The most painful part: I drafted him in the second round of a 20-team keeper league (four per team), in which drafting successfully is paramount, ahead of Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Suter, Kyle Turris, Rick Nash, Jeff Skinner, David Pastrnak (that one really hurts), Nazem Kadri, Jakob Silfverberg, Ryan Kesler, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Marian Hossa.The list goes on and on and on and on. I hate myself.Dylan LarkinCory Wilkins: Dylan Larkin has a bad case of the sophomore slump.The Detroit Red Wings forward has hit an offensive wall through his second pro season, coming away with just 12 points through the first 33 games of the season.It's a major downfall from the 45-point campaign the rookie sensation put up with the Red Wings last year, when he finished at a 0.56 points per game pace.This season, that number has hit the skids, with Larkin firing well below, at 0.36. While the goals are still there - he has 10 already, and is actually on pace for two more than last season - the helpers have been nearly non-existent, as Larkin has just a pair of assists on the year.Whether that's on Larkin or his linemates is left to be determined, but no doubt more was expected from Larkin after he made the quick jump to the NHL as a 19-year-old.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Evidently, Ray Shero has the room.In their first game since Shero pleaded that his team compete harder, the New Jersey Devils showed the requisite tough their general manager demanded in a dominant performance over the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night.Three line brawls broke out in the first period alone, with the Devils responding to cheap shots in each. And after the teams racked up 80 minutes in penalties, the Devils had limited the Flyers to 16 shots in a 4-0 victory."You could tell the emotions, the passion, and commitment were there," Cory Schneider, who earned the shutout, told NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale."I think we're just tired of losing, just tired of not winning. That could manifest itself in a lot of ways and (Thursday) it was a positive."P.A. Parenteau added, "It's nice to get back on track and play some good, hard hockey. There's no reason to believe we can't play like this more often. This was a tough stretch and no one was happy in this locker room."Leading goal scorer Mike Cammalleri was one of the combatants for New Jersey, his third career fight underscoring the investment put forth, and precisely the response Shero wanted to counteract an opponent looking to bully its way to two points."Now it's one win, we haven't accomplished anything by any means. But I think we got the message," Parenteau told Andrew Gross of The Record.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL offseason offers the opportunity for general managers to reshape their rosters. While some moves turn out to be the perfect fit, other buys often leave GMs scrambling for the receipt.Here are three players who are not fitting in with their new squads:Andrew LaddThe New York Islanders GM Garth Snow should call for a mulligan after signing veteran forward Andrew Ladd to a seven-year, $38.5-million deal in the offseason.To say Ladd has struggled in his first year in Brooklyn would be an understatement. With just four goals and three assists on the season, this wasn't what the Islanders had in mind when they splurged in the summer.Ladd's play is a stark difference from the consistency he saw in the last five seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, where his point totals floated between 46 and 62. And at 31 years old, his best days are already in the rearview mirror.To make matters worse, New York passed on re-signing Kyle Okposo, who was a fit with the Islanders and has seen early success with his new club, the Buffalo Sabres, already potting 22 points. That's would be good for second on the Islanders, who sit last in the East. Okposo's new deal pays $500,000 more than Ladd, but seemingly comes with some production.Brian ElliottThe discussion point of taking Brian Elliott out of St. Louis and away from Blues coach Ken Hitchcock to see it all unravel appears to have some merit.After a draft day deal sent him to Calgary, the veteran netminder has quickly seen his season go up in flames. Last year's save percentage leader, coming in at .930, Elliott has leaked goals through his first season with the Flames. Through 15 games, Elliott has come away with just four wins, while his save percentage has tumbled to an ugly .889.That performance planted Elliott on the bench and saw journeyman goaltender Chad Johnson run with the starter's role, who has grabbed 13 wins on the season.At the season's beginning, the Flames initiated extension talk with Elliott, a pending unrestricted free agent, but given his lagging performance this campaign, the Flames could change routes. That would leave Elliott to explore the market for a new crease next season.Mikkel BoedkerAfter eight seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, the club that drafted him eight overall in 2008, Mikkel Boedker very quickly went from the only team he'd ever known to now being on his third team.The Coyotes flipped Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche at last year's deadline, and he put up respectable numbers in Denver, tallying 12 points in 18 games. But that performance didn't follow him to Silicon Valley, after agreeing to a four-year contract with the San Jose Sharks this summer.With just six points on the season, Boedker is on pace for the worst campaign of his career, a far cry from the career-year he put up in 2013-14, when he finished with 19 goals and 32 assists. No doubt the Sharks aren't getting bang for their buck on the $4-million salary they handed to the Danish forward.Such a performance could see Boedker quickly move on to his fourth team, should the Sharks choose to cut ties by leaving the streaky winger exposed for the Vegas expansion draft.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's bad in Denver. Very, very bad.The Colorado Avalanche were shut out for the second time in three nights Thursday, falling to the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs 6-0 on home ice. It was the Avs' fifth straight loss, as their nightmare December continues.Jared Bednar's crew is 2-9 this month, and up next is Chicago, Calgary, Dallas, and the New York Rangers."I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating right now," captain Gabriel Landeskog said after Thursday's whipping, according to the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla. "It's probably as frustrating as it's ever been."Nathan MacKinnon, second on the club with 21 points, was straightforward in his assessment of the team."We have no chemistry," he said.MacKinnon was also candid Thursday morning about his club's struggles, and that makes what happened Thursday night even more stunning."It's embarrassing," MacKinnon said, according to the Denver Post's Terry Frei. "Even like waving at the security people around the rink, it's like ... I'm sure they're disappointed in us, being in last."It wears on you. I'd be lying if I said it didn't," he added. "We're very thankful to play this game and we're lucky and fortunate. But when you lose this much, it's a horrible feeling, whether you're in bantam or the NHL. ... We need to have a good game (Thursday night), that's all we can really focus on."Imagine what MacKinnon's going to say Friday.The Avalanche are completely lost. Where they go from here will be one of the more fascinating storylines to watch as the season progresses. Every night can't be rock bottom.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

DENVER - Nazem Kadri scored twice, Frederik Andersen stopped 38 shots for his first shutout this season and the Toronto Maple Leafs routed the last-place Colorado Avalanche 6-0 on Thursday night.Auston Matthews scored his team-leading 16th goal to get the Maple Leafs started in the first period. James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist, and Connor Brown and Frederik Gauthier also scored for Toronto.Andersen earned his seventh career shutout, and it was an easy one for the NHL veteran. The Maple Leafs scored five goals in 21:29 spanning the first and second periods, starting with Matthews' goal at 7:13 of the first.Gauthier's first goal of the season at 8:42 of the second ended Semyon Varlamov's night. The Colorado goalie allowed five goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Calvin Pickard.Pickard made 12 saves for the Avalanche, who are 0-7-1 in their last eight home games. They have lost five straight overall.Kadri scored a power-play goal in the third, his 13th.NOTES: Maple Leafs C Byron Froese made his season debut after being recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL on Wednesday. ... The Avalanche failed to score in six power-play chances, including a combined 2:01 of 5-on-3 action. They are 1 for 23 on the power play in the last five games. ... Toronto loaned G Jhonas Enroth to the Marlies.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Add another name to the growing list of potential Rocket Richard Trophy winners.With another goal in the Los Angeles Kings' 4-0 thumping of the Nashville Predators on Thursday, Jeff Carter climbed a little higher on the list of the league's top goal-scorers.The 31-year-old now has 17 on the campaign - six behind Sidney Crosby, but just two back of David Pastrnak and Patrik Laine and the second overall spot.Carter has been on a tear of late, with six goals in his last seven games, and has proven to be the Kings' most dependable option on offense. He's the only member of the team to hit double digits in goals, and has more than twice as many as the next-highest teammate, Tyler Toffoli, who has eight to date.Carter is likely going to need Crosby to hit a wall if he hopes to dethrone the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and capture the honor. In the meantime, he can rest his hat on the fact that he's on pace to eclipse the 40-goal mark for the second time in his career, and should at least be in the running at season's end.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The kid can skate.Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin stepped on the gas late in a win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, speeding down the ice in order to score an empty-net goal and squash any attempt at a comeback.The goal was Drouin's second of the game and 10th of the season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bruce Boudreau has a way with words.The Minnesota Wild head coach was asked how he felt about his team tying a franchise record with its ninth straight win, and his answer was something."Tying is like kissing your sister," Boudreau said, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo. "Getting it is the nice thing. Our job's not done."The Wild will go for 10 on Friday in Manhattan, when they visit the New York Rangers. They'll once again be without Zach Parise, Boudreau confirmed, as the winger's dealing with an illness that cost him Thursday's game, as well.Devan Dubnyk was exceptional again Thursday, but backup Darcy Kuemper should get the call in the second half of a back-to-back.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jaromir Jagr wasn't the only NHL player to register a milestone assist Thursday night.With a third-period helper on Devin Setoguchi's goal against the Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar reached a cool 700 points for his career.

Lost in all the hype surrounding the scorching-hot Columbus Blue Jackets and Jaromir Jagr's record-setting week are the Minnesota Wild and Devan Dubnyk.Dubnyk and his mates went into Montreal on Thursday night, where the Canadiens had only lost twice this year, and came away with a 4-2 win. It was Minnesota's ninth straight win, tying a franchise record.In a battle between the league's top two goalies, Dubnyk came out on top, making 32 saves on 34 shots. Carey Price stopped 23-of-26 shots he faced. Eric Staal scored his fifth game-winning goal of the season, as he continues to be one of the top offseason signings.

This is a recording: A Toronto Maple Leafs rookie has scored a beauty goal.Getting in on the action this time around was Frederik Gauthier, who fired a wicked shot over the catching glove of Colorado Avalanche netminder Semyon Varlamov for his first career NHL goal.

It didn't happen quite the way he pictured it.After Jaromir Jagr recorded career point 1,888, and with the game on hold to celebrate him passing Mark Messier on the NHL's all-time points list, he was asked what the milestone meant.Jagr said he would have liked the point to come on a goal or a beautiful assist, but the puck happened to touch a certain area of his pants before finding Aleksander Barkov's stick and then the back of the net.

Jaromir Jagr made a little more history Thursday, recording the 1,888th point - an assist - of his remarkable career to pass legend Mark Messier for second on the NHL's all-time scoring list.Two months shy of his 45th birthday, and two night's after tying Messier with a three-assist game, Jagr stands alone at No. 2.It wasn't the prettiest assist of Jagr's career, but one of the most important. His Florida Panthers down 2-0 in the third period, Jagr was parked in front of the Boston Bruins net and took a Michael Matheson slapshot off his leg. The rebound off No. 68 bounced directly to Aleksander Barkov, who potted the goal to give Jagr the point he was looking for.Jagr was saluted by the home crowd in Florida, and his Panthers teammates, and was given a gold stick to commemorate the historical moment."It hit my ass," Jagr said as the game was stopped for an immediate interview with the legend. Off his bottom or not, it'll go down as the 1,133rd assist of Jagr's career.Up next: Wayne Gretzky and his otherwordly 2,857 points.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Remember when Auston Matthews was in a scoring slump?It seems like forever ago, as the Toronto Maple Leafs stud has been on a goal-scoring terror over the last month. With his 16th goal of the year Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche, the 19-year-old now has 10 goals since Nov. 23.

Well that escalated quickly.Entering the third period with a 3-1 advantage over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Columbus Blue Jackets did all they could to put the Metropolitan Division showdown out of reach with three goals in 51 seconds.Here's who did the damage:

If looks could kill.The Blue Jackets exploded for four goals in six-and-a-half minutes to start the third period Thursday against the Penguins, and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan's reaction to Columbus' seventh goal - Scott Hartnell's third of the night - was priceless:(Courtesy: @taylastivka)As hats rained down on the ice, Sullivan kept his eyes peeled on the Blue Jackets bench, using a smile to try to get the attention of Columbus coach John Tortorella.Hartnell's hat trick goal came just as a Blue Jackets power play expired, and Sullivan was apparently ticked off about Columbus' first power-play unit being on the ice in a 6-1 game.According to the Blue Jackets broadcast, though, the Penguins did the same to Columbus last season, so it appears Tortorella was only returning the favor.The game ended 7-1 Columbus, running the Blue Jackets' win streak to 11.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Talking about making the most of your chances.David Perron did as much Thursday, picking off a pass by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point before absolutely undressing Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the St. Louis Blues a 1-0 lead.The goal was Perron's ninth of the year and his second in as many games.(Video courtesy: NHL.com)Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The first player ever drafted by the Nashville Predators has called it a day.David Legwand, who was selected second overall by the Predators in 1998, announced his retirement from professional hockey Thursday after 16 seasons.Legwand appeared in a franchise-high 956 games with the Predators, and also holds team records in goals (210), assists (356), and total points (566).In 2014, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, before signing a contract with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent that summer. Legwand was subsequently traded to the Buffalo Sabres - with whom he played his final NHL season in 2015-16 - after one year in Ottawa,"What a great ride this was," Legwand said, "especially having the chance to play nearly 1,000 games for my drafting club in Nashville and seeing the growth of the game there; to fulfilling a dream of playing for my hometown Red Wings; to experiencing the positive vibe of playing in Canada’s capital of Ottawa; and to end with the talented players of the Buffalo Sabres in my final season."Altogether, Legwand appeared in 1,136 NHL games, with 228 goals, 390 assists, and 618 points to his name.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In some respects, Thursday's clash between the Metropolitan Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins and the team with the best points percentage in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the first game on the season schedule with a heightened degree of importance.The sides, who have developed a mutual distaste for one another since their venomous postseason clash a few springs back, each arrive at their first head-to-head matchup of the season on an absolute tear. Neither have a regulation loss in their last 10 games.You would expect the Blue Jackets - objectively great so far, but, in the eyes of probably most, still considered a rung below the Penguins in terms of title contention - to treat this as a proving ground.But you would be mistaken."It has nothing to do with that," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. "It's another game that's on the schedule and we are approaching it as we have all year long."He added: "I need to worry about a team (which is) about to play its next game which is Game 31 in the regular season and that's all I care about."Tortorella's stance was echoed by his players."We don't have measure-stick games on this team," Brandon Dubinsky said. "We measure our play within ourselves and within our locker room."Still, there will be more eyeballs fixated on the Blue Jackets, who have almost unbelievably been the most dominant team in the NHL through 10 weeks. They can make a statement, intentional or otherwise.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears the Boston Bruins will pack a greater offensive punch on their two-game trip through the Sun Belt prior to the holiday break.David Pastrnak, the breakout forward who owns a greater chunk of his team's total output than any player in the NHL, is expected back after using a two-game absence to clean out his elbow.In addition, Frank Vatrano - the goal-per-game scorer in the American Hockey League last season - appears ready for his season debut.Officially, both are "highly likely" to play against the Florida Panthers, according to coach Claude Julien.Vatrano skated on a third-line unit with Austin Czarnik and Riley Nash at the morning skate Thursday.He missed the first two-and-a-half months of the season after having offseason surgery on his foot.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond has a high ankle sprain and is considered week to week, the club announced Thursday.Hammond exited versus the New York Islanders near the 17-minute mark last Sunday night. He suffered the injury as he spun back in his crease, reacting to a puck trickling behind him.Mike Condon came on in relief, and will shoulder the load with Matt O'Connor in support, as Craig Anderson remains away from the club tending to personal matters.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Friendly fire.Buffalo Sabres netminder Anders Nilsson had to resort to the stock, white mask after defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen took a chunk from his "gamer" in practice Thursday.

Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.▲ Evgeni MalkinIt feels like Malkin has set out to remind the hockey world what he can do when he's healthy.The Russian superstar is third in NHL scoring with 37 points, including 15 in his last 10 games. He's three off Connor McDavid's lead.More importantly, Malkin is healthy, suiting up in all 33 games so far this season for the surging Penguins. Malkin hasn't played 70 games since 2011-12 - his MVP year.Pittsburgh has been a force to start the season, sitting first in the Metropolitan, and for the first time in a long time, it's reaping the benefits of a healthy and productive Malkin.▼ New Jersey DevilsIt's been a difficult year in New Jersey.After making a huge splash over the summer in acquiring Taylor Hall, the Devils have come down from a decent start and floundered throughout December.The club has dropped seven decisions in a row, prompting general manager Ray Shero to tell his troops to "play f------ harder." Not good.Simply put, New Jersey isn't scoring, or keeping the puck out of its own net. Over the seven-game slide, the Devils have never managed to score more than two goals, and they've allowed three or more six times.▲ Artemi PanarinPanarin has never heard of a sophomore slump.The reigning Calder winner is on a tear for the surging Chicago Blackhawks, accumulating 12 points (5G, 7A) over a six-game point streak.The 25-year-old ranks fifth in league scoring with 35 points, and seems to have regained the chemistry he found last year with linemate Patrick Kane.▼ Detroit Red WingsIf Detroit is to extend its playoff streak beyond a quarter-century, it's got some work to do.A 3-5-2 stretch over their last 10 games has sunk the Red Wings to 13th in the Eastern Conference, only two points clear of the last-place Islanders with an extra game played.Detroit's offense has sputtered, averaging only 2.27 goals per game (27th), while owning the NHL's worst power play (12.4 percent).An aging core and a series of questionable moves from general manager Ken Holland have put the Red Wings in a vulnerable position for the first time in a generation.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues have placed forward Paul Stastny on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, general manager Doug Armstrong announced Thursday.In a corresponding move, the Blues have recalled forward Wade Megan from the AHL's Chicago Wolves.Stastny has suited up in all 34 of the Blues' contests this season, scoring seven goals and 10 assists.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, Dec. 22 (all advanced stats courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and applied to 5v5 situations):Triple Threat

Don't expect a lot of goals at the Bell Centre on Thursday night.The Minnesota Wild roll into La Belle Province to take on the Montreal Canadiens, a game headlined by those between the pipes.Devan Dubnyk and Carey Price will square off for the first time this season, both in the midst of stellar campaigns.PlayerRecordGAASv% ShutoutsPrice18-4-21.870.9362Dubnyk16-6-31.550.9485Price holds a slightly better record, while Dubnyk ranks atop the NHL in the other three categories.Dubnyk and the Wild come in on an eight-game winning streak, while the Habs own the best home record in the league at 15-2-2.The two All-Star goaltenders will only play each other twice this season, but expect them to battle for the Vezina Trophy all year long.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.