Roberto Luongo let his temper get the best of him Tuesday night.The Florida Panthers goaltender smashed his stick on the boards at his team's bench after surrendering a fifth goal to the Minnesota Wild in an eventual 5-1 loss.Luongo was pulled in favor of James Reimer after allowing Jason Zucker's goal midway through the third period, and the veteran netminder continued to vent his anger in the tunnel after being yanked.

No Corey Crawford, no problem.Since Chicago's two-time Stanley Cup champion starter hit the shelf with an appendectomy Dec. 3, Scott Darling has filled in more than admirably for the Central Division leading Blackhawks.Darling is 7-2-2 this season, and in his last five starts, he's simply been lights out.OpponentGASv%DecisionRangers10.971WStars10.958WRangers10.973OTLCoyotes01.000WJets20.938LThe recent run is a small sample size, but in 56 appearances over his NHL career, Darling is 28-14-6 with a 2.28 goals against average and .924 save percentage, making his pending unrestricted free agency all the more interesting.While Crawford is due back before the month's end, if Darling remains in the zone, head coach Joel Quenneville might be hard pressed to take the crease away from the 27-year-old.Following the win over the Rangers Tuesday, Darling was asked about his upcoming UFA status.

Jeff Carter did his part.The Los Angeles Kings center scored a pair of goals against the Sabres on Tuesday, but his team still skated off the ice in Buffalo with a 6-3 loss to its credit.Carter clearly wasn't pleased with the result, as the Kings kicked off a nine-game road trip.

Jack Capuano wants more from his team.The New York Islanders dropped a 4-2 decision Tuesday to the Washington Capitals, getting outshot 38-28 in the process.It was the Islanders second loss in a row following a stretch where they earned a point in five consecutive games, but sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference, Capuano is growing tired of the same old results."I'm losing my patience with some guys," Capuano said following the loss, according to Jim Cerny from thehockeywriters.com. "We have to hold guys accountable.""Where's the poise? Where's the confidence," Capuano added.Capuano has a point. Several keys to the Islanders' offense simply aren't producing, as only six forwards have eclipsed the 10-point mark this season."It's frustrating," Capuano said, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple. "You know the talent's there. You don't know where it's gone."As you might expect, captain John Tavares was exempt from the criticism:

Alan Thicke clearly made an indelible impression on the hockey community.The Canadian actor and passionate fan of the game died Tuesday at the age of 69, Thicke's publicist confirmed to Christopher Watson from ABC News.Thicke died in hospital after suffering a heart attack playing hockey with his son, TMZ reportedPlayers, clubs, and the league itself offered heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the late "Growing Pains" star:

The Vancouver Canucks seemed on their way to a much-needed road win, and then everything fell apart.That's how captain Henrik Sedin described Tuesday's turn of events in Carolina, wherein his team took a 5-2 lead into the third period, only for the Hurricanes to score six goals in the final frame.

The puck had to get by at some point.Antti Raanta's shutout streak came to an end Tuesday thanks to a goal by Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk at the 5:18 mark of the second period.

Zach Hyman: hard worker.During a penalty kill in the first period versus the Sharks Tuesday, the gutsy Maple Leafs forward took a Brent Burns slapshot in the leg, forcing him off the ice with the help of teammates.Not to worry though, Hyman didn't miss a beat, and returned to score the game's opening goal just four minutes later.The entire sequence encapsulates Hyman's contributions to Toronto's lineup. The 24-year-old ranks eighth among all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice-time (73:20), and the goal was his seventh even-strength point in nine games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anze Kopitar is on the board for the first time in nearly three weeks.The Los Angeles Kings captain cruised in from the neutral zone, blew past Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly, and shoveled a dribbler past goaltender Robin Lehner to end a 16-game goal drought Tuesday night.Kopitar hadn't scored since Oct. 25, when he tallied in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.Tuesday's goal was his third of the season and his 246th in a Kings' uniform, tying Wayne Gretzky for sixth on the franchise's all-time list.(Video courtesy: NHL.com)Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This could have been so much worse.New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas was rushed off the ice early in Tuesday's game against Washington after suffering an apparent cut from a skate.After falling to the ice on the forecheck, Cizikas was seen being inadvertently stepped on. Medical staff ran to the scene and ushered Cizikas to the locker room.Cizikas was, however, able to return prior to the end of the opening frame.

Arizona Coyotes forward Max Domi is out indefinitely after undergoing hand surgery, general manager John Chayka announced Tuesday.Domi was roughed up in a Dec. 8 fight versus the Calgary Flames and was originally considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.Chayka didn't outline a comeback plan, but said the Coyotes expect Domi to make a full recovery and return to the lineup later this season.In 26 games this campaign, the 21-year-old ranks second on the club with 16 points.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are benefiting from some added downtime.In November, head coach John Tortorella made headlines by deciding to part with the traditional mandatory morning skate, in an effort to shake his players' routines.A month later, Columbus owns the NHL's best winning percentage (.731), and have danced to the tune of an 11-1-2 record in their past 14 contests.While a strong offense and superb goaltending may factor into the club's success more than barring gameday practices, Tortorella still doesn't see the benefits of a mandatory skate."That's about stupidity, quite honestly," Tortorella told reporters Tuesday. "Why do we bring the players in once a day to practice and let them go home, but bring them in twice a day to play a game?"Common sense dictates."The Blue Jackets are a young team, and during the grind of an 82-game season, Tortorella doesn't want his troops thinking about the rink 24 hours a day."We are trying to keep our guys, not so much physically fresh, but mentally fresh," Tortorella said.Winning talks the loudest, and at this point, it's tough to form an argument against Tortorella's strategy.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada has made several cuts on the eve of the final day of the World Junior Championship selection camp.Defenseman Victor Mete (London - OHL) as well as forwards Nick Merkley (Kelowna - WHL), Brett Howden (Moose Jaw - WHL), and Austin Wagner (Regina - WHL) have been sent back to their junior clubs, according to Mark Masters of TSN.For Merkley, an Arizona Coyotes draft pick, it marks the second year in a row he's been cut from the selection camp roster. Howden was selected 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June.The blue line cut eliminates one junior league from having any representatives:

The hope in Colorado is that goaltender Semyon Varlamov won't miss multiple games with his latest groin injury.On the heels of a 51-save performance in a win Sunday over Toronto, Varlamov won't be available Wednesday against Philadelphia, and the nature of the injury is cause for concern.Head coach Jared Bednar seems somewhat optimistic, for the time being."Varly tweaked his groin, so he’s out day to day," Bednar said Tuesday, per Terry Frei of the Denver Post. "I don’t think it’s anything major, but he’ll miss (Wednesday’s) game."Apparently, he’s feeling better today than yesterday, so I’m hoping it’s going to be shorter than what he’s had in the past."Varlamov has been sidelined for long periods of time with groin issues since the beginning of 2014-15.In 19 appearances this season, Varlamov has a 6-12-0 record with a .904 save percentage, and it's expected Calvin Pickard (5-3-1, .913) will start in his absence.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers don't seem to have a concrete plan for 18-year-old No. 4 overall draft selection Jesse Puljujarvi.That is, except for not making him available to Finland for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship. That definitely ain't happening, general manager Peter Chiarelli revealed Tuesday.But aside from that, it appears the prized prospect that fell into their laps will remain in and out of the lineup, and perhaps see time with Bakersfield of the American Hockey League."He's shown he can play at this level. He hasn't played lately," Chiarelli said Tuesday. "It's not ideal to have an 18-year-old not playing every game. He may see some time in the (AHL). We'll see how it goes."Puljujarvi has sat out the last two games, but will dress Tuesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. He hasn't scored since the season opener, and has been largely unable to find a fit in Edmonton's temperamental top nine.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anderson family received some great news on Tuesday.Nicholle Anderson, the wife of Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, took to her blog to announce that her tumor has responded positively to treatment.Nicholle shared a picture of two CT scans side by side; one taken on Nov. 9 prior to her treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma - a common form of throat cancer - and another from today. The scans show that the tumor has begun to shrink following treatments.Craig, in the meantime, remains away from the Senators after taking a leave of absence to be with his wife. Head coach Guy Boucher gave a brief update on Tuesday, stating the team doesn't expect him back "for a little while," according to TSN's Ian Mendes.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Captain Serious is back, no joke.Jonathan Toews will make his long-awaited return to the Chicago Blackhawks' lineup when the team visits the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the captain confirmed to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.Toews has missed nine straight games with a back injury, but the team hasn't lost its step in his absence, winning five of those contests and sending another two past regulation.To make things even better for Chicago, the club will also welcome back defenseman Brent Seabrook, who has missed the club's last two games with an upper-body injury.The return of Toews and Seabrook should only further aid the Blackhawks, who currently pace the Western Conference with 40 points in 30 games.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 Tuesday, Dec. 13 (all advanced stats are at 5v5 and courtesy of Corsica.Hockey):Triple Threat

Don't mess with the Biebs.At a pickup hockey game inside the LA Kings Valley Ice Center, pop star Justin Bieber was caught getting into a heated scuffle with an opposing player. In the clip above, Bieber (wearing No. 23) is angling to receive a pass when his stick gets chopped in two."Let's go right now," Bieber can be heard saying as his nemesis is escorted off of the ice. The rest of the audio is unclear, though there is some bleeped out profanity.It wouldn't be surprising if Bieber told the other player to, er, "love himself," so to speak.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's second star of the week has earned another start over Henrik Lundqvist.Antti Raanta will man the crease when the New York Rangers welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed to NHL.com's Dan Rosen, stating: "He deserves to play."The start comes on the back of two straight shutouts for Raanta, and will mark the fourth contest in a row that Vigneault has handed the reigns to his backup over the former Vezina Trophy winner.The stretch will mark the first time in Lundqvist's career that he has sat four straight games while healthy, according to Rosen.

The NHL will not levy punishment on Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, who landed a high open-ice hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw on Monday night, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.Krug made direct contact with Shaw's head. But as Johnston notes, the fact that Shaw made himself vulnerable by crouching down and reaching out made head contact less avoidable in this instance.Shaw, left bloodied by the hit, returned to the game after being checked out by medical personnel.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Every Tuesday, theScore's editors will examine the fortunes of the north's seven NHL franchises. Welcome to "O Canada."Calgary FlamesPlus: Where to start? The Flames bagged three wins, extending their win streak to six games, and briefly sat atop the division summit after their 6-2 thumping of the Jets. Johnny Gaudreau's delivered multi-point efforts in all four games since his return, Sean Monahan's come alive, and Dougie Hamilton looks every bit as Brian Burke advertised when he shut down the swirling trade talk.Minus: The players will gladly accept the two days they were given to recharge after cooling the Jets, but a soft portion in the schedule may be coming at the wrong time for the red-hot roster. Calgary is in the midst of a nine-day stretch with just two games.The Take: Gaudreau's surgeon may have saved the season.Edmonton OilersPlus: After coughing up third-period advantages against the Sabres and Flyers on a recent four-game losing streak, the Oilers showed some needed resolve over the weekend. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins pulled them level with the Wild before losing in a shootout Friday, and they came all the way back in the third Sunday versus the Jets.Minus: Edmonton will be without Darnell Nurse for the next three months after the often mean-spirited defender underwent ankle surgery. The club cannot afford another injury to an impact player on the back end.The Take: Zack Kassian's negated breakaway goal Sunday is precisely what's wrong with video review in the NHLMontreal CanadiensPlus: An outlier to call their own, the Canadiens hung 10 on the Avalanche five weeks after suffering the same fate against the Blue Jackets. Max Pacioretty scored four times in the contest, and with his play of late, has absolved himself from his early season struggles. Never mind the broken foot.Minus: With their overtime loss to the Bruins in the second half of a back-to-back (which is obviously nothing to sneeze at), the Blue Jackets jumped ahead of the Canadiens for the best record in the NHL.The Take: Alexei Emelin might just be developing a reputation.Ottawa SenatorsPlus: The Senators won their first game in California with a 4-2 victory over the Sharks, ensuring the typically uncertain progress from the dreaded three-game gauntlet.Minus: The Senators felt that was enough, apparently, as they turned in listless efforts against the Kings and Ducks over the weekend. Building up multi-goal deficits in the first period of each contest, the Senators were outscored 9-2 on aggregate in their SoCal back-to-back.The Take: Oh joy. The first game back from their west coast road trip is against the Sharks. They won't be motivated at all.Toronto Maple LeafsPlus: Well, this depends on which side of the fence you're on in the 'ol process vs. results divide. Toronto was out-attempted nearly two-to-one in a 4-1 victory over the Bruins on Saturday, and then on a second half of yet another back-to-back, they recorded the most shot attempts in a single game this season (99!), and ended up losing 3-1 to one of the worst teams in the league.Minus: Found above.The Take: Perhaps the fourth line was constructed in a way as to keep the kids stay on the straight and narrow. Mitch Marner was the latest subjected to sharing shifts with Matt Martin, punishment for what Mike Babcock suggested was a drift in overall focus of late.Vancouver CanucksPlus: Canucks fans might have the opportunity to see Thatcher Demko much earlier than expected. With Ryan Miller dealing with an injury, and usual call-up Richard Bachman dealing with a setback, too, Demko was recalled over the weekend.Minus: As expected, it's become increasingly difficult to consume these games. The Canucks needed a fifth power play to record a shot on Braden Holtby in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Capitals.The Take: Jannik Hansen's return means Sven Baertschi's departure? Really?Winnipeg JetsPlus: We know what sort of captain that Blake Wheeler is. The immediateness to which Wheeler wrapped his arm around Patrik Laine in an effort to make the super rookie feel better about burying an own goal was truly telling about his character.Minus: Besides the moment of camaraderie, the week really couldn't have been more of a nightmare. The Jets took one point from four games at the end of a nine-day stretch where they played six times. Though still fourth in the division, they now have the fourth-worst record in the NHL in terms of point percentage.The Take: With four winnable games (including two against the Canucks), and appropriate rest in between, the Jets' schedule between now and the holiday break is critical.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It would appear his lofty prior achievements might be clouding our perception of Matt Murray.Already a Stanley Cup champion, the Pittsburgh Penguins netminder has flown criminally under the radar in Calder Trophy talks, with Patrik Laine and Auston Matthews creating a social media war and Zach Werenski doing some heavy lifting in Columbus to enter the conversation.However, Murray is still very much eligible for rookie of the year honors and has done more than enough to date to be considered a contender for the award, if not be the outright favorite.

The talk after the Bruins' 2-1 overtime win over the Canadiens focused on a hit in the first period.Boston defender Torey Krug caught Montreal forward Andrew Shaw up high near center ice in the first period, and the NHL's Department of Player Safety will review the hit, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels."Personally, I just grabbed the puck and thought (Shaw) was going to hit me so I lowered my shoulder and that was that," Krug said after the game, according to TSN 690's Amanda Stein."I was looking at the puck ... I saw him, I knew who it was and I just assumed he was going to play the body because he is a physical player," Krug added. "I lowered my shoulder and I don't know what happened."Shaw left the game after the hit, presumably to be evaluated for a concussion, and returned shortly after the second period began.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dave Tippett was not in a conversational mood Monday night.The Arizona Coyotes head coach ended his postgame media session after providing just one answer following a 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins."We're struggling with execution. There's a standard you have to play to in the NHL, whether you're a young guy or a veteran," Tippett said. "We didn't play or compete at an NHL level tonight, and that's the score you get. That's where we're at today."The Coyotes mustered 32 shots to the Penguins' 34, but Arizona goaltender Mike Smith was pulled after allowing four goals on the 22 he faced. Louis Domingue didn't fare much better, allowing three on 12.Many expected the Coyotes to take a step forward this season - considering their impressive crop of young talent - but Arizona has been the NHL's worst team with a record of 9-14-5 through 28 games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It took a pair of reviews, but the persistent Boston Bruins got their overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens.Ryan Spooner finished off a give-and-go with Torey Krug, trickling the puck past Carey Price to hand the Bruins a 2-1 win Monday night.The goal came not long after David Krejci's apparent winner was waved off due to goaltender interference.Spooner's marker was also reviewed - for a possible offside infraction - before being upheld.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Metropolitan Division is the best in hockey - and it isn't even close.The Pittsburgh Penguins extended their win streak to six games Monday, and they're simply doing what everyone else in the division is.TeamWin StreakPhiladelphia Flyers9Penguins6Columbus Blue Jackets6Washington Capitals4New York Rangers3The five clubs are a ridiculous 18-1 over the past eight days, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti."Win them all if you can," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz said, writes the Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. "You have a bad day, you could fall like three or four spots. You could go from being a wild-card team to not being in the playoffs to being second in your division if you win."Washington's 37 points would be good for first in the Pacific Division, and second in the Central Division and Atlantic Division. Instead, the Capitals are fifth in the Metro, and a wild-card team - along with the Blue Jackets.The New York Islanders are in the basement in the Metro, 10 points behind the Capitals, and they're 6-3-1 in their past 10 games. Tough sledding."There's no room," Rangers center Derek Stepan said. "We're in our playoff push."In December.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's not unusual to be loved by anyone, nor is it peculiar to wear eye-popping clothing to an ugly Christmas sweater party.Still, that doesn't quite excuse Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto or his teammate, blue-liner Brandon Manning, for the attire they chose Monday night.

What a year.The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated the one-year anniversary of Mike Sullivan becoming head coach by doing what they've done a lot of over the past 365 days - winning.Pittsburgh dusted Arizona 7-0 on Monday to make it six wins in a row, an expected result considering the Coyotes' last-place standing in the NHL, making for a combined score of 13-0 for the Penguins over Arizona in 2016.Related: Watch: Crosby bats puck out of mid-air to score NHL-leading 21stSullivan was hired on Dec. 12, 2015, replacing Mike Johnston, and Pittsburgh has been a force ever since.Monday night was regular-season game No. 83 for Sullivan behind the black and gold bench, and his record is stellar:SeasonGPWLOTLWIN%2015-165433165.6572016-17291973.706Once Sullivan took over, the Penguins became what they are today: one of the league's fastest outfits, which can score goals in bunches. It helps when you have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel - each player went into Monday's game with over 30 points, while Crosby is averaging almost an absurd goal per game.Kris Letang anchors the defense, and Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary are producing as well. When controversy hit the crease after Marc-Andre Fleury was hurt last season, Matt Murray stepped up admirably, and he's undoubtedly the new No. 1 in goal.There are 16 wins not accounted for in the table above. They came in 24 games during the 2016 playoffs, as the Penguins marched to their fourth Stanley Cup.It's fair to say that the honeymoon stage between Sullivan and Pittsburgh is far from over.Isn't love beautiful?Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidney Crosby: Still ridiculous.The NHL's top goal-scorer was at it again Monday. After Evgeni Malkin's shot hit the post, Crosby waited for the puck to drop below the crossbar before batting it in past helpless Arizona Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue.The slow-motion replay really shows Crosby's brilliance. He's tracking the puck the entire way after it hit the post, knowing he must wait before he swings. Offspeed pitch? No problem.The goal is Crosby's 21st in 23 games.

Montreal Canadiens. Boston Bruins. Old time hockey.Things got physical relatively early Monday between the two longtime rivals.Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin crunched Bruins forward David Pastrnak along the boards, and Boston blueliner Torey Krug leveled Montreal's Andrew Shaw moments later in the first period.Brendan Gallagher then challenged Krug in a short-lived bout. Shaw left the game but returned in the second period.Never a dull moment when these two clubs meet.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Monday they'll be without defenseman Mark Streit for two weeks due to an upper-body injury.Streit's had a productive season, as his 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) are good for fifth on the club in scoring (he's tied with Shayne Gostisbehere). Streit'saveraging just under 20 minutes of ice time per game, and has a 51.33 Corsi For rating, according to Corsica Hockey.It's a shoulder injury, according to The Inquirer's Sam Carchidi.The Swiss defender turned 39 on Sunday, and is only seven points shy of the 23 he had last season in 62 games.Philly has won nine in a row and will try and make it 10 on Wednesday.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Turn down your speaker or headphone volume a little bit before watching this.Max Wolpoff, the play-by-play voice for Boston University women's hockey broadcasts, absolutely lost his mind and - as he eventually admits - his voice after Natalie Flynn scored the overtime winner to defeat the University of Minnesota on Saturday.There's no questioning the passion, or self-awareness, of Wolpoff's call.- With h/t to Awful AnnouncingCopyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Heeeeere's Johnny, now officially licensed to profit off his brand.Calgary Flames dynamo Johnny Gaudreau's trademark application for "Johnny Hockey" has been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office:

From Spacey in Space to a galaxy far, far away.The Florida Panthers shared this awesome poster hyping Star Wars Night at BB&T Center on Dec. 20 versus the Buffalo Sabres.

The latest essay for The Players' Tribune comes from Predators captain Mike Fisher, who devoted his words to the organization that gave him a "one-way ticket" to Nashville almost six years ago.Fisher thanked Bryan Murray, Eugene Melnyk, and the entire Ottawa Senators organization for their kindness in prioritizing family over business not long after Fisher's wedding to Carrie Underwood.He writes:

Darnell Nurse underwent surgery to repair an ankle ligament as well as bone damage and will miss up to 12 weeks, Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli announced Monday.The imposing defender has already been out six games.Matthew Benning and Dillon Simpson have rotated in as the bottom pairing in Nurse's absence, since Mark Fayne and Eric Gryba are also listed on injured reserve.With the exception of a short absence for Kris Russell, the Oilers' top four has stayed relatively healthy, but will be under tremendous pressure with now very little depth support.The club is, however, expecting Brandon Davidson back soon.Nurse, a former seventh overall draft pick, had three goals, five points, and 17 penalty minutes in 25 games before his injury.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Whether it's good news or bad, Jonathan Toews will be there to deliver it Tuesday in New York.The Chicago Blackhawks captain, who admitted Friday that his frustration over his troublesome back is mounting, will be on the trip to New York for Tuesday's clash with the Rangers.Toews suffered the injury Nov. 23 and was able to skate a little over a week later. But he's been stuck in a holding pattern since, as the healing process has stalled.The Blackhawks have progressed in Toews' absence, winning five times and taking points from seven of their nine games.Defenseman Brent Seabrook, who missed the last two games, will also be on the trip.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Metropolitan Division continues to reign supreme as the latest Three Stars of the Week confirmed.Philadelphia Flyers forward Jakub Voracek, New York Rangers goaltender Antti Raanta, and Columbus Blue Jackets center Sam Gagner received the honors on Monday, the league announced.Voracek was named first star after pacing the league with nine points, including six assists in four games. He became the first Flyers player since Eric Lindros to post four or more points in back-to-back games, meanwhile his play has his club riding a nine-game winning streak.Raanta meanwhile has become the hottest ticket on Broadway. The coined "backup goaltender" has quickly stolen the crease from Henrik Lundqvist, creating a bit of a goalie controversy.The 27-year-old claimed second-star honors after going 3-0-0 this past week, while putting up two shutouts and posting a .984 save percentage.Gagner took home the third star after putting up a respectable three goals and three assists in three games. Keeping up with the Flyers, the Blue Jackets have put together an eight-game point streak of their own, earning them the first wild-card spot in the East.Gagner now has 11 goals and 19 points in 25 games this season.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As long as there is overtime, the Detroit Red Wings will have life.With a nearly a third of the season already in the books, Detroit finds itself just outside of a playoff spot. The club has dropped 14 of its last 22 games, but remains just two points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, thanks in large part to the extra frame.Over this 22-game span, the Red Wings have managed just two regulation wins, as pointed out by Sportsnet's Jonathan Willis. They have gone past regulation 10 times and despite this, still cling to the hopes of a 26th straight playoff appearance.The club is 8-10-4 in this stretch, collecting 20 points, with 16 of those earned in post-regulation activities, and has claimed just seven of its 13 wins in regulation this season - five of them coming in the first seven games. All this comes despite the team averaging just 2.28 goals per game this season - the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL.Detroit's other saving grace: the shootout, in which the team has managed a league-best 4-0-0 this season.The Eastern Conference standings have become quite a logjam, with just four points separating all eight teams currently outside the playoff picture. Points could be tough to come by, but as long as the Red Wings can continue to guarantee themselves points by sending games past regulation, they should remain in the thick of it.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would be having a much better 2016-17 campaign if they could just get their legs under them in back-to-back contests.The club dropped its game against the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Sunday night despite massively outshooting the opposition, marking the sixth time this season the Maple Leafs failed to earn a victory in the second game when playing on back-to-back nights.Sunday's loss makes the club 0-5-1 in those games, and if this trend continues, Toronto will squander its fair share of points.The Maple Leafs face another 12 situations this season where they play on back-to-back nights, meaning nearly one in five games the rest of the way will come after playing the previous night.At their current pace, the Maple Leafs would manage the equivalent of a single win in those 12 games - or two of a possible 24 points.Had the Maple Leafs managed to win just half of their latter games on back-to-back nights so far, they'd be tied with the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was the first real blemish on an outstanding rookie campaign.Winnipeg Jets rookie sensation Patrik Laine put another puck in the net Sunday night; unfortunately it was into his own, proving to be the game-winner for the opposing Edmonton Oilers.Related: Laine unthinkably fires rebound into own netThe goal left the 18-year-old visibly distraught, but luckily for the youngster, his captain has his back."He's 18 years old, he feels terrible," Blake Wheeler said, according to NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "These things happen. I've done it many times. It's just a bad bounce. He's done a (heck) of a job for us this year. You just hate to see a guy feel that way after a game."Following the game, Laine admitted he was simply trying to clear the puck from in front of the net, which one could argue he succeeded in doing."I kind of tried to get rid of the puck right away," Laine said. "It was just a bad position for me. An unfortunate goal."Laine shouldn't lose too much sleep over the mistake. A simple look at the NHL goal-scoring race should make him feel better.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.Brayden SchennThe Philadelphia Flyers can't and won't be stopped.With a 1-0 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, the club pushed their win streak to nine games. The team's usual suspects of Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds have been sensational, but look out as Brayden Schenn is getting in on the action and in a big way.The 25-year-old had himself quite the weekend, doubling this season's goal total in just two games thanks to a hat trick against the Dallas Stars and the game-winner on Sunday.Schenn had been riding a fairly quiet season up until this weekend, coasting on just four goals and 16 points in 26 games. Those totals are now up to eight and 20, respectively, and Schenn now has six points over his last six games.His continued production is the last thing teams hoping to knock off the Flyers need.Nashville PredatorsJust when it looked like Nashville had ironed out all its wrinkles, December hits, and boy has winter been cruel to the Predators.After constructing a ridiculous 9-3-2 record in November, the Predators have gotten off on the wrong foot in December having now gone 1-3-1 after the club's latest blemish - a 4-1 loss to the league's basement-dwelling Arizona Coyotes.The most glaring difference in the team's sudden drop has been Pekka Rinne. After recording nine wins in 11 games, while giving up just 18 goals in November, Rinne has been dismal this month.In four contests, Rinne has just one win, allowing more than three goals in each, conceding a total of 16. If the club is to inch back into a playoff spot, Rinne is going to have to be better - simple as that.Scott DarlingNo Crawford, no problem.The Chicago Blackhawks have been forced to weather the storm without their No. 1 netminder after Corey Crawford was sidelined due to an appendectomy early this month.However, the Blackhawks haven't missed a beat thanks to Scott Darling.This week Darling went 2-1-1 in four games, picking up his second shutout of the year while allowing just four goals and managing a ridiculous .967 save percentage.Doing his part has helped the Blackhawks take their usual perch atop the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile his solid play means Crawford won't be needing to hurry back anytime soon.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.To be a fantasy hockey lover is to be selfish. We draft players based on the hope their coaches put them in the best opportunities to succeed. In some ways it is antithetical to the real thing. Fantasy hockey celebrates the individual far more often and it will enrage Sidney Crosby owners if the Pittsburgh Penguins score four goals and he doesn't get one of them.We're going to look at five depth chart situations currently suppressing upside of certain players. Perhaps coaches have good reason (likely) for assigning their lines the way they do, but this hardly matters to fantasy owners.Boston Bruins PP UnitThe Bruins sit in the bottom six in terms of power-play percentage. Part of this is the infrequency of their power plays (3.04 per game), but it might also have something to do with the lack of LW Brad Marchand. Marchand's relatively recent offensive prowess may still be a surprise, but he hasn't gained much time with the man advantage. Only six of his 37 goals last season were of the PP variety.This year, despite Marchand leading the Bruins in points (and PPP), the likes of C Ryan Spooner and RW David Backes have seen much more time with the man advantage. It hasn't worked. Together, Spooner and Backes have a combined six power-play points compared to Marchand's five in much less time.Bumping Marchand to the top PP unit would be music to his owner's ears, but could potentially jump start floundering C Patrice Bergeron, who owns only eight points in 25 games. Keep breakout RW David Pastrnak with the group to take advantage of his scoring (23.1 shooting percentage) and Marchand's improved playmaking (17 assists in 28 games).Buffalo Sabres' Infatuation with Brian GiontaOut of necessity, perhaps, due to injuries rippling throughout the Sabres' roster, Gionta has skated a surprising 17 minutes per game. He's a better defensive player than offensive, so his minutes are not helping him provide much in the way of fantasy numbers, despite opportunity. Once upon a time, Gionta scored 48 goals in a season, but he hasn't been near point-per-game production since.Since joining the Sabres, his time on the power play has also diminished. He doesn't have a point with the man advantage this season, as he's rarely been used in such situations. LW Matt Moulson, on the other hand, is having something of a rebound and is almost worthy of fantasy consideration. Six of his seven goals (he had eight goals in 81 games last season) are power-play goals.Moulson has one fewer point than Gionta despite playing only 13.5 minutes per game. If Moulson were, theoretically, to get more time at a top line position, it would at least clarify if he is more than a PP specialist. That, or consider calling up Alexander Nylander for his first taste and toss him on the top line. The Sabres are better with C Jack Eichel, but they've still scored fewer goals than anyone else, limiting the team's fantasy appeal.Save Matt Duchene and Mikko RantanenCorsica.Hockey has Duchene and Rantanen paired most often together alongside C Nathan MacKinnon - also known as the way it should be. Change and tinkering is always expected, and distributing scoring opportunity up and down a roster is largely ideal. Recently, however, MacKinnon has been skating with Ws Blake Comeau and Rene Bourque, and succeeding in spite of it.Rantanen's overall playing time has increased, and Duchene has been touching 20 minutes per game of late. Sliding them onto the top scoring line once again would boost their already surging value. Maybe this scheme works better in reality, but no one is getting value from Bourque and it'd be a lot more appealing seeing MacKinnon score knowing it could mean collateral assists.Give James Neal StabilitySolace can be slightly found in Neal's constant presence on the Predators' top power-play unit. Beyond this, he has mostly been skating with C Mike Fisher and W Colin Wilson at 5v5. For the most part, he has played on a line with C Ryan Johansen and LW Viktor Arvidsson, occasionally seeing LW Filip Forsberg substituted in for the latter.As long as he's with Fisher and Wilson, he's boosting their fantasy value while they're pushing his down. The Predators offer a more balanced attack this way, but by splitting up their strongest talent, no line comes off looking elite. C Mike Ribeiro leads the team with 18 points, after all. Ideally, Neal lands back on a line with Forsberg, dropping LW Kevin Fiala to the third line.Put Auston Matthews on the Leafs' Top LineUsage and scoring show Matthews is easily one of the team's top three forwards. Only LW James van Riemsdyk has more points, though C Mitch Marner has just as many. Take away Matthews' opening night onslaught, his numbers have been good/not great. He has eight goals and eight assists in the 25 games since the debut.His most common partners of late have been Ws Zach Hyman and Connor Brown, neither of whom have as many points as Matthews has goals. In a situation similar to the Predators' Neal, Matthews will elevate Hyman and Brown to be worthy of daily fantasy selection (on sparing occasion), but it does little to inspire confidence in Matthews proper.Six of Matthews' points have come on the power play, where he is not hindered by Hyman nor Brown. Saturday also had him skating with RW William Nylander again, a common pairing separate from Hyman and Brown, resulting in a goal for Matthews and an assist for Nylander. If this becomes the norm, fantasy upside should rise for both.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Preseason predictions don't mean a thing - just ask the Dallas Stars.After winning the Central Division a year ago, many expected the Stars' lethal offense to keep them in the thick of the playoff mix, but 30 games in, it's been a much different story.Due to a weak Western Conference, Dallas sits just two points out of a wild-card spot, but the team owns a record of 11-13-6, and is only 3-6-1 in the last 10 games.The latest setback was a 3-1 road loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, the club's second loss in as many days."It's not good enough, it's not good enough with the type of team we have," forward Jason Spezza said, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. "It doesn't matter if you play well if you don't win games. It's a results-oriented business, and these losses get tougher and tougher because we know we have a hole to climb out of."The frustrating part for Dallas is they feel they're playing good enough to win, but are getting burned by mistakes. Many of these mishaps have been penalties, evidenced by the Stars' 27th-ranked PK unit (76.4%)."We got out of a lot of games last year where we're winning games 5-3 and mistakes weren't killing us. Last year, the big mistakes we could wash some of them under the carpet. This year, the big mistakes are standing out," head catch Lindy Ruff said.Coming up, the Stars play eight of nine at home, where they're 7-4-2. It's a monumental homestand in the eyes of Ruff."This will be the season for us, I really feel," Ruff said. "For me, I think all of the season is going to land on this homestand."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Evidently, Antti Raanta isn't ready to relinquish.With Henrik Lundqvist planted on the bench for the third time in four nights, Raanta stopped all 19 shots he faced Sunday versus the New Jersey Devils, recording a second consecutive shutout for the New York Rangers.Stopping better than 98 percent of shots he's faced since taking temporary hold of the starter's role from one of the NHL's top goaltenders, Raanta improved his season record to 8-1 with a .943 save percentage. Only Devan Dubnyk and Jimmy Howard have stopped a better rate.Raanta's also the first Rangers goaltender to record a shutout in consecutive games since Mike Dunham in 2003. It's something Lundqvist has never done.Based on coach Alain Vigneault's logic, shared prior to the game, Raanta earned a fourth straight start with Sunday's performance, which would come Tuesday versus his old team - the Chicago Blackhawks - which he already shut out Friday.But if Raanta continues to roll, how much longer can we expect Lundqvist to gleefully cede the starting role he's starred in the for the past decade?Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What a difference a night makes.After allowing six goals on 16 shots in Saturday night's debacle versus the Montreal Canadiens, Semyon Varlamov backstopped the Avalanche to a 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs Sunday in which he recorded 51 saves.The Maple Leafs fired 20 shots on net in the first and third period, but Varlamov stood tall, only cracking on a one-timer courtesy of Jake Gardiner on a 6-on-3 man advantage with three minutes to play.

Beware the Metropolitan Division.Following Sunday's results, five of the NHL's top seven teams hail from the Metro.TeamPositionPointsGoal differentialRangersT-14135PenguinsT-23913FlyersT-2397Blue JacketsT-33831Capitals73713It's undoubtedly been the most productive division in terms of points in the NHL this season.For comparison's sake, the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins sit in second and third place, respectively, in the Atlantic. However, their 34- and 32-point outputs would leave them out of postseason contention if they were part of the Metropolitan.Furthermore, the Pacific-leading Ducks would be two points out, while the West's wild-card squads, Edmonton (33 points) and Los Angeles (30 points), aren't even close.Last season, the Metropolitan sent five teams to the playoffs, and it could very well be the same scenario come April.