Tavares reaffirms commitment to last-place Islanders

The euphoria of delivering the lone taste of success in a near quarter-century for a storied fan base must feel like it was ages ago.

Just nine months ago, John Tavares' electrifying wraparound game-winner in Game 6 of the New York Islanders' first-round series versus the Florida Panthers felt like the turning point for a franchise that hadn't won a playoff series in 23 years.

It hasn't been, though, as the Islanders rank dead last in the Eastern Conference 38 games into their season, owners of a 15-15-8 record.

Yet, as he's done in the past, captain Tavares affirmed his commitment to the club that drafted him first overall in 2009, even though a lucrative free-agent deal could be waiting for him down the road.

"I think for myself, I’ve always shown and talked about my commitment here," Tavares told Steven Marcus of Newsday. "Wanting to have success here and keep building on some of the good things we've done. Obviously, this (low) point's been disappointing."

Tavares is an unrestricted free agent after the 2017-18 season, and to his standards, is underperforming this season with a team-leading 27 points.

"For myself, I know that I have not been to the level that I expect of myself and the standard that I want to be at," Tavares said. "(I) keep trying to improve and get better. I need to be counted on more, to be more of a difference-maker."

The Islanders lost a wealth of talent to free agency last offseason, and are enduring dwindling attendance numbers along with substandard ice conditions at the Barclay's Center.

None of that seems to be bothering Tavares.

"I think I’ve stated enough how much I enjoy being here," he said.

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Watch: Kuznetsov dangles around Petry, scores blocker side on Price

The Evgeny Kuznetsov of last season showed up in Montreal on Monday night.

Last season's Washington Capitals' leading scorer quieted the Bell Centre after embarrassing Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry before scoring blocker side on Carey Price.

The goal, Kuznetsov's fifth of the season, came less than a minute after Tomas Plekanec finally got the Habs on the board, his fourth briefly tying up the game 1-1.

The goal was eventually the winner, Washington coming out on top 4-1.

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Luongo passes Sawchuk for 5th on all-time wins list

Roberto Luongo stands alone in fifth place on the NHL's all-time goaltending wins list.

The 37-year-old veteran won his 448th career game on Monday - a 3-0 decision for the Florida Panthers over the New Jersey Devils - breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk.

It took Luongo 953 games, while Sawchuk needed 971.

The shutout was Luongo's 73rd of his career.

Luongo won't be in fifth for long. Up next, just six wins ahead, is Curtis Joseph:

Rank Goalie Wins
1 Martin Brodeur 691
2 Patrick Roy 551
3 Ed Belfour 484
4 Joseph 454
5 Luongo 448

Only 11 goalies in history have won 400 or more games, with Henrik Lundqvist needing just eight more to join the club.

The majority of Luongo's wins - 252 over eight seasons - came as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Monday was his 189th win as a Panther, in his second go-round with the club.

Luongo also won seven games as a member of the New York Islanders, who drafted him fourth overall in 1997.

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Luongo passes Sawchuk for 5th on all-time wins list

Roberto Luongo stands alone in fifth place on the NHL's all-time goaltending wins list.

The 37-year-old veteran won his 448th career game on Monday - a 3-0 decision for the Florida Panthers over the New Jersey Devils - breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk.

It took Luongo 953 games, while Sawchuk needed 971.

The shutout was Luongo's 73rd of his career.

Luongo won't be in fifth for long. Up next, just six wins ahead, is Curtis Joseph:

Rank Goalie Wins
1 Martin Brodeur 691
2 Patrick Roy 551
3 Ed Belfour 484
4 Joseph 454
5 Luongo 448

Only 11 goalies in history have won 400 or more games, with Henrik Lundqvist needing just eight more to join the club.

The majority of Luongo's wins - 252 over eight seasons - came as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Monday was his 189th win as a Panther, in his second go-round with the club.

Luongo also won seven games as a member of the New York Islanders, who drafted him fourth overall in 1997.

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Watch: Byfuglien toe drags, goes short-side roof vs. Flames

Underestimate Dustin Byfuglien's hands at your own peril.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Winnipeg Jets defender showcased his scoring touch with a beautiful goal versus the Calgary Flames on Monday night, making a great move before firing a short-side bullet past Chad Johnson.

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Horvat becoming go-to guy for Canucks

Everything looks to be coming together for Bo Horvat.

The Vancouver Canucks made him their guy in 2013, trading netminder Cory Schneider for the right to pick him ninth overall, and halfway through the third season of his career, he's a budding star.

With a team-leading 13 goals and 29 points through 42 games this season, Horvat is on track to become the first player not named Sedin to lead the Canucks in scoring since 2005-06, when Markus Naslund recorded 79 points.

While Henrik or Daniel - second and third in team scoring, respectively - can surely assume the team lead before the season ends, it remains important to recognize the strides Horvat has made.

The 21-year-old is three goals shy of the career-high 16 tallies he established in 82 games last season, and just 12 points shy of reaching a new best in that regard.

What's more, the Canucks are winning, owners of a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, and unexpectedly in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

Over Vancouver's impressive stretch, Horvat's leading the way, currently riding a seven-game point streak and manufacturing 13 points in his last 13 games.

Horvat has also set new highs in ice time (17:26) and owns the highest faceoff win rate of his career (54.2%).

The increased success couldn't come at a better time for Horvat, either, as he's scheduled for restricted free agency - and likely a hefty raise.

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Blue Jackets to give 7th-rounder Anton Forsberg a look after AHL success

The NHL-best Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for this season and the future.

The club waived backup goalie Curtis McElhinney on Monday, and he leaves with a .924 save percentage. The 33-year-old was shelled Saturday against the New York Rangers, and he's gone, replaced by 24-year-old Anton Forsberg, who got the call from the AHL.

Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said it wasn't only Saturday's start that factored into Monday's decision.

"It's not based upon one game," Kekalainen said, writes The Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline. "(All the games) go into the evaluation, where we feel he's at with his career and where we feel our other goalies are with their careers, the future of our goaltending."

Forsberg's that future.

A seventh-round pick in 2011, that Forsberg is getting an opportunity is a story in itself. He's produced at the minor-league level and jumped Joonas Korpisalo - a second-round pick, 62nd overall in 2012 - on the depth chart thanks to a 9-0-0 miracle playoff run last year, playing an integral role in the Lake Erie Monsters' Calder Cup championship.

Here are Forsberg's AHL numbers:

Season GP SV%
2014-15  30 .927
2015-16  41 .914
2015-16 Playoffs 10 .949
2016-17 21 .930

He's played nine NHL games in his career, including four last season, recording a disappointing .882 save percentage.

But he's getting a chance. Even though Korpisalo filled in admirably for oft-injured No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky last season.

Korpisalo played 31 games for Columbus last season, the only 31 games of his NHL career, and posted a strong .920 save percentage. Losing his starting job in the minors, though, has affected his play. He has a .900 save percentage in 12 AHL games this season.

Kekalainen said McElhinney "is a great pro and a great person," and said the decision to waive him was a difficult one.

"(Forsberg) deserves a chance to show what he can do at this level based on the AHL playoffs last spring, but also his continued excellent play," Kekalainen explained. "Korpisalo gave us a lot of wins in the NHL last season. He was basically our No. 1 goalie when Bobrovsky was hurt. He has to earn his opportunity again. This time it's Forsberg who has earned it."

Columbus is in action Tuesday in Carolina, Friday in Tampa Bay, and Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., so it's certainly possible Forsberg starts one of the final two games the Blue Jackets play this week.

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Top prospect Nolan Patrick targeting Friday return

Top prospect Nolan Patrick is hoping to be in the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings' lineup on Friday.

"That's the plan," general manager Grant Armstrong told TSN's Bob McKenzie.

Patrick has been sidelined with groin issues and last played on Oct. 11. Having undergone offseason sports hernia surgery, he was forced to sit after just six games, resting and rehabbing over the past three months.

Nolan missed the world juniors but remains a strong candidate to be drafted first overall at the 2017 NHL Draft. He had 41 goals and 102 points for Brandon in 72 games last season, and 30 points (13 goals) in 21 playoff games.

Heading into play Monday night, here are the NHL teams with the best odds at landing the No. 1 selection.

Team Odds
Colorado Avalanche 20%
Arizona Coyotes 13.5%
Detroit Red Wings 11.5%
New Jersey Devils 9.5%
Winnipeg Jets 8.5%

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Gallant: ‘I wasn’t fired because of analytics’

After his abrupt firing Nov. 27 as head coach of the Florida Panthers, Gerard Gallant remains steadfast that there was no divide between he and the club's shift into analytics.

"I wasn't fired because of analytics," Gallant told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "I loved coaching the Florida Panthers and I'm a stubborn guy at times; maybe I said a little too much, maybe I gave my opinion a little bit too much. Maybe when they asked for my opinion, I have an honest opinion and sometimes it doesn't help you. Maybe it wasn't always what they wanted to hear. I don't know where it went from there."

General manager and current interim head coach Tom Rowe cited a philosophical divide and inconsistency in performance upon Gallant's dismissal, but Gallant insists analytics were a part of his agenda as leader of the Panthers bench.

"For me, analytics is certainly part of coaching, but it's not the whole thing. In my mind, if I take a job, analytics is part of it for sure, 25 to 30 percent, whatever percentage you want to put on it. It's definitely a tool. If you get the right information, you're happy with that. Every coach uses analytics. We all go over the same stuff," Gallant said.

It's clear something didn't add up, and Panthers owner Vincent Viola - handpicked by President-elect Donald Trump to become the Secretary of the Army - didn't have time to waste on any disagreements, even if it involved the most successful coach in the franchise's recent history.

Now, with two years left on the extension Florida awarded him in the midst of his Atlantic Division title season in 2015-16, Gallant patiently awaits his next opportunity.

"I'm not sitting here hoping somebody gets fired in order for me to get a call." Gallant said. "Something will eventually come up."

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3 alternate NHL jerseys we won’t miss

For some NHL clubs, the news that the NHL will be limiting teams to just two jerseys next season is a blessing in disguise.

Teams will reportedly be limited to one home jersey and one away jersey. This means several clubs will be forced to do without some sharp threads, while others will now thankfully be done with uniforms that had no business making the rounds in the first place.

Here are three alternate jerseys we won't miss next season:

New York Islanders

This jersey has nothing to do with the team's color scheme, doesn't share the same logo, and has no significant features. The Islanders current third jersey is a head-scratcher, to put it nicely.

The Islanders alternate is more bizarre than it is bad. It comes off as a lazy design with nothing appealing about it. Besides their questionable third jerseys that were worn between 2011-2014, it is also the only uniform that has ever featured black in team history.

It's an eyesore and for a team struggling to rediscover its identity in Brooklyn and - lets be honest - these jerseys certainly don't help.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The biggest flaw with the Blue Jackets current third jersey is that their traditional home and away versions are far and away better.

The Blue Jackets have been repping their alternates since 2010 and, while in comparison to the other uniforms on this list, it is not nearly as bad, but it is still very forgettable.

The jersey tries to play homage to the 1857 Napoleon cannon, but the fact is they already have such a cannon firing after every home goal, which means it's not necessary on the uniform.

Once again, this jersey has little to match the team's color scheme, including a complete lack of any red, plus it resembles the Winnipeg Jets jerseys.

Tampa Bay Lightning

It's fitting that the Lightning's third jersey reads "Bolts," because it's a bit screwy.

Similar to the Islanders jersey, the Lightning third jersey is bizarre given there's no black in the logo.

Sure, in the past, the team donned black, but that was when there was black in the team's logo - though very little. When the team decided to simplify their logo back in 2011, they should have done the same with their color scheme.

The simple reading of "Bolts" once again comes off as lazy and uninspired. The team has tried hard to nail down a concept with six changes to their jersey since 2001, but their easiest fix could be to just rid themselves of their current alternates.

Honorable Mention

Anaheim Ducks

The Mighty Ducks logo is fantastic, but the fact that it sits upon a very bright orange means the luster and nostalgia of the former namesake is lost.

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