The Boston Bruins still haven't improved their backup goaltending situation, and Don Sweeney knows that's a major reason why the club has underachieved.

“It’s an area that has put a tremendous amount of pressure on our group," the general manager said Tuesday, according to CSNNE's Joe Haggerty, at the press conference addressing the firing of former head coach Claude Julien.

The revolving-door crew that's played behind starter Tuukka Rask is comprised of veteran Anton Khudobin as well as rookies Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban. The trio is a collective 1-10-2 with respective goals-against averages over 3 and save percentages south of .900.

Sweeney admitted that expediting McIntyre's and Subban's development wasn't in the original plans.

"Anton didn’t get off to a great start, and then got injured," Sweeney said. "That hurt us a little bit. We weren’t looking to accelerate either Zane or Malcolm in that situation. We’ve always had an eye towards the development for both of those players.

“Malcolm('s) injury last year impacted him a little bit, I believe, and where he is at today. But that’s the depth of the organization. That’s what you want to see. Is there a right time? You’ve seen players from the American Hockey League have the success they’ve had, and they’ve been able to do it at the next level. It hasn’t necessarily materialized at this point for Zane, but he’s undefeated (in the AHL) going in."

The Bruins' backup woes have been an issue for months, but Sweeney said Tuesday their inability to fix the problem is not due to a lack of trying. He told reporters that he has looked outside the organization to address the problem, but a sensible solution hasn't presented itself.

Rask has played 44 of Boston's 55 games so far, and he's allowed nine goals combined in his last two starts - both losses - after reeling off three straight wins.

"Tuukka is our No. 1 and he’s established that," new head coach Bruce Cassidy said at the same press conference Tuesday.

"(But) it would be great if your No. 2 (goalie) can come in and push your No. 1. (Giving) him the appropriate and that internal competition I think is always great,” said Cassidy. “We haven’t had that as much as we’d like this year, and we’re all aware of that."

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It's a new day.

The Boston Bruins bench now belongs to Bruce Cassidy, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Claude Julien was fired Tuesday. And it appears things are going to be different, beginning Thursday.

First, a bit about Cassidy:

• He's 51 years old, from Ottawa, Ontario, and is a product of the Bruins system.
• He joined Boston's AHL team in Providence as an assistant coach in 2008, taking over as head coach in 2011-12. From 2012-13 through 2015-16, the baby Bruins won 50, 40, 41, and 41 games, respectively.
• Cassidy has run an NHL bench before, serving as head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2002-03. That team won 39 games, and made the playoffs, but was punted in the first round. Cassidy was fired after 28 games in 2003-04, after Washington won only eight of them.

With general manager Don Sweeney coming out and saying that Boston's next three games will serve as a "key period of assessment," the pressure's on Cassidy and co. immediately. The club faces the Sharks on Thursday, the Canucks on Saturday, and the Canadiens on Sunday before its league-mandated bye week begins.

Quality, not quantity

And Cassidy's got a plan, writes The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa. In particular, the new boss wants more pucks directed towards the net from quality scoring areas, as opposed to players automatically sending the puck back to the point.

Owning the puck and firing the puck aren't issues for Boston. The Bruins are the league's top possession team, and average more than 34 shots a game, but they're coming from the outside. Cassidy wants that to change immediately. He wants more goals from around the net, more havoc down low.

Line changes

And come Thursday, it appears more than just philosophical changes are in store. Cassidy's going to tinker with his lines, and he may break up his top line of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak - one of the best lines in hockey, with a ridiculous 63.14 percent Corsi For rating.

David Backes practiced with Bergeron and Marchand on Wednesday, and Cassidy wants to get Backes going. He needs to get Backes going. Because Backes isn't going anywhere, thanks to poor numbers - 11 goals and 11 assists in 47 games - and and a massive free-agent contract worth $30 million over five years, signed over the summer.

Backes, for his part, is looking forward to it, saying he's never seen two players read and complement each other like Bergeron and Marchand.

"It seems whoever they put there has been complementary and been able to help them have a lot of success," Backes said. "Hopefully it will be no different with me."

That's not all. Ryan Spooner will play center Thursday, if Wednesday's practice is any indication, as Cassidy looks for the 25-year-old to pick up his game. Spooner has only eight goals and 27 points in 54 games, after it was expected he'd continue to break out after a career year (49 points) in 2015-16. And his struggles may be due to the fact he was moved to the wing this season.

"I think he'd prefer to be a center iceman," Cassidy said, adding that only Spooner could truthfully answer the question. "That's what he's been."

Not only is Thursday a fresh start for Cassidy, it's an important reset for Backes and Spooner, too, along with the rest of their teammates.

Here's what we know for sure: The next three Bruins games are must-see hockey.

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Paul Maurice has an interesting sense of humor, particularly when it comes to the status of his rookie superstar, Patrik Laine.

“Pat's been sent down to the minors today,” the Winnipeg Jets head coach joked to reporters Wednesday, according to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun. “He's been returned to the Moose.”

Laine won't be demoted, but he struggled in Tuesday's loss to the Minnesota Wild, making a costly giveaway that led to a Wild goal and watching as Minnesota scored another while he was on the ice.

Maurice demoted the 18-year-old to the fourth line after his first-period woes, but the coach insisted Wednesday that the move shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

“He had a rougher night. That's going to happen,” Maurice said. “I love the guy. I also know what he's going to mean to this franchise. If I shaved three minutes off his game, I apologize to Manitoba.”

Laine understands why he was banished to the bottom six.

“It was a tough game,” he said. “I wasn't playing my best. So it was a good decision from him. I've been sitting on the bench before. It's not new to me. That kind of stuff happens."

Laine ranks second among rookies with 23 goals to Auston Matthews' 25 markers. He also sits third in the rookie class, narrowly behind Mitch Marner and Matthews with 43 points despite playing four fewer contests than both of them due to a concussion he suffered earlier in the season.

More importantly for Jets fans' collective sanity, Laine's logging more average ice time than every rookie forward not named Mikko Rantanen, even taking into account the 12:58 he played Tuesday night.

That was his lowest ice time of the season, and judging by Maurice's sarcastic remarks, it's clearly an anomaly that isn't likely to continue.

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Thomas Vanek still prefers that his services aren't put up for auction.

The Detroit Red Wings winger, who would be considered one of the top rentals on the market if made available before the March 1 deadline, maintains that his intention is to play his way out of a trade.

"It's obviously something I'm aware of," he told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, when asked about his name circling the rumor mill.

"I signed a one-year deal, so it can happen for sure. But I'm focused right now on putting a couple wins together and get ourselves in the (playoff) picture, and make it hard (general manager Ken Holland) to do something and hopefully stay here and make a run with this team."

This is typically the time of year that the Red Wings gear up for another postseason run, often exploring the market to plug holes. But after 25 straight berths, the club may be resigned to the fact that a championship simply isn't in the cards this spring.

If they make that determination, there's no reason to retain Vanek, who's one of 20 players contributing at least three points per hour - and doing so on an expiring deal.

His value hasn't been higher in some time. Detroit must take advantage of that, despite how much he might be enjoying his time.

"I think it's a good team with a lot of upside," Vanek said. "There's a lot of young guys playing some good minutes and you can see they are getting better. Our veteran leadership is great. I like the community here. My boys, my family likes it. It's definitely a place that's been comfortable right away."

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Jim Nill should have seen this coming.

Surely the general manager of the Dallas Stars watched as his team and its goaltending imploded in the second round of last year's playoffs.

In Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues, the Stars were embarrassed on home ice as the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi allowed six goals on just 18 shots. Lehtonen got the call for the Stars, allowing three on eight shots through one period, while Niemi didn't much fare better in the final two frames.

It was a sombre end to an exciting season in Dallas. The combination of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn united to provide the Stars with offensive flair - the team's 267 goals for were the most the Stars recorded since arriving in Texas in 1993, and Dallas finished with a best-in-the-West 109 points.

Then, Nill decided to bring back the same two netminders who'd sunk the previous season. Rumored deals for Marc-Andre Fleury from the Pittsburgh Penguins or Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning never happened. The Stars' reward for sticking with the status quo? This year, Lehtonen and Niemi have combined for a laughable .896 save percentage - only the Blues are worse at .892.

Several netminders traded creases this offseason, including Frederik Andersen, now with the Toronto Maple Leafs after three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Maple Leafs paid the price to bring in Andersen, but Toronto now has what appears to be its first legitimate starter since Ed Belfour last donned the blue and white a decade ago. On Tuesday, Andersen watched his Maple Leafs take down the Stars 3-1 in a rare strong game for Niemi, who allowed three goals on 34 shots in the loss.

Andersen wasn't the only option. Both Calgary's Chad Johnson and Ottawa's Mike Condon have new addresses this season, were acquired on the cheap, and are performing better than the duo in Dallas.

Leaky goaltending has left the Stars chasing on too many nights. Now 54 games into the season, Dallas sits nine points out of the playoff picture, poised to miss the postseason and fail to build on its impressive campaign a year ago.

The worst part is that both Lehtonen and Niemi are signed through next season. But neither has earned an invite back.

It'd be in the Stars' best interest to start anew. That means buying out each netminder - it'd cost about $3.2 million combined over each of the next two seasons - but a clean slate would grant Nill the opportunity to find a more reliable solution between the pipes.

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Jaroslav Halak is making major saves in the minors.

The now go-to goaltender for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the minor-league affiliate of the New York Islanders, has found his game since the big club demoted him Dec. 31.

Appearing in 11 games since, Halak has come away with just one loss, owning a 8-1-1 record, a 2.11 goals-against average, and a .924 save percentage. Only six netminders with as many games have posted a better save rate.

Halak's demotion was a curious move by the Islanders.

The veteran netminder put up decent numbers in the NHL this season - his .904 save percentage was down from the previous year, but times were tough under then-Islanders coach Jack Capuano.

Halak was only a few months removed from his standout performance with Team Europe at the World Cup, in which his .941 save percentage led a ragtag group to the tournament final.

But the Brooklyn crease was overcrowded, with the Islanders also carrying Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube. That led the club to waive Halak and subsequently demote him to the minors.

Related: Halak move makes sense for Oilers

The 31-year-old has a year remaining on his contract, carrying a $4.5-million cap hit, while he's owed slightly more at $5 million. That's a tough pill to swallow for the Islanders, who must pay Halak his full salary while he's playing in the AHL.

With the veteran showing he still has game, could a suitor come knocking? nd would the Islanders be willing to retain money to facilitate a deal? The NHL trade deadline is just three weeks out, so we'll know soon enough.

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Chalk up another accolade for Scotty Bowman.

Hockey Canada has announced the distinguished honorees of the 2017 class of the Order of Hockey in Canada, recognized for their outstanding contributions to the growth and development of hockey in Canada.

Bowman, the legendary NHL coach, was among the honorees. He made his debut behind the bench with the St. Louis Blues in 1967, beginning a career that spanned five decades before his final season with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002.

He coached the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups and captured five more as bench boss of the Montreal Canadiens between 1972-79. His coaching career also included stints with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, leading the latter to a Stanley Cup in 1992.

Bowman's 1,244 wins rank first in NHL history. He currently serves as a senior advisor with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he has won another three Stanley Cup championships.

Murray Costello and Fran Rider were also among the distinguished honorees in the 2017 class.

Costello served as vice-president of the IIHF from 2008-12. He directed the merge of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada in 1994. He is also regarded for his involvement in the creation of the Program of Excellence and Canada's national women's team.

Rider is the president and CEO of the Ontario Women's Hockey Association. Since 1982, she has chaired six international committees and two national women's under-18 championships. She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame as the first female builder in 2015.

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Fatima Al Ali, the member of the United Arab Emirates women's national team who was invited to Washington to meet with the Capitals as part of the NHL's "Hockey is for Everyone" month, took to the ice with the club Wednesday.

Al Ali had the chance to take one-timer feeds from her favorite player, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, firing shots from his home on the power play.

After that, Ovechkin presented her with one of his game-used sticks.

Before practice, Capitals great Petr Bondra, who invited Al Ali to Washington after discovering her talents in a video posted online, presented her with a custom sweater.

She shared some of those puck-handling skills that impressed Bondra with Evgeni Kuznetsov.

Al Ali had an incredible reaction when the Capitals reached out to her in December. You can find that here.

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(Photo courtesy Action Images)

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The following four line shuffles all come with significant fantasy implications. Some may be temporary, but in some cases they could be permanent if the players gel well together.

Vladimir Tarasenko has been freed from Jori Lehtera

How offensively inept is St. Louis Blues C Jori Lehtera you ask? Very. He spent virtually all of 2015-16 playing with RW Vladimir Tarasenko and registered just 34 points. In much of the same role this season, he has just 16 points in 49 games.

Tarasenko, on the other hand, has continued to be one of the most prolific snipers the league has to offer, despite not playing alongside a premier playmaking center.

C Paul Stastny is not an elite center by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a major upgrade over Lehtera. The veteran is a very smart passer and should see his point total begin to rise now playing with Tarasenko. He is worth an add in just about any fantasy league if you need help down the middle.

Veteran winger Alexander Steen rounds out the line. He is also a pass-first player. His strong two-way game should create more chances offensively for the entire line. His dual position eligibility (LW/RW) makes him a worthy add if available.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Promotion for Evander Kane

Kane has spent most of his time this season skating in a bottom-six role, usually alongside C Zemgus Girgensons or C/LW Johan Larsson and an ageing RW Brian Gionta.

He has recently been reunited on a line with C Jack Eichel and C/RW Sam Reinhart. Eichel provides size and exceptional skill, Reinhart brings creativity and playmaking ability to the table and Kane contributes physicality, speed, size and the ability to finish. Together, they compliment each other very well.

Buffalo plays seven games in the next 12 days, so plucking either Kane or Reinhart from the waiver wire could prove to be a savvy move.

(Photo courtesy Getty Images)

Big three reunited in the Music City

C Ryan Johansen, LW Filip Forsberg and RW James Neal have been reunited on Nashville's top line. The trio hasn't spent much time together this season but were very successful when they played together last season.

Forsberg and Johansen have played together for much of the season, but usually with RW Viktor Arvidsson. Neal has 17 goals on the season but only seven assists. On pace for his lowest point total since his rookie season, now would be an excellent buy-low opportunity.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Crosby's new temporary linemates

The Penguins are dealing with multiple key injuries up front right now. They are missing C Evgeni Malkin, LW/RW Conor Sheary and LW Carl Hagelin.

Sheary had found a home on Crosby's left wing, with Patric Hornqvist playing right wing. In order to provide some balance to the lineup, Hornqvist has been shuffled down to the third line.

This leaves LW Chris Kunitz and RW Bryan Rust as Crosby's wingers. It won't last for long, but both players instantly become excellent bargains in daily fantasy as long as they remain on a line with Crosby.

For the time being, Kunitz needs to be owned in banger leagues. The 37-year-old already has great chemistry with Crosby. He has five points in as many games and 145 hits on the season.

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It wasn't as if there was this detailed list of objectives set out in front of Sidney Crosby.

Granted, you would have to imagine he picked up on what was implied, that he gathered when he was drafted first overall by the bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins that it became his obligation to rescue the history-rich franchise, and restore it to former glory. And he at least went along with the orchestrated rivalry with Alex Ovechkin (which the NHL leaned on to mend its own profile), perhaps making it part of his purpose to carve out a richer career.

But beyond salvaging a now-vibrant franchise valued at well over half a billion dollars and one-upping ostensibly the greatest goal-scorer of all time at almost every turn, the burden of expectation is ultimately only what the generational athlete makes it out to be.

If you're connected to the hockey world, you've probably noticed a change in Crosby at some point over the last 12-plus months.

Most discernible, he rose from the dead after a stagnant first few months of last season, re-establishing himself as the NHL's greatest player. The manifestation of that turnaround was, through the eyes of many, a legacy-cementing second Stanley Cup championship and first Conn Smythe Trophy.

Months later, he showed up seemingly at ease to the World Cup of Hockey to star in the NHL's preseason international tournament. Unlike previous best-on-best competitions, where his arrival for Canada was onset, Crosby loomed larger than anyone else from start to finish.

A pessimist would argue that his relaxed nature mirrored the significance of the put-on event. His approach this season, however, suggests that this is the new normal.

At the height of his career, Crosby, 29, has transformed himself, becoming the most dominant, most innovative goal-scorer in the NHL today. He's on pace to rival his career high. Almost as if the season began with a challenge issued to himself. With his heightened goal-scoring prowess, he's driving the league's top-ranked offense, and is racking up points at an accelerated rate that even his heir apparent can't match.

With Connor McDavid currently idle, Crosby will overtake the scoring lead with a single point versus the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.

With two, he'll have 1,000 for his career.

Crosby will be the 86th player ever to reach the milestone, and, in all likelihood, will become the 12th-fastest to do it (13th if you count Wayne Gretzky's second 1,000). By comparison in this era, Ovechkin reached the 1,000-point plateau earlier this season, but will have required in excess of 100 additional games to hit the millennial threshold.

A thousand points will stand as another monumental feat for the superstar who seems less and less concerned with the standard that others placed on him, because he's completed every checkpoint en route to the Hall of Fame already.

His legend is so that he's now operating with house money. Free rolls with so many potentially great seasons ahead.

He's fulfilled all the demands imposed on him. It's why we should expect so much more.

Only now, having accomplished virtually everything he can in the sport, Crosby can focus on actualizing the prophecy dictated by self.

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