Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour didn't hold back when assessing his team's performance following Friday's 4-1 loss at home to the Ottawa Senators.
"We were so bad, I almost dressed and got out there. I might have been as good as what we were throwing out there," Brind'Amour told the media postgame, including Fox Sports Carolinas.
After a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday, the Hurricanes were looking for a bounce-back performance. However, they were in a 3-0 hole midway through the second period on Friday night.
"We just didn't want to play the way we were supposed to," Brind'Amour added. "I didn't know what I was watching. That’s the first time all year I can say that."
It's been an up-and-down season for Brind'Amour's squad. The Hurricanes struggled while posting a 4-8-1 record in December, then bounced back with a strong January, winning six of their last eight games heading into Friday.
Carolina now heads to western Canada for a three-game road trip before the all-star break.
William Nylander knows he's mired in a funk, and on Friday night he said his lack of production is weighing on him.
"It affects you," the Toronto Maple Leafs forward told reporters after a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. "Obviously, you want to score and you want to produce, that's why you're here. You've just got to dig deep and work harder and harder. Do all the little things you can do to get better."
Nylander, who has recorded only one goal and two assists in 18 contests this season after posting 61 points in each of his last two campaigns, added that his struggles so far in 2018-19 are unprecedented for him.
"I think the chances have been there throughout a lot of the games and I just haven't been able to find the net," he said. "(Friday night) was a little tougher. I've never had a slump like this in my life. I'm just trying to find a way to work through it. I've just got to work harder and harder."
The 22-year-old held out until Dec. 1, when he and the Leafs came to an agreement on a six-year deal just minutes before the 5 p.m. ET deadline to sign restricted free agents.
Nylander downplayed the notion that his poor season so far has been tougher to deal with because of his new $45-million pact with the Leafs.
"I don't know if it's necessarily because of the contract," he said, according to TSN's Mark Masters. "It's more because of the missed time and being out of it for a while ... (the) past couple games have been getting better, but now it's time to score some goals."
Nylander isn't the only struggling Leafs player lately, as the team has now lost three of its last four games.
Johansen swung his stick and caught Scheifele in the head late in the first period, and the Predators center was assessed a two-minute minor for high-sticking.
"On this play, Johansen swings his stick down in a reckless and irresponsible manner that causes his stick to hit Scheifele up high," the league said in its video explanation.
The NHL also noted that the veteran hadn't been previously fined or suspended.
Johansen will miss Saturday's home game against the Florida Panthers and Monday's road matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. He'll be eligible to return to Nashville's lineup on Wednesday in Nevada against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The NHL's Feb. 25 trade deadline is just over five weeks away. For teams on the playoff bubble, their results over that span will likely dictate whether they load up for a postseason run or make moves for the future.
With that in mind, let's predict the buyers and sellers among the NHL's fringe playoff teams.
Note: The Montreal Canadiens were excluded from this exercise since general manager Marc Bergevin already expressed his deadline plans.
Anaheim Ducks
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
48
49
0 (outside playoffs due to tiebreaker)
-27
The Ducks, mired in a midseason slump, just snapped a 12-game losing streak. The near future doesn't seem much brighter, as 10 of their next 14 contests will be played on the road.
General manager Bob Murray has expressed a desire to re-sign forward Jakob Silfverberg, but if the two sides can't agree on a deal before the deadline, Murray would be foolish to keep his best rental trade chip.
Prediction: Seller
Edmonton Oilers
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
47
49
0 (outside playoffs due to tiebreaker)
-12
The Oilers have a slightly favorable upcoming schedule, with eight of 14 games at home leading up to the deadline and seven against clubs outside the playoff picture.
Edmonton's been so streaky this season, it's anyone's guess as to how the Oilers will perform. But considering CEO Bob Nicholson said in December that Peter Chiarelli's job will be safe if the team makes the playoffs, the GM will likely pull out all the stops.
The work on defense is likely finished - Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera are nearing their returns from injury, and the team made a pair of minor deals for blue-line reinforcements in December - but the Oilers are reportedly on a "full-court press" in search of forward help.
Prediction: Buyer
Minnesota Wild
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
47
49
--
-6
The Wild may have the most favorable schedule in the league leading up to the deadline. They play 16 games, with only five against teams currently holding a playoff spot.
Despite the possibility of a hot streak, however, the Wild may be inclined to sell. Paul Fenton took over as GM last offseason, and given the competitive Central Division, he may want to retool the roster, as he began to do with Thursday's trade of Nino Niederreiter for Victor Rask.
Fenton could otherwise stand pat, but with limited cap space this coming summer, that could also mean losing pending unrestricted free agent Eric Staal for nothing.
Prediction: Seller
Vancouver Canucks
Kevin Sousa / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
48
48
1
-13
Sitting in the thick of the playoff mix, the Canucks will play meaningful games down the stretch for the first time since 2015. That will provide valuable experience for a young team - and a winning streak before the deadline could always change the franchise's strategy - but it just doesn't seem like the right time to add to a group that's still a few years away from peaking.
Vancouver's best move for the long term would be acquiring assets in return for its top potential rental, defenseman Alex Edler. He'd need to waive his full no-trade clause, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Edler wearing another uniform before eventually returning to the Canucks on July 1.
Prediction: Seller
Buffalo Sabres
Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
47
54
2
-3
Losing Jeff Skinner in the offseason would be a massive step backward for the Sabres on their long path to relevance. And the best way to keep the pending UFA around - other than money, of course - is by winning.
With a breezy seven-game home stretch beginning when the calendar flips to February, the Sabres will have a good chance to move up the standings. Doing so would nudge GM Jason Botterill toward buying at the deadline, even if Skinner remains without a new contract.
It's hard to see Buffalo making a major deal, but some under-the-radar veteran additions up front could provide experience and help this young team make the playoffs.
Prediction: Buyer
Carolina Hurricanes
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
Points
Points back of playoffs
Goal differential
46
49
7
-11
The Hurricanes are surging, and we're not talking about the club's post-win celebrations at home. They've won seven of nine - putting themselves into the playoff hunt - and could sustain the hot streak, with just six of their next 16 games against current playoff teams.
But while owner Tom Dundon wants to reach the postseason, he doesn't seem inclined to lose valuable players for nothing, which explains why pending UFA Micheal Ferland's name has been floating around. The Hurricanes are also reportedly open to trading Dougie Hamilton, but there's no rush considering he's signed through 2020-21.
It's also unlikely that Dundon will be looking for rentals. Perhaps the Hurricanes will acquire a player who's signed long term, or maybe they'll pull off another "pure hockey deal" such as Thursday's Rask-for-Niederreiter trade - potentially even involving Hamilton.
The 29-year-old said earlier in the day that he was feeling 100 percent and would make his first start since exiting the Jan. 12 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after taking a stick to the eye, according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.
Holtby was forced from the contest at the midway mark and has missed the club's last two games - both losses to the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators. The Capitals have been shaky as of late, winning just four of their past 10 while slipping out of top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Holtby, meanwhile, has gone 17-10-2 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average in 31 games this season.
The incident occurred late in the first period of Thursday's contest and saw Johansen assessed a two-minute minor. Scheifele stayed in the game and logged 20:27 of ice time, the most among all Jets forwards.
"That won’t happen," Fletcher told Philly.com's Sam Carchidi. "The goal would be to either have him signed or moved by the trade deadline."
The veteran forward, who is expected to be dealt, is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
Fletcher understands what Simmonds brings to the team, but knows he has to consider the financial impact.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Wayne Simmonds, but we have to look at our cap situation moving forward," Fletcher said. "(Simmonds) has been a warrior for this franchise and is still a heck of a hockey player."
The 30-year-old is in his eighth season with the Flyers and has tallied 202 goals and 373 points in 569 games with the franchise. This season, Simmonds ranks second on the Flyers with 15 goals and leads the team with 67 penalty minutes.
A Bobby Orr Topps rookie test card up for auction is set to fetch a hefty amount.
Bidding on the card, which auction site Lelands.com describes as "quite likely the most sought-after hockey card in existence," has topped $160,000 with two weeks left in the auction, according to Darren Rovell of Action Network.
Bidding for a Bobby Orr Topps test card from 1966 has hit $168,612, including buyer’s premium, on @Lelandsdotcom. Auction ends on Feb. 1. pic.twitter.com/J5FVtCwRgM
