Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner will be sidelined three-to-four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Saturday.

The 27-year-old was injured in the third period of his team's loss to the Bruins on Friday after colliding with Boston forward David Pastrnak in front of the benches.

Skinner has been suffering through a goal drought, going 11 games without a tally. He sits fourth on the team in goals (11) and fifth in points (19) through 39 contests.

The Sabres will square off against the Bruins on Sunday night to wrap up their home-and-home matchup.

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With 2019 coming to a close, we look back at the five best individual seasons of the decade.

5. Erik Karlsson, 2016-17

*Stats in tables include only regular season.

It was never a question of whether Karlsson would make this list, but rather which of his standout campaigns would be featured. He won the Norris Trophy in 2011-12 with 78 points, 25 more than any other defenseman. Four years later, he recorded a career-high 82 points and led all players with 66 assists.

However, the most dominant we've ever seen Karlsson was during the 2017 playoffs when he carried the Ottawa Senators to within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final. He tallied 18 points in 19 games while logging over 28 minutes per night. From his ridiculous saucer pass to Mike Hoffman to his dynamic feed to Derick Brassard, his postseason highlights live on forever.

There were legitimate conversations at the time about whether Karlsson was the best player in the game.

4. Nikita Kucherov, 2018-19

Kucherov's 128 points were the most since Mario Lemieux (161) and Jaromir Jagr (149) set the hockey world on fire in 1995-96. That total also represents the single-season points record by a Russian-born NHLer, which is especially impressive when you consider the number of talented players who have emerged from the country.

However, Kucherov's historic campaign falls just shy of the top three due to the fact that he, as a winger, plays less of a 200-foot game than those who are featured ahead of him. Also, as incredible as his year was, a spike in scoring league-wide (6.06 goals per game, the most of the decade) contributed to his gaudy totals.

3. Tim Thomas, 2010-11

Thomas didn't have a long career, but his peak was better than any other goalie's this decade.

The Boston Bruins netminder led the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage, and goals saved above average to capture the Vezina Trophy during the regular season.

Thomas was even better during the playoffs. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP thanks to a .940 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average, as the Bruins took down a stacked Vancouver Canucks team in the Stanley Cup Final.

2. Evgeni Malkin, 2011-12

This was the season when we truly saw how Malkin can elevate his game when a certain teammate is sidelined. Asked to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin put the team on his back night after night.

Despite missing seven games himself, Malkin captured the Art Ross with 12 more points than runner-up Steven Stamkos - who played all 82 - and was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.

When focused and motivated, Malkin is perhaps more dominant than any player of his era.

1. Sidney Crosby, 2013-14

Crosby is the best player of the decade and was at the height of his powers during this season.

He won the scoring title by a whopping 17 points - the largest winning margin of the decade - and received 128 of a possible 136 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy.

In addition to his individual brilliance, no other player today exemplifies the ability to make their teammates better the way Crosby does, and that was most evident during this outstanding 2013-14 season.

Penguins linemate Chris Kunitz shattered his previous career high with 35 goals thanks to Crosby's efforts and was even selected to Canada's stacked Olympic team due to those numbers. And when Team Canada traveled to Russia to compete in the games, it was Crosby who captained the squad to the gold medal.

Just missed the cut:

• Steven Stamkos, 2011-12: In the best season of his career to date, Stamkos led the league with 60 goals and finished second in Hart Trophy voting.
• Carey Price, 2014-15: Price cleaned up on awards night, winning the Hart, Jennings, Pearson, and Vezina. He led the league in wins, goals-against average, and save percentage.
• Connor McDavid, 2016-17: McDavid already has several impressive seasons, but winning the Art Ross by 11 points may be his greatest feat thus far.
• Patrick Kane, 2015-16: Kane had 106 points while no other skater cracked 90.
• Henrik Sedin, 2009-10: Sedin's 83 assists were the second most of the decade.

(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick)

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With just one win in his team's last 10 games, San Jose Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner has had enough.

The Sharks are in a downward spiral, the likes of which they haven't experienced in quite some time. San Jose dropped to last place in the Western Conference with Friday night's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and Boughner wasn't pulling any punches postgame.

"Some guys have got to look in the mirror and put it on themselves," Boughner told reporters. "You can't dress 12 forwards and have eight or nine show up. That was the problem tonight."

San Jose entered the third period up 2-0 before the Kings' Martin Frk cut the lead to one early in the frame. After the goal, Sharks forwards Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc skated just three shifts each, and Meier didn't see the ice in the eventual overtime session.

"We had to shorten our bench and we had a couple of guys that were just not sticking with the structure, not playing within the team system," Boughner said. He added: "They know who they are and it's a wake-up call for a couple of guys in that room right now."

The Sharks will look to get back on track when they face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev left Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils after being cut on the arm by an opposing player's skate.

Mikheyev departed and went straight to the dressing room after Jesper Bratt's skate caught him on the wrist in the third period.

Mikheyev suffered a significant laceration to his wrist and was being transported to a local hospital for further evaluation, the Maple Leafs announced late in the contest.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was impressed with what he saw from Justin Bieber during their holiday shinny game.

"He's actually better than I thought he was," Marner told NHL.com's Dave McCarthy after him, Auston Matthews, and Tyson Barrie hit the ice with Bieber. "He's got pretty good hands and a pretty good shot on him. I think he surprised us."

Marner said he and Matthews had been talking to Bieber about getting together for a game since the pop star attended the Maple Leafs' 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 25. The opportunity came Thursday while Bieber was back in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario for the holidays.

Marner and Matthews played on a team with Bieber, while Barrie skated with the other group.

"We had to take it a little easy," Barrie said. "It was a great crew of guys. It was just for fun, it was Christmas holidays for the boys, they were just coming from work, having a few beers and having some fun. It was a cool experience."

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Sergei Zubov is once again a member of the Dallas Stars.

The former NHL defenseman has been hired as senior consultant to hockey operations, the Stars announced Friday.

Zubov will report directly to general manager Jim Nill and consult the club's hockey operations department with all matters concerning the team.

"We are thrilled to bring Sergei back into the Stars family," said Nill.

"He has been a big part of building hockey here in Dallas as a player, and we are excited for him to continue adding to that legacy in this management role. He has a brilliant hockey mind and his presence in the organization will benefit us all."

Zubov played 12 seasons with the Stars from 1996-2009, capturing one of his two Stanley Cup championships with Dallas in 1999. The Russian rearguard holds franchise records in points (549) and goals (111) among defensemen.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, Zubov amassed 152 goals and 771 points through 1068 NHL games with the Stars, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

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