With a two-assist performance Tuesday night, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton became the 14th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 career points

Jumbo Joe reached the milestone on Kevin Labanc's third-period tally versus the Calgary Flames.

Thornton's historic feat came in the 1,620th game of his illustrious career. Here's where he stands among the all-time leaders:

Thornton, 40, is now up to 22 points across 54 games in his 22nd NHL season. His lifetime resume includes four All-Star nominations, a Hart Trophy, an Art Ross, and two Olympic gold medals.

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The Buffalo Sabres' season is beginning to unravel.

The Sabres fell 6-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, marking the club's fourth loss in its last five games. Buffalo is now 11 points back of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Forward Sam Reinhart says the players have nobody to blame but themselves.

"It's all coming down to the players at this point," he told The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington postgame. "The systems and the game plans that are set out for us give us an opportunity to have success ... Guys need to demand more of themselves and a lot of guys need to step the hell up."

Reinhart scored Buffalo's lone tally in the ugly defeat and is on pace for career highs in goals (29) and points (68) this season. He ranks second on the team - behind captain Jack Eichel - in both those categories.

Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen also sounded off after the loss.

"We didn't play good enough. We didn't work hard enough," he told The Athletic's John Vogel. "Today was shit."

Head coach Ralph Krueger called the loss "truly unacceptable," according to Harrington.

The frustration extends outside the Sabres' dressing room, too. Before the contest, general manager Jason Botterill admitted that owners Terry and Kim Pegula aren't pleased with the team's season thus far.

"To put it bluntly, my conversations with Terry and Kim, they’re frustrated with the results," Botterill said on WGR-Radio. "They want better results."

The Sabres had a glorious opportunity to make up some ground coming off their 10-day break last week, but lost to the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens by a combined score of 8-3.

"You can understand our fans' frustration," Botterill said. "Our organization is frustrated by that."

A diehard Sabres fan spoke for all of western New York last week with a passionate radio rant that went viral after he called out the club's ownership.

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Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

We enjoyed a solid start to the week by nailing the Florida Panthers' team total over 2.5 (-120) and 3.5 (+180) goals, though we did lose the under at Madison Square Garden.

Let's improve Tuesday night.

GOATs and scapegoats

Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk had never scored more than four goals in a season before last night when he potted his first career hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Talk about an unlikely hero putting the team on his back. GOAT move, Pysyk.

There are a couple of things we can blame for our failed under bet. First, the referees, who weren't interested in letting the boys play last night at MSG. They called 11 minor penalties, which led to four power-play goals in the first period alone, setting the tone for the game and effectively ending any hope of hitting the under. Similarly, we can blame the brutal penalty-killing efforts by both teams or, instead, look to New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who allowed five goals on just 21 shots.

Tuesday's bets

New Jersey Devils (+110)

Carey Price is out with the flu and the Montreal Canadiens are coming off a tough loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, which has left them reeling in the playoff chase. Charlie Lindgren (0-3 this season) will start for the Habs, who have lost seven straight against the Devils. Also, look to play New Jersey's team total over 3.5 goals (+190).

Winnipeg Jets under 0.5 first-period goals (+145)

The Jets have been shutout during the first period in each of their last 10 games at home to the Nashville Predators, including earlier this month in a 1-0 loss. That's far too dominant of a trend not to tail, especially at this price. I'd also play the Predators -0.5 in the first period (+175) if you're feeling up to it.

Arizona Coyotes (-125)

All the info says to back the Edmonton Oilers here. They've won five of their last six in Glendale and three of the last four on the road, while the Coyotes are reeling with five losses in a row and defeats in eight of their last nine. But this game is absolutely massive for Arizona, which is in danger of dropping out of a wild-card spot. I expect Rick Tocchet to get an impressive performance out of his team, while this is also a letdown spot for the Oilers after an emotional victory against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Best bet

Dallas Stars (+110)

Has any team come crashing down to earth quite like the New York Islanders have? They went from a virtual playoff lock and potential Stanley Cup contenders to possibly on the outside of the postseason picture depending on tonight's results. New York was 22-7-2 on Dec.16 but has since gone 7-12 straight-up. The Isles have lost eight of their last 10 at home as regression has hit them hard.

The Stars have been one of the best teams in the NHL since mid-October and are enjoying themselves on this eastern swing. They enter this contest on no rest but have been profitable in such a situation all season, posting a 5-2 record on the road in the second game of back-to-backs. Dallas is unquestionably the better team and can be had at a bargain.

Trend of the night

Seven of the last 10 games started by Ottawa Senators goalie Marcus Hogberg have gone to overtime or shootout.

All five of Hogberg's starts against teams not currently occupying a playoff spot - such as tonight's opponents, the Anaheim Ducks - have gone beyond 60 minutes. There's real value in backing this game to go to overtime at +300.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen is considered day-to-day with a neck injury and will not travel to New York for the team's matchup with the Rangers on Wednesday, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.

Backup netminder Michael Hutchinson will start against the Rangers. The Leafs recalled Finnish netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo from the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Tuesday morning.

Andersen exited Monday's game after Florida Panthers forward Frank Vatrano crashed into him late in the first period. Despite finishing the frame, Andersen was replaced by Hutchinson to start the second period.

The Danish puck-stopper passed concussion protocol and Keefe said Andersen was feeling better following the game.

Andersen has been one of the club's most valuable players and a long-term injury to the 30-year-old would jeopardize the club's playoff hopes. He owns a .910 save percentage and ranks second in both starts (42) and wins (24) among all netminders.

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Chris Kreider is in high demand.

Eight teams have informed the New York Rangers they have the winger at the top of their respective wish lists ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline, reports The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Rangers are reportedly seeking a return for Kreider equal to what they received for Kevin Hayes at last year's trade deadline. The Winnipeg Jets sent New York a first-round pick and forward Brendan Lemieux in that deal. Like Kreider, Hayes was a pending unrestricted free agent, though he plays a more coveted position at center.

Kreider is expected to be the top rental target as the deadline approaches. The 28-year-old boasts a rare combination of skill and size, as well as a relatively affordable $4.625-million cap hit.

His injury status could complicate matters, however. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound sniper took an inadvertent knee to the head from teammate Mika Zibanejad during Saturday night's win over the Detroit Red Wings. He missed Monday's loss to the Dallas Stars as a result.

Kreider has spent his entire eight-year career with the Rangers, who drafted him 19th overall in 2009. He has 18 goals and 35 points in 50 games for New York this season.

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The Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien are working toward a mutual contract termination within the next several days, sources told TSN's Frank Seravalli.

A termination would end the defenseman's suspension and nullify his grievance against the team. It would also serve as a significant step on Byfuglien's path to unrestricted free agency.

Neither side can independently terminate the final two years of the deal - both sides need to sign off on it - and Byfuglien would then have to clear waivers before becoming a UFA, according to The Athletic's Ken Wiebe.

The gargantuan blue-liner has missed the entire 2019-20 season after undergoing ankle surgery in October. The Jets suspended him in September after he didn't report to training camp, and the NHLPA filed a grievance on his behalf in November.

Byfuglien hasn't resumed skating since the ankle procedure. The 34-year-old's camp has argued the injury was a hockey-related ailment sustained during the 2018-19 season and that it never fully healed, but the team deemed him healthy after he passed his end-of-season physical in April.

The veteran rearguard's ban was procedural in nature and he hasn't been paid since being suspended. Byfuglien's contract originally carried a $7.6-million cap hit for both this season and the next campaign, along with salaries of $8 million in 2019-20 and $6 million in 2020-21.

Terminating the deal would bring closure to the dispute while providing the Jets with cap flexibility ahead of the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

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