It's a time of change for the Vancouver Canucks.

Team owner Francesco Aquilini and interim general manager Stan Smyl held a press conference to discuss the club's decision to shake things up amidst the Canucks' abysmal 8-15-2 start.

The main message? Vancouver's on-ice product wasn't good enough.

"The status quo was just not acceptable," Aquilini said, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji. "We will get it right."

The Canucks let go of head coach Travis Green, assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner, assistant general manager John Weisbrod, and much-maligned general manager Jim Benning on Sunday.

Benning had taken the brunt of the heat from fans, with "fire Benning" chants raining down at the end of Vancouver's 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Aquilini was honest when asked if the Canucks had held onto Benning for too long.

"Maybe we were too patient, we could've maybe done it sooner, I don't know," Aquilini said, according to The Athletic's Thomas Drance.

A fan tossed their jersey onto the ice at the end of Saturday's contest, which was the last straw for Smyl.

"The end of that game was very tough to watch," he said. "And at that point, I felt that I needed to get involved and to make my views known."

Moving forward, Aquilini said the plan is to find a general manager and "maybe a president." Smyl can make moves for the organization if the opportunity arises.

There is no current timeline for the search.

Above all, Aquilini reiterated his faith in the club but added that the next general manager would have to decide whether Vancouver goes through a rebuild.

Canucks new head coach Bruce Boudreau also addressed the media Monday and outlined his game plan as the new guy in town.

"You'd really like to make it a winning team from here on in. To get the guys happy, to get the fanbase happy again with them winning and wherever that leads, that leads. We just don't want things to continue the way they were continuing," he said.

"If it ends up getting into a playoff spot, fine and dandy. ... I never think it's an impossibility."

Following their first skate with Boudreau, several Canucks players took the time to talk about the franchise's monumental changes made to the organization.

"I really believe in our group, I believe in our core players, I believe in our young guys. I want to win here. I want to be a Canuck, I want to win here as a Canuck," captain Bo Horvat said, per TSN. "Looking at management, they believe in us too.

"I don't think anyone wants to rebuild here."

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Back to life. Back to reality.

While the number of star players returning to NHL rosters last week probably wasn't the focus of Soul II Soul's hit song, it should have had hockey fans doing some '90s-style dancing. Meanwhile, I was just happy that I no longer had to make educated guesses about how much Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Hughes, Drew Doughty, and Max Pacioretty mean to any game's win probability.

Of course, it can't all be so simple, as Aleksander Barkov is still listed as out and various day-to-day injuries abound with the Colorado Avalanche, among other teams.

The recipe

Before the season, we provided a three-chapter series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.

I've taken the advanced stats I value most from those games, the market rating for regular-season win-total markets, and last season's advanced stats to rate each team. I've also made adjustments for injuries to key players.

With roughly 30% of the season played, here's how I'm weighing those three factors as of Dec. 6:

We're pulling away from last season's advanced metrics, for reasons exemplified by a pair of eastern Canadian teams: the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators. Relying on last season's numbers makes them look better than they really are.

However, the regular-season point total markets painted a different picture, as hope for a step forward for Ottawa wasn't reflected in its 76.5-point projection. Meanwhile, despite the Canadiens' run to the Stanley Cup Final, their missing pieces tempered expectations, which led to an 89.5-point projection. In hindsight, even that looks too high.

Both teams are among the worst in my statistical ratings this season, and the longer that continues, the more my rating is legitimized.

The cheat sheet

The following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I would need to bet either side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team that's more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. On games that I have projected near a coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to be worthwhile wager.

This chart is a good reference to determine whether you're truly getting value betting on one side or the other. However, keep in mind that new injuries or lineup issues will naturally arise.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been suspended two games for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner Rasmus Sandin during Sunday's testy contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

The incident occurred six minutes into the final frame. Sandin was helped off the ice and avoided putting any weight on his right leg following the knee-on-knee collision.

Pionk wasn't penalized on the play.

The Department of Player Safety found that Pionk extended his knee and attempted to make direct, forceful contact with Sandin and disputed Pionk's argument that he was trying to make a full-body check.

Sandin was injured on the play, with TSN's Chris Johnston reporting the 21-year-old will likely miss two to three weeks.

This marks Pionk's first suspension in his 250-game career. The 26-year-old will forfeit $58,750 as a result.

Maple Leafs veteran Jason Spezza is awaiting an in-person hearing with the league for hitting Pionk while he was in a vulnerable position shortly after the questionable hit on Sandin.

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk will both have hearings for kneeing, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

Spezza's hearing will be in-person, meaning the league can suspend him more than five games. Pionk's hearing will be over the phone Monday.

Both players threw controversial hits in Sunday's chippy affair. Pionk caught Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin with a knee, and Spezza retaliated while Pionk was in a vulnerable position soon after.

Sandin left the game unable to put weight on his leg. There's been no update on his status to this point.

Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds also received a $2,500 fine for cross-checking Jets forward Jansen Harkins.

Winnipeg won the contest 6-3.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have fired head coach Alain Vigneault, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Philadelphia has also dismissed assistant Michel Therrien, while Mike Yeo will take over as head coach on an interim basis, according to The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor.

The Flyers lost their eighth straight game Sunday, suffering an embarrassing 7-1 defeat on home ice to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They've been outscored 37-13 during their skid.

Philadelphia hired Vigneault in 2019, signing him to a five-year contract worth $5 million annually, according to CapFriendly. He led the Flyers to the playoffs in his debut season behind the bench, but they failed to qualify in 2020-21.

Vigneault previously had stints with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, reaching the Stanley Cup Final with both teams. The 60-year-old won the Jack Adams Award as the league's top head coach in 2007.

The Flyers currently sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division with an 8-10-4 record. They take the ice Monday night versus the Colorado Avalanche.

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Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner revealed that he turned down the opportunity to play for Sweden at the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

Lehner added that he and his psychiatrist decided it was in his best interests not to go for health reasons.

The 30-year-old has been open about his experiences with mental health over the last few years, specifically with bipolar disorder and addiction.

Lehner was projected to be in the running for Sweden's starting goalie job, along with Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, and Anton Forsberg.

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The Vancouver Canucks are parting ways with general manager Jim Benning, reports TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Benning had held the position with the organization since 2014. The club also reportedly relieved Travis Green of his head coaching duties earlier Sunday and hired Bruce Boudreau to take over.

During Benning's tenure, which dated back to 2014-15, the Canucks owned the NHL's sixth-worst points percentage (.487) while holding a 242-257-61 record.

Benning is responsible for drafting a number of franchise stars, including Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko, and Brock Boeser. He also acquired J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.

Benning handed out a number of contracts that weighed the team down during his tenure. He signed Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36-million pact in 2016, Brandon Sutter to a five-year, $21-million deal in 2015, and Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle to identical four-year, $12-million contracts in 2018.

However, the Canucks only made the playoffs twice under Benning, advancing to the second round in 2020.

The 58-year-old was busy this past summer, locking up Pettersson and Hughes to long-term extensions and making a big splash in the trade market by bringing in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

Despite the moves, the Canucks have had a miserable start to the 2021-22 campaign, owning an 8-15-2 record and losing 10 of their last 13 games. Vancouver fans recently showed their disdain for the general manager by chanting "Fire Benning" at home games. One supporter even tossed a Canucks jersey on the ice on Saturday night.

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Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for boarding Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe during Sunday night's contest.

Here's a look at the play:

Kempe was bleeding after the hit but stayed in the game. He scored a goal during the ensuing power play to give the Kings a 3-1 lead. Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore added two more goals with the man advantage to secure a 5-1 victory.

This marks the second time in McDavid's career that he was handed a game misconduct, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector. The first instance occurred Jan. 25, 2018, when he pointed to the booth upstairs after scoring a goal in the shootout.

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