The Vancouver Canucks cruised past the Chicago Blackhawks with a convincing 5-2 win on Tuesday night to earn two points in Rick Tocchet's debut as head coach.

Tocchet's squad brushed off early boos and a jersey thrown on the ice from an uneasy home crowd to capture the victory. Vancouver was in control of play for the entire contest, outshooting Chicago 48-14 while owning 74% of shot attempts, 74% of scoring chances, and 82% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

A pair of tallies from Andrei Kuzmenko in the second period left it tied heading into the final frame, where goals from Dakota Joshua, Sheldon Dries, and Bo Horvat sealed the two points.

The strong performance eased tension in the arena as the game went on, and Tocchet seemed to appreciate the fans' passionate support.

"That's a great fan base," Tocchet said, per TSN's Farhan Lalji. "They were loud as hell. It was fun."

Tocchet officially took over head coaching duties from Bruce Boudreau on Sunday after weeks of highly public speculation that the latter's job was in jeopardy.

Prior to being hired by the Canucks, Tocchet's most recent coaching job was in 2020-21 with the Arizona Coyotes.

Vancouver's next test comes Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken.

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Gary Bettman is adamant teams across the NHL don't throw their seasons in hopes for some lottery luck.

"Nobody tanks because we have a weighted lottery," the commissioner said Tuesday, per The Athletic's Arpon Basu. "You're not going to lose games to increase your odds by a couple of percentage points. That's silly.

"And frankly, suggesting tanking, I believe is inconsistent with the professionalism that our players and our coaches have. Nobody tanks. Our players and coaches do their best to win. And again, just because you may finish with the worst record in the league you've got something like a 75% chance that you're not going to get the first pick."

Tanking is a hot topic this year due to the franchise-altering potential of consensus No. 1 draft prospect Connor Bedard. The 17-year-old Canadian phenom is fresh off capturing MVP at the world juniors in January, and entered Tuesday with a whopping 81 points in 33 games for the WHL's Regina Pats.

All 16 teams who fail to qualify for the playoffs will be entered in the lottery. However, the NHL made an adjustment to the format in 2021 preventing teams from moving up more than 10 spots.

The Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets are currently tied at the bottom of the NHL standings with 31 points apiece. Here's how the odds will stack up in June for the top five teams in the running to win the lottery based on standings:

The Montreal Canadiens, currently in 26th, won the lottery in 2022 and selected winger Juraj Slafkovsky first overall. Teams aren't allowed to win the lottery more than twice in a five-year span.

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The Edmonton Oilers will be without Evander Kane on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets due to a bankruptcy case, according to Daily Faceoff's Jason Gregor.

Kane is facing two bankruptcy trials in San Jose and is scheduled to appear in court for seven days over two weeks from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reported Friday.

Edmonton plays twice during this period: Wednesday against the Blue Jackets and Saturday versus the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kane filed for bankruptcy with $26.8 million worth of debt in January 2021.

The 31-year-old has five goals and 13 points in 17 contests this season. He recently returned from a 31-game absence due to a laceration sustained Nov. 8 when his wrist was cut by a skate.

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The St. Louis Blues are gauging trade interest in captain Ryan O'Reilly ahead of the trade deadline, TSN's Darren Dreger reported in Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading."

Acquiring the pending unrestricted free agent would cost teams a package of prospects and picks, Dreger adds.

O'Reilly has been sidelined since Jan. 2 with a broken foot but is expected to return to action before the March 3 deadline. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has underperformed this season, registering only 16 points in 37 games while averaging 18:26 of ice time per contest. During St. Louis' slump in November, O'Reilly called his play "absolutely horrible" and "pathetic."

Despite his down year, O'Reilly's pedigree should attract attention from plenty of contenders. The veteran two-way pivot recorded 266 points in 324 games since joining the Blues in 2018-19 and has a Conn Smythe, Selke Trophy, and Stanley Cup on his resume.

O'Reilly carries a $7.5-million cap hit before hitting the open market this summer.

The Blues entered Tuesday five points back of third place in the Central Division and six behind the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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The NHL is leaning into the sunny backdrop at the 2023 All-Star Game in Florida.

On Tuesday, the league announced three new events for the upcoming All-Star Skills Competition: Splash Shot, Pitch 'n Puck, and Tendy Tandem.

Splash Shot will take place on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. Four teams of two players will compete head-to-head shooting at targets, with the winner dunking their opponents into a water tank.

Pitch 'n Puck uses a combination of hockey and golf shots. Six players will play a par 4 on an island green. If there's a tie, a longest-drive competition will determine the winner.

In Tendy Tandem, one goaltender from each division is designated as either a shooter or a netminder. The shooting goaltender will attempt to hit a target from a designated mark, with his results determining how many players get to shoot for his team. The netminder from the opposing division will then face one, two, or three players, depending on the points earned by the shooting goalie.

Fastest skater, hardest shot, breakaway challenge, and accuracy shooting all return to the 2023 All-Star Game as well.

Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo will participate as a celebrity goaltender in the breakaway challenge. Team USA's Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight, as well as Team Canada's Emily Clark, Rebecca Johnston, and Sarah Nurse will also take part in the festivities.

The individual winner of each event will earn $30,000.

The All-Star Skills Competition kicks off Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The All-Star Game will take place the following day.

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The Arizona Coyotes signed defenseman Juuso Valimaki to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal is worth $1 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Valimaki has registered two goals and 10 assists in 43 games this season while averaging 14:59 per contest. He's also added 41 shots, 37 blocks, and 24 hits. His 47.77% expected goals share at five-on-five leads all Coyotes defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.

Arizona claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from the Calgary Flames in October. The Flames originally selected him 16th overall at the 2017 draft.

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Winning bets is fun. Losing them? Not so much. The Variance Monster bit us on Monday as the Islanders and Maple Leafs racked up an unforeseeable 7.5 expected goal (xG) count at even strength, sending the game over a total that dropped a full goal from 6.5 to 5.5 before the opening faceoff.

Beating the market with that kind of closing-line value should provide better results, but that's the nature of sports. Things like the Stars outperforming the Sabres 15-5 in high-danger chances can happen, and when you get the wrong Buffalo goalie, a bet can go awry. Fortunately, there are plenty of wagers to choose from Tuesday as we look to get back in the winning saddle.

Sharks (+130) @ Red Wings (-150)

We'll start with our bread and butter: a moneyline value play fit for the weekly betting guide. With a season-long 52.3 xG% and a 55.8% high-danger chance rate at even-strength, the Sharks will offer are value often. The Red Wings are the inverse, with five-on-five percentage rates in the mid-40s.

Both teams have middle-of-the-road power plays, but San Jose's penalty kill is third in the NHL. Why don't the Sharks win more games? Goaltending. In most cases, finding consistent value with one team means the goalies aren't up to snuff.

James Reimer hasn't been good this season, but he's the best option for San Jose. Ville Husso, meanwhile, hasn't been much better in his first season with the Red Wings; this matchup is close to even, with my projections giving the Sharks a 48.6% chance to win. A +130 moneyline implies San Jose will win 43.5% of the time, and a 5% edge is enough to take a shot on the Sharks.

Pick: Sharks (+130)

Golden Knights (+150) @ Devils (-175)

Bettors are jumping ship on the Golden Knights, whose Pacific Division lead has dwindled with a 5-7 moneyline record since the Christmas break. Still, Vegas is tied with the Hurricanes in allowing the fewest even-strength high-danger chances in the NHL in that time.

Known for having a substantial home-ice advantage, the Golden Knights are an impressive 15-4-2 on the road this season. They shouldn't fear traveling to face the Devils - who are a surprising .500 on the moneyline at home. New Jersey has experienced regression of its own after an incredible start, ranking 23rd in xG% at five-on-five since Christmas.

Season-long metrics indicate the Golden Knights have a 43.5% chance to win a game that's lined as though they're 40% likely. Given home-road splits and the Devils' average play of late, jump back on the Vegas boat at +150.

Pick: Golden Knights (+150)

Jets (-120) @ Predators (+100)

In the last of our value plays, we've got the Predators as 55% favorites at home against the Jets, who aren't the same team on the road that they are at the Canada Life Centre. They carry even-strength play at a 53% rate in Winnipeg, but it's the inverse on the road, and we're getting even money on Nashville.

The Jets play their last contest of a five-game, eight-day road trip that's taken them from eastern Canada through Philadelphia and down to Music City. The Predators have played just twice in that time, and Juuse Saros continued his strong play at home - where he's a half-goal better than he is on the road - with a Saturday win against the Kings.

Pick: Predators (+100)

Blackhawks (+190) @ Canucks (-227)

This has nothing to do with the numbers, as the metrics in the moneyline guide indicate we need +212 to consider backing the Blackhawks. But these two teams have vastly different vibes around them right now.

Normally, the inclination is to back a team that just fired its head coach because that usually happens midseason after the players have quit on the incumbent. That's not the case in Vancouver, where the Canucks have publicly embarrassed themselves in their handling of fan-favorite Bruce Boudreau. Vancouver's players have had ample opportunity to jump to life and play better defense to protect leads. Instead, they've proven incapable of doing so time and again. That shouldn't immediately change with a new voice in the dressing room.

If the Canucks win, it's because Chicago is bad. But the Blackhawks have won six of their last eight - apparently losing interest in tanking narratives. Historically, they're always up for a trip to Vancouver, and it makes more sense to bet on the team feeling good and giving maximum effort at +190 than to lay a big price amid a messy situation.

Pick: Blackhawks (+190)

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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The Toronto Maple Leafs filled the net Monday in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders, but Mitch Marner was unable to find the scoresheet, ending his franchise-record home point streak at 20 games.

Marner was even reunited with Auston Matthews in the contest after the team came out flat in the first period, but it was the second line of John Tavares, William Nylander, and Calle Jarnkrok that did most of the damage. Nylander collected four points, Tavares notched a goal and an assist, and Jarnkrok bagged a goal.

Darryl Sittler previously held the club record for most consecutive games at home with a point at 18, set in 1977-78. Marner broke the record Jan. 17 with a pair of assists against the Florida Panthers, then added to it with a goal in Toronto's next home game two nights later against the Winnipeg Jets.

Monday's contest was only the second time all season Marner didn't record a point at home. In total, the playmaking winger's tallied 32 points in 25 games at Scotiabank Arena this season, including 29 during the streak.

Marner set the Maple Leafs record for 19 straight overall games with a point earlier in the campaign. He padded his record to 23 before it was snapped, making it the NHL's fourth-longest streak in the last 30 years.

In total, the 25-year-old has registered 56 points in 48 games this season.

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Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones has ALS, general manager Pierre Dorion announced Tuesday.

"Bob and his family's wishes are to take the courageous step of making his condition public in an effort to drive ALS awareness as he fights this disease," the GM said in a statement.

Jones will continue coaching, and Dorion said the coach has the Senators' full support to take any time away he requires during the season.

"The thoughts and well-wishes of the entire National Hockey League family are with Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones and his family," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement Tuesday. "We admire his courage in making his battle with ALS public, and we will support him and his family in this fight."

Jones is in his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Senators. He previously worked in the AHL and coached in the OHL for over 20 years.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease that gradually paralyzes the individual as the brain becomes unable to communicate with muscles in the body.

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