The Ottawa Senators dismissed head coach D.J. Smith, the club announced Monday. Jacques Martin is taking over as interim bench boss, while Daniel Alfredsson joins the staff as an assistant coach.
Ottawa has lost four straight games and five of its last six, including a 6-3 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. The Sens sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with an 11-15-0 record.
Smith was in the midst of his fifth season coaching the club. Ottawa went 131-154-32 in that span, missing the playoffs in all five campaigns and finishing no higher than sixth in the division.
The Senators hired Martin as a senior advisor to the coaching staff earlier in December. He was their bench boss from 1995-96 through 2003-04 and has also guided the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens.
Martin won the Jack Adams Award with the Senators in 1998-99. He last held a full-time NHL head coaching job with Montreal in 2011-12. However, he has extensive experience as an assistant since then, working with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2013-20 in both coaching and executive capacities and as an assistant with the New York Rangers during the abbreviated 2021 campaign.
Martin took over the Blueshirts bench for six games when David Quinn was in COVID-19 protocol in 2021.
Alfredsson is Ottawa's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. The Senators' longtime captain also ranks second in franchise history in games played, trailing Chris Phillips by one contest. In November, Alfredsson worked with the team's coaching staff on the bench for the club's two games in his homeland of Sweden. He wore the "C" for Ottawa from 1999-2000 through 2012-13.
Senators owner Michael Andlauer continues to overhaul the club's leadership group. He fired general manager Pierre Dorion on Nov. 2, appointing former NHLer Steve Staios to the role on an interim basis. Andlauer took over the team on Sept. 21.
The Boston Bruins assigned Matthew Poitras to the Canadian squad for the upcoming World Junior Championship, the NHL club announced Monday.
Canada initially named only 12 forwards to its roster, leaving the door open in case the Bruins were willing to part with Poitras for the duration of the tournament - or likewise with the Buffalo Sabres and Zach Benson, who'll be staying with his club.
Poitras has five goals and eight assists while averaging 14:06 of ice time in 27 games as a rookie this season. He most recently centered Boston's third line between James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic.
Canada gets a big boost with the addition of Poitras. The 19-year-old racked up 16 goals and 79 assists over 63 games with the OHL's Guelph Storm in 2022-23.
Poitras will join a group of Canadian forwards that includes projected 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini of Boston University, returning forward Owen Beck (a Montreal Canadiens prospect), and Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Jordan Dumais (16 goals in 21 games this season with the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads), along with ninth overall picks Nate Danielson (Detroit Red Wings, 2023) and Matt Savoie (Sabres, 2022).
We finished last week on a strong note, falling one Artemi Panarin shot shy of sweeping our player props.
Let's look at three bets that pop off the page on Monday as we look to pick up where we left off.
Alex DeBrincat: Over 3.5 shots
DeBrincat has been a proficient shot-generator at home this season. He's averaged 3.6 shots on 6.3 attempts and gone over his total in 11 of 16 tries.
That's much higher than his totals on the road, where he's managed four shots on 14 attempts and averaged fewer than three shots on goal per game.
DeBrincat has been a little cold of late, but that can partly be attributed to Patrick Kane's return. With the future Hall of Famer on his line, his shot volume has been drastically lower than it was when he played with other Red Wings. He's likely spent too much time deferring to the future Hall of Famer.
On Monday night, DeBrincat is expected to skate on a line with Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno. That's a big plus: DeBrincat averages nearly 11 shots on goal per 60 minutes with those two players. Comparatively, he averages 6.74 per 60 with Kane.
He also has a mouthwatering matchup against a Ducks team that gives up a ton of shots. Anaheim also takes penalties at the highest rate in the league, so DeBrincat should get plenty of opportunities on the man advantage.
Odds: +120 (playable to -120)
Gabriel Vilardi: Over 2.5 shots
Kyle Connor recently suffered an injury and, in each of the four games since, Vilardi has recorded at least three shots on goal.
Vilardi is playing on the first line alongside Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers, as well as on the top power-play unit. He's in a prime spot for offensive success.
Although we're still dealing with small samples, Vilardi's outputs have drastically improved since he's been on the first line. Beside Scheifele, Vilardi's averaging well over 20 attempts per 60 minutes, and his shot rate jumps to 27 per 60 with Ehlers on his line.
He's generating a lot of high-quality opportunities playing with those two and there's no reason to expect any different against the Canadiens. They're one of the worst teams in the league at suppressing shots five-on-five and are horrendous on the penalty kill. Vilardi will likely continue his success in such a friendly matchup.
Odds: -105 (playable to -125)
Cole Caufield: Under 3.5 shots
Caufield is a fairly consistent shooter at home but, on the road, his volume seems very dependent on his opponent's caliber.
In the last handful of road games, Caufield failed to get the job done against the Coyotes, Red Wings, Bruins, and Kings, who are all holding onto postseason spots.
Caufield couldn't find success against quality opponents but registered five shots or more against non-playoff teams in the Blues, Ducks, Sharks, and Sabres.
The Jets are a win out of first place in the Central Division - which features multiple Stanley Cup contenders - so they certainly classify as quality competition. They're also very good at slowing a game's pace and limiting shots, which should lead to a dip in Caufield's shooting floor and ceiling.
Odds: -115 (playable to -130)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.
Amid their ongoing woes in the crease, the Carolina Hurricanes inked veteran goaltender Aaron Dell to a professional tryout contract Sunday night, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Dell was an unrestricted free agent. The 34-year-old posted a .913 save percentage in four games for the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23. He also played in 38 contests for the team's AHL affiliate.
Over the last three campaigns, the veteran has suited up for just 23 NHL games, spending the previous two years with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils. Dell played four seasons with the Sharks to begin his career, authoring a career-best .931 save percentage over 20 appearances as a rookie in his age-27 season of 2016-17.
The Hurricanes signed Jaroslav Halak to a pro tryout in early November when Frederik Andersen was diagnosed with a blood clotting issue that forced him out indefinitely. However, at the end of Halak's tryout, Carolina didn't tender him a contract.
Andersen hasn't played since Nov. 2 - only his sixth game of 2023-24 - due to his ailment. Antti Raanta has been abysmal in his stead, posting an .854 save percentage over 14 appearances. The Canes placed Raanta on waivers Saturday, and he went unclaimed.
Pyotr Kochetkov hasn't been much better, producing a .894 mark over 15 contests. Both the experienced netminder and the youngster have goals saved above expected and goals saved above average figures below zero at five-on-five, according to Evolving-Hockey.
The Hurricanes entered Monday with the third-worst team save percentage at five-on-five (.898) and the worst mark in the entire league in all situations (.875). The perennial contenders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division in points percentage (.565), ahead of only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets in that regard.
The Jackets offered Dell a pro tryout in September but didn't sign him afterward.
This is the fifth in-season edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2023-24 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday.
In this edition, we've invited Santa Claus to drop off a gift for each team in celebration of the holiday season.
1. Vegas Golden Knights (21-6-5)
Previous rank: 3
🎁 A new itinerary for their second parade. Look, this is Vegas. There's no question the city will want to outdo last summer's celebration on the Strip with the Golden Knights in prime position to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Better start planning now.
2. New York Rangers (21-7-1)
Previous rank: 1
🎁 A state-of-the-art shaver for Artemi Panarin. When the Rangers' Russian pulled up with a clean, bald head to begin the season, many mourned the loss of his curly locks. However, shaved-head Panarin is a beast and on pace to hit the 100-point mark for the first time. Go ahead and keep a close cut, Panarin, Rangers fans won't mind.
3. Los Angeles Kings (17-6-4)
Previous rank: 4
🎁 Another lengthy road winning streak. The Kings set a new NHL record by going 11-0 away from home to start the campaign, but that run was snapped by the Islanders on Dec. 9. Los Angeles just beat the Kraken in Seattle on Saturday to, perhaps, begin a new streak. The Kings will need to win 11 more to match the record for longest road winning streak at any point in a season.
4. Boston Bruins (19-5-5)
Previous rank: 2
🎁 Patrice Bergeron. We know, he retired and won't lace 'em up again, but can't we wish for a Christmas miracle? The return of the Selke Trophy king would be the best gift of them all. The Bruins are already a wagon (again), but come on, everyone misses Bergeron.
5. Vancouver Canucks (21-9-2)
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 6
🎁 Everything on Brock Boeser's wish list. The Canucks forward has had to contend with more than his fair share of hardships over the past few seasons, but he's come out the other side with a renewed love of hockey. Armed with a new mindset, Boeser has erupted for 23 goals in 32 games. You love to see it.
🎁 Some luck. The Panthers rank third in the NHL in shots per game (33.9), but they own the seventh-lowest shooting percentage (8.9) and are tied for 20th in goals for per contest (3.00). The puck's gotta start going in at some point, right?
8. Winnipeg Jets (18-9-2)
Previous rank: 12
🎁 A speedy recovery for Kyle Connor. He's expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with a knee injury, interrupting what has been an incredible season for the Jets sniper. As Winnipeg's leading scorer with 17 goals in 26 games, Connor's absence will make it harder for the Jets to hold on to the top spot in the Central Division.
9. Dallas Stars (17-8-4)
Previous rank: 5
🎁 Good news on Jake Oettinger. The Stars goaltender exited Friday's win against the Senators after an awkward save and didn't travel to St. Louis. Any positive update on Oettinger's status will make the holidays slightly less stressful for Dallas and their fans.
10. New York Islanders (14-8-8)
Steven Ryan / National Hockey League / Getty
Previous rank: 18
🎁 Friendship bracelets for Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. The Islanders' top-line duo has been as good as Lou Lamoriello expected when he made the splash to acquire Horvat before last year's trade deadline. Barzal's back to averaging over a point per game and Horvat's tallied a point in 10 straight contests.
11. Edmonton Oilers (13-14-1)
Previous rank: 23
🎁 A giant bottle of Kris Knoblauch's favorite beverage. The Oilers have gone 10-5-0 under their new head coach's direction (including an eight-game winning streak) while improving in virtually every category. Edmonton is now only five points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference thanks to its miraculous turnaround under Knoblauch. He's earned a drink.
12. Colorado Avalanche (19-10-2)
Previous rank: 7
🎁 Last season's Alexandar Georgiev. His first season in Denver couldn't have gone much better, posting a .919 save percentage as the team's workhorse starter. That hasn't been the case this time around, with Georgiev struggling to an .884 SV% in his last 20 games since a hot start.
13. New Jersey Devils (16-12-1)
Previous rank: 14
🎁 More recognition for Jesper Bratt. Someone give him his flowers, already! The 25-year-old Swede ranks second on the Devils with 36 points in 29 games but remains criminally underrated. If Santa gifts Bratt a brighter spotlight, maybe more people outside of New Jersey will notice.
14. Philadelphia Flyers (17-10-3)
Previous rank: 19
🎁 A gift basket for Torey Krug. The Flyers' minute-munching Travis Sanheim would be enjoying his resurgent campaign in St. Louis if not for Krug's no-trade clause.
15. Carolina Hurricanes (16-12-3)
Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Previous rank: 8
🎁 A competent goaltender. It's been a rough season in the crease for the Hurricanes given Frederik Andersen's health issues combined with Pyotr Kochetkov's and Antti Raanta's struggles. Whether the solution is Kochetkov - who has back-to-back quality starts - or someone else, Carolina needs a useable netminder, and soon.
16. Nashville Predators (18-13-0)
Previous rank: 22
🎁 A day off for Juuse Saros. The Predators netminder has appeared in a league-high 24 contests and has faced the third-most shots (690) out of all goaltenders. He also led the NHL in games played in each of the past two seasons. He must be tired. Saros, turn off your phone and tuck into a nice book for a hot minute.
17. Detroit Red Wings (15-11-4)
Previous rank: 11
🎁 A do-over on Patrick Kane. Look, reuniting Kane with Alex DeBrincat wasn't a bad idea on paper. But it just looks like Kane isn't a difference-maker at the NHL level anymore. He's been outchanced at five-on-five and has yet to contribute to a goal at even strength. The Red Wings are 1-4-1 with him in the lineup. Yikes.
18. Minnesota Wild (12-12-4)
Previous rank: 24
🎁 Whatever Brock Faber wants. The rookie defenseman has been a dream for the Wild and has come up particularly clutch as Minnesota deals with injuries to both Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. Faber has seen more than 30 minutes of ice time in each of the last two games. His wish should be the Wild's command.
19. Arizona Coyotes (15-13-2)
Previous rank: 17
🎁 More minutes for Michael Carcone. The Coyotes winger is tied for the NHL lead in five-on-five goals with 12, and he's done it while playing just 11:09 per game. If there's any depth player who's earned more opportunity this season, it's Carcone.
20. Tampa Bay Lightning (14-13-5)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Previous rank: 15
🎁 A breather for Andrei Vasilevskiy. It's no secret that the Lightning goaltender is a workhorse, but he's started all but two games since his return from back surgery Nov. 24. He's posted an .897 save percentage across 10 games while facing the second-most shots (282) in that span. Vasilevskiy was thrown right into the fire, and it's been a lot to ask.
21. Washington Capitals (15-9-4)
Previous rank: 13
🎁 More goals for Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals icon's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky has hit a snag with just five goals in 28 games. That puts Ovechkin on pace for fewer than 20 tallies for the first time. A bounce-back in the back half is necessary to get him back on track to reach 894.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins (13-13-3)
Previous rank: 16
🎁 A therapy session for the Big Three. Once again, the Penguins are mid. Once again, it isn't Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Kris Letang's fault. The three legends are probably in need of a good venting session. Actually, sign up general manager Kyle Dubas for this one, too.
23. St. Louis Blues (15-14-1)
Previous rank: 20
🎁 More cheers for Jordan Kyrou. It's been quite a roller-coaster week for Kyrou. After being booed by Blues fans for his comments (or lack thereof) about ex-coach Craig Berube, he received a much warmer reception after enjoying a three-point night Saturday against the Stars. If Kyrou is garnering more cheers, it'll translate into good things for St. Louis.
24. Montreal Canadiens (13-13-4)
Previous rank: 27
🎁 A Jake Allen trade. The three-man rotation of Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau, and Allen can only last so long. Montembeault signed a deserving extension and Primeau is starting to make good on his potential. Freeing up more starts for both younger goaltenders would benefit everyone involved.
25. Calgary Flames (12-14-5)
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Previous rank: 21
🎁 A haul for their rentals. The Flames are expected to be among the league's most active teams leading up to the trade deadline given their abundance of pending free agents. After the underwhelming returns for Tyler Toffoli and Nikita Zadorov, adding significant picks and/or prospects in the next crop of trades would be a massive boost for the team's future.
26. San Jose Sharks (9-19-3)
Previous rank: 32
🎁 A ridiculously expensive steak dinner for MacKenzie Blackwood. Since the Sharks won their first game of the season on Nov. 7, the goaltender owns a remarkable .907 save percentage and modest 4-6-1 record. His teammates owe him a nice meal. Blackwood should be allowed to order two appetizers and a dessert, too.
27. Buffalo Sabres (13-16-3)
Previous rank: 26
🎁 A trip to Dave & Buster's. The Sabres aren't having any fun. Buffalo was one of the league's most exciting teams to watch last season because they were having fun. Maybe the Sabres just need to blow off some steam on some arcade games to shake themselves out of their miserable funk. We recommend Whac-A-Mole.
28. Ottawa Senators (11-15-0)
Previous rank: 25
🎁 A new head coach. Simply put, it's time for the D.J. Smith era to end. Once again, the Senators are toiling through a lackluster campaign. Young players are performing, but the team has failed to take a step toward legitimate playoff contention.
29. Seattle Kraken (10-14-8)
Previous rank: 28
🎁 A time machine. The Kraken are in sore need of a do-over, man. After making the playoffs for the first time, Seattle mostly kept its team intact in the offseason. That hasn't translated into a similar level of success this year. We're getting flashbacks to the Kraken's nightmarish inaugural campaign. Someone please let them start this season over.
30. Columbus Blue Jackets (10-17-5)
Jason Mowry / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Previous rank: 31
🎁 A stress ball for Patrik Laine. To sum up Laine's 2023-24 season so far in one word: Oof. The Finn was made a healthy scratch (which he didn't enjoy) and finally started to catch fire with three goals in his last five games, but now he's out six weeks with a clavicle fracture. Maybe he needs a pillow to scream into instead.
31. Anaheim Ducks (11-19-0)
Previous rank: 29
🎁 A healthy Jamie Drysdale. The Ducks' 2020 sixth overall pick has played just 10 games since October 2022. Drysdale's talent is evident - there's no denying his electrifying offensive skills and skating. Anaheim needs him to stay available and get his development back on track.
32. Chicago Blackhawks (9-20-1)
Previous rank: 31
🎁 A spa day for Connor Bedard. The 2023 first overall pick leads all rookies in goals (12) and points (26) while pacing all Blackhawks forwards in average ice time (19:28). On top of all that, Bedard has to face a daily media circus and tune out some ridiculous off-ice drama. Go get a massage, kid.
Sat Shah and Bik Nizzar breakdown the Canucks 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet post game. Randip Janda and Iain McIntyre provide their analysis.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
