theScore's new series, "The Noise," is published every Monday. It kicks off each week with a quick look at three teams or players making headlines, good or bad.
Sidney Crosby
From the beginning of 2016 through to the end of play on Nov. 27, no player has scored more goals than Sidney Crosby.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar center has recorded 42 goals in 60 games this calendar year, one more than Alex Ovechkin, and eight more than Wayne Simmonds.
His yearly total has been boosted by an otherworldly start to the 2015-16 regular season; in 16 games, Crosby has scored 15 goals, and despite missing a handful of games with a concussion, he's on pace for 71 if he remains healthy through to the end.
Crosby's career high is 51 goals back in the 2009-2010 season, but he hasn't really approached 40 since scoring 39 as a rookie over a decade ago.
We'll have whatever he's having for breakfast these days.
Florida Panthers
A road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in late November kicked off quite a Sunday night for the Florida Panthers.
Less than ten minutes after the team tweeted out Gerard Gallant's postgame comments, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported the Panthers had fired their head coach. Follow-up reports stated assistant head coach Mike Kelly was also let go, while general manager Tom Rowe will take over behind the bench, news that was confirmed Monday morning.
All this after an 11-10-1 start for the reigning Atlantic Division champions who were trying to overcome injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad while also waiting for Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr to improve upon their two and three goals apiece to date.
The social media reaction was far less than complimentary, especially in light of the fact Gallant was forced to wait for a cab outside PNC Arena following his dismissal.
Here's the thing: We know Gallant, who was believed to be widely appreciated by his players, will land on his feet. It's already been suggested that he could get a look from the Vegas Golden Knights if he's not already scooped up by then. Embarrassing cab ride aside, he won't be out of work for long.
Back in Florida, questions remain in light of a huge amount of tinkering over the past calendar year, both on and off the ice. Ownership and management have a clear and unified vision and mandate, and while it has cost many their jobs, the hope is it will pay off in the end with sustained success.
Related: Panthers are an experiment worth seeing through, with or without Gallant
Craig Anderson
The Ottawa Senators goalie is making the most of every start these days.
Craig Anderson stopped 65-of-66 shots against over the weekend, earning a 2-1 win over Carolina on Saturday and a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers the following night.
Head coach Guy Boucher said Anderson is likely to miss games in the near future in order to be with wife Nicholle, who is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment at a New York-based hospital for throat cancer.
So while it's not always ideal to give a goalie back-to-back starts, Anderson's situation is rather unique.
"We want the best for him, we want the best for our team ... (but) when you’ve got no hesitation from your No. 1 goalie and he says, 'I want that game,' it’s very difficult to say you’re not playing," Boucher said, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
Anderson has now posted a record of 12-4-1 on the season, with a .936 save percentage.
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