Former New York Islanders forward Rob Schremp apparently isn't a fan of John Tavares.

Schremp responded to a tweet on Saturday that compared the Islanders' record last season on Feb. 15 to their current standing in the league. The former 25th overall pick called Tavares an "I did my job" superstar and said the Toronto Maple Leafs forward cares more about his own personal accolades than the team's success.

The Islanders have improved significantly on defense this year, as they've allowed 82 fewer goals than they did at this point last season.

Tavares, meanwhile, is on pace to post career highs in both goals and points with the Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old recently said he still has no regrets about his decision to leave the Islanders in free agency last summer.

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Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill is hoping to address his team's biggest weakness, the offense, ahead of the trade deadline.

"It's hard to score goals right now," he told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "You watch games, every team seems to be in playoff mode right now.

"Every game seems to be 2-1, 3-2 right now. It's hard to score goals. I think that's where our game is going a little bit. If we could add a little more scoring, you can never have enough of it."

The Stars rank 29th in goals, averaging 2.54 per game. Only four Dallas players have managed double-digit goals. Meanwhile, the team has scored three-plus goals in a game just three times in 17 contests since the calendar flipped to 2019.

Nill says he's open to almost anything in his pursuit of more talent, but his willingness to make a trade could change if the Stars don't hold on to their playoff spot.

"I think there are a lot of teams, because of how tight things are in the standings, they're waiting to see where it all goes," he said. "So over the next two weeks that's something we're going to watch. We're very open to making a hockey trade if it's going to make us better. If we stay in the hunt the way we are, we're open to adding to our team."

The Stars currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach Scott Gordon thinks ​​​​Evgeni Malkin got off easy with a one-game suspension.

The league handed the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar a one-game ban Tuesday for high-sticking Flyers forward Michael Raffl during Monday's contest.

"It wasn't a high stick. It was a baseball swing," Gordon said, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli. "Just because you didn't connect doesn't mean it wasn't vicious. I don't think he should be rewarded just because he didn't connect."

Before the NHL's Department of Player Safety disciplined Malkin, the 32-year-old suggested he didn't deserve to be suspended since he didn't hit Raffl in the face with his stick.

Malkin missed Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. He will be eligible to return to the lineup Saturday when the Penguins host the Calgary Flames.

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Bruce Boudreau is calling his shot.

Despite the Minnesota Wild losing six of their last seven games, the team's head coach is feeling confident about playing extra games this spring.

"We're going to make the playoffs," Boudreau said, according to Sarah McLellan of the Star Tribune. "That's about as elaborate as I want to get. You want me to predict how many wins we're going to have in the last month and a half? No. But we're going to make the playoffs."

The Wild currently sit in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference amid an extremely tight playoff race. The team is just two points back of the St. Louis Blues for the first wild-card position, but also only two points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.

For his part, Boudreau appears more optimistic about his roster than he did a week ago. Following a loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the coach told reporters, "There's some guys there that just are a shell of the players that I've known for two-and-a-half years."

The Wild will look to get back in the win column on Friday against the New Jersey Devils - the only team they've defeated this month.

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The Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers have been in talks about a potential trade involving goaltender Cam Talbot, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Dreger notes the talks are believed to be "preliminary" in nature but are "definitely" taking place.

Other teams have considered trading for Talbot, including the Carolina Hurricanes, who had internal discussions "weeks ago," according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Talbot has seen his workload diminish significantly this season with the emergence of Mikko Koskinen. He's played just 31 games, going 10-15-3 with a .893 save percentage and a 3.36 goals-against average.

The 31-year-old is in the final year of a three-year, $12.5-million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

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The Anaheim Ducks placed goaltender John Gibson on injured reserve with a head/back/neck injury on Wednesday, the team announced.

The 25-year-old missed Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was forced from last Thursday's contest against the Ottawa Senators following a collision in the second period.

Meanwhile, fellow netminder Chad Johnson was also placed on IR with a head injury. Johnson was hit with a puck on Tuesday and complained of headaches, head coach Bob Murray said, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic.

With the Ducks' top two goalies sidelined, rookie Kevin Boyle will make his first NHL start Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller, meanwhile, will serve as the 26-year-old's backup.

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Despite recording just three wins in their last 10 games, the Edmonton Oilers aren't ruling themselves out of the playoff picture.

The club has fallen to 13th place in the Western Conference but remains just six points out of the final wild-card spot. The tight playoff race has interim general manager Keith Gretzky hopeful the team will be in a position to add ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

"Hopefully, we're buying," Gretzky said, according to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. "We're six points out with a game in hand. We're not out of it. But in a (couple) weeks, we'll see where we're at."

The Oilers play six games before the deadline, including a three-game Eastern Conference road trip starting Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, Gretzky insists he won't sacrifice the team's farm system to pursue outside talent.

"We've gotta make some changes, of course," said Gretzky. "You can't say that we're the perfect team with our record. We're trying to improve it, but we're not gonna sell the farm and get a quick fix. It's gonna take a bit."

The Oilers are at risk of missing the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years and for the second straight season since reaching the second round in 2017.

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With John Tavares set to make his return to Long Island in two weeks, questions about his decision to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs this past offseason are already rolling in.

"I have absolutely no regrets," Tavares told reporters following Sunday's loss to the New York Rangers. "I'm in a great spot. It's been a tremendous opportunity and we're just beginning.

"When I made the decision it felt right to me and it was the best thing for me and my career."

Tavares' decision to leave the New York Islanders and join his childhood team is thus far paying off. The 28-year-old is just five goals shy of tying his career high of 38, with 26 games still to play. Meanwhile, his 60 points in 56 contests have him on pace to set a career best in that category, too.

The Maple Leafs will tangle with the Islanders on Feb. 28, as Tavares will look to avenge a 4-0 loss to his former team back on Dec. 29.

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The Anaheim Ducks will wait until the offseason to name a new head coach, but general manager Bob Murray already has a potential replacement in mind.

Dallas Eakins, the coach of the AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls, will be a "definite candidate," Murray said Sunday, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic.

The 51-year-old has coached the Gulls since their inception ahead of the 2015-16 season and has amassed a record of 143-86-20. The team holds a 25-15-5 record this year, good for third place in the Pacific Division.

Prior to his time with the Gulls, Eakins served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers from 2013 to 2014. He was fired midway through his second season with the team after it started 7-19-5.

In his other AHL coaching stint, Eakins amassed a record of 157-114-41 over four seasons with the Toronto Marlies, which was highlighted by an appearance in the Calder Cup Final in 2012.

The Ducks dismissed head coach Randy Carlyle on Sunday with the team enduring a stretch during which it has lost 19 of the last 21 contests.

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Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau tore into his players after a disappointing 4-1 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

"There's some guys there that just are a shell of the players that I've known for two-and-a-half years," Boudreau told reporters.

Boudreau then expressed his frustration at Mikael Granlund specifically, as the star forward has now scored just two goals in his past 37 games.

"I can't go out there and hang on his back and follow him like a close-talker and say, 'Hey, shoot the puck," Boudreau said. "He's a smart enough player. The last two years he was one of the, I thought, top 10 players in the league. And now he's got two goals in (37) games."

Minnesota has now dropped four straight and sits in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, just two points up on the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

"This was sort of the last straw," Boudreau said. "Everybody now has caught us or within a point, so it's either find your sense of urgency and do what you have to do to win or bad things are going to happen."

The Wild will now embark on a mini two-game road trip, starting in New Jersey on Saturday, where they will look to get back into the win column.

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