Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is still being evaluated for a lower-body injury suffered on the weekend and will not play Tuesday versus the New York Rangers, head coach Mike Sullivan announced.
More to come.
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This is the fourth edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for 2019-20. Check back for updated rankings every second Monday during the regular season.
In this edition, we identify each team's biggest disappointment so far this season.
Previous rank: 4
It's tough to nitpick the NHL's first-place squad as it rides a six-game winning streak, but Braden Holtby's .898 save percentage through 13 starts for the Capitals certainly isn't ideal.
Previous rank: 12
The reigning champs are on a major heater, winning nine of their last 10. Despite the Blues' record, though, seven regulation wins on the season is a bit concerning.
Previous rank: 1
Losing to the lowly Red Wings last week had to be pretty disappointing for the Bruins, who boast two of the NHL's top four scorers, the best power play, and the top goaltending duo.
Previous rank: 6
The Islanders have fully committed to Barry Trotz's style of play and earned at least a point in 12 consecutive games - including 11 wins - as a result. Things are nearly perfect on the Island at the moment, but 2014 fifth overall pick Michael Dal Colle still hasn't found his NHL groove. Despite a regular dose of minutes, the 23-year-old has mustered just three points in 15 games this season.
Previous rank: 2
A recent spell of unfortunate injuries to key players is just about the only disappointing development for the high-flying Avalanche so far in 2019-20. Despite being hit hard by the injury bug, Colorado doesn't seem intent on slowing down.
Previous rank: 5
After a career-high 22 goals last season, forward Alex Chiasson has registered just a single tally thus far. He's not the most important piece of the Oilers puzzle, but an uptick in production would take a major load off the shoulders of Edmonton's big guns.
Previous rank: 8
Kyle Turris appears to be regressing into something of a non-factor for the Predators. The veteran pivot is on pace for only 38 points this year while logging 13:50 per contest - his lowest average ice time since his age-21 season.
Previous rank: 20
The Canadiens have performed well to this point, but a 29th-ranked penalty kill is a big disappointment for a team that's made significant improvements on the power play this year.
Previous rank: 15
Alex Galchenyuk, the main return in the Phil Kessel trade, has yet to record a goal. He's missed time due to injury, to be fair, but the Penguins would warmly welcome an offensive outburst any time now.
Previous rank: 17
This past summer's Alberta netminder swap has not gone as well for Cam Talbot as it has for Mike Smith. The Flames' backup is 1-3-0 with an .899 save percentage in five appearances.
Previous rank: 16
Travis Konecny's emergence as a top-line scorer has helped mask sluggish starts from perennial point producers Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The veteran forwards have combined for just five even-strength goals through the Flyers' first 17 games.
Previous rank: 14
The Maple Leafs have too much skill to look so perplexed on the power play. Toronto has just five goals in its last 41 opportunities with the man advantage, operating at a subpar 18.2% rate on the season.
Previous rank: 13
After a historic 128-point campaign for the Lightning in 2018-19, Nikita Kucherov hasn't been himself to begin the year. It's still early, but the reigning Hart Trophy winner is on pace for his lowest goal total since his rookie season.
Previous rank: 10
Offseason signing Micheal Ferland has struggled to find his game with the Canucks. After inking a four-year, $14-million pact with Vancouver in July, Ferland has one goal in 12 contests and ranks second-last on the team in average ice time.
Previous rank: 11
For a team that's traditionally benefited from a raucous crowd at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights have been somewhat disappointing on home ice with just three regulation wins in nine contests.
Previous rank: 24
Joe Pavelski is on pace for 14 goals this season, which is not what the Stars paid for when they handed the veteran a three-year, $21-million deal in free agency this summer.
Previous rank: 18
The Ducks' four power-play goals this season are tied for last in the league - and only one more than they've scored shorthanded.
Previous rank: 9
Phil Kessel has picked up his play of late, but the Coyotes' prized offseason acquisition still sits seventh on the team with just three goals through 17 games.
Previous rank: 19
The Panthers boast one of the league's top offenses - which is very fortunate considering newcomer Sergei Bobrovsky's underwhelming performance in goal. The Russian netminder has started to find his form, but an ugly October has him posting career-worst numbers so far this season.
Previous rank: 7
The Hurricanes have the talent to keep up with the league's elite, but inconsistency has been their Achilles' heel. Carolina began the season with five straight wins before losing four of its next five. After rebounding with three consecutive victories, the club currently rides a four-game slide.
Previous rank: 3
Nobody expected Jimmy Vesey to set the league ablaze in Buffalo, but the Sabres' newcomer is yet to score a goal this season and has just two assists over 14 games.
Previous rank: 21
Jets captain Blake Wheeler has mustered only 10 points in 18 games for a 45-point pace over 82 contests. That would represent about half his production from each of the last two seasons after back-to-back 91-point campaigns. Regression might be setting in for the 33-year-old.
Previous rank: 23
Though the Sharks have won three straight games, goaltending has been their biggest concern. Martin Jones played well in Saturday's win, but he's been inconsistent overall, posting an .888 save percentage on the year and allowing four or more goals in seven of his 13 starts this season.
Previous rank: 30
Expectations were quite low for the rebuilding Senators entering this season, so there haven't been many true disappointments in Ottawa. But Craig Anderson has all but lost the No. 1 goaltending job to Anders Nilsson after authoring a subpar .897 save percentage and only two wins in eight starts.
Previous rank: 26
The Rangers have allowed the second-most shots on goal per game in the NHL and rank top 10 in most goals allowed per contest. The serviceable play of goalies Henrik Lundqvist and Aleksandar Georgiev has masked the team's defensive woes.
Previous rank: 22
Defense was supposed to be the Blue Jackets' focus this season with Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, and Co. holding down the fort after the offseason exodus of star forwards and a franchise goalie. Yet Columbus is outside the top 10 in shots allowed and ranks bottom 10 in goals against.
Previous rank: 27
Devan Dubnyk was looking to bounce back after posting a .913 save percentage in 2018-19 - a career-worst over a full season. But the Wild's veteran netminder has authored a paltry .887 mark across 11 appearances in 2019-20, and backup Alex Stalock has outperformed him while playing only two fewer games.
Previous rank: 28
Veteran defenseman Brent Seabrook has looked a shadow of his former self early this season. He's posted a lone goal and no assists in 15 contests with the Blackhawks, serving as a healthy scratch for only the second and third times in his 15-year career.
Previous rank: 29
Expectations were high for Nikita Gusev, the 2018-19 KHL MVP whom the Devils landed in a trade with the Golden Knights. The Russian sniper hasn't exactly exploded out of the gate, though, scoring four goals in 13 games with only one marker in his last six contests.
Previous rank: 25
Even head coach Todd McLellan agrees the Kings' veterans deserve plenty of blame. Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, and Ilya Kovalchuk are among the experienced Los Angeles players who have underachieved to this point.
Previous rank: 31
Andreas Athanasiou was looking to build on the career-high 30 goals he netted across 76 contests last season. Instead, he's taken a significant step backward in the scoring department, burying only two markers over 17 games with the Red Wings.
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner is expected to be out of the lineup with an ankle injury for at least four weeks, at which point he'll be reassessed by the club's medical staff, the team announced Sunday.
Marner underwent an MRI on Sunday after suffering the injury in Saturday night's loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 22-year-old struggled to the bench in the second period after getting tangled up with Flyers winger Carsen Twarynski during a faceoff. Marner later took a power-play shift before heading to the dressing room. He came back to test his ankle during a TV timeout but returned to the room.
He was ruled out for the remainder of the game and sat out Sunday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. Marner led Toronto with 14 assists entering Sunday's game, and his 18 points in as many contests ranked second on the team behind Auston Matthews.
Marner signed a six-year, $65.35-million contract with the Maple Leafs in September after racking up a career-best 26 goals and 94 points across 82 games in 2018-19.
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Jim Montgomery made it clear he's not happy with the performance of his best players so far this season.
"Very disappointed," the Dallas Stars head coach told reporters when asked about the scoring of his top players following an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
When asked if he is seeing signs of progress, Montgomery replied, "No, are you?"
Tyler Seguin has collected only three goals and 11 points in 2019-20, while Jamie Benn has managed just one goal and six points. Alexander Radulov has netted five goals to go along with five assists, and marquee free-agent signing Joe Pavelski has recorded just three goals and eight points. All four forwards have suited up for all 18 games.
Montgomery singled out Seguin and Benn when asked how important it is for his top players to step up amid injuries to star defenseman John Klingberg and forward Roope Hintz, who leads the club with nine goals this season.
"It's really important," the bench boss said. "You need your No. 1 center and need your No. 1 left winger to step up and do more."
Montgomery explained that the team has tried to reduce its top players' ice time and conduct 1-on-1 video sessions, but he added that the onus is on them to turn things around.
"They've got to decide that they want to be a difference maker," the head coach said. "I mean, look who scored for the Jets."
Patrik Laine opened the scoring for Winnipeg on Sunday and Mark Scheifele potted the overtime winner.
"We got really good, big goals by (Mattias) Janmark and (Radek) Faksa, and that's our third and fourth line," Montgomery said.
The Stars fell to 8-8-2 with Sunday's loss. Dallas ranks third-last in the NHL with 2.39 goals per game.
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Don Cherry doesn't represent me. He likely doesn't represent you. The Canada he longs for, and the hockey community he longs for, have both long since passed out of date.
But, in choosing a set of carefully crafted words over swift action for his most recent diatribe, Rogers Communications and its Sportsnet brand continues to make it appear as though Cherry does represent us.
This is inexcusable for a company that, since taking over the Hockey Night in Canada franchise in 2014, has had multiple opportunities to part ways with the divisive commentator. Saturday night was the latest invitation for Sportsnet to take Cherry off the air, and they whiffed.
"Don's discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network," Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley said in a short statement released Sunday morning in the wake of significant online backlash. "We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks."
A statement such as this - one in which Cherry's boss acknowledges the discrimination and vaguely apologizes for it - is better than nothing. But it's not nearly enough. Sportsnet, and by extension Rogers, one of Canada's largest employers, is enabling xenophobia by keeping Coach's Corner alive in its current form.
Don Cherry’s rant on immigrants:
— Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) November 10, 2019
“You people... love our way of life, love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada.”
Ron MacLean nodded and gave a thumbs up. pic.twitter.com/OXnIwV1n9T
In case you missed it, Cherry claimed Saturday during his usual intermission segment that few people in downtown Toronto are wearing poppies ahead of Remembrance Day. Smaller Canadian cities aren't experiencing this issue, he insists, ostensibly suggesting immigrants aren't appreciative of Canada's war history and the country's fallen soldiers.
"You people … you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that," Cherry said. "These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada. These guys paid the biggest price."
Cherry then called those who have purchased a poppy the "good Canadians." The manner in which Cherry delivered his message - full of righteous indignation and fumbling incoherence that is typical for him - left no room for alternative interpretation. He has a specific view of how Canada should be, how it should look, and who should live in it, and that view was broadcast to millions; many of whom are immigrants or second-generation Canadians.
How do you think those who work on the Punjabi production of Hockey Night in Canada feel today?
Another Saturday night in the books. See ya next week, #Canada 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/y1Szivugoi
— Hockey Night Punjabi (@HkyNightPunjabi) November 10, 2019
The NHL and its partners love to tout the 'Hockey is for Everyone' diversity campaign, but the initiative's message gets dragged through the mud whenever the 85-year-old Cherry undermines people who don't look like him. "Hockey is at its best when it brings people together," the NHL said in its own statement, which was released two hours after Sportsnet's. "The comments made last night were offensive and contrary to the values we believe in."
This, of course, is not a one-off incident, and now the ball is in Sportsnet's court. Saying Cherry doesn't represent the company's values in one breath and then trotting him out week after week to a gigantic audience does nothing to solve the core problem. Based on history, a slap on the wrist won't deter Cherry from wading into these waters in the future. Next Saturday will come quick.
Cherry, who has been on Hockey Night in Canada for nearly four decades, doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt at this point. His unique platform - speaking directly to millions in a peak slot as a part of the sport's most storied brand - is a privilege, not a right. It's time to take that privilege away and hand the primetime role to someone inclusive and open-minded.
On the whole, Cherry's views on hockey are shallow and outdated. Two of his most common shticks revolve around the correlation between wearing expensive suits and winning games, and how bare-knuckle fighting is a necessity. One assumes kids can't respect the game without his approved pre-game uniform, and the other is an affront to everyone who has suffered from the dark toll of rock-em-sock-em hockey. He rarely adds insight to the sport's weekly conversation.
Cherry's hopelessly stuck in the past, and a mountain of evidence has given Rogers and Sportsnet a hell of a case for dismissing him from his role on Hockey Night in Canada. When will enough be enough?
John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.
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Sportsnet issued a statement on Sunday apologizing for Don Cherry's disparaging remarks during his most recent "Coach's Corner" segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
"Don's discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network. We have spoken directly with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks," read the statement from Bart Yabsley, president of Sportsnet.
With Remembrance Day approaching, Cherry ranted about people who immigrate to Canada apparently not purchasing enough poppies.
Don Cherry’s rant on immigrants:
— Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) November 10, 2019
“You people... love our way of life, love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada.”
Ron MacLean nodded and gave a thumbs up. pic.twitter.com/OXnIwV1n9T
"You people that come here, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that," Cherry said.
"These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada."
Cherry, 85, has been an open supporter of the military throughout his career, and he's received plenty of online backlash over this outburst. It doesn't appear he'll face any additional discipline, and Cherry hasn't addressed the matter since the segment aired.
Copyright © 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.