Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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Calgary Flames agitator Matthew Tkachuk isn't letting Drew Doughty get under his skin.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman had some strong words for Tkachuk before Monday's contest between the two teams. Doughty said he had "no respect" for the Flames forward and that many others around the league share the same opinion.

"Doesn't bother me at all," Tkachuk said after the game, according to Flames beat reporter Wes Gilberston. "Doesn't really surprise me. Doesn't not surprise me. It's just another day. I'll sleep like a baby and not worry about that type of stuff, I'll tell you that."

When the two engaged in the third period, Tkachuk did what he does best by agitating Doughty before goading him into a two-minute slashing penalty.

The Flames were shut out on home ice for the first time all season in the 3-0 loss. The two teams meet once more this campaign on April 1 in Los Angeles.

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John Tavares had himself quite a night versus the Florida Panthers on Monday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar registered the first four-goal game of his career and reached several impressive milestones in the process.

His dominant effort in the Leafs' 7-5 win pushed him to 45 tallies on the season, good for second in the NHL. It's also a franchise record for most goals by a player in his first season with the Maple Leafs, according to NHL Public Relations.

"It's obviously nice to get rewarded like that, it's always a good feeling," Tavares said postgame. "But you know, I think we still feel we can be a little better with some of the opportunities we gave up and eventually went in our net.

"All in all, obviously, I think mostly it was a good night and we'll build on the good stuff."

Toronto's marquee offseason addition also established a new record for goals scored by a former unrestricted free agent in his debut season with a new team, according to Sportsnet's JD Bunkis. Marian Gaborik, the previous record-holder, scored 42 goals in 2009-10 after signing as a UFA with the New York Rangers.

Tavares' 45 goals this season are the most by a Maple Leafs player since Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94 (53). He's also matched his career high in points at 86 with six games to go.

So far, Tavares' new contract looks like money well spent for Toronto.

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The Nashville Predators officially secured their spot in the postseason with a victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night.

With the win, the Predators head to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, which is the third-longest active streak in the NHL.

Nashville has won its first-round matchup in three straight postseasons. Only the Washington Capitals have a longer run, as they've emerged victorious from their last four opening rounds.

Peter Laviolette's club joins the Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets, and San Jose Sharks as the only Western Conference teams to book their ticket thus far.

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The Philadelphia Flyers' slim playoff hopes took what was perhaps the final blow Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, and forward Jakub Voracek was critical of his team's recent performances after the game.

"We had a good push, but unfortunately, anytime we got close - three points, five points - and we played those big teams in front of us (in) those four-point games, we choked," Voracek said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi. "We couldn't find a way to win those big games, and that's why we are where we are right now."

The Flyers attempted to reverse course this season after a sluggish start, as they won 18 of 24 contests from Jan. 14 to March 11. However, Philadelphia since dropped five of its last seven games, all to teams above it in the standings.

It sits eight points back of the final wild-card spot with six games remaining heading into Monday's action. When asked what the team can learn from this season, the 29-year-old was rather blunt in his response.

"I don't want to take anything out of this season, to be honest," said Voracek. "I had way higher expectations. I think everybody did before we walked into the locker room in training camp. It's really disappointing. We have to have a good look in the mirror and straighten some things out before we come in next year."

Outside of reacquiring forward James van Riemsdyk last summer, the Flyers didn't make any major changes to their roster heading into the season. Voracek said he's focusing on his own game when asked what the team can do to improve for next year.

"Tough to say. It's not my decision," Voracek said. "I've got to prepare myself in the summer and come in here in shape and be a better player, more experienced. Hopefully, we won't have to focus on digging ourselves out of a hole by December."

The Flyers host the Maple Leafs on Wednesday after back-to-back losses on the weekend.

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Drew Doughty took no prisoners on Monday.

The Los Angeles Kings defenseman expressed his distaste for Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. Then he criticized San Jose Sharks blue-liner Brent Burns while praising Calgary's Mark Giordano ahead of Monday's meeting between the Kings and Flames.

"No respect for him - none," Doughty said of Tkachuk, according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "I respect everyone else. I'll never talk to him off the ice. He's not respected by most of the people in the league, it's not just me - that's just a fact."

During Tkachuk's 2016-17 rookie season, he delivered an elbow to Doughty's face and received a two-game suspension. Doughty then called Tkachuk "a pretty dirty player," according to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen.

Doughty's next target was Burns, who the rearguard clearly considers unworthy of claiming the Norris Trophy again.

"All you’ve got to do is watch one San Jose Sharks game and you’ll see Brent Burns get beat three times a game, literally, and everybody has him up for the Norris. I just don’t get it," Doughty said, according to Sportsnet's Ryan Leslie.

"I would want Giordano on my team before I’d want those points guys," Doughty continued. "Giordano has like 75 points or something and he plays good defense. From me, based on how I know he plays, I think he should be the front-runner."

Doughty won the Norris Trophy in 2016, and Burns was given the honor the following year.

Burns entered Monday's action leading all defensemen with 77 points in 75 games, while Giordano ranked second at the position with 72 in two fewer contests.

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We've been waiting patiently for the Tampa Bay Lightning to lose so we could cover how well they've performed following a loss. It took a while.

The NHL's top team at 58-14-4 went 16 full days and nine games between their two most recent losses. The Lightning are (finally) coming off a 4-3 defeat by the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, setting them up for an angle that deserves your attention when the Bolts meet the Boston Bruins on Monday.

Line: Tampa Bay -150
O/U: 6 (Over -116/Under +106)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

The Lightning have responded well after a loss - only twice this season have they endured back-to-back losses, and one of those involved a 1-0 overtime defeat by the Blues. Before we go into more specifics, here's how Tampa has fared in games after a loss in general:

That's good for 15-2 straight up, while $100 bettors would be up $1,196 after accounting for prices. What's arguably even more fascinating, though, is the response of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy after games in which he's credited with the loss. Since he was in the crease for the most recent loss against the Blues and is expected to be in net for Monday's game, that sets up what's been an unbelievable bounce-back angle. Here's how Vasilevskiy has fared after he takes a loss:

Going 11-1 with a 1.25 goals-against average is pretty decent, as is the fact Lightning opponents went 10-1-1 to the team total in that sample.

Mind you, this is not a lecture about predictive analytics, but merely an observed trend in how the Lightning and their star netminder have performed following a loss this season. But if history wants to repeat itself Monday, expect the Lightning to get back in the win column against the Bruins.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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John Tortorella is pining for his Columbus Blue Jackets to simplify their game and reset mentally while mired in a 6-7-1 slump since the trade deadline.

The Jackets haven't jelled the way many expected after they added Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid, and Keith Kinkaid for the stretch run. Columbus currently sits outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but Tortorella wants his team to drown out that noise and just have fun.

"Just go play. We need to have a shinny-hockey mentality," Tortorella told The Province's Ben Kuzma prior to Columbus' 5-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. "We're trying to really clean the slate here. Good players always expect more out of themselves and not getting results, it tends to bog them down because they're not feeling it."

He added: "The biggest thing now is we need to not overthink anything ... Don't overload your mind with a lot of thinking and numbers that people throw at me all the time with the problems we've had as a team."

The Blue Jackets are averaging 2.36 goals per game since the deadline. The top line of Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Cam Atkinson has combined for four goals in March. Duchene, meanwhile, has tallied six points in 16 contests since joining the squad.

Tortorella admits that Columbus' top players are feeling pressure to perform after the team went all-in at the deadline.

"They've got to feel a result to not let their confidence waver, because it can go either way if we don’t start getting results," Tortorella said. "We need to find a way to release ourselves and get on the attack and keep it simple. The one thing when you're dealing with some guys who aren't used to being put under a microscope and you’re supposed to win now, is that it changes a bit with expectations and that has affected some guys."

Sunday's decisive victory was a step in the right direction, but the Blue Jackets still trail the Montreal Canadiens by two points for the second wild-card spot with one game in hand.

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