One of the worst teams in the NHL cooled off the hottest as the New Jersey Devils halted the Tampa Bay Lightning's run of 10 consecutive victories with a 3-1 win Sunday night.
Travis Zajac scored the eventual winner midway through the second period and New Jersey netminder Louis Domingue stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced against his former team.
The Devils' improbable victory came just hours after the club parted ways with general manager Ray Shero.
The fallout for the New Jersey Devils' disappointing season continues, as the team and general manager Ray Shero have agreed to part ways effective immediately, the club announced Sunday.
Tom Fitzgerald will take over as interim GM and Martin Brodeur will serve as a hockey operations advisor.
Shero spent four-plus years with the Devils, who hired him as GM in May 2015. New Jersey made one playoff appearance during his tenure, falling in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018.
Under Shero, the Devils were more often than not a bottom-feeder in the Metropolitan Division, finishing in last place twice and second-last once in three of the four previous seasons. They occupy last place once again as of Sunday.
New Jersey have failed to meet expectations this season following a summer in which Shero traded for P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev after drafting first overall pick Jack Hughes.
The Devils fired head coach John Hynes and replaced him with interim bench boss Alain Nasreddine on Dec. 3. Shero dealt pending unrestricted free agent and 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall - who he acquired in 2016 - to the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 16.
Kuemper is missing his 11th straight contest Sunday after suffering a lower-body injury Dec. 19 against the Minnesota Wid. Arizona classified him as week-to-week with the ailment one day later.
The 29-year-old was contending for the Vezina Trophy before the injury, leading the NHL among qualified netminders at the time with a .929 save percentage across 25 starts. Entering Sunday's action, only Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry had a better mark among those with at least 21 appearances.
The Coyotes are also without Antti Raanta again, as the backup missed another game Sunday. He suffered a lower-body injury of his own Friday in his return to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a different lower-body ailment.
After Arizona's home date with the Penguins, the Coyotes host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday before traveling to face the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
The Coyotes then have the next 10 days off, including the All-Star festivities in St. Louis on Jan. 24 and 25.
Hjalmarsson has been absent for most of the season after suffering a cracked left fibula in a game on Oct. 12. He managed one goal in four contests before sustaining the injury.
The 32-year-old is in the first season of a two-year, $10-million contract extension he signed with the Coyotes in 2018. Arizona has been battling it out atop the Pacific Division during his absence and has the chance to reclaim first place Sunday.
Dylan Larkin has addressed comments he made about not wanting to be included in the All-Star Game festivities.
"In the moment, I said what I said but I really do regret that," Larkin said on Saturday after the All-Star Game rosters were finalized, according to the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James. "I didn't mean to disrespect the league. I feel I did that, and disrespected the Red Wings.
"My main goal as a hockey player in the state of Michigan is to represent myself and the Red Wings and be a good example for kids growing up playing the game. I felt I wasn't that, so I'm sorry about that."
On Dec. 31, Larkin told reporters he would prefer to get the days off rather than participate if fans voted him into the All-Star Game. The comments drew attention around the league, including from Sportsnet's Brian Burke, who harshly criticized the Detroit Red Wings forward.
"I have to own up to them. I didn't mean for them to become that big of a thing. I saw what Brian Burke said and I have a lot of respect for Brian," Larkin added. "He was in the right to say that. I have to represent this team and this franchise and my teammates better than that."
The 23-year-old has recorded 11 goals and 29 points in 45 games this season. Since making his comments on New Year's Eve, Larkin is riding a five-game point streak with two goals and three assists.
“If (Kassian) doesn’t want to get hit, then stay off the tracks," Tkachuk said according to Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "I caught him three times there – you think he’d learn after the first one. If he wants to react that way we’ll take the pp, we’ll take the game winner, and we’ll move on to first place”
Kassian received a double-minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct for retaliating to the hit. Flames forward Elias Lindholm buried the game-winning goal in the 4-3 victory on the subsequent power play.
When asked about Tkachuk's antics after the contest, Kassian didn't sugarcoat his feelings.
"If you're going to hit like that you have to answer the bell once in a while," Kassian told reporters including Daily Faceoff's Brady Trettenero. "He's just a young punk ... he's a p---- to be honest, straight up, that's the definition of it."
Kassian said he's challenged Tkachuk to fight in the past, but claims the Flames winger declined the invitation because of Kassian's status as a fourth liner.
"I've got 13 goals this year and he still won't fight me. When will he?" Kassian added.
The 28-year-old may get his chance sooner rather than later, as the rival clubs meet again on Jan. 29 in Edmonton.