The New York Islanders' special teams are anything but.

Following Sunday's 6-2 blowout loss to the Ottawa Senators, Islanders bench boss Jack Capuano vented about his team's poor power-play and penalty-kill showings this season.

"I sound like a broken record with our effort," Capuano told reporter Denis Gorman. "The third goal was a big goal for them. The power-play goal that they got. We had three guys versus their two at the net. So that's what you want to talk about. Lift their stick, have some battle level in (you), have some fight. That, to me, that was a big goal for them. They didn't generate much tonight, I can tell you that."

The Senators finished the night with 32 shots on goal and went 1-for-2 on the power play. The Islanders were unsuccessful with four opportunities on the man advantage.

"Our power play didn't do anything to help our case, either," Capuano added. "We had a power play right off the bat that actually killed the momentum of our team."

At a 12.8 success rate, no team has a worse power play than the Islanders, while their penalty-killing unit doesn't fare much better, ranking 26th league-wide at 78.1 per cent. The Winnipeg Jets are the only other club to rank in the bottom five in both categories.

Losing four of their last five, the Islanders have only come away with a single point following an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders sit last place in the Eastern Conference.

Asked about his team's mental state through the losing skid, Capuano continued, "I don't think it's fragile at all right now. I think it's more like, 'Look at our record, look at (the) standings. We have nothing to lose. We have to win hockey games.'

Joining the Islanders in 2010, Capuano is the NHL's fourth-longest tenured head coach, behind only Boston's Claude Julien, Chicago's Joel Quenneville, and Arizona's Dave Tippett. Capuano's 221 wins behind the bench sits second in franchise history to only Al Arbour.

"When your special teams (are) at the bottom of the league and your goaltending is not kicking where it was last year, it's a recipe for a losing streak," Capuano added. "Just look at the teams that were high in the standings at the start and look where they are now. It's all correlated. We have to fix (those units).

"We have options we can use but at the same time, we're trying to put skill on the ice and have the lefty-righty shots that we need ... Last year we were top five in the league in penalty kill, top 15 in the league power play and top-10 goaltending. That's changed this year. And we're sitting where we're sitting."

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The New York Islanders' special teams are anything but.

Following Sunday's 6-2 blowout loss to the Ottawa Senators, Islanders bench boss Jack Capuano vented about his team's poor power-play and penalty-kill showings this season.

"I sound like a broken record with our effort," Capuano told reporter Denis Gorman. "The third goal was a big goal for them. The power-play goal that they got. We had three guys versus their two at the net. So that's what you want to talk about. Lift their stick, have some battle level in (you), have some fight. That, to me, that was a big goal for them. They didn't generate much tonight, I can tell you that."

The Senators finished the night with 32 shots on goal and went 1-for-2 on the power play. The Islanders were unsuccessful with four opportunities on the man advantage.

"Our power play didn't do anything to help our case, either," Capuano added. "We had a power play right off the bat that actually killed the momentum of our team."

At a 12.8 success rate, no team has a worse power play than the Islanders, while their penalty-killing unit doesn't fare much better, ranking 26th league-wide at 78.1 per cent. The Winnipeg Jets are the only other club to rank in the bottom five in both categories.

Losing four of their last five, the Islanders have only come away with a single point following an overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders sit last place in the Eastern Conference.

Asked about his team's mental state through the losing skid, Capuano continued, "I don't think it's fragile at all right now. I think it's more like, 'Look at our record, look at (the) standings. We have nothing to lose. We have to win hockey games.'

Joining the Islanders in 2010, Capuano is the NHL's fourth-longest tenured head coach, behind only Boston's Claude Julien, Chicago's Joel Quenneville, and Arizona's Dave Tippett. Capuano's 221 wins behind the bench sits second in franchise history to only Al Arbour.

"When your special teams (are) at the bottom of the league and your goaltending is not kicking where it was last year, it's a recipe for a losing streak," Capuano added. "Just look at the teams that were high in the standings at the start and look where they are now. It's all correlated. We have to fix (those units).

"We have options we can use but at the same time, we're trying to put skill on the ice and have the lefty-righty shots that we need ... Last year we were top five in the league in penalty kill, top 15 in the league power play and top-10 goaltending. That's changed this year. And we're sitting where we're sitting."

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It's been a rough year for Dallas Stars goaltending.

Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen man the crease for the Stars, splitting games consistently as neither have been able to win the starting job through 33 contests.

But it's not just this season that netminding has been the issue in Dallas, all of 2016 was troublesome.

It's especially alarming when you consider that Niemi and Lehtonen are the highest-paid goalie tandem in the NHL, with $4.5M and $5.9M cap hits, respectively.

Last season, the Stars won a talented Central Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. But, predictably, their season ended in a 6-1 blowout upon Lehtonen allowing three goals on eight shots.

Dallas ranks toward the middle of the pack in shots allowed per game (30.2), yet are 26th in the NHL in averaging 3.06 goals against.

The Stars have a talented roster featuring the likes of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, but the offense has regressed from last season. They're currently two points out of a wild-card spot in the West, and unless Niemi and Lehtonen can erase a horrendous 2016 come the New Year, Dallas will have a big hole to climb out of.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Monday, December 19 (all advanced stats are at 5v5 and courtesy of Corsica.Hockey):

Triple Threat

• C Brayden Schenn (51K), RW Wayne Simmonds (67K), D Shayne Gostisbehere (50K), Flyers (vs. Predators): The Flyers had their 10-game winning streak snapped, but they should be able to bounce back against a Predators that is just 3-9-2 on the road. Schenn and Simmonds average more Squad Up fantasy points per game, yet come cheaper than Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.

• C Mitchell Marner (52K), LW James van Riemsdyk (56K), D Morgan Rielly (29K), Maple Leafs (vs. Ducks): Toronto has struggled lately, but is 9-5-2 at home and still leads the NHL in xGF60 (expected goals for per 60 minutes) and SCF60 (scoring chances for per 60 minutes). John Gibson has a sub-.900 SV% on the road this season.

• C Robby Fabbri (42K), RW Vladimir Tarasenko (81K), D Kevin Shattenkirk (43K), Blues (vs. Oilers): The Oilers can't escape their defensive woes, as they rank fourth-last in both xGA60 (expected goals against) and SCA60 (scoring chances against). The Blues are 13-2-3 at home and Edmonton has no D capable of slowing down Tarasenko.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET & BARGAIN - Chad Johnson (75K), Flames (at Coyotes): Johnson has bad back-to-back rough starts, but expect him to bounce back against the Coyotes, who have the second-lowest xGF60 in the NHL. They also generate the third-fewest scoring chances in the league.

• FADE - Cam Talbot (85K), Oilers (at Blues): It's tough to invest in a goalie going up against a team that is 13-2-3 at home. There are better options elsewhere.

• CONTRARIAN - Mike Smith (113K), Coyotes (vs. Flames): With a young team in front him, Smith routinely faces 40-plus shots per night. He has been up to the task, with a .930 SV% on the year. He is the most expensive goaltender, but he also comes with more upside than any other netminder.

Bargain Plays

• C Derek Ryan (25K), Hurricanes (vs. Red Wings): Ryan has had a long journey to the NHL. The 29-year-old rookie played at the University of Alberta after his junior career, followed by stints in Austria and Sweden. An offensive-minded player, skating has always been his weakness - but he's red-hot right now, tallying eight points in his last six games.

• RW Anthony Mantha (27K), Red Wings (at Hurricanes): Mantha has just nine points in 17 games this season. At 6-foot-5, the 22-year-old can physically impose his will on any defenseman. Cam Ward hasn't exactly been a brick wall in net lately, posting an .885 SV% in his last six games.

• D Michael Del Zotto (25K), Flyers (vs. Predators): Del Zotto has missed much of the season with injury, but he has nine points in 16 games. In addition to his offensive game, he also has 67 hits and 33 blocks, providing outstanding value in Squad Up at just 25K.

Top Fades

• LW Anthony Duclair (41K), Coyotes (vs. Flames): Do you really want to invest 41K in someone with one goal on the year, just over a shot per game and playing only 13 minutes per night? I didn't think so.

• RW Radim Vrbata (62K), Coyotes (vs. Flames): Vrbata is having a nice bounce-back season, but 62K is pretty steep considering this is still Radim Vrbata were talking about.

• D Mike Green (42K), Red Wings (at Hurricanes): Green is having a fine season, but he is questionable to play on Monday and doesn't come with enough upside to warrant any risk.

Contrarian Options

• C William Nylander (59K), Maple Leafs (vs. Ducks): With so many of Toronto's forwards listed as centers on Squad Up, Nylander will likely have low ownership. He has worked his way out of Mike Babcock's doghouse; reunited on a line with Auston Matthews, Nylander has four points in his last five games, averaging 18:04 over that span.

• LW Tomas Tatar (51K), Red Wings (at Hurricanes): Tatar recorded a hat-trick in his last game. It was well-deserved considering he has taken 70 shots on the year but had just four goals prior to his breakout. Snapping out of that prolonged slump could be all it takes to get Tatar going on the right path moving forward.

• RW Jakub Voracek (81K), Flyers (vs. Predators): Voracek is 14K more expensive than his teammate Simmonds, but averages 2.5 fewer fantasy points per game. It's clear that Simmonds will have higher ownership, so draft Voracek for your tournament lineups. He has recorded four points twice in his last five games.

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Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola has been nominated by United States President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of the Army, the team announced Monday.

The nomination is still subject to Senate confirmation and approval from the NHL.

Viola would continue to own the Panthers, but he's asked Doug Cifu, vice chairman and alternate governor, to step into his role as chairman and governor of Sunrise Sports and Entertainment.

Viola graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1977, and has a long history in the Army.

He purchased the Panthers in 2013.

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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.

Minnesota Wild

Winners of seven straight and grabbing points in nine of their last 10 games, the Minnesota Wild are one of the NHL's hottest teams.

The Wild installed coach Bruce Boudreau this offseason, and with that addition came a new philosophy - and a closet full of division championship banners. In four years with the Washington Capitals and another five with the Anaheim Ducks, Boudreau's collected eight division titles, winning his group every year except his first year in California, when he came on as a mid-season replacement.

Boudreau has brought those winning ways to Minnesota, where the Wild have collected 40 points in 30 games. While the team sits eight points back of the Chicago Blackhawks for the Central lead, it also has four games in hand. At plus-29, the Wild own the West's best goal differential, while starter Devan Dubnyk has allowed just 39 goals through 24 games.

New York Rangers

Impressive stat alert: The New York Rangers are now 34 games into their season and have not seen back-to-back losses along the way. In fact, their one low point - if you can call it that - was a slow spot toward the end of November in which they went 3-4-1 over an eight-game stretch.

But things are now back on pace for the Broadway Blueshirts, who are winners of six of their last seven and have suffered just three losses so far in December. Credit their special teams: at 21 percent, the Rangers' power play ranks ninth overall while their 86.8 percent effectiveness on the penalty kill is good for fourth.

Furthermore, as if owning one of the league's top goalies in Henrik Lundqvist wasn't enough, fans of the Rangers were pleased to learn that backup Antti Raanta is also capable of stealing the show. New York's No. 2 netminder strung together four straight starts through the middle of the month, coming away with three wins, just three goals against, and shutouts over his former club, the Blackhawks, and the rival New Jersey Devils.

Colorado Avalanche

Let the Colorado Avalanche serve as Exhibit A of why years of accumulating high draft picks doesn't guarantee future success, as the team remains mired in the NHL's basement.

With 23 points in 30 games, no team is worse than the Avalanche, who are on pace for a franchise-worst 63-point season, falling below their 68-point finish in 2010-11. That performance earned the Avalanche the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, which they converted into current captain Gabriel Landeskog. But he's not the Avs' only high pick in recent years. Forward Nathan MacKinnon went first overall in 2013, and four years earlier, Colorado grabbed Matt Duchene at third overall.

Meanwhile, fans are still waiting for the franchise's performance at the draft table to convert to the ice. This past offseason, Avalanche legend Patrick Roy walked away from his head coaching duties. Could a poor finish this year spell the end for another Colorado star in captain-turned-general manager Joe Sakic? Stay tuned.

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It all began 99 years ago today.

The first game in NHL history was played Dec. 19, 1917: a 7-4 victory for the Montreal Canadiens over the Ottawa Senators.

Along with the Canadiens and Senators, the Toronto Arenas and the Montreal Wanderers formed the four-team league Nov. 26.

The sport was drastically different back then, of course. There were no zones, but forward passing wasn't allowed. Sounds fun!

Furthermore, changing on the fly was against the rules, and goaltenders weren't allowed to leave their feet to make a save. Perhaps the current NHL could look at the latter to fix its so-called scoring crisis.

The Arenas went on to bring home the Stanley Cup that season, defeating the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champs, the Vancouver Millionaires.

Now the Maple Leafs, Toronto will headline the NHL's 100-year celebrations by taking on the Detroit Red Wings at the Centennial Classic on Jan. 1.

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Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond was forced from Sunday's 6-2 win over the New York Islanders with an ankle injury, reports Sportsnet's Arash Madani.

Hammond played 16:45 and made seven saves before Mike Condon came on in relief.

Here's the play Hammond was hurt on:

Hammond did serve as the club's backup the rest of the way, for what it's worth. He'll be evaluated Monday.

Zack Smith recorded the first three-point game of his career Sunday, giving Ottawa back-to-back wins after dropping three straight.

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