Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff has no time for tardiness.

When the Stars take on the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, they will do so without defenseman John Klingberg in the lineup, who will be made a healthy scratch after missing a team meeting.

According to Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News, Klingberg was embarrassed by his mistake and was apologetic to his teammates.

Klingberg leads all Stars defensemen with 10 points in 19 games.

Julius Honka will make his NHL debut in place of Klingberg. The 14th overall pick in 2014, Honka has recorded 12 points in 16 games this season with Texas (AHL).

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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.

Zach Werenski

Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are getting all of the attention among rookies, but a certain Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman deserves more credit than he's getting early on.

Zach Werenski picked up his ninth assist Sunday in a win over the Washington Capitals, helping them improve to 10-4-2, and 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

The Blue Jackets have won four straight contests thanks in large part to Werenski's play on the blue line. The 19-year-old has two goals and an assist in that span and leads all Columbus defensemen with 14 points in his first 16 NHL games.

Only Seth Jones is logging more ice time than Werenski for the Blue Jackets. The latter blue-liner is tied for third among rookies in points, and only Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has more among rookies on the power play.

New York Islanders

We knew the Islanders would have trouble compensating for the loss of Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, but we didn't think it would be this bad.

Andrew Ladd has three points in 17 games, and his struggles have been indicative of the larger picture for New York. The Islanders have difficulties scoring and defending, ranking 21st in goals for per game and 24th in average goals allowed.

They also have the third-worst power play in the league and the ninth-worst penalty kill. That's just not going to get it done, and won't get much easier with Travis Hamonic expected to miss another month with his injury.

Carolina Hurricanes

Can winning silence relocation rumors?

It seems like nothing will when it comes to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they've been doing their part to quell the latest scuttlebutt about their future.

The Hurricanes finished off a five-game homestand with four consecutive wins, including statement victories over the Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, and Montreal Canadiens.

They still have work to do if they want to be a playoff team, but there have been some encouraging signs that point to future gains.

Related: Why Bill Peters might be right about the Hurricanes' playoff chances

Cam Ward has allowed only four goals during the four-game win streak, shutting out the Sharks and limiting the Capitals to a single goal in a 5-1 victory. Offseason acquisition Teuvo Teravainen is also on a roll, with three goals and four assists in his last five games.

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Jeff Carter, Cam Ward, and Nicklas Backstrom are the NHL's three stars of the week.

Carter paced the group with six points in his last three games, including four goals. The Los Angeles Kings forward led the way with three consecutive game-winning goals over the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Anaheim Ducks. Through 20 games this season, Carter has recorded nine goals and eight assists.

Ward appeared in three games, posting a perfect record, alongside a 1.01 goals-against average and a spectacular .964 save percentage. The Carolina Hurricanes netminder improved his record to 6-4-3 on the season with wins over the San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Winnipeg Jets.

Backstrom was a key cog for the Washington Capitals, posting eight points in four games, including four goals. The feat included a five-point outing in a 7-1 drubbing of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Backstrom has recorded 17 points in 18 games, while the Capitals sit at 11-5-2 through 18 games.

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Matt Puempel is taking his act to Broadway.

The New York Rangers have claimed the forward off waivers from the Ottawa Senators, the team announced Monday.

A former first-round pick, Puempel was selected 24th overall by Ottawa in 2011. He did not record a point in 13 games with the Senators this season, after splitting 2015 between Ottawa and Binghamton (AHL).

The 23-year-old has four goals and two assists across 52 career NHL contests.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will march on without Chris Kunitz.

The veteran forward is sidelined with a lower-body injury and is currently week-to-week, coach Mike Sullivan told Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Kunitz has scored 11 points in 18 games this season.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will soon see a major upgrade to their blue line, as the team announced Monday that defenseman Seth Jones has been activated from the injured reserve.

Jones, who missed six games with a fractured foot, has scored three goals and three assists in 10 games this season.

In a corresponding roster move, forward Markus Hannikainen was returned to Cleveland (AHL).

As for the Blue Jackets, the team has won five of its past six games, and sits fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a 10-4-2 record.

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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, November 21:

Triple Threat

• C Logan Couture (55K), RW Joel Ward (30K), D Brent Burns (67K), Sharks (vs. Devils): Even without a back-to-back the Devils will be starting backup G Keith Kinkaid; he has allowed just five goals on 89 shots this season, but career save percentage is a mediocre .912. The Sharks' second line owns a Corsi For of 59.51 percent with 15.74 Scoring Chances per 60 minutes of 5v5.

• LW Artemi Panarin (48K), C Artem Anisimov (36K), RW Marian Hossa (46K), Blackhawks (at Oilers): In over 111 minutes played together at 5v5, the Blackhawks' second line has a CF% of 58.29. It's the highest rating of any trio the team has tried thus far this season. While Anisimov hasn't recorded a shot on goal in three games, Hossa has picked up the slack with goals in six of his past seven.

• LW Filip Forsberg (50K), C Mike Ribeiro (32K), RW Craig Smith (27K), Predators (vs. Lightning): The Lightning's second line has been spending far too much time in its own end. The line, centered by Tyler Johnson, has a CF% of just 45.95. The Predators' second line has a possession rating of 54.76 percent, albeit in just 23.35 minutes together.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Martin Jones (75K), Sharks (vs. Devils): Due to a shockingly low salary, Jones doubles as the bargain play of the day. The Devils record fewer Scoring Chances per 60 minutes of 5v5 than any other team, and their offense will continue to suffer without LW Taylor Hall. Jones has faced 30 shots just twice this season.

• FADE - Anti Raanta (82K), Rangers (at Penguins): Raanta is expected to start the second half of the Rangers' back-to-back. He draws the tougher of the two, as starter Henrik Lundqvist drew the Florida Panthers Sunday. Raanta hasn't allowed more than two goals since his first start of the season, but the Penguins average 2.56 goals per road game.

• CONTRARIAN - Antti Niemi (87K), Stars (vs. Wild): Per Corsica.Hockey, the Wild are scoring 2.36 goals per 60 minutes of 5v5, but the team's expected goals for per 60 is just 2.24. They're averaging just 7.30 Scoring Chances for per 60. The offense has over performed thus far and Niemi could benefit from expected regression.

Bargain Plays

• D Oscar Klefbom (31K), Oilers (vs. Blackhawks): Klefbom sees time on the Oilers' top power-play unit and he'll have the opportunity to face the league's worst penalty kill. He has multiple shots on goal in four straight games and all but one of his past eight.

• C Cody Eakin, (25K), Stars (vs. Wild): Eakin is back healthy and centering the Stars' second line. C Jason Spezza is playing the right wing, giving the line high offensive potential. He has totaled just over 27 minutes in his first two games, but his role should begin to grow.

• LW Scott Wilson (27K), Penguins (vs. Rangers): The Penguins placed LW Chris Kunitz on the IR Monday, opening up the spot on the left side of Evgeni Malkin on the second line. Wilson played the role on the third line and is the most likely beneficiary. Power-play time should also be available, providing plenty of offensive opportunity.

Top Fades

• LW Jonathan Drouin (43K), Lightning (at Predators): In the wake of the injury to C Steven Stamkos, Drouin has been dropped to the Lightning's third line. While the team has offensive talent equally dispersed throughout the lineup, it's a diminished role for Drouin. He played just 12 minutes in his most recent game.

• C Leon Draisaitl (46K), Oilers (vs. Blackhawks): Draisaitl and the Oilers' second line will match up against a Blackhawks second line with one of the best Corsi For percentages in the league. Draisaitl has benefited from an exaggerated 15.4 shooting percentage this month.

• D Damon Severson (35K), Devils (at Sharks): Five of Severson's 12 points on the year have come via the power play. The Sharks own one of the league's best PK units, limiting the upside of the breakout offensive star. He's averaging well under 2.0 SOG per game, representing a low floor.

Contrarian Options

• C Joe Thornton (50K), Sharks (vs. Devils): Thornton has five shots on goal over his past two games, doubling his total for the month. He'll get to faced the Devils' backup goaltender and a depleted first line without the possession-driving services of Taylor Hall.

• C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (45K), Oilers (vs. Blackhawks): The Oilers' revamped third line features LW Milan Lucic on Nugent-Hopkins' left side. RNH then moves to the right side of C Connor McDavid on the top power-play unit, boosting his potential against the Blackhawks' struggling PK.

• RW Kyle Okposo (66K), Sabres (vs. Flames): Okposo hasn't scored since Nov. 5, but he has tallied 16 SOG over his past three games. He has topped 20 minutes of ice time in two of his past four contests, skating opposing LW Evander Kane on the team's top line.

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Andrew Hammond is off to Binghamton.

The Ottawa Senators announced Monday they have assigned the goaltender to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, after he cleared waivers Sunday.

Hammond, limited to just two games this season due to a groin injury, was previously offered a two-week conditioning stint in the AHL, which he refused. The 28-year-old was placed on waivers shortly thereafter.

Hammond is signed through 2017-18 and carries a $1.35-million cap hit.

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