It's never a good day when you're being compared to the Atlanta Thrashers.

If the Colorado Avalanche lose to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, it will mark their third straight defeat, and continue a historically bad season.

Just how gruesome have things gotten in Colorado?

With 27 points through 41 games, the Avs are on pace for 54 points - a number that would drop to 53 with a loss to the Blackhawks. Last year, the Toronto Maple Leafs finished in the NHL's basement while still managing to put up 69.

In fact, only 14 teams have finished with less than 60 points since the Thrashers joined the NHL in 1999-00 - a stretch of 16 full seasons.

Meanwhile, just three clubs - the 2013-14 Buffalo Sabres, the 2000-01 New York Islanders, and those same Thrashers - were worse than Colorado's current pace.

If life in Denver is bad now, how ugly will things get if Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are wearing different colors following the March 1 trade deadline?

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders have relieved head coach Jack Capuano of his duties and appointed Doug Weight as interim head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

Islanders general manager Garth Snow thanked Capuano for his contributions to the organization via the team's official website:

The New York Islanders would like to thank Jack for his tireless work throughout his seven seasons with the organization as Head Coach. His leadership guided the team to the playoffs in three of the past four years, which included two straight 100-point seasons. He is a great coach and an even better person. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.

Appointed head coach after serving as the interim boss for most of the 2010-11 season, Capuano was the fourth-longest tenured head coach at the time of his dismissal Tuesday.

He won 227 games in seven seasons behind the Islanders' bench, second only to franchise legend Al Arbour.

Capuano led the Islanders to their first postseason series victory in 23 years last spring. However, the team has shown significant regression this season after consecutive 100-point campaigns, sitting last in the Eastern Conference with 17 wins from 42 games.

Capuano had these parting words:

It's an honor to have served this historic franchise and its passionate fans. I'd like to thank Garth and our ownership group for the opportunity to be the Head Coach of the Islanders. I'd also like to recognize our coaching staff, training staff and players for all of their hard work.

Snow explained in a conference call that Capuano, who had no term remaining on his deal, was not going to be extended an offer to remain at his post. He said the timing of the move will allow the Islanders to get a head start on their search for a replacement.

With new ownership, it's expected that the entire organization - including Snow - will come under scrutiny.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ben Hutton will miss three-to-six weeks with a small fracture in his hand, the team announced Tuesday.

Hutton exited Vancouver's Jan. 6 win over the Calgary Flames after blocking a shot with his left hand. It wasn't believed to be serious, and Hutton actually warmed up the following night but has not been available since.

The 23-year-old has been relied upon heavily on Vancouver's back end. He logged more ice time than any player before suffering the injury, at over 20 minutes per night.

Vancouver also announced that Anton Rodin will undergo a period of rest after revealing his surgically repaired knee has not returned to "the same level of fitness." He's scheduled for an MRI.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Matt Cullen for 3-to-4 weeks, as the forward has been sidelined with a foot injury, reports Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cullen sustained the ailment in Monday's 8-7 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals after he took a shot to the foot.

The 40-year-old hasn't missed any games to date this season, recording 17 points in 43 matches.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

So Shane Doan may be open to the possibility of a trade. Maybe.

The longtime captain of the Arizona Coyotes has been part of the franchise since the original Winnipeg club drafted him seventh overall in 1995. A year later, when the Jets took off for Phoenix, so did Doan, who's remained a key cog for the team ever since.

But with the 40-year-old pending free agent's career winding down and retirement looking like a real possibility, there remains a chance that Captain Coyote could end his career elsewhere in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.

With Arizona once again mired at the bottom of the standings, the NHL playoffs won't see any home games in the desert this spring. It's a tricky situation for Doan, who recently reached the 1,500-game mark and is only the sixth player in NHL history to do so with a single team.

The veteran leader carries a complex contract complete with bonus money and deferred payments, but it's nothing that couldn't be resolved by Coyotes general manager John Chayka, particularly if he's willing to retain money in a potential deal that facilitates Doan moving to a team he's approved.

Speaking with reporters Monday, Doan acknowledged the difficulty in choosing the Cup winner, noting last year's popular picks among the pundits were the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks, while nobody pictured a Cup parade in Pittsburgh or San Jose.

Doan's longtime friend and junior teammate Jarome Iginla has experienced that difficulty too. In 2013, he gave up his spot with the only team he'd ever known in the Calgary Flames to go Cup chasing. Four years later, Iginla is still searching for that victory, with a career that somehow seems a little less special given his short stints in Pittsburgh, Boston, and Colorado in pursuit of Lord Stanley.

Still, that may not stop Doan from trying. Here are three teams that could make Doan's Cup dream a reality:

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings play a hard-nosed game under the guidance of coach Darryl Sutter, the perfect mould for Doan - while 40, he still plays a physical brand of hockey, particularly when the playoffs roll around.

In Doan's last postseason appearance, a run in which the Coyotes faced off against the Kings in the conference finals, he scored five goals and four assists while accumulating 41 penalty minutes.

There seems to be a fit for Doan in Hollywood. This season, the Kings have rotated through an underwhelming host of talent on the right side, led by former captain Dustin Brown, plus the trio of Trevor Lewis, Devin Setoguchi, and Jordan Nolan. Only two Kings have reached double-digit goals this season, and while Doan has just four markers himself, he's only a single year removed from a 28-goal campaign.

Sitting in the West's second wild-card slot, Los Angeles has experienced its share of struggles this season. Starter Jonathan Quick has missed all but one period after suffering a groin injury, and while minor-leaguer Peter Budaj has held his own in the meantime, there is no denying Quick's winning pedigree in the postseason.

With Quick set to return in March and a weak year for the field in the West, there is an opportunity for a hot team to take a trip to the Finals. Just ask the Kings, who rode an eighth-place finish in 2012 to the franchise's first Cup.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens are built for speed, with a bevy of fleet-footed forwards, but the club has long needed to add bulk on the wings. Enter Doan.

Montreal lacks size on the right side: Its top three right-shot wingers are Alexander Radulov, Andrew Shaw, and Brendan Gallagher, once the latter returns from injured reserve. Not to mention Doan's veteran experience and added scoring touch are always helpful in the playoffs.

The Canadiens have cycled depth players through their bottom six this season, including Brian Flynn, Sven Andrighetto, and now Jacob de la Rose. Do any of these players improve Montreal's odds of being the first Canadian franchise to lift the Cup since the Habs did so themselves in 1993?

A move to Montreal would also mark a family reunion of sorts for Doan, who is a second cousin to Canadiens netminder Carey Price.

San Jose Sharks

If not Los Angeles, how about another California club?

In Silicon Valley, Doan would join a group of wily veterans all in pursuit of their first skate with the silver mug, particularly 37-year-old Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, whom Doan has long admired as a Pacific Division opponent.

Finishing his career with the Sharks would reunite Doan with Mikkel Boedker after they skated together for eight seasons in the desert, and bringing Doan to San Jose would also accomplish a longtime goal for Sharks GM Doug Wilson.

After making the Finals a year ago, only to fall to Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in a hard-fought six-game series, the Sharks could be poised for a repeat trip this spring.

Defenseman Brent Burns has found another gear this season, scoring at a better than point-per-game pace, while the Sharks' frontline threats still include the likes of Logan Couture, who missed 30 games last season, and captain Joe Pavelski. Doan could be the final piece needed to ultimately bring the Cup to the Bay Area.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Gabriel Landeskog isn't looking for an escape.

The Colorado Avalanche captain, and a player who, if dealt, would actualize the imminent shakeup in Denver, has stated his desire to remain with the crumbling program.

"I want to be an Avalanche, to stay an Avalanche, and be in Denver for a long, long time," he told Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.

Landeskog, believed to be one of the few valuable assets general manager Joe Sakic will consider trading before the deadline on March 1, isn't allowing the chatter to affect his approach.

"Whether my name is floating around or not, I'm still approaching the game the same way," he said. "And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumors, that's nothing I can control."

A physical left-shot scoring winger that has scored at least 20 goals in each of his four 82-game seasons, and a leader that was once the youngest captain in NHL history, Landeskog isn't short of desirable traits. The trouble is finding a trade partner that's willing to move an asset the Avalanche covet, and has the cap space to entertain the final four-plus seasons on Landeskog's $39-million deal.

Among the names Sakic said the Avs won't consider moving are Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and last year's No. 1 draft pick, Tyson Jost.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

An Auston Matthews Centennial Classic sweater, worn by the rookie himself at the outdoor event, has sold for $11,400 on NHL Auctions.

Bidding for the sweater began Boxing Day, and the item was sold two weeks after the Toronto Maple Leafs superstar scored the overtime winner against the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field in Toronto.

It's obviously a lot of money to spend on memorabilia, but an investment this wealthy sports fans was willing to stomach. And who knows? It could be worth a fortune one day.

But it should be noted: Matthews wore the sweater for the first period alone. It was likely already packed up well before the rookie's overtime heroics.

- With h/t to Sportsnet

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bruce Boudreau couldn't have asked for a much better first season in St. Paul.

The Minnesota Wild bench boss arrived in town on the promise of a new brand of hockey, and then transformed the defensively sound Wild into one of the league's most exciting clubs.

Now in the midst of an impressive 17-1-1 run - while sitting first in the Western Conference with 61 points - there's plenty of excitement in Minnesota after a few stale seasons.

The Wild's lone regulation loss since the start of December came at the hands of the high-flying Columbus Blue Jackets. That match was a clash of the titans, as both clubs entered with double-digit win streaks.

Things are going well for the Wild, whether you're talking about goalie Devan Dubnyk, who leads the entire NHL with an outstanding .940 save percentage, or defenseman Ryan Suter, who continues to be a minutes-eating presence on the blue line, or center Eric Staal, who's apparently found the fountain of youth while enjoying his best season in years.

Related: Staal matches last year's production in 42 fewer games

The winning Wild are no surprise to those who've followed Boudreau's career, as he's been no stranger to success in the regular season. After taking over the Washington Capitals in 2007, Boudreau captured four division banners before repeating that feat with the Anaheim Ducks from 2012-15.

In Minnesota, the Wild have qualified for the playoffs four years in a row, but have not made it past the second round since their third-ever season in 2002-03

This year, Minnesota appears set to make noise in the spring, but the Wild still need more from their most-valuable forward: Zach Parise.

While Boudreau has largely gotten the most out of his players this season, he has a conundrum when it comes to the veteran winger.

With just 20 points, Parise is firing his lowest production since the Minneapolis native first signed with his hometown club. It's certainly a far cry from the 94-point campaign Parise put together with the New Jersey Devils in 2009-10, or the 176 points he notched over two seasons in the Garden State.

The Wild gave Parise a massive 13-year, $98-million pact in the summer of 2012. While he was fairly steady through his first four seasons in town, things haven't been so rosy in Year 5.

The 32-year-old has undoubtedly dealt with his share of struggles this season, from spending six games on the sidelines with a lower-body injury to a trio of missed matches due to illness.

Thankfully for Boudreau, Parise's game has turned around as of late, with the winger recording five points during the Wild's three-game road swing against the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Ducks.

"Those were his best three games of the season," Boudreau told Dane Mizutani of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. "Those were very important points for him. If we can sustain him, it makes our team an awful lot better."

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild prospect Joel Eriksson Ek will remain overseas as a member of Farjestads BK for the remainder of the Swedish Hockey League season.

The deadline to recall the talented forward and former first-round pick was Jan. 15, as TSN's Bob McKenzie noted Tuesday.

Eriksson Ek began the season with the Wild, scoring twice and adding three assists in nine games. He scored his first NHL goal on his first shot.

The Wild can bolster their playoff roster with Eriksson Ek if Farjestads' season ends before theirs.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.