Scott Cullen takes a look at the top stories from January 17th through January 23rd, including All-Star absences, Kings down, Jets up, “midseason” awards races, prospects and more. Sneakers Outlet . STARS DIMMED There is criticism of the NHL All-Star game at the best of times – it’s a no-hitter, with barely a nod towards defensive play (not unlike the NBA All-Star game or NFL Pro Bowl, for that matter) – but the lure for fans is the great collection of star players. Well, that collection isn’t quite as impressive with news that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Erik Johnson aren’t going to be participating. Crosby is the marquee attraction, but has played in just one All-Star game in his career, and the opportunity to rest has obvious value in a sport that is so physically demanding. With 3-4 games every week, nagging injuries can be hard to overcome because there isn’t time to rest and recover. Thus, it’s not a shock if there are star players that have nagging injuries and want to take advantage of the time off. When it comes to players like Malkin and Bobrovsky, who appear that they will be out of action for a while after the break, there’s not much reason to expect them to be involved, but if Crosby (or Johnson) misses only the first game after the break, as mandated by the league, then it’s a harder sell. That’s not ideal for fans, considering the event is supposed to showcase the league’s best talent, but there isn’t any incentive for a banged-up player to participate. Fortunately, there are players who fulfill the responsibility and can still make it a fun event, even if the star power is diminished. DEFENDING CHAMPS DOWN There is not necessarily reason to panic, because the Los Angeles Kings have fared well in the playoffs as a low seed before, but one win in the past eight games leaves them outside the Western Conference playoff picture heading into the All-Star break. The Kings’ underlying numbers, including 53.9% score-adjusted Corsi, remain strong, but they have struggled to earn wins. Los Angeles has 19 regulation and overtime wins, tied with Dallas and Toronto for 17th in the league, and their 1-7 shootout record is the worst in the NHL. Even without suspended defenceman Slava Voynov, the Kings have been relatively healthy this season, but recent injuries to Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have put more strain on a lineup that lacks scoring depth. On top of that, goaltender Jonathan Quick is struggling (.863 SV% in January) so there isn’t merely one issue that needs to be fixed. JETS TAKING FLIGHT When the Jets’ blueline was decimated by injuries in December, it looked like they would fade away from the playoff picture but they managed to at least tread water while they waited for Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Jacob Trouba and Mark Stuart to get healthy. They are healthy now, and the blueline has been bolstered by moving Dustin Byfuglien back, so suddenly the Jets have formidable depth on defence. Couple that with a couple of quality forward lines and a goaltending situation much improved by the play of rookie Michael Hutchinson and the Jets have won five straight and are looking every bit a playoff team. Improving forward depth is still a reasonable goal, and it’s fair to wonder whether or not Hutchinson can maintain his high level of play all season, but Winnipeg is moving in the right direction. SURPRISE, SURPRISE Every year there are teams that exceed preseason expectations. Sometimes it’s a luck run of goaltending or random good fortune when it comes to goal-scoring or shootouts, but a couple of this season’s surprise teams have made their move up the standings based on significant roster changes. The New York Islanders have the best record (.685 point percentage) in the Eastern Conference, and that improvement is a result of a busy offseason. Not only did the Islanders improve their forward depth when they signed centre Mikhail Grabovski and winger Nikolay Kulemin, they bolstered their goaltending with the addition of Jaroslav Halak (less-so with struggling backup Chad Johnson), and then put the hammer down when they traded for defencemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. Mix that in with internal improvement from young forwards Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome and suddenly the Islanders aren’t merely plucky underdogs that have reached the playoffs once in the past seven seasons, but they are a strong puck possession team that can even wear out good teams with their depth. In the Western Conference, the second-best record belongs to the Nashville Predators, playing a more aggressive brand of hockey under new head coach Peter Laviolette. It’s not merely a coaching change that has made the Predators successful, but that’s a starting point. Then, a whole new first line, with rookie Filip Forsberg joining Mike Ribeiro – signed on the cheap as a free agent after he was bought out by the Coyotes – and James Neal, acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh. An upgraded attack certainly helps the Predators, but they wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the standings if not for goaltender Pekka Rinne, who was the midseason frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy. With word that Rinne will miss 3-5 weeks due to a knee injury, the Predators will deal with some adversity, but they have built up a cushion that gives them a good chance to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. BAD BOYS Blackhawks left winger Daniel Carcillo was suspended for six games after cross-checking Jets winger Mathieu Perreault. The incident wasn’t egregious, even though Perreault ended up on injured reserve; the kind of thing that other players might even get away with, but Carcillo’s well-earned reputation for mayhem assures that he won’t get the benefit of the doubt in those situations. It was a cheap shot on an unsuspecting opponent and that warrants punishment. Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo awaits a ruling from the league after a blindside hit on Penguins defenceman Kris Letang. Like Carcillo, Rinaldo has earned his notoriety (though seems highly unlikely to approach Carcillo’s 48 career goals) and when a player with Rinaldo’s record takes out a star with a cheap shot, punishment ought to be significant. CENTRAL SCOUTING RELEASES RANKINGS TSN’s Bob McKenzie will release his NHL Draft rankings next week, but NHL Central Scouting put their mid-season rankings out this week, shocking no one with Erie Otters centre Connor McDavid at No. 1. McDavid, Boston University centre Jack Eichel and Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin have been early leaders for the top three spots. The questions start with Kingston Frontenacs left winger Lawson Crouse at number four. KONECNY SHINES IN TOP PROSPECTS GAME Ottawa 67s forward Travis Konecny took advantage of the opportunity to play with McDavid in the CHL Top Prospects game, scoring a couple of goals and adding an assist in a 6-0 win for Team Orr over Team Cherry. Konecny, who has 41 points (19 G, 22 A) in 42 games for Ottawa was the 26th-ranked North American skater in Central Scouting’s midseason rankings, but may have turned some heads with his performance. TAKE IT OUTSIDE It appears that there will be three outdoor games during the 2015-2016 NHL season, headlined by the Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens in the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium. The Colorado Avalanche are expected to host the Detroit Red Wings in a Stadium Series game, and the Minnesota Wild are likely to face-off with the Chicago Blackhawks. BEST-ON-BEST Plans for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey have started to leak, and it is going to be an eight-team tournament with Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic holding six spots, then there would be a team composed of players from other European nations and a North American under-23 team. The last two have drawn some criticism, for diluting the nationalism that has typically been part of similar tournaments in the past, but however the details work out, and however the tournament is named, it does appear that there will be an NHL/NHLPA-sponsored best-on-best hockey tournament in 2016. AWARDS RACES HART With no dominant scorer, the top seven ranging from 56 to 50 points, the MVP race is more wide open this season. If Sidney Crosby or Tyler Seguin or Ryan Getzlaf don’t pull away from the pack, will this be the year that a goaltender (Pekka Rinne or Carey Price) takes the prize? With no clear favourite at this point, particularly with Rinne hurt, a strong finish could lift any number of players into contention. NORRIS Drew Doughty is likely the favourite for best defenceman, with his career-high workload (29:23 per game) helping draw attention to his efforts. He’s also scoring at a better rate than every season except 2009-2010, the year that he finished third in the voting behind Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Washington’s Mike Green. Keith, who won his second Norris last season, could be a viable candidate again this year, but there are lots of challengers, including Calgary’s Mark Giordano, Montreal’s P.K. Subban and Nashville’s Shea Weber. CALDER There are a number of quality candidates for top rookie, with three separating from the pack. Nashville’s Filip Forsberg leads all rookies with 40 points (15 G, 25 A), five ahead of Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau (13 G, 22 A). The two scoring wingers will face competition from Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad, the 18-year-old who has 25 points (6 G, 19 A) while playing more than 22 minutes per game. If he continues to play at such a high level, Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson could force his way into the discussion too. JACK ADAMS There are always plenty of candidates for Coach of the Year. Laviolette has to get some credit for Nashville’s turnaround, Mike Babcock keeps Detroit competitive year after year, and Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice deserves notice for keeping the Jets in playoff position despite a brutal run of injuries. Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Cheap Sneakers Fast Shipping . As if he had been rehearsing it, Vasquez looked around with a grimacing stare as he clinched two fists and flexed his muscles. What do you think of DeMar DeRozans face after he hits a big shot, he was asked moments earlier. China Sneakers For Sale . They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. http://www.cheapsneakersfromchina.com/ . And former Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson certainly knows his pain. "Its pretty hard to coach there without allowing some of these things to kind of affect you," Wilson told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun in his ESPN.Daytona Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Casey Grice fired a first-round, 6- under 66 on Wednesday and she holds an early 1-shot lead in the final stage of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School. Grice has played in just one LPGA Tournament in her career and that was at the 2013 North Texas LPGA Shootout, where she missed the cut. Grice spent last season on the Symetra Tour and recorded three top-10 finishes without a win. The field was split between two courses at LPGA International. Half of the field played on the Arthur Hills Course, while the other half was on the Rees Jones Course. Ryann OToole, Ju Young Park and Maria Hernandez are all right behind Grice following matching 5-under 67s. OToole was on the Rees Jones Course on Wednesday, while Park and Hernandez played the Arthur Hills Course. Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, is tied for fifth at 4-under 68 along with Elizabeth Nagel. Both Woods and Nagel played on the Rees Jones Course. Grice, starting on the front nine on the Rees Jones Course, kicked off her first round with a birdie at the first, quickly getting her into red numbers. Grice coasted through the next seven holes with seven straight pars before finishing the front nine the same way she started it, with a birdie on nine. Making the turn at minus-2, Grice continued to play well on the back nine. Following a par on 10, Grice drained back-to-back gains on 11 and 12. After a trio of pars from 13, Grice did it again with another pair of birdies on 16 and 17, getting her to 6-under. Grice finished off her bogey-free round with a par at the last to conclude a strong first day. I just hit the ball really well today, Grice said. I tried to pick my targets on each hole and just stay patient, just take each shot as it came and then I made some putts. FFirst probably bogey-free round in competition for sure. Cheap Nike Shoes From China. OToole started on the back nine in round one and was quickly under par with a birdie on 10. She rattled off five straight pars before pouring in her second gain on 16. OToole made the turn with six straight pars from 17. She finished up strong and vaulted herself up the leaderboard. OToole made three birdies on the final five holes at five, eight and nine to get within one of the leader Grice. Park also began with a birdie at the first and later added another one at the fifth. Park dropped her first shot with a bogey on No. 6, but she responded two holes later with her third gain of the day on eight. Following a trio of pars from nine, Park made back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 before exchanging a bogey on the 15th with a gain on the 16th. Park finished up her round with her seventh birdie on 18 to grab a share of second place. Hernandez got started with a birdie on the first, but she later gave that shot back with a bogey on seven. She then ripped off three straight birdies from eight to get to minus-3. After five straight pars from 11, Hernandez made another pair of birdies on 16 and 17, putting her at 5-under. Hernandez closed things out with a par at the last to end there. Woods made five birdies in her round on five, seven, 12, 13 and 18 to go along with a bogey at the first. Nagel had four birdies in a five-hole stretch from eight and she added another gain on 18. She also made one bogey on 14. NOTES: The top-20 finishers this week will earn category 12 status on the LPGA Tour priority list, while those finishing between 21 and 45 get category 17 status ... Those who do not earn category 12 or 17 status will still be eligible to compete for a spot on the Symetra Tour priority list. ' ' '