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Pre-game reading: Panthers owner (and Trump nominee) accused of throwing punch at racehorse auction

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Bob McKenzie provides the latest update regarding the Islanders' decision to fire HC Jack Capuano. McKenzie says the need is to hire someone above GM Garth Snow, while also figuring out the John Tavares situation.

-- Up top, watch Bob McKenzie answer all questions Islanders. Why was Jack Capuano fired after a 4-0 win in Boston? Who will be their next coach? Is ownership going to make changes to the hockey-ops hierarchy? What does the future hold for captain John Tavares?

-- From the New York Times: “Vincent Viola, the billionaire Wall Street trader Donald J. Trump has nominated to be the secretary of the Army, was accused in August of punching a concessions worker at a high-end racehorse auction in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., according to a police report and local law enforcement officials.” Viola is better known on PHT as the owner of the Florida Panthers. And for the record, he claims the concessions worker shoved his wife; hence, the punch. The concessions worker, according to the article, told the police he did not shove Viola’s wife. (New York Times)

-- What does each team need as the March 1 trade deadline approaches? TSN’s Frank Seravalli goes through all 30 NHL squads and makes his assessments. Only two teams, Colorado and Arizona, are totally out of the playoff race at this point in the season, so things could certainly change in the next month and a bit. Even the Islanders still think they’ve got a chance to turn things around. (TSN)

-- Patrik Laine is back skating for the first time since suffering a concussion Jan. 7; however, it remains to be seen when he’ll be back in the Jets’ lineup. Winnipeg starts a four-game home stand tonight against Arizona. Laine has yet to participate in a full-contact practice. (NHL.com)

-- We wrote earlier today about the struggles of the St. Louis Blues. Their GM, Doug Armstrong, recently sat down with the Post-Dispatch to discuss his team’s season. One interesting quote: “I don’t think you can ask Robby Fabbri to play the way David Backes did. I just think it’s unrealistic. So our coaches’ responsibility is to use their expertise to find different ways to play. We have to find different ways to get the same results. I think you need a good balance and we’re trying to find that balance.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

-- If Cam Neely and Don Sweeney decide to fire Claude Julien, they’ll have the full support of Bruins ownership. “That’s not my call to make,” Charlie Jacobs told the Boston Herald. “That’s on Cam and Donnie.” The B’s are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Islanders on Monday. Strangely enough, it was the winning team that canned its head coach the next day. Boston plays tonight in Detroit (on NBCSN). (Boston Herald)