How Concerned Should We Be About Corey Perry?

The Anaheim Ducks are not where they want to be at the start of this season. Bottom of the NHL's Pacific Division with a 2-7-2 record. Having trouble getting the offense going, and the defense is doing the best they can to keep pucks out of the net. But that's not the worst of the problems. That centers around Corey Perry.

You would think Corey Perry would be a star day in and day out for this Ducks team, but the fact of the matter is, he has no shots on 23 shots in 11 games. Yep, not good at all. And that also could be a factor into Bruce Boudreau losing his job.

Right now, this is a very concerning problem the Ducks have. They're already having trouble on offense, and now with Corey Perry having problems, this team could go South pretty year. I mean, this team was in the playoffs last year, got to the Western Conference Final, and now there's this. I worry that this won't be maken up for.

Right now, Corey Perry's gotta back into the grove of things. He's gotta get his goal-scoring back on track and that means making good plays and getting that puck in the net. I'm not saying he's doing bad, he's just not doing enough to get that puck where it needs to be.

Hopefully, the Ducks can recover and get back into the mix of things, but Corey Perry's gotta come through and make some good plays. Hey, they've got a pretty good schedule coming up with both Florida and Columbus, who are also doing a little poorly. So let's see if Perry can get back on his A game and get this team back to where it needs to be.

Is the Patrick Kane accuser saga over?

We might have seen the last of Patrick Kane being involved in a rape investigation.

His accuser has told investigators that the case "has caused tremendous stress for her and her family" and that she would be dropping the case and would no longer be going forward with it.

Kane has allegedly assaulted the woman on Aug. 2 in his home in Buffalo. He has not been suspended by the NHL for these allegations.

The accuser's former attorney had withdrawn from the case after citing a lack of evidence towards the case.

For Patrick Kane, this might finally mean the end of this story. The accuser withdrawing from the case might mean that she was lying or it might mean that she doesn't have the evidence she needs to actually bring Patrick Kane in.

Patrick Kane seems to me like a guy who's got a good head on his shoulders and this woman might be trying to tap into that and make some headlines out of it, and I believe it failed. On the other hand, we might not have heard the last from this story. In a couple of months, something else might pop up that might let us have to reopen this case. Either way, Patrick Kane has done nothing wrong, which is why the NHL has not suspended him.

The Blackhawks need Kane right now. They sit next to last in the competitive Central Division, and they need his offensive output and scoring to help them get back to the top. Now with this case seemingly over, Kane can now put his focus on the Blackhawks and helping them get back into the mix.

The Suspension of Mark Stone

Looks like the Ottawa Senators' leading scorer is gonna hit the bench for two games.

He has been suspended by the NHL for his hit to the head of the Red Wings' Landon Ferraro. Stone was assessed a minor penalty on the play and Ferraro, though he left the game, did return.

The league has said the hit was "reckless." Stone is not a repeat offender and will miss the Senators' games against the Canadiens on Tuesday and against the Jets on Thursday.

I'll be quick and brief. The punishment is justified. Although it was an illegal check to the head, Ferraro did return to the game and did play it out. If he had left for the rest of the game, you could possibly go up to three or four games, but the punishment is served with this two-game suspension. Let's hope the Senators can pick up the pieces and move on for two games without their leading scorer. Trust me, against the Canadiens, it's gonna be one tough battle.

Sharks-Capitals Preview

Looks like coach Peter DeBoer has his San Jose Sharks squad feeling confident about the season so far. They've won two games so far, against both the Kings and the Ducks, and now head out on a road trip to the East Coast. First up: The Washington Capitals.

So far the Sharks have outscored their opponents 7-1 (5-1 against the Kings, 2-0 against the Ducks) They hope to continue those fortunes against a Capitals squad that's 1-0 so far this season.

The one surprise for the Sharks that I've seen so far: goaltender Martin Jones. He stopped all 24 shots in Saturday's game to become the first goaltender in Sharks franchise history to record a shutout in his regular-season home debut. Marleau scored the two goals against the Ducks on Saturday and has 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) all-time against the Capitals.

The one thing the Sharks need to contain in this game: Alex Ovechkin. He has scored seven times in 13 career meetings with the Sharks and netted the go-ahead highlight goal in Saturday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Other Capital the Sharks need to look out for is Justin Williams, or as some might known him as "Mr. Game 7" for all the playoff games he won for the Kings the past few years. He notched a pair of assists in his debut with the Capitals. T.J. Oshie, another newcomer from the Blues, had four shots in the season opener and has played well against San Jose, playing part in both of the Blues' drubbings against San Jose last year.

The clubs split a pair of road victories last year. The Sharks won 6-5 in Washington while the Capitals came away with a 5-4 overtime win in San Jose. Also, defenseman John Carlson will play in his 400th career game tonight.

San Jose has indeed gotten off to a magnificent start and has played really well against the Kings and the Ducks. So now let's see what they go up against in Washington. Alex Ovechkin is out of this game tonight for "personal reasons," so the Capitals might struggle tonight against this high-powered Sharks team. Although I think Oshie and Williams, as well as Ovechkin, have done well so far, I think this Sharks team might be too much for the Capitals with Ovechkin. I think the Sharks win tonight 4-2.

Should the Wild Do Anything About Sydor?

One coach is already in some hot water but it is not a head coach, it's an assistant coach.

Minnesota Wild assistant coach Darryl Sydor on Monday pleaded guilty to second-degree driving while he was impaired. The judge has given him 60 days in jail, to be served in separate installments over the course of four years.

Sydor released a statement on Monday, apologizing for his actions and that he is saddened and humbled by his actions.

Sydor had gotten himself into this situation when he was driving his son to a hockey game in Plymouth. He had gotten lost somewhere along the drive and another driver saw him driving erratically and called the police. When Sydor got to the police department, he got a breath test, and it gave out a reading of 0.30.

I'm not gonna say much on this issue because I have gotten criticizing comments before about how I take legal issues like this but I will say this. 0.30 is over the legal limit and he shouldn't be driving at that time. The worse part of this story is that he had a child in the car and child endangerment probably should've been added to the charges, but I'm guessing it wasn't as bad as it might've thought, but still. Having a child in the car while drunk driving? That's never a good sign.

Even if you're the assistant coach of a hockey team, you still are part of the team and represent the team's picture and this can't look good for the Minnesota Wild. But they are 2-0 so far this season, so we'll see where that goes. But I just don't like it when you are suspected of drunk driving and there's a child in the car with you. That's all I'll say on this issue.