This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
I've been watching the men's college hockey tournament. The fact the tourney is littered with 24-year-old dudes who played junior league hockey, couldn't get a shot in the pros, and decided to go to college means the level of play is higher than you get in your average men's college basketball game. Plus, hockey is great. However, in order to try and get a sense of what is going on, especially since the creation of a hockey Big Ten completely shook up the conference landscape compared to when I watched the CCHA regularly, I did a bit of research, and I found something interesting.
Next season, Arizona State is going to have a college hockey team. Straight up, Division I hockey. At Arizona State. Sure, Alabama-Huntsville has had a team for years, but this is still a college hockey team in the desert. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews, an Arizona native, is likely to be the top pick in the next NHL Draft. Hockey in Arizona, a state thought of as a sunbaked desert, is having a moment, apparently. If only the Coyotes could get good again.
I find this very interesting. Why, of all the unexpected places, Arizona State? It does speak to the fact that hockey can, indeed, find purchase anywhere. Let us not forever think of a hockey as a sport for Canada and northern states than begin with the letter "M." Perhaps the NHL can find success in Las Vegas. Did you know the Frozen Four is taking place in Tampa, and not for the first time? Hockey fans are everywhere. Hockey players are everywhere. I look forward to the day an NHL draft pick grows up in Hawaii.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Senators (Andrew Hammond*) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 7:30 PM
Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Flyers (Steve Mason*), 8:00 PM
Flames (Joni Ortio) at Ducks (Frederik Andersen), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Senators
Mark Borowiecki, D (knee) – Out for season
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – Out for season
Dion Phaneuf, D (lower-body) – Out for season
Kyle Turris, C (ankle) – Out indefinitely
Patrick Wiercioch, D (upper-body) – Week-to-week
Jets
Toby Enstrom, D (knee) – Out indefinitely
J.C. Lipon, RW (upper-body) – Did not play Tuesday
Bryan Little, C (head) – Out for season
Tyler Myers, D (hip/knee) – Out for season
Anthony Peluso, RW (shoulder) – Out 16 weeks
Mathieu Perreault, C (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Capitals
Nothing to speak of.
Flyers
Michael Del Zotto, D (wrist) – Out 3-4 months
Michal Neuvirth, G (knee) – Out for regular season
Flames
Michael Frolik, LW (lower-body) – Day-to-day
Johnny Gaudreau, LW (upper-body) – Day-to-day
Jyrki Jokipakka, D (undisclosed) – Day-to-day
Josh Jooris, C (lower-body) – Day-to-day
Karri Ramo, G (knee) – Out for season
Ladislav Smid, D (upper-body) – On injured reserve
Dennis Wideman, D (triceps) – Out for season
Ducks
Kevin Bieksa, D (upper-body) – Day-to-day
Simon Despres, D (undisclosed) – Day-to-day
Korbinian Holzer, D (illness) – Day-to-day
David Perron, LW (shoulder) – Possibly week-to-week
Hot
Nazem Kadri, C, TOR – Last week, I had Kadri down in the cold section. This week, he's moved over to hot. Sure, he's only had two games in his last five where he has registered a point. However, in one of those games he had a hat trick, and in the other he had two goals and two assists. Seven points in four games counts as hot no matter how you slice it. He's also been taking penalties, too, which helps some fantasy owners. Kadri may be running hot-and-cold, but that's a major improvement over where he was a week ago.
Max Pacioretty, LW, MON – Pacioretty tallied two goals Tuesday in an effort to put the garbage Red Wings out of their garbage misery (this may be the editorializing of a frustrated Wings fan). He also went plus-4. Over his last four games he has four points, and on the season he has almost 60 points now. It's been a rough year for the Habs, and Pacioretty has had his struggles, but he's still one of the best forwards in the league.
Cold
Nick Foligno, LW, CLM – Last year, Foligno exploded for 31 goals. This year, he's stuck at nine. None of those has come in his last nine games, and he doesn't have any assists in those games either. He's completely fallen off a map, and it has turned into a lost season. Foligno will just hope for a happy medium between these two seasons next year.
Matt Beleskey, LW, BOS – A lot of people questioned the Bruins signing Beleskey this offseason, but he actually has a career high in points this year. That's despite the fact he has two points in his last 10 games, a goal and an assist, both in the same game. So, while Beleskey hasn't been a bust, he also hasn't helped fantasy teams for a few weeks.
Recommended Pickup
Sean Couturier, C, PHI – It's always good to have a player with something to play for down the stretch, and Couturier, and the Flyers, have plenty to play for. While his seasonal point totals may leave something to be desired, Couturier has been putting up better numbers recently, with seven points in his last eight games. He's also playing 20 minutes a night down the stretch, which is more than a lot of forwards can say. Couturier is a skilled player who can contribute in any aspect of the game, which means more time on the ice, which means more fantasy potential, especially for a Philly team fighting for the postseason.
