This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
As an exercise, with the season winding down, I decided to look at the scoring leaders until I found a name that stuck out to be as a surprise. Now, you might say that, as a guy who is writing a hockey article, nobody should be surprising me at this point of the season. First off… you've got some attitude mister. Secondly, while I have at least an abstract sense of how the majority of NHL players have performed this season, I don't necessarily have a more granular concept of who is where in the pecking order. At least, I didn't until I decided to do this.
Evgeny Kuznetsov is in the top five in scoring, but, as a diligent hockey viewer, this did not surprise me. It may have been unexpected before the season, but I have become desensitized to his success. Johnny Gaudreau is perhaps a smidge better than I had presumed, but not by any jarring amount. Joe Thornton is also still going strong, which, as a guy who thought the Sharks wouldn't be good this year, is notable, if not surprising.
It's not until I get down to Blake Wheeler, strongly in the top 20 in scoring with 64 points, that I found myself surprised. I know Wheeler is a good player, but I didn't realize how good of a season he is having. I suppose that can be chalked up to the fact he is playing up in Winnipeg, who is not the feel good story they were last year. The story up there had been "When is Andrew Ladd going to be traded?" and then there was no more story. Well, at least there is one bit of good news for Jets fans. Under the radar, or at least undr my radar, Wheeler has had an impressive year.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Senators (Andrew Hammond) at Islanders (Thomas Greiss), 7:00 PM
Bruins (Tuukka Rask) at Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist*), 8:00 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) – Skating, but not ready to return
Kyle Turris, C (ankle) – Out indefinitely
Patrick Wiercioch, D (upper-body) – Week-to-week
Islanders
Mikhail Grabovski, C (undisclosed) – Out indefinitely
Jaroslav Halak, G (groin) – Out six weeks
Adam Pelech, D (upper-body) – Could return by the end of March
Marek Zidlicky, D (upper-body) – Out "a little while"
Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (leg) – Out indefinitely
Tuukka Rask, G (illness) – Day-to-day
Rangers
Dylan McIlrath, D (knee) – Day-to-day
Hot
Nikita Kucherov, RW, TAM – The Lightning stomped a Red Wings team hoping to keep their playoff streak going, thanks, in part, to Kucherov's goal and assist. This gives Kucherov five points in his last three games, and gets him to the 60 point mark on the season. He's the one "Triplet" that has been hale and hearty all season, and his numbers show it. Plus, he's only 22. Kucherov is really good now, but he could get even better.
Jakob Silfverberg, LW, ANA – Silfverberg was the recommended pickup in Tuesday's Daily Puck, so consider this another endorsement of him. He picked up two more goals on Tuesday night, giving him a three-game point streak, and also eight points in his last five games. He's only just now crossed the 30 point mark on the season, but he's a talented player who is hot right now, and his two goals on Tuesday are just a couple more points in his favor.
Cold
Nazem Kadri, C, TOR – The Maple Leafs may have an eye on the future, but they'd probably like Kadri to do a little more in the present, aside from two assists against the Islanders on March 9, he has zero points in his last 10 games. He's a minus-4 in his last six games, in which he is also scoreless, and he is now minus-14 on the season. Kadri is taking penalty minutes, but, other than that, he's not helping you at the moment.
Travis Hamonic, D, NYI – Hamonic is owned in quite a few fantasy leagues, which is a bit odd, considering he only has 19 points on the season. Perhaps people were hoping for a trade and then just forgot about their leagues? He does play a ton of minutes, but he's not doing much with them. He has one point in his last eight games, an assist, and he's a minus-4 in his last four games.
Recommended Pickup
Mikael Backlund, C, CGY – The Flames don't have anything to play for down the stretch, save for the nebulous concept of pride, but that doesn't mean that various denizens of Calgary can't help your fantasy team. Backlund is what he is, at this point, but he's also having what will end up being a career year. He has 39 points at the moment, which ties his career high in points, and his 15 goals is three short of his career high in that category. Backlund also has the best plus-minus of his career, at the moment, despite Calgary's issues keeping the puck out of their next. He's been playing well recently, too, as he has 10 points, five goals and five helpers, in his last 16 games. If he can keep this up down the stretch, he could be a real different maker, fantasy wise.
