This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
In the world of sports, and that of course includes hockey because it is very much a sport, sometimes a team comes out of nowhere and has a big season. Of course, as anybody who knows the phrase "Plexiglass Principle" can tell you, oftentimes when those teams go up, the very next year they come back down, sometimes hard. While this season is still young, there are three teams that surprised last year that may be in for a rude awakening.
Out in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars, who are on a five game losing streak, and the Colorado Avalanche are at the bottom of their division, and near the bottom of their conference. The Stars have 12 points in 12 games, while the Avalanche have 11 in 14 games, thanks in part to five overtime losses. There were a lot of people predicting the Avalanche would struggle this year, and so far that is bearing out. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have a mere eight points in 12 games, are on a six game losing streak.
There are some caveats here, such as Sergei Bobrovsky's injury, one of many Columbus has suffered. The Avalanche had to deal without Semyon Varlamov briefly, and Nathan MacKinnon got off to a slow start. The Stars, on the other hand, have less excuses, but probably the most talent of the three. Maybe one, or more, of these teams will rebound, but it seems highly likely at this point at least one of them miss out. Frankly, it is getting close to being too late for the Blue Jackets. One year you are a feel good story, the next you're an also ran. At least they have the All-Star Game.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Canadiens (Carey Price) at Sabres (Michal Neuvirth*) 7:30
Red Wings (Jonas Gustavsson) at Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) 8:00
Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Ducks (Frederik Andersen) 10:30
*Confirmed Starters
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Canadiens
None
Sabres
Marcus Foligno, LW (general soreness) – May play Wednesday.
Matt Hackett, G (knee) – Practicing, not ready to return.
Patrick Kaleta, RW (face) – Close to returning, but hasn't been cleared yet.
Red Wings
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) – Doubtful for Wednesday.
Stephen Weiss, C (groin) – May return to practice this weekend
Rangers
Dan Boyle, D (hand) – Practicing, but not ready to return.
Kevin Klein, D (foot) – Unlikely to play Wednesday.
Ryan McDonagh, D (shoulder) – Placed on injured reserve.
John Moore, D (suspension) – Out Wednesday.
Derek Stepan, C (leg) – "Very, very unlikely" to return Wednesday.
Mats Zuccarello, RW (lower-body) – Game-time decision.
Islanders
Josh Bailey, LW (hand) – Practicing, but not ready to return.
Matt Carkner, D (back) – Likely out for the season.
Michael Grabner, RW (hernia) – Has not started practicing yet.
Ducks
Bryan Allen, D (lower-body) – Returned from conditioning assignment, but still on injured reserve.
Frederik Andersen, G (leg) – Practiced Tuesday, expected to start.
Mark Fistric, D (back) – Day-to-day.
John Gibson, G (groin) – Expected to miss six weeks.
Ben Lovejoy, D (finger) – Out 6-8 weeks.
Kyle Palmieri, RW (ankle) – Nearing a return.
Sheldon Souray, D (wrist) – Likely out for season.
Hot
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL – Tarasenko has been on a major tear recently. After scoring the lone goal in the game against the Devils, Tarasenko now has seven goals in his last five games, and two assists on top of that. Those seven goals are, admittedly, the bulk of the goals he has scored this season, but having eight goals at this point is impressive, and he is a very talented player that was expected to become a real contributor in the NHL. That time seems to have come.
Chris Kunitz, LW, PIT – Playing alongside Sidney Crosby has been a major boon to Kunitz's career, and last year he had a whopping 35 goals. It's business as usual for Kunitz, even if people argue that he is a product of his environment. All that matters is that he has a four game point streak, with eight points total, and he's also a plus-7 in his last six games. As long as he, and Crosby, stay healthy, another 35 goal season could be in the works.
Cold
Matt Moulson, LW, BUF – Moulson has made a career out of having good numbers on bad teams, but so far this year he's putting up bad numbers on a bad team. He has zero points in his last six games, and two points in total. He's also a minus-3 in his last three games, and a minus-7 overall. It's not so easy when John Tavares isn't around.
Scott Hartnell, LW, CLM – Hartnell went on a nice scoring jag, mostly involving a four assist game, but since then he has cooled right back down. He has no points in his last four games, and he is a minus-5 in those contests as well. Now, he is taking plenty of shots, and accruing penalty minutes, so it hasn't been all bad. However, the Blue Jackets are struggling, and Hartnell has been struggling alongside them the last week or so.
Recommended Pickup
Justin Faulk, D, CAR – Faulk got off to a slow, in fact a very slow, start to the season. However, it seems that he may be turning it around. He has four points in his last five games, and he is also a plus-4 in his last four games. He's talented, he plays special teams, and he's only 22. Faulk is probably better than his early returns indicated, and now could be the time to pick him up.
