This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Right now, the top of the Atlantic Division is pretty exciting. Sure, it's still fairly early in the season, but there are four teams all within two points out one another. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the way, followed by three Original Six teams in the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs, in particular, have been on a tear recently, having won six in a row and eight of their last 10 games.
Of course, you will notice a team missing from that quartet that may surprise you, and it's not the Buffalo Sabres. Whither the Boston Bruins? Well, they currently sit in sixth in the division with 33 points. They are even behind the Florida Panthers. The Bruins got off to a slow start, but as likely Stanley Cup contenders, we just figured they'd pick it up. Not so thus far, as they have lost three in a row and are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. They even have a negative goal differential.
Does this team have enough talent to turn things around to some degree? Absolutely, especially with Tuukka Rask in net. However, time is starting to run out on them. They don't just have to overcome what is currently an eight point deficit. They have to try and get through five teams ahead of them, four who have been quite good so far, if they want to claim the Atlantic. At this point, they may have to settle for a wild card spot, and even that isn't a given.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Senators (Craig Anderson*) at Devils (Cory Schneider) 7:00
Bruins (Niklas Svedberg) at Wild (Darcy Kuemper) 8:00
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Canucks (Ryan Miller) 10:00
*Confirmed Starters
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Senators
Marc Methot, D (back) – Out indefinitely.
Chris Neil, RW (knee) – Expected to miss a couple weeks.
Zack Smith, C (wrist) – Out indefinitely.
Patrick Wiercioch, D (undisclosed) – Doubtful for Wednesday.
Devils
Michael Cammalleri, LW (lower-body) – Didn't play Monday, status unknown for Wednesday.
Ryane Clowe, LW (head) – Out indefinitely.
Patrik Elias, LW (groin) – On injured reserve.
Adam Larsson, D (illness) – Out indefinitely with the mumps.
Bryce Salvador, D (lower-body) – On injured reserve.
Dainius Zubrus, RW (leg) – Did not play Monday, status unknown for Wednesday.
Bruins
Simon Gagne, LW (personal) – Out indefinitely.
David Krejci, C (groin) – Did not play Tuesday, status unknown for Wednesday.
Adam McQuaid, D (finger) – On injured reserve.
Wild
Keith Ballard, D (concussion) – On injured reserve.
Ryan Carter, C (upper-body) – Skated Tuesday.
Matt Cooke, LW (hip) – May play Saturday.
Darcy Kuemper, G (undisclosed) – Scratched Tuesday, status unknown for Wednesday.
Jared Spurgeon, D (illness) – Hopes to play Wednesday.
Stars
Patrick Eaves, RW (ankle) – Out 4-8 weeks.
Ryan Garbutt, RW (suspension) – Suspended for this game.
Travis Moen, LW (upper-body) – Skating, but did not play Saturday.
Patrick Nemeth, D (arm) – On injured reserve.
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (hip) – Out about three months.
Rich Peverley, C (chest) – On long-term injured reserve.
Canucks
Dan Hamhuis, D (lower-body) – On injured reserve.
Zack Kassian, RW (finger) – On injured reserve.
Hot
Mark Scheifele, C, WPG – Scheifele scored two goals and added an assist Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. This pairs well with his recent outing against the Colorado Avalanche, where he scored a goal and had two helpers. That's six points in three games, three of them on the power-play. He's gotten off to a bit of a slow start, he only has six goals so far, but he's only 21 and a former seventh overall pick. There's potential here, especially with the Jets still having a surprisingly good season.
Patrick Kane, RW, CHI – With a goal and two helpers on Tuesday, Kane now has a four-game point streak going. He now has 15 goals and 17 assists, putting him on his usual scoring pace. Kane also had seven shots on goal on Tuesday, giving him over 100 shots on goal thus far. Kane's a scorer, and this is what he does. When he goes on a nice points jag, ride it until it's over.
Cold
John Klingberg, D, DAL – Klingberg burst onto the scene earlier this year, racking up points from the blueline as a rookie. However, the bloom has started to come off the rose. He has no points in his last four games, and one in his last seven games, an assist. In his last four games, he also is a minus-4. His ownership percentage is already going down, and that's not going to change anytime soon. It's not a bad idea to buy into a rookie who starts off on a hot streak, just in case, but you also have to be shrewd enough to cut bait when the time comes.
Karri Ramo, G, CGY – Ramo would have been on the "hot" list not all that long ago, winning four games in a row including two shutouts. Now, he's lost three starts in a row, and he's let in 11 goals in those starts. In his most recent start, he gave up four goals on 13 shots. Ramo's career save percentage is only .903, and the Flames also have Jonas Hiller around, so with Ramo turning cold, there's another option they can turn to without trepidation.
Recommended Pickup
Mika Zibanejad, C, OTT – The Senators have had a rough season and already fired a head coach, but at least this December Zibanejad has been a bright spot. In seven games this month he's scored five goals and tallied four assists. Sure, those nine points are more than half of his season total, as he only has 15 points in 28 games. However, Zibanejad was a promising prospect once, and he scored 16 goals and 33 points in 69 games last season. He's playing more minutes now, and this hot streak should get him more responsibility. If this is the start of something real, now is the time to pick him up.
