This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
It's Winter Classic time! Are you pumped? I'm super excited to see, um, wait a second... waiting for NHL.com to load... I'm pretty sure that there's an east coast team (isn't there always? Penguins, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Flyers, and Capitals have all played twice... five of nine teams who have played in the Winter Classic have played in it twice...) the jerseys look red... still loading... there we go....
Ahem.
I'm super excited to see Washington and Chicago!
Ok. That's not true. It'll be a good game and the Classic is fun, but it doesn't have the kind of excitement around it I've felt in previous years. The Winter Classic is starting to have the same teams too often, hoping that star power trumps a game that has real history in it.
I feel like the league is pushing it a little hard as well. I'm watching the USA vs. Canada World Juniors Championship game yesterday and it's non-stop Winter Classic commercials. I check my phone and I have an update that the NHL Network is airing the Capitals outdoor practice. I've got a push notification that the HBO Epix series "Road to the Winter Classic" has a new episode up (because now that it's not on HBO who knows where to find it).
I'm not trying to ruin the fun. I played hockey outdoors constantly growing up. I'm glad the NHL is committing to outdoor hockey. I don't even hate the idea of outdoor games in the south instead of the snowier climates. However, I'm not feeling the excitement this year. It feels like just another game and I loved how much outdoor hockey we had last year. I loved watching it, loved that it was just becoming a part of the DNA of the season.
With the league taking a step back on the number of outdoor games this season, each game needs to bear the weight of the tradition a little more. The Kings versus the Sharks is going to be fantastic. That's a series with animosity in it. Playoff-born bad blood. A deep history.
Capitals versus Blackhawks is so depleted of meaning that it's hurting the chances of having more games in the future.
But, nonetheless, it's New Year's Day and we should all pretend like this is somehow more than just another game. Plus, Billy Idol and Lee Greenwood are playing, so that's... something.
On to fantasy-relevant info. (2015 = 1 day, 1 gripe from Dustin.)
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby), 1:00 PM
Los Angeles Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Vancouver Canucks (Ryan Miller), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Thursday
Chicago Blackhawks
Michal Rozsival, D - (lower body) will likely play in the Winter Classic.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D - (knee) remains out.
Washington Capitals
John Erskine, D - (neck) remains out.
Brooks Orpik, D - (leg) hasn't officially been ruled out of the Winter Classic.
Edward Pasquale, G - (hip) is out indefinitely following surgery.
Dmitry Orlov, D - (wrist) is recovery slowly and will not be back soon.
Aaron Volpatti, LW - (neck) is healthy again but has yet to be activated from the non-roster injury list.
Los Angeles Kings
Robyn Regehr, D - (upper body) remains out.
Slava Voynov, D - (suspension) remains out following domestic abuse charges.
Vancouver Canucks
Dan Hamhuis, D - (leg/groin) has resumed skating, but isn't ready to play yet.
Zack Kassian, RW - is close and hopes to play Thursday.
Hot:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, EDM -- The 21-year-old center has points in five of his last seven games and has proven that he's a legit number one center for the perpetually struggling Oilers. His 11 goals and 13 assists this season are solid for anyone on a team that has had the struggles the Oilers have had.
Marian Gaborik, RW, LAK -- Gaborik has provided some huge offense for the perennially goal-starved Kings. He's got points in seven straight games and it's not even as though he's just tossing up a point per game. He has seven goals and four assists. He's also averaging 3.3 shots per game in that stretch.
Cold:
Tomas Hertl, C/LW, SJS -- Ninja Hertl has not delivered the kind of production his explosive appearances in his rookie season might have had drafters expecting. He has just one goal over the last eleven games and no assists. The Sharks need a lot more from Hertl in order to balance out their attack.
Nick Bonino, C, VAN -- Bonino was a great depth addition to the Canucks roster over the off-season. After posting 22 goals and 27 assists last season it was clear that he can provide some great secondary scoring. It looked like that was exactly what he was going to do after he kicked off the season with seven goals and five assists in his first 14 games this season. In the next 21 games Bonino has managed to score only once. His fantasy value is dropping fast.
Recommended Pickup
Marco Scandella, D, MIN -- Pop quiz: What defenseman has the most goals per game and goals per 60 minutes of play this season? If you guessed anyone who has been close to the top in these categories before, you're wrong. It's Scandella. He's been an incredible depth find for teams in fantasy this season. He has four game-winning goals this season, second among all NHL defensemen, and nine total goals, which puts him tied for fifth among all defensemen. He's getting 22:05 per night and as of last night he's found his way into some top power play unit time. He had no points New Year's Eve, but that ended a four-game point streak for the Scandie-man can.
