This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
So, I feel like it's been kind of taboo for us to talk about the Patrick Kane case, but I'm going to talk about it because hey, it's my call, and the news came out this weekend that his accuser doesn't want to move forward with the case and he won't be facing charges. As a Kane owner in fantasy, obviously, that's great for me, but I actually want to address this on a more human level.
While it's inarguable that a lot of athletes are prone to crossing lines they shouldn't cross with women and the law, it's also an unfortunate fact that there are a lot of people out there looking for a way to take advantage of people like Kane. And while it's clear that Kane isn't necessarily what you'd call a nice or good guy, as evidenced by his previous encounter with a cab driver, it's also quite clear that there's been some wonky business in this particular case from the beginning, most notably the lack of evidence against him and the bizarre rape kit hoax concocted by the accuser's mother.
To be clear, while the facts don't add up for this one, that doesn't mean we should default to the position that these accusers are lying moving forward. Too many victims of all sorts are afraid to come out with accusations against prominent men exactly because they think they'll be written off. Unfortunately, that's a legitimate fear, and it's a problem we need to continue addressing as a society. Sometimes, alleged victims are liars; many more times, they are not. Let's not lump those two groups in together.
Kane also needs to take a lesson here. Considering his penchant for going out, getting drunk and having a wild time, it wouldn't be surprising to see him in this position again in the future. To some degree, that's unavoidable, but he'd be wise to remember how painful it was to go through this process as an innocent man. Know, Patrick, that it's a lot worse if you go through it as a guilty man.
Anyway, on to lighter matters.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Devils (Cory Schneider) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Canadiens (Mike Condon), 7:30 PM
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek), 7:30 PM
Kings (Jhonas Enroth) at Blues (Jake Allen), 8:30 PM
Flames (Karri Ramo) at Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov), 9:00 PM
Flyers (Michal Neuvirth) at Oilers (Anders Nilsson), 9:00 PM
Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky) at Sharks (Martin Jones), 10:30 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Tuesday
Dallas Stars
Patrick Eaves, RW (lower body) – Didn't play Saturday
Travis Moen, LW (upper body) – No clear timeline
Curtis McKenzie, LW (lower body) – Out another week or two
Boston Bruins
Dennis Seidenberg, D (back) – Skating in practice; looking at mid-November
New Jersey Devils
Tuomo Ruutu, LW (foot) – Out another 3-to-5 weeks
Jiri Tlusty, LW (upper body) – Practiced Monday
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) – Still no timetable
New York Islanders
Eric Boulton, LW (lower body) – Lingering on IR indefinitely
John Tavares, C (illness) – Unlikely to play Tuesday
Thomas Hickey, D (lower body) – Out a month at least
Washington Capitals
None
New York Rangers
Viktor Stalberg, LW (head) – Expected back Tuesday
Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips, D - Phillips (back) said last week that he's "turned a corner" in the recovery process, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun reports. (9/22/2015)
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – Remains out indefinitely
Mark Stone, RW (suspension) – Banned for two games
Mike Hoffman, LW (lower body) – Will be back in Tuesday
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price, G (lower body) – Hit IR on Monday
Michael Bournival, C (concussion) – Skating and shooting, but return date unclear
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Drouin, C (lower body) – Not sure if he'll return this week
Cedric Paquette, C (ankle) – Expects to return by end of road trip
Mitchell Stephens, C (foot) – Out indefinitely
Detroit Red Wings
Brad Richards, C (back) – Return unclear
Pavel Datsyuk, C (ankle) – A week or two from eturning
Mike Green, D (upper body) – Could return Friday
Kyle Quincey, D (concussion) – Will start skating again soon
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Return date uncertain
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Greene, D (upper body) – Lingering on IR
Jamie McBain, D (personal) – Didn't play Monday night to child being born; Tuesday unclear
Dwight King, LW (foot) – Out another 5-to-8 weeks
St. Louis Blues
Kevin Shattenkirk, D (groin) – Unlikely to play Tuesday
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) – Out well into January, if not February
Paul Stastny, C (foot) – Will be reevaluated in about three weeks
Patrik Berglund, C (shoulder) – Out into 2016
Calgary Flames
Lance Bouma, C (lower body) – Out another two months plus
Micheal Ferland, LW (knee) – Hit IR last week
Jonas Hiller, G (lower body) – Out a few more days at least
Colorado Avalanche
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – Lingering on IR with no timeline
Philadelphia Flyers
Sean Couturier, C (upper body) – Joining the team Tuesday and presumably playing
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, C (lower body) – Hit IR last week
Edmonton Oilers
Lauri Korpikoski, LW (head) – Didn't play Saturday
Matt Hendricks, LW (foot) – Tuesday status uncertain
Jordan Eberle, RW (shoulder) – Skating with team in practice
Justin Schultz, D (back) – Out a matter of weeks yet
Rob Klinkhammer, LW (lower body) – Eligible this week, but uncertain timeline
Columbus Blue Jackets
Alexander Wennberg, C (lower body) – Didn't practice Monday; could go Tuesday, though
San Jose Sharks
Melker Karlsson, C (lower body) – Hurting in AHL
Raffi Torres, LW (suspension) – Still out til midseason
Logan Couture, C (foot) – Out about another 2-to-4 weeks
Hot
Jake Allen, G, STL – It's no coincidence that Allen's starting for the Blues on Tuesday – it'll be his fourth consecutive draw. He's only given up a total of three goals in those last three en route to seizing the No. 1 role in net from Brian Elliott. The Blues are going to ride the hot hand, so Allen's starting role may only be as secure as his next performance dictates, but for now, he's the man to own here.
John Klingberg, D, DAL -- If you weren't on top of Klingberg in this year's drafts after last year's sparkling debut, it was at your own peril, because the 23-year-old Swede is starting to look like a less shot-happy version of Erik Karlsson. He may have just had his seven-game point streak broken up in Toronto on Sunday, but that's only a hiccup in what's been a spectacular start to the year. He's incredibly talented and he's in about the best offensive context you can ask for. I'd actually buy high.
Cold
Marian Hossa, RW, CHI – Even before picking up what seems to be a minor lower-body injury in Friday's game, Hossa had been off to a horribly slow start to the year. He owns only four points and a minus-4 rating in 11 games, and hasn't hit the scoresheet since Oct. 17. He's still shooting a ton and not scoring (one goal on 32 shots), so this may be a case of simple bad luck rather than Father Time finally catching up to the 36-year-old Czech superstar.
Recommended Pickup
Victor Rask, C, CAR – There aren't a lot of Hurricanes you want on your fantasy teams, but Rask's decidedly one of them. After dishing out three assists against the Lightning on Sunday, Rask now has seven points in his last seven games following a bit of a slow start to the year. He may have struggled initially with this year's increased expectations as Carolina's top-line center, but the 22-year-old is superbly talented and has a pair of intelligent veterans on his wings in Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg. The points should flow in pretty steadily from that line; the Canes' bigger issue is that none of their other lines have been looking very productive.
