This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
In the month or so between the Christmas and All-Star breaks, some of the worst hockey of the season is played in the NHL. To accommodate for the breaks, back-to-backs are played far too frequently, and it dilutes the product on the ice.
More often than not, teams playing their second game of a back-to-back will play a conservative, and frankly boring, style of play. Sure some goals will still be scored, but you don't see the end-to-end rushes that make hockey so exciting to watch.
There are three teams out of the 12 in action Sunday that are playing in the second leg of back-to-back games, including Washington and Ottawa, who are playing each other. The third of these teams, Minnesota, is taking on the Devils at home, a team that is plagued by injury and plays a boring style regardless of circumstances.
While it's understandable that the NHL wants to keep the season moving along during this time of the year, it may make more sense to just push the end of the season out a week or so as to avoid this plethora of back-to-back games in January.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Sabres (Chad Johnson) vs. Jets (Connor Hellebuyck), 3:00 PM
Senators (Andrew Hammond) vs. Capitals (Philipp Grubauer), 7:00 PM
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) vs. Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 7:00 PM
Devils (Cory Schneider) vs. Wild (Devan Dubnyk), 8:00 PM
Red Wings (Petr Mrazek) vs. Ducks (John Gibson), 8:00 PM
Panthers (Al Montoya) vs. Oilers (Cam Talbot), 9:30 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Sunday
Buffalo Sabres
Nicolas Deslauriers, LW (lower body) - placed on injured reserve Thursday
Tyler Ennis, LW (upper body) - remains on injured reserve
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) - without a timetable for return
Winnipeg Jets
Grant Clitsome, D (back) - out for the season
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) - resumed skating this week
Mark Scheifele, C (undisclosed) - game-time decision Sunday
Ottawa Senators
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) - skated on his own Wednesday
Chris Phillips, D (back) - likely out for the season
Washington Capitals
Jay Beagle, C (hand) - out an additional five weeks
John Carlson, D (undisclosed) - status unclear for Sunday
Brooks Orpik, D (lower body) - could return Sunday
Colorado Avalanche
Reto Berra, G (ankle) - remains on IR
Erik Johnson, D (lower body) - unlikely to return Sunday
Ben Street, C (chest) - remains without a timetable for return
Brad Stuart, D (back, leg) - has begun to feel leg pain as a result of his back injury
Jesse Winchester, C (concussion) - out indefinitely
Chicago Blackhawks
Marcus Kruger, C (hand) - out until April
New Jersey Devils
Michael Cammalleri, LW (upper body) - remains on IR
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - without a clear timetable for his return
Jacob Josefson, C (lower body) - remains on IR
Tyler Kennedy, LW (upper body) - could return Sunday
John Moore, D (lower body) - out Sunday
Tuomo Ruutu, LW (lower body) - placed on injured reserve Friday
David Schlemko, D (lower body) - status unclear for Sunday
Jiri Tlusty, LW (upper body) - out for at least a week
Minnesota Wild
Nate Prosser, D (hand) - status unclear for Sunday
Detroit Red Wings
Johan Franzen, LW (concussion) - remains on long-term IR
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) - expected to return this month
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) - will return Monday
Anaheim Ducks
Simon Despres, D (concussion) - returned to practice Saturday
Cam Fowler, D (knee) - expected to miss the rest of January
Florida Panthers
Dave Bolland, C (lower body) - out through the All-Star break
Steve Kampfer, D (lower body) - nearing a return
Edmonton Oilers
Andrew Ference, D (hip) - remains on IR
Oscar Klefbom, D (finger) - no timetable for his return
Connor McDavid, C (shoulder) - out until February
Nail Yakupov, RW (ankle) - could return within the next week
Hot
Jack Eichel, C, BUF - Not that he was disappointing in any way earlier in the season, but as of late Eichel has been brilliant. In the nine games since Dec. 17, last year's second-overall pick has scored 12 points, including a four-point game Dec. 26 against Boston. Eichel has seemingly found his footing in the NHL, and the sky's the limit for him from here on out.
Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA - Another second-overall pick (from 2013), Barkov has been on a tear over his last 11 games. Centering a line with ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr on his wing, Barkov has 13 points over this span, including six goals. Amazingly, Barkov has registered only 30 shots during this period, bringing his shooting percentage to 20%. The young Finn uses his 6-foot-3 frame to bull his way to the front of the net, where he can take or create high-quality chances.
Cold
Jason Pomiville, RW, MIN - This season has seen a remarkable drop in Pominville's production, and at no time has it been more evident than during his current eight-game pointless streak. Pominville is three-time 30-goal scorer and a notorious shooter, taking at least 212 shots on goal in each full season he's played. However, the former Sabre is on pace for 202 shots this season and has taken only 11 in the last eight games.
Recommended Pickup
Alex Ovechkin, LW, WAS - After scoring two in New York on Saturday, Ovechkin is sitting just one goal away from 500 in his career. While the Caps and their opponents, the Senators, played in games that went to overtime Saturday, Ovechkin will bring his usual rambunctiousness to Sunday's game as he looks to make history. In addition to the extra-motivation he'll have, Ovi has scored 10 goals over his last 11 games.
