This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
You either beat Darcy Kuemper or not at all. The Minnesota Wild's sixth-round pick from 2009, Kuemper notched his third win of the season against Arizona and now has three shutouts in four starts. Kuemper's played sparingly over the past few seasons, but with each start he looks more and more like the real deal, although it shouldn't be all that surprising.
The former WHL standout has posted amazing numbers at every level, never posting a save percentage below .914. In 44 games in the AHL he's 21-15-4 with a 2.13 GAA and .926 SV%, and in 11 games in the ECHL he's 7-3-1 with a 1.98 GAA and .929 SV%. After proving that he had the talent to play in the NHL last year, Kuemper is now 2-1-0 with a miniscule 0.50 GAA and .980 SV%. Goaltending was one of the Wild's biggest question marks entering the season, but with Kuemper shutting the door and a vaunted offense, the team is poised to become a powerhouse in the Western Conference, though they're stuck in the dreaded Central Division.
Speaking of the Central Division, the Nashville Predators have not lost in regulation yet and through seven games sit at the top with 12 points. The Preds rode a James Neal hat trick over the Blackhawks, a divisional rival and Cup champion, which must give Peter Laviolette's group a huge ego boost. Many pundits had the Preds and Jets finish out of playoff contention with five teams from the Central making the playoffs, but if the Avs keep struggling that may not be the case any longer.
In Calgary, the Flames cruised to an easy 5-0 win over the hapless Hurricanes, who are without Eric and Jordan Staal. The loss sends the Canes tumbling lower into the basement of the Metro and are the only team in the NHL that have yet to win a game. Sabres fans may be clamoring for Connor McDavid, especially after his four-point effort in a guest performance in Buffalo, but Carolina may throw a wrench into those plans.
General manager Ron Francis isn't panicking yet and new head coach Bill Peters has drawn some good reviews, but with the season going quickly down the drain, perhaps it's time to turn their attention to McDavid. Cam Ward is a good bet to get traded if the team continues to lose games and they'll certainly get a good package for Staal, especially if the Leafs are so willing to give up Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner and a draft pick for him. Plenty can still happen between now and the draft, but as it stands the Canes will be adding a very, very good player in June.
Johnny Boychuk wanted to exact a little revenge on his former team and he got it. Nine different Islanders hit the score sheet as they downed the Bruins 4-3, ending their two-game losing streak and vaulted themselves back to the top of the Metro. Much has been written about the upstart Islanders this season, but a win against a championship-caliber team is a sign the boys from Long Island mean serious business.
For the Bruins, the loss puts them under .500 with a 4-5-0 record and fifth place in what is shaping up to be a tough Atlantic Division. With the Habs off to a hot start, Detroit playing like they've got something to prove, and the Lightning showing off one of the league's deepest offenses, the Bruins cannot dig themselves into a hole this early in the season. What will hurt even more is an injury to Zdeno Chara, who will miss four to six weeks with ligament damage to his knee. It's a good thing the B's are much deeper on defense than up front, but now the onus will be on Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug to take the next step.
Elsewhere…
Justin Abdelkader, one of the league's most underrated two-way forwards, scored the overtime winner as the Wings took a 4-3 win over the Pens. Niklas Kronwall also added two goals and held Sidney Crosby off the score sheet, which is no easy feat. Jakub Kindl, meanwhile, played just 15:32, fewest among Wings defenseman. The Wings are in the market for a right-handed defenseman, perhaps Tyler Myers or Jeff Petry, and should they manage to get their hands on one, Kindl is likely the odd man out.
Like Boychuk, Ryan Miller got to exact a little bit of his own revenge by stopping 31 shots en route to a 4-1 victory over the Blues. Miller struggled mightily during his stint in St. Louis and was so disappointing the Blues elected not to re-sign him. There's still plenty of battle in Miller, but he's no longer considered an elite goalie and it's a good thing the Canucks have one of the best backups in the league in Eddie Lack.
Jonathan Quick and the Kings had an easy 2-0 win over the Sabres and outshot them 39-29. Jeff Carter added a goal and an assist, Tyler Toffoli notched his fifth assist and frustration boiled over for the Sabres as Drew Stafford was handed an instigator and misconduct for going after former teammate Brayden McNabb while Tyler Myers dropped the mitts with agitating rookie Andy Andreoff. The Sabres have done everything but publicly declare they're going after Connor McDavid, but as previously stated the Canes may throw a wrench into those plans.
In San Jose, a see-saw battle with the Jackets saw Mark Letestu net the game-winner with 21 seconds left to go in the third period. The Jackets blew a 3-2 lead going into the third and the Sharks were up 4-3 before Nick Foligno's power play marker tied the game up midway through the third period. Sergei Bobrovsky was his usual dependable self but Antti Niemi wasn't sharp at all, stopping just 23 of 28 shots. With Alex Stalock nipping at his heels, Niemi can't afford to have another bad start.
Here are your Friday games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Dallas Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider*), 7:00 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Winnipeg Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 8:00 PM
Vancouver Canucks (Eddie Lack) at Colorado Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov*), 9:00 PM
Carolina Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin) at Edmonton Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:30 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets (Anton Forsberg) at Anaheim Ducks (John Gibson), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Dallas Stars
Rich Peverley, C (heart) – out indefinitely.
Patrik Nemeth, D (arm) – out for the season.
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (groin) – will not play.
Sergei Gonchar, D (ankle) – will not play.
New Jersey Devils
Martin Havlat, RW (face) – doubtful; day-to-day.
Jordin Tootoo, RW (foot) – will not play Friday or Saturday.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ryan Callahan, RW (lower body) – doubtful; week-to-week.
Victor Hedman, D (hand) – will miss 4-6 weeks.
Alex Killorn, RW (shoulder) – not expected to play.
Winnipeg Jets
Evander Kane, LW (knee) – will begin practicing soon; no return date set.
Anthony Peluso, RW (upper body) – missed practice on Thursday; questionable.
Vancouver Canucks
Ryan Stanton, D (lower body) – will not play.
Colorado Avalanche
Patrick Bordeleau, LW (back surgery) – no timetable for return.
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – no return date set.
Ryan Wilson, D (shoulder) – out 2-3 weeks.
Carolina Hurricanes
Eric Staal, C (upper body) – placed on IR on Wednesday; no return date set.
Jordan Staal, C (broken leg) - no timetable for return.
Patrick Dwyer, RW (lower body) – placed on IR on Wednseday; no return date set.
Edmonton Oilers
Luke Gazdic, LW (shoulder) – no return date set; week-to-week.
Viktor Fasth, G (groin) – no return date set.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Boone Jenner, LW (hand) – no return date set.
Nathan Horton, RW (back) – out indefinitely.
Brandon Dubinsky, C (abdominal) – out 4-6 weeks.
Curtis McElhinney, G (head) – doubtful; no return date set.
Ryan Murray, D (knee) – will not play.
Marko Dano, C (undisclosed) – did not play Thursday; game-time decision.
Anaheim Ducks
Kyle Palmieri, RW (ankle) – no return date set.
Stefan Noesen, LW (Achilles) – out four months.
Patrick Maroon, LW (knee) – out 2-3 weeks.
Sheldon Souray, D (wrist) – out indefinitely.
Bryan Allen, D (lower body) – practicing but no return date set.
Dany Heatley, LW (groin) – no return date set; doubtful.
Hot
Torey Krug, D, Boston – The former Michigan State Spartan's three-game point streak was snapped in a loss to the Isles on Thursday, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort as he finished the night with four shots on goal and 22:40 TOI. Though Krug already leads all B's defensemen in power play time, Chara's injury means Krug will have to shoulder even more of the load. He already has five points in nine games this season.
Tyler Seguin, RW, Dallas – Life in Dallas is going great for the former Bruins cast-off, who now has 10 points in his past four games, including two game-winners, after going pointless in his first two games. Seguin's offensive abilities have never been questioned, but ever since Jason Spezza joined Seguin and Jamie Benn on the top line, it has been complete dynamite. Seguin is averaging four shots a game and shooting an unsustainable 20.8 percent, but he should factor into the Art Ross race.
Cold
Patrik Elias, C, New Jersey – The 38-year-old has been a model of consistency for nearly two decades, but Father Time never loses. Elias has now gone three games without a point, despite firing seven shots in that span. The Devils lost all three of those games and allowed an uncharacteristic 14 goals. Lou Lamoriello's squads have never been known to score a lot of goals, but to win games they need Elias to produce.
Nazem Kadri, C, Toronto – The supremely talented playmaker has gone pointless in four games and still hasn't usurped Tyler Bozak as the Leafs' top center. After a 20-goal, 50-point season, Kadri was supposed to break out this year, but the seventh overall draft pick is off to an awfully slow start with just two goals in seven games. Not many can flourish under the hot lights of Toronto, but the normally confident Kadri is playing passive hockey early in the season.
Recommended Pickup
Adam Henrique, C, New Jersey – Henrique is becoming a hot commodity in ESPN leagues with his recent three-game point streak but is still un-owned in over a quarter of the leagues. Travis Zajac is the defensive shutdown center on the team, which leaves the offensive responsibilities to Henrique. With seven points in six games, he's on pace to break his career-high of 43 points that was set last year. On a team short on natural centers, Henrique is at the top of the team's depth chart.
