This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
You know, if it weren't for Frederik Andersen's insane 44-save performance, the Predators would still be considered the league's best team. Despite having Ryan Getzlaf sit out as a late scratch, the Ducks still managed to win 5-2 and take the top spot in the league, spoiling Pekka Rinne's return from injury. This isn't unfamiliar territory for Bruce Boudreau, who led the 2009-10 Washington Capitals to the Presidents' Trophy, but the only trophy that matters to winning teams is the Stanley Cup.
Since winning it all in 2007, the Ducks have been ousted in the quarterfinals thrice and the semifinals twice, but also missing the playoffs in 2010 and 2012.
(They missed the playoffs three years ago?! It seems unfathomable now that one of the league's top Cup contenders this year finished last in the Pacific Division less than three years ago. Though, to be fair, the Western Conference was really tough in 2012, with three teams over .500 (Calgary, Dallas, Colorado) missing the playoffs. The Ducks of 2012 were pretty deep too, with Saku, Teemu and Bobby Ryan contributing. It was also the season Boudreau took over from Randy Carlyle.)
Bruce Boudreau has a similar resume: six playoff appearances and ousted in the quarterfinals and semifinals three times each. Sure, the Ducks sit atop everyone else right now, but are they the league's best team? Boudreau's team have always been very good on offense, like the Mike D'Antoni of hockey, but neither coach has that championship title despite lots of regular season and personal accolades.
The Ducks are an improvement over Boudreau's old Caps squads with Andersen (though largely untested), but both teams remain rather weak on defense. The Ducks' kid trio is impressive, but the oldest is only 23, and remain relatively inexperienced. They're also not a physically imposing bunch, which means if they draw the Kings (still could happen), their young defensemen would have to face Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar. In three matchups this season, the Ducks have taken two shootout wins and the Kings have taken one overtime win, so it's going to be close. Who knows, Jonathan Quick may suddenly just turn on the switch again and become a brick wall.
If the road passes through San Jose, they have a big forward of their own with Joe Thornton, and should Todd McLellan please, Brent Burns could serve as the other. Any road to the finals will have to inevitably go through Chicago or St. Louis, and both teams are deep offensively. Jonathan Toews and David Backes are two of the best playoff players in the league.
The Ducks are also 15th in goals against and their goal differential of plus-17 is a tier below Nashville's plus-32, Chicago's plus-37 and St. Louis' plus-44. Of course, anything could happen and I'm certainly rooting for Boudreau, but over the past 15 seasons, eight teams have progressed to the Conference Finals. So, they odds are pretty good for the Ducks.
But it's also just too hard to look away from St. Louis, winners of seven straight, a team that has a bit of everything, from grizzled veteran Barret Jackman to game-breaking star Vladimir Tarasenko. The Ducks are 2-1 against the Blues this season and will not meet again in the regular season.
Friday notes:
- Normally, the Leafs would be a pretty good bet against the Devils, but the Leafs are terrible and Cory Schneider has three wins in his last four starts and hasn't allowed more than three goals since Jan. 14 in a win against LA. Still, Schneider could have one of those nights where he turns into a complete sieve, and the Leafs' offense is talented enough to score in bunches, but I have a feeling it's more likely to happen Saturday against Edmonton on national TV. At most, Jonathan Bernier will get an expensive win (high GAA, low Sv%).
- Andersen faced 46 shots against Nashville and inter-conference games just don't seem to bother Western Conference teams, so the Ducks may elect to start Ilya Bryzgalov. However, the last time Breezy started he allowed six goals, and the Caps are really good. Holtby is a must-start since he's on fire (two shutouts in past four games), Andersen's been good all year, but be wary if starting Bryzgalov. Actually, I'd rather suggest just not doing it.
- Jake Allen got an easy match against Buffalo, a 3-0 win, but Ken Hitchcock will likely go back to starter Brian Elliott against the injury-ravaged BJ's. Anton Forsberg lost 4-1 to Arizona in their previous game so Curtis McElhinney starts. Easy win, St. Louis. Don't bother with any BJ goalies for the rest of the year. It's in their best interests to tank, actually, because even if Sergei Bobrovsky comes back as Superman they've already lost too much ground. Could you imagine if the BJ's added another franchise center behind Ryan Johansen?
- Starters on good teams need only be above average to post good stats, and while I don't think Corey Crawford is in the league's elite, the Hawks are really, really good. Okay, credit to Crawford, he's been good, too. The Jets are mired in a losing streak and may have some distractions with the Evander Kane-Dustin Byfuglien feud. Michael Hutchinson hasn't been good lately but is still the likely starter even though Ondrej Pavelec was good against Vancouver. Both Jets goalies are shaky starts, at best.
- Marc-Andre Fleury is a must-start, like Crawford and Elliott, because he's on a good team, but Jonas Hiller is a tougher call. The Flames are quite good at home and Hiller has rattled off three straight wins with just five goals against, though his save percentage hasn't been particularly good. There's tons of upset potential here for the Flames so playing Hiller is a good gamble, but gambling isn't very safe, in general.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Toronto Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier) at New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider*), 7:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks (Ilya Bryzgalov) at Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00 PM
St. Louis Blues (Brian Elliott) at Columbus Blue Jackets (Curtis McElhinney*), 7:00 PM
Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford*) at Winnipeg Jets (Michael Hutchinson), 8:00 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Calgary Flames (Jonas Hiller), 9:00 PM
* = confirmed
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Toronto Maple Leafs
Trevor Smith, C (personal) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Dion Phaneuf, D (hand) – will not play.
New Jersey Devils
Ryane Clowe, LW (concussion) – out indefinitely.
Bryce Salvador, D (back) – no timetable for return.
Stephen Gionta, C (broken hand) – no return date set.
Damon Severson, D (ankle) – out one week.
Anaheim Ducks
Sheldon Souray, D (wrist) – out for the season.
Stefan Noesen, RW (Achilles) – no return date set.
Ryan Getzlaf, C (lower body) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
Washington Capitals
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – no timetable for return.
John Erskine, D (neck) – no timetable for return.
Nate Schmidt, D (fractured shoulder) – out 6-8 weeks.
St. Louis Blues
Jori Lehtera, C (concussion) – out indefinitely.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D (abdominal surgery) – no return date set.
Chris Porter, LW (high ankle sprain) – no return date set.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Nathan Horton, RW (back) – out for the season.
Jeremy Morin, LW (heart) – no timetable for return.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) – no return date set.
Boone Jenner, LW (back) – out 1-2 months.
Brian Gibbons, C (knee) – practiced Tuesday; questionable.
Chicago Blackhawks
Kris Versteeg, RW (hand) – practiced Tuesday; no return date set.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D (knee) – skated Tuesday; no return date set.
Winnipeg Jets
Jay Harrison, D (upper body) – no return date set.
Matt Halischuk, RW (lower body) – no return date set.
Grant Clitsome, D (upper body) – no return date set.
Evander Kane, LW (shoulder) – no return date set.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Blake Comeau, LW (wrist) – out one week.
Christian Ehrhoff, D (concussion) – no return date set.
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clot) – no timetable for return.
Olli Maatta, D (shoulder surgery) – out for the season.
Calgary Flames
Curtis Glencross, LW (lower body) – will not play.
Ladislav Smid, D (undisclosed) – did not practice Monday; doubtful.
Hot
Devan Dubnyk, G, MIN – The Wild have won four straight but remain five points behind Vancouver for the final wild card spot. However, here are the next five games for Vancouver: vs. PIT, @ MIN, @ CHI, vs. BOS and then @ CGY to finish a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Wild will face three teams out of playoff position (COL, FLA, CAR all at home) in their next five games. Dubnyk, meanwhile, is clearly the Wild's best option in net and he's been the catalyst in Minnesota's recent turnaround, winning three games and allowing just two goals while posting a .978 Sv% over the past week. Get him while he's hot. There's a good chance this time next week the Wild will have moved into the playoff picture.
Keith Yandle, D ARI – Maybe Yandle really wants out of Arizona. After all, he's been a staple in the rumor mill for the past year or so and plenty of destination teams are interested in his services, including Boston and Detroit. With another assist last night, Yandle is now on a five-game point streak during which he's collected seven assists. With 307 points in a Coyotes uniform, Yandle now sits in third place all-time for the franchise, though he won't come anywhere close to Teppo Numminen's record of 534.
Cold
Tyler Bozak, C, TOR – In Toronto's past ten games – all losses – the Leafs' top pivot has just one assist and hasn't scored since Jan. 9 against Columbus. Bozak is terribly miscast as a No. 1 center, so his lack of elite production shouldn't be surprising, but even for him this has been a really bad stretch. He's registered just three shots on net in his past three games and just one hit. Not only is he not scoring, he's not even engaging physically.
Michael Hutchinson, G, WPG – Having a third-round pick emerge as one of the league's most underrated starters was just too good to be true. Just when most people felt Hutchinson and the Jets have really turned a corner, taken the next step and become a playoff contender, the team has come crashing down to Earth. Hutchinson has allowed 13 goals in his past three starts and is losing ground to Ondrej Pavelec. Hutchinson was a really good goalie in the AHL, but as the saying goes, you're never as bad as your worst but you're never as good as your best, either.
Recommended Pickup
Steve Bernier, RW, NJ – Okay, okay, okay, just hear me out on this one. First, full disclosure: I'm a big fan of Bernier's for reasons that most sane people don't understand, but since fantasy sports serves as part of my daily routine, I'm not exactly normal anyway. Though he didn't register a point against the Sens, Bernier has five goals in his past six games. The former first-round pick works hard, and when you do that eventually the hockey gods will reward you. Bernier's size kept him in the league and he's got some decent mitts, so it's not really a fluke, but grab him while he's hot and then dump at the first sign of trouble. Big power forwards like him tend to score in bunches.
