This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
The Stars and Red Wings have a goalie conundrum on their hands. Both teams must've known it was coming, but it's time to really start making decisions.
Antti Niemi was supposed to push incumbent starter Kari Lehtonen, and provide some insurance if Lehtonen's troublesome groin starts to bother him again. Instead, Niemi seems to have gained the edge for the starting job, starting 31 games to Lehtonen's 21. Across the board, Niemi's stats are better, but he's also allowed six goals in his past two starts, sporting a rather pedestrian save percentage of .910. He's been a pretty solid goalie throughout his career, but criticized for not being able to win the big games, even though it's not always his fault. Niemi's won four of his past five starts, but has also allowed three goals and posted a save percentage below .920 in three of those games.
In Detroit, Petr Mrazek was always seen as the goalie of the future, but who knew Jimmy Howard's spiral would be so steep with just seven wins in 20 starts and a below-average .904 save percentage. Even if it's just because the pucks aren't bouncing Howard's way, time is working against him. Mrazek has pulled much of the weight this season, but like any young goalie he'll have a poor game every now and then, and he wasn't particularly sharp in his most recent start, a 3-1 loss to the Lightning in which faced just 23 shots.
You don't need an elite goalie to win the Cup – though it certainly helps – but you do need a goalie who can string together quality starts, especially down the stretch with Dallas vying for a division crown and Detroit for a playoff spot.
Lindy Ruff and Jeff Blashill can only play the goalie carousel game for so long before they have to commit to one guy. A constant rotation can prevent goalies from getting into a groove, not to mention it doesn't breed a lot of confidence in the dressing room if the team has to constantly worry about who's in net and think about what kind of defensive structure each goalie prefers. For the Stars, that might be a minor problem because they can outscore their opponents, but for a team like Detroit that still relies heavily on aging veterans, it can cause some problems.
The upside is that Mrazek has more potential than Lehtonen, Niemi or Howard, which gives Detroit some light at the end of the tunnel, but this is also a team that is seeing its Stanley Cup window close very quickly, even though no one's talking about it. The Red Wings have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs since 2009, which includes two straight first-round exits, and it's not like Henrik Zetterberg or Pavel Datsyuk are getting any younger, and there's just no replacing Nick Lidstrom. The future now lies with Dylan Larkin, but even then it'll take a few seasons for him to establish himself as one of the league's elite, and the same goes for Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco, who don't possess the same kind of potential but are nevertheless top-six talents.
Dallas also can't keep relying on its offense to win games, especially in the playoffs where the games are much tighter. The defense still needs more quality and more depth, but it's unclear if Jim Nill is willing to sacrifice the future for a rental, and among rentals Dustin Byfuglien might be the most attractive, but he will also likely draw attention from at least 10 other teams gearing up for the playoffs.
It's early, but I'm going to venture and say that we will see Mrazek and Niemi establish themselves as their respective team's No. 1 starter come playoff time.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:30 PM
Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Jets (Connor Hellebuyck), 8:00 PM
Blue Jackets (Anton Forsberg) at Flames (Karri Ramo), 9:00 PM
Coyotes (Anders Lindback) at Ducks (Frederik Andersen), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nick Bonino, C (hand) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Evgeni Malkin, C (lower body) – will not play.
David Warsofsky, D (concussion) – skated Monday; no return date set.
Eric Fehr, RW (lower body) – out for a month.
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) – no return date set.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Drouin, LW (suspension) – awaiting potential trade.
Carolina Hurricanes
James Wisniewski, D (left knee surgery) – out for the season.
Brett Pesce, D (lower body) – placed on injured reserve; no return date set.
Winnipeg Jets
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) – no return date set.
Grant Clitsome, D (back) – out for the season.
Columbus Blue Jackets
David Savard, D (oblique) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
David Clarkson, RW (upper body) – placed on injured reserve; no return date set.
Curtis McElhinney, G (ankle) – stepped on the ice Monday; no return date set.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) – likely out until March.
Calgary Flames
Dennis Wideman, D (suspension) – will not play.
T.J. Brodie, D (lower body) – left Wednesday's game; questionable.
Arizona Coyotes
Mike Smith, G (lower body) – no return date set.
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) – no return date set.
Jarred Tinordi, D (undisclosed) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Anaheim Ducks
Clayton Stoner, D (hip flexor) – no return date set.
Shawn Horcoff, C (suspension) – will not play.
Hot
Connor McDavid, C, EDM – Can a player be considered on fire if he's expected to score every night and delivers? The rookie phenom delivered another two assists in a 7-2 drubbing against Ottawa to give him five points in two games since returning from a broken collarbone. The odds are against him in the race for the Calder Trophy, but if he continues this torrid space there's no question he'll be anointed as the league's top rookie.
Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI – With another two assists against Nashville on Thursday, Voracek extended his points streak to five games, and he has a total of three goals and seven assists in that span. After a slow start he's really started to pick it up and now has 39 points on the season. He's established himself as one of the league's best right wingers and established very good chemistry with Claude Giroux.
Cold
Bryan Little, C, WPG – This is a terrible time for the Jets' top center to go on a cold streak. He has failed to record a point in five straight games, has just one goal in his past 15 games and is coming off a loss against Dallas in which he was minus-3. He's getting chances to score but not burying them; his lack of production and the Jets' recent slide is no coincidence. If the Jets want to make the playoffs, either Little has to start scoring soon or Mark Scheifele has to start carrying more of the offensive load.
Eric Staal, C, CAR – It doesn't feel too long ago when Staal was considered one of the league's best players. Now, it'd be hard to include Staal in the top-50 – or even top-75 – players in the league. He hasn't scored a goal since Jan. 12 and has just two assists since, a span of eight games. There will always be a market for a big center who can score goals, but Staal's certainly not boosting his value any given his lack of production.
Recommended Pickup
Andre Burakovsky, LW, WSH – He scored his ninth goal of the season in a 3-2 win against the Islanders on Thursday, and has now scored in four straight games. A first-round pick from 2013, Burakovsky is a skilled, versatile forward who played for OHL Erie with McDavid, and managed to score 41 goals in his only season of major junior before turning pro. With 21 points in 46 games, Burakovsky's production is starting to ramp up and deserves a very long look. The Capitals are playing very well and Barry Trotz trusts him, two things that can really help propel a young player to success.
