This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Seeing Brent Burns currently tied atop the NHL's scoring table got me thinking about the idea of a defenseman winning the Art Ross Trophy. It's an entertaining, if unlikely, idea. Not since the days of Bobby Orr has a defenseman finished with the most points in the NHL, and that was a very different hockey landscape. Oh, also Orr was a once-in-a-generation player.
With all due respect to the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, and even the great P.K. Subban, if anybody active is going to do it, it'll probably be Burns or Erik Karlsson. Karlsson did finish tied for fourth last season, but he still finished 24 points behind Patrick Kane. He's likely to go down as one of the best offensive defensemen ever, you may not realize this because he plays in Ottawa, and even he is unlikely to do it.
It's always theoretically possible. The defensive equivalent of Connor McDavid could come along and start lighting it up. However, it seems likely that Orr will go down in history as the last defenseman to win the Art Ross.
Featured Matchups
Canadiens (PP: 14, PK: 2) at Bruins (PP: 28, PK: 11), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Carey Price (1-0-0, 2.03, .931), Tuukka Rask (3-0-0, 1.68, .947)
Key Injuries:Adam McQuaid (upper body), Kevan Miller (hand), Tuukka Rask (undisclosed), Frank Vatrano (foot)
You would think a game involving two former Vezina-winning goalies would be a low scoring affair. However, that will only be the case if Price and the Habs are able to shut Boston's offense down. Brad Marchand is as hot as anybody, and he's lifted David Pastrnak up with him. Marchand is a proven commodity, but can Pastrnak keep it up? Meanwhile, Torey Krug is still looking for his first point. On the Montreal side of things, Shea Weber has taken to his new home so far. He's tied for the team lead in points (four) and he's playing over 26 minutes a night so far. He may not be Subban offensively, and we all love Subban, but that doesn't mean Weber should be overlooked. Also worth nothing is Artturi Lehkonen. It may not be a name you know yet, but he has two goals so far, and more notably he's taken 13 shots on goal in four games.
Rangers (PP: 19, PK: 16) at Capitals (PP: 19, PK: 26), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Henrik Lundqvist (1-2-0, 2.71, .875), Braden Holtby (2-0-1, 1.63, .938)
Key Injuries:Pavel Buchnevich (back), Dan Girardi (groin), Oscar Lindberg (hip)
Washington is winning with goal prevention so far. They only have 11 goals in four games, which is low for a team with this much firepower, but they have only let up six goals. The Rangers, meanwhile, have scored 15 goals in four games, but let in 12. Eventually, the Capitals' offense will pick up, and Lundqvist will play better, but you still have to be concerned about Lundqvist going against Alex Ovechkin and company. Chris Kreider paces the Rangers with seven points, while Derek Stepan (two points) and Rick Nash (one point) have gotten off to slow starts. Washington's power-play is also likely to improve as the season moves on. If there are any numbers that are going to be highly volatile at this point in the season, it's power play and penalty kill rankings.
Penguins (PP: 8, PK: 17) at Predators (PP: 1, PK: 20), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Marc-Andre Fleury (3-1-1, 2.75, .920), Marek Mazanec (0-1-0, 5.17, .815)
Key Injuries:Sidney Crosby (concussion), Kris Letang (upper body), Matt Murray (hand), Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed), Conor Sheary (eye), Daniel Sprong (shoulder)
Pekka Rinne let in four goals against Detroit on Friday, but Pittsburgh will still be excited to see Mazenec in net. You don't need to be told about the Penguins' top contributors. Matt Cullen is also off to a good start with four points in five games. Kris Letang doesn't have a goal yet, but he has taken 16 shots on goal in four contests. This could be a great chance for him to finally find the back of the net. If he plays, of course, as he did not play on Thursday. Keep an eye on his status. Otherwise, Chris Kunitz is the Penguin with the best chance of getting his first goal of the season. Mike Fisher scored his third goal of the season Friday, another power-play tally for him. All of his points have come with the extra man so far.
Other Matchups
Maple Leafs (PP: 7 PK: 15) at Blackhawks (PP: 3 PK: 30), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Frederik Andersen (1-0-2, 3.61, .876), Scott Darling (1-0-0, 3.00, .917)
Key Injuries:Andrew Desjardins (lower body), Marian Hossa (undisclosed), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen), Martin Marincin (lower body), Stephane Robidas (knee)
The Blackhawks, consistently a Stanley Cup contender, haven't looked that good so far. In particular, their penalty kill has been horrible. They were down a man twice against Columbus on Friday, and twice they let up a power-play goal. That could bode well for Auston Matthews, William Nylander and perhaps defenseman Jake Gardiner who sees a lot of time on the power play.
Lightning (PP: 11, PK: 10) at Senators (PP: 25, PK: 24), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Andrei Vasilevskiy (1-0-0, 2.03, .941), Craig Anderson (3-0-0, 3.55, .887)
Key Injuries:Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Ryan Callahan (hip)
Anderson may be undefeated so far, but don't overlook the fact he has a 3.55 GAA and a .887 shooting percentage. It could be a big day for Tampa's potent offense. The Lightning don't lose much in goal without Ben Bishop in there, so don't get too excited about your Senators players.
Sharks (PP: 14, PK: 27) at Red Wings (PP: 4, PK: 18), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Martin Jones (2-2-0, 2.78, .887), Jimmy Howard (1-0-0, 1.00, .970)
Key Injuries:Tomas Jurco (back), Niklas Kronwall (knee), Joe Vitale (concussion)
The Wings have now won three straight, although they will be on the second night of a back-to-back here. Howard will start for Detroit because of this, but he looked great against the Rangers in his only start this season. Darren Helm now has four goals on the year. However, San Jose's usual offensive performers are all off to good starts to the year. It'll be a tough challenge for Howard.
Avalanche (PP: 6, PK: 28) at Panthers (PP: 27, PK: 1), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Semyon Varlamov (2-1-0, 2.67, .916), Roberto Luongo (2-1-0, 1.98, .920)
Key Injuries:Rene Bourque (groin), Nick Bjugstad (hand), Jonathan Huberdeau (lower body), Jussi Jokinen (knee)
Colorado certainly raised some eyebrows by shutting out the Lightning in their last game. The Avalanche have played Dallas, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Tampa to start the season. That's a brutal schedule. It makes it hard to truly get a sense of them, though Nathan MacKinnon looks good so far. Jonathan Marchessault remains tied for the team lead in points for the Panthers (five).
Wild (PP: 22, PK: 6) at Devils (PP: 11, PK: 6), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Devan Dubnyk (2-1-0, 2.70, .901), Cory Schneider (1-2-1, 2.00, .938)
Key Injuries:Marco Scandella (illness), Jared Spurgeon (upper body), Luke Gazdic (foot)
New Jersey's season is going as expected so far. Schneider has been great, but they've had trouble scoring. Defenseman Yohann Auvitu has 13 shots on goal so far, which is intriguing. Despite Dubnyk's slow start to the season, this feels like a low-scoring game that won't benefit many fantasy owners.
Hurricanes (PP: 5, PK: 4) at Flyers (PP: 17, PK: 22), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cam Ward (0-1-1, 3.97, .852), Steve Mason (0-2-1, 3.46, .875)
Key Injuries:Michael Del Zotto (lower body), Radko Gudas (suspension), Michael Raffl (abdomen)
Reliable veteran Lee Stempniak is tied for the team lead in points in Carolina with five. However, he also has three goals on six shots, so there's been a little luck there. The Hurricanes have arguably the worst goaltending tandem in the NHL. This bodes well for the Flyers, including Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, who are both looking for their first goals on the season.
Blue Jackets (PP: 2, PK: 12) at Stars (PP: 9, PK: 24), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Curtis McElhinney, Antti Niemi (1-0-0, 4.83, .873)
Key Injuries:Ryan Murray (foot), Cody Eakin (knee), Patrick Eaves (lower body), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Patrick Sharp (concussion)
Get yourself acquainted with Zach Werenski. The rookie defenseman has four points in three games, and he's taken 13 shots on goal so far. If Niemi gets the start, it'll be a nice opportunity for Werenski and company. Not that it won't be a good opportunity for Dallas. McElhinney has a career save percentage of .904.
Canucks (PP: 29, PK: 9) at Kings (PP: 19, PK: 22), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ryan Miller (1-0-0, 0.00, 1.000), Jeff Zatkoff (0-3-0, 4.38, .839)
Key Injuries:Marian Gaborik (foot), Jonathan Quick (groin)
The (inexplicably) undefeated Canucks are probably happy to see Zatkoff (or Peter Budaj, if that scenario should arise) in net as opposed to Quick. Vancouver may be 4-0-0, but they've only scored 10 goals this season. This is still not a team with a lot of offensive firepower. The Kings do have offensive firepower, though only Tanner Pearson has more than one goal on the season.
Blues (PP: 10, PK: 3) at Flames (PP: 30, PK: 20), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (2-1-1, 1.99, .909), Brian Elliott (0-3-0, 4.72, .839)
Key Injuries:Carl Gunnarsson (upper body), Jori Lehtera (upper body)
The Blues will be facing their former goalie Elliott. With the way he's been playing, they'll be happy to see him. Sam Bennett is currently pointless for the Flames, and Dougie Hamilton only has one. Troy Brouwer has three goals, though, which makes him a nice addition so far. The Blues have two players, Paul Stastny and Vladamir Tarasenko, with six points. They will both be particularly excited about this matchup, one assumes.
Recommended Pickup
Sean Couturier, C, PHI – Last season, Couturier tied his career high in points with a mere 39. However, that was in 63 games, and he had 119 shots on goal in those 63 games as well. Had he stayed healthy, it would have been a clear step forward of a season for Couturier. Plus, did you know that's he's still only 23? Couturier is just at the beginning of his prime, and he's begun this season with three goals in four games. If he stays healthy, this should be the year Couturier gets to take his game to the next level.
