This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Every now and then it's good to step back and see some spots where we need adjusted expectations. We've done that quite a bit in this space. One spot that's not on the minds of many is that, for the second straight season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to play well when it's too late to matter.
They're 6-2-2 over their last 10 games, averaging 3.3 goals per game while allowing just 2.4 goals against per game.
That different mentality was on display in Friday's 6-3 win over Edmonton. While the Oilers aren't exactly the '85 Bears, it's the way the Blue Jackets did it that was impressive. They got out to an early two-goal lead, playing confidently despite the continued absence of starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Then Edmonton tried to get back in the game. They'd score three goals in the second and third period, but within 43 seconds of each of those goals the Blue Jackets responded with a goal.
Leon Draisaitl scored early in the second and just 10 seconds later Fedor Tyutin potted one of his own.
Taylor Hall scored later in the second to make give Edmonton their second of the game. It took just 43 seconds for Scott Hartnell to respond.
Then, to open the third, Connor McDavid put one in to try and get the Oilers on the path to a rally. But 35 seconds after McDavid's goal, David Savard scored his second of the game to make it 6-3.
There's production to be had in Columbus despite the hot mess they were to start the season.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at Sabres (Robin Lehner), 1:00 PM
Flames (Joni Ortio) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury), 3:00 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Avalanche (Calvin Pickard), 3:00 PM
Ducks (John Gibson) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 4:00 PM
Capitals (Philipp Grubauer) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier), 7:00 PM
Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:00 PM
Blue Jackets (Curtis McElhinney) at Flyers (Michal Neuvirth), 7:00 PM
Canadiens (Mike Condon) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 7:00 PM
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Coyotes (Louis Domingue), 9:00 PM
Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Sharks (James Reimer), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
Minnesota Wild
Nate Prosser, D (illness) - didn't play Thursday and hasn't had his status updated
Buffalo Sabres
Jake McCabe, D (undisclosed) - left Thursday's game after blocking a shot
Tyler Ennis, LW (concussion) - will return before the end of the season
Ryan O'Reilly, C (lower body) - will remain out
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) - may not play this year
Cody Franson, D (neck) - things have "gone the wrong way" with his recovery, coach Dan Bylsma says
Calgary Flames
Ladislav Smid, D (upper body) - is no IR
Karri Ramo, G (ACL) - will miss the rest of the season
Dennis Wideman, D (suspension) - continues to serve a 20-game suspension
Pittsburgh Penguins
Oskar Sundqvist, C (undiclosed) - will miss a couple weeks
Kevin Porter, C (ankle) - will miss at least 12 weeks after ankle surgery Friday
Ben Lovejoy, D (upper body) - is out long-term
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) - is making progress toward a return
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) - won't play hockey again
Eric Fehr, RW (lower body) - will be out for a while
Nashville Predators
Eric Nystrom, LW (foot) - remains on IR
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) - has been recalled to the NHL and could return soon
Colorado Avalanche
Ben Street, C (chest) - has been out a long time
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) - remains sidelined
Eric Gelinas, D (back) - will miss Saturday's game
Brad Stuart, D (back) - is sitting on IR
Anaheim Ducks
Chris Stewart, RW (jaw) - hasn't had his timeline updated, but will likely miss a little more time
Simon Despres, D (illness) - took part in an optional skate Friday, indicating that he's close to a return
Brandon Pirri, C (ankle) - remains out
Shawn Horcoff, C (suspension) - continues to serve a 20-game suspension
Ryan Getzlaf, C (lower body) - is considered a game-time decision
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) - is out for the season
Jordan Nolan, RW (undisclosed) - is on Ir
Marian Gaborik, RW (knee) - may play again before the end of the season
Washington Capitals
John Carlson, D (lower body) - was moved to long-term injured reserve
Nate Schmidt, D (upper body) - missed Friday's game
Boston Bruins
Zac Rinaldo, C (suspension) - has a five-game suspension to serve
Chris Kelly, RW (fractured femur) - has begun skating again
Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips, D (back) - may not play again this season
Craig Anderson, G (lower body) - took part in an optional skate Friday, but won't play Saturday
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) - continues to be unavailable
Kyle Turris, C (high ankle sprain) - is out indefinitely
Mark Borowiecki, D (knee) - was injured Thursday
Toronto Maple Leafs
Byron Froese, C (hand) - was injured against Montreal this week and may miss sgnificant time
Tyler Bozak, C (head) - has no timetable to return
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) - has not timetable for return
James van Riemsdyk, LW (foot) - won't play again this season
P.A. Parenteau, RW (upper body) - is day-to-day
Milan Michalek, LW (finger) - has participated in practice for the first time since injury, but it's not yet clear when he'll get into the lineup
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) - has been shut down for the season
Brad Boyes, RW (upper body) - was held out of Thursday's game
Joffrey Lupul, LW (abdomen ) - is out for the year
Jared Cowen (lower body) - is being shut down
Carolina Hurricanes
Jay McClement, C (undisclosed) - won't play Saturday
James Wisniewski, D (ACL) - has skated, but isn't ready to return
Andrej Nestrasil, C (fractured vertebra) - won't play again this year
Justin Faulk, D (leg) - is day-to-day
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jonathan Drouin, C (suspension) - is able to return to the AHL if he chooses to
Andrej Sustr, D (undisclosed) - didn't play Thursday
Columbus Blue Jackets
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) - has started practicing harder
Brandon Saad, LW (upper body) - was injured Friday night and is questionable for Saturday
Jack Johnson, D (upper body) - is on IR
Philadelphia Flyers
Jakub Voracek, LW (lower body) - is expected to miss another week or play
Michael Del Zotto, D (wrist) - is likely done for the year
Brayden Schenn, C (head) - is doubtful for Saturday
Jordan Weal, C (upper body) - is on IR
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price, G (leg) - hope to return before the end of the season
Jeff Petry, D (hernia) - is out for the season
Tom Gilbert, D (knee) - is also out for the season
David Desharnais, C (foot) - returned to practice Thursday
Nathan Beaulieu, D (lower body) - is on IR
Brian Flynn, C (undisclosed) - is out
Daniel Carr, LW (knee) - is unlikely to return this season
Winnipeg Jets
Jacob Trouba, D - is probably for Saturday
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW (eye) - is out indefinitely
Anthony Peluso, RW (upper body) - will miss three-to-four weeks
Mark Stuart, D (upper body) - is on IR
Bryan Little, C (fracture vertebrae) - is done for the year
Florida Panthers
Willie Mitchell, D (undisclosed) - missed Thursday's game
Jiri Hudler, RW (visa) - missed Thursday's game
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW (upper body) - is close to returning
Derek MacKenzie, C (lower body) - is on IR and ineligible to play Saturday
Dave Bolland, C (lower body) - remains out
Teddy Purcell, RW (visa) - is also getting visa issues worked out
Arizona Coyotes
Joe Vitale, C (concussion) - won't play again this season
Anders Lindback, G (Achilles) - is done for the year
Max Domi, C (suspension) - is serving a one-game suspension
Mike Smith, G (lower body) - has been practicing
Boyd Gordon, C (upper body) - has return to practice
Zbynek Michalek, D (lower body) - was held out of Thursday's game
Alex Tanguay, LW (lower body) - also missed Thursday's game
Vancouver Canucks
Radim Vrbata, RW (undisclosed) - is questionable
Alexander Edler, D (fractured fibula) - isn't ready for a return
Jannik Hansen, RW (rib) - will miss a couple weeks
Brandon Sutter, C (jaw) - remains out
San Jose Sharks
Tommy Wingels, RW (shoulder) - is recovering, but is unavailable
Matt Tennyson, D (head) - wasn't on the ice Friday
Melker Karlsson, C (upper body) - remains out
Hot
Connor McDavid, C, EDM — Stop me if you've heard this one before: This McDavid kid is gonna stick. With a goal and an assist in Friday's poor showing against Columbus, he's on a four-game point streak and has at least one point in 13 of 17 games since his return from long-term injury. In those 17 games he has eight goals and 14 assists. He's pretty, pretty ok.
Ryan McDonagh, D, NYR — With points in four straight games, McDonagh is getting involved in the offense. Unfortunately, production in other categories is hit-and-miss. He has a plus-2 rating, no penalty minutes, four hits, six blocked shots, and just a single shot in three of those four games. In the end, producing small amounts of points across categories is more likely to carry on than his current scoring streak.
Cold
Braden Holtby, G, WSH — Holtby is still on the war path toward a Vezina trophy, but his numbers have declined in recent weeks. He's had a save percentage below .900 in six of his last 11 games. He's been inconsistent and that's worrying when there's been so much concern about him breaking down due to overuse, having played 53 games already. He handled a huge workload last year, starting the most games in the league at 73, but this will be the second season in a row where he's starting a huge number of games. Can he play that much and still be ready for a dee playoff run?
John Klingberg, D, DAL — Averaging nearly a point per game on the season, there's little to be frustrated about with Klingberg. However, he's slowed his point pace recently, putting up points in just three of his last nine games. The overall pace is certainly aided by one of those being a three-point performance, but the inconsistency is concerning, especially when the top line has become more inconsistent and Patrick Sharp is on the shelf. Additionally, Klingberg was injured Friday. No word on the severity of the injury yet.
Recommended Pickup
Valeri Nichushkin, RW, DAL — After struggling to score most of the season, Nichushkin is finding some consistency and his scoring touch. Though he's got just nine goals on the season, he's got three in his last six games and seven points in his last 10 games. He's even able to be productive away from Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. In Friday's game he had a goal and an assist while Brett Ritchie took the right wing spot on the top line.
