This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
And this is why, my friends, you never a block a slap shot with your face:
Dan Boyle obviously didn't mean to aim for Dan Hamhuis' head, but after coughing up the puck Hamhuis was caught in a vulnerable position, and like any good defenseman, tries to get back in position in front of the net, only to get his teeth knocked out and likely broke his jaw. The veteran defenseman is now out indefinitely with no timetable for return. Not only will Hamhuis have to heal from a broken jaw, nutrition will be important as well, and it might be some time before Hamhuis gets back to game strength.
While we all hope Hamhuis has a speedy recovery, this really changes the Vancouver defense. Normally the reliable No. 3 defenseman on the blue line, head coach Willie Desjardins will now have to lean even more heavily on No. 1 pair Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev, who have finally started to play well again after a short lull. This also means that Ben Hutton and Matt Bartkowski, both of whom are very mobile, will have to log some big minutes despite their relative inexperience. Luca Sbisa (hand) remains out, which means beyond those four guys it's going to be Yannick Weber and one of Alex Biega (likely) or Andrey Pedan (not as likely) getting the minutes. That doesn't bode well for a team in a very tight Pacific Division where anything can still happen.
The Canucks did sign prospect Guillaume Brisebois, the best defenseman on a losing Acadie-Bathurst team in the QMJHL, but he won't get called up. The Canucks will have to find other internal solutions or seek a replacement on the trade market, but seeing as how the team is still in contention for the playoffs, general manager Jim Benning is unlikely to part with any key roster players. The situation in Canuckland is one to watch for sure.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Red Wings (Jimmy Howard) at Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00 PM
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury), 7:00 PM
Jets (Michael Hutchinson) at Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 8:30 PM
Flyers (Michal Neuvirth) at Stars (Antti Niemi), 8:30 PM
Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at Coyotes (Mike Smith), 9:00 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Oilers (Anders Nilsson), 9:30 PM
Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Ducks (John Gibson), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Detroit Red Wings
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) – skated Thursday but out until January.
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Drew Miller, LW (jaw) – out six weeks.
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) – out 6-8 weeks.
New Jersey Devils
Adam Henrique, C (lower body) – will not play.
Jiri Tlusty, LW (shoulder) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Tuomo Ruutu, LW (foot) – out one more week.
Travis Zajac, C (upper body) – will not play.
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) – out indefinitely.
Trevor Lewis, C (upper body) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Dwight King, LW (foot) – out two weeks.
Pittsburgh Penguins
None.
Winnipeg Jets
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee sprain) – expected back in January or February.
Grant Clitsome, D (back) – out for the season.
Chicago Blackhawks
Trevor Daley, D (upper body) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
Philadelphia Flyers
Mark Streit, D (groin) – skated Thursday; no return date set.
Luke Schenn, D (lower body) – out two weeks.
Dallas Stars
Jason Demers, D (upper body) – practiced Wednesday; game-time decision.
Minnesota Wild
Devan Dubnyk, G (groin) – will not play.
Zac Dalpe, C (hip) – out five months.
Tyler Graovac, C (hernia) – practiced Tuesday; no return date set.
Arizona Coyotes
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) – out 4-6 weeks.
Martin Hanzal, C (lower body) – day-to-day; game-time decision.
Shane Doan, RW (lower body) – did not play Tuesday; game-time decision.
New York Rangers
Kevin Klein, D (oblique) – out 2-3 weeks.
Derek Stepan, C (ribs) – out 4-6 weeks.
Edmonton Oilers
Rob Klinkhammer, LW (lower body) – practiced Wednesday; game-time decision.
Nail Yakupov, RW (ankle) – out 2-4 weeks.
Connor McDavid, C (collarbone) – expected back mid-January.
Andrew Ference, D (undisclosed) – placed on IR.
Benoit Pouliot, LW (lower body) – practiced Thursday; game-time decision.
Carolina Hurricanes
James Wisniewski, D (torn ACL) – out indefinitely.
Nathan Gerbe, LW (lower body) – out 4-6 weeks.
Anaheim Ducks
Simon Despres, D (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Jiri Sekac, RW (ankle) – will not play.
Hot
John Gibson, G, ANA – With two shutouts in his past four starts, Gibson is almost single-handedly righting the ship in Anaheim. The sample size is small, but there's no doubt that the Ducks see Gibson as their future No. 1 goalie. If Gibson continues to be lights-out, that puts Frederik Andersen's future with the team in jeopardy.
Roman Josi, D, NSH – He's on a six-game point streak during which he's collected three goals and five assists as Nashville's top pair continues to roll. Peter Laviolette has remained true to his word and cut back some ice time in preparation for a (hopefully) long playoff run, but Josi and Shea Weber continue to produce at the same pace. If anything, they're mightily efficient.
Cold
Steven Stamkos, C, TB – Maybe all this talk about playing right wing instead of center, the stalled extension talks and potential move to Toronto is distracting him. The league's best sniper has gone seven games without a goal and just two assists over his past four games, including an ugly minus-3 effort in a 3-1 loss to the Kings. For my money, Stamkos will be a Leaf come July, but that's still no excuse for his lack of production lately. He's a Toronto boy, doesn't mind the spotlight and if there was an extension to be agreed upon, it would've been done so already.
John Tavares, C, NYI – He remains the key cog of the Islanders offense but he has just two goals in his past seven games even though they've won five of those games. He was held without a shot in a 4-3 win against Philadelphia on Tuesday but should be able to bounce back against a Sergei Bobrovsky-less Columbus on Saturday.
Recommended Pickup
Brayden Schenn, LW, PHI – Despite entering his fifth full NHL season, Schenn is still trying to figure out what kind of player he is. There's no doubt that he's been playing quite well recently, however, with points in each of his past three games and at least three shots on goal in his past five games. When Schenn gets hot, he's worth owning because he's an all-round player, but the moment he stops producing, it's okay to drop him.
