This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
A day after Mike Yeo blasted his team for a poor effort in practice, the Wild dropped their third straight game in a 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks and face the Central Division-leading Predators on Saturday. Vegas already has odds on Yeo as the next coach to get axed this year, and if they don't string together a few wins soon, that will certainly become a reality before the end of the month. The Wild have some tough matchups coming up, including another game against the Blackhawks and the Penguins on the road.
The Wild's biggest problem is inconsistent goaltending. For a team that allows the fewest shots against per game, they allow a shocking 2.90 goals per game, the seventh-worst mark in the league. Since his hot start to the season, Darcy Kuemper won just two games in December and his save percentage for the past three months (.890, .885 and .900.) is well below average.
The team's big free agent splash in Thomas Vanek hasn't been good, either, with seven goals in 38 games and none of the team's young talented players have really stepped up. Jason Zucker and Nino Niederreiter score goals but aren't particularly strong in any other part of the game and Charlie Coyle should be doing much better.
Not all of this is Yeo's fault, especially with Mikko Koivu's early struggles, and now with Mikael Granlund out for an extended period of time, the Wild aren't very deep down the middle. The Wild's 41 points still puts them two games over .500, but they've been inconsistent at both ends of the ice and currently sit last in their division even though they were expected to be one of the division's top three teams with the Blackhawks and Blues. The Wild's improvements under Yeo have been steady but incremental, and the team as a whole has failed to take that big step forward into the elite tier. Strangely enough, advanced stats indicate the Wild are better team this year with 14 players posting a positive Corsi rating this year compared to just five the previous season, but it seems like the competition just got tougher.
Wild fans will start crying, but it seems like the team's playoff hopes will rest on the shoulders of 36-year-old goalie Niklas Backstrom, who was displaced as the team's starter last year and hasn't been considered an elite goalie for quite some time. He's not off to a good start after allowing three goals on 19 shots in the loss to the Blackhawks last night. Journeyman goalie John Curry, 30, is serving as the team's backup and he wasn't even considered elite in the AHL. There's also scuttlebutt that Josh Harding will not return this season.
The majority of players get a boost in fantasy value playing on a good team – case in point, David Perron going to the Penguins – but very few can retain their fantasy value playing on a bad team. Only a player of Ilya Kovalchuk's caliber (world-class elite) can still put up point-per-game numbers on bad teams. If the Wild continue to slip, it may be a good time to dump some of their players in trades. Only in very few cases will an mid-season coaching replacement turn the team around like Dan Bylsma did with the Penguins, and a betting man would still have Peter Horachek's Leafs and Scott Stevens/Adam Oates' Devils missing the playoffs. The Iowa Wild, the team's AHL affiliate, recently just replaced Kurt Kleinendorst with John Torchetti in November.
Notes for Friday:
- The Devils have been trying to avoid using their backup all season but will likely go to Keith Kinkaid to give Cory Schneider a break, who's played in 38 (league-best) of the Devils' 43 games and faced 42 shots last night. Kinkaid has been good so far (.928 Sv%, 2.01 GAA) but this should be a win for Jaroslav Halak and the Isles, who finally return to the tri-state area after a four-game Western Conference swing. They looked sluggish in their last game but the Devils are one of the league's worst teams.
- The Leafs are a mess defensively and Jonathan Bernier is cold (more below), but Sergei Bobrovsky has alternated wins and losses for the past seven games. Bob's due for a loss after a win against Dallas, but the BJ's are the stronger team and Bernier is poor at home (.909 Sv%, 3.04 GAA). This game could end up being a goalfest or a blowout for Columbus.
- Jhonas Enroth took the loss last night and Michal Neuvirth hasn't started in a week, so it's more likely Neuvirth will be in net against Ben Bishop and the Lightning. Neuvirth is horrendous on the road (1-7-0, 4.45 GAA, .872 Sv%) so it's an easy matchup for Bishop, who should be the best fantasy option tonight.
- Roberto Luongo looked really good in his return to Vancouver in a 3-1 win and may start again. Al Montoya doesn't give Florida as good a chance to win but the Flames are slumping a little with two straight losses. However, Hiller is unbeaten in his career against Florida with a 5-0 record and a sparkling 1.13 GAA and .963 Sv%. Both team's goalies can be started though it's tough to say who'll win.
- The only person in the world who will be playing Ben Scrivens tonight in their fantasy pool is Ben Scrivens' mother. You're probably not Ben Scrivens' mother.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at New Jersey Devils (Keith Kinkaid), 7:00 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky) at Toronto Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier), 7:30 PM
Buffalo Sabres (Michal Neuvirth) at Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:30 PM
Florida Panthers (Al Montoya) at Calgary Flames (Jonas Hiller*), 9:00 PM
Chicago Blackhawks (Antti Raanta) at Edmonton Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 9:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
New York Islanders
Josh Bailey, LW (upper body) – did not play Tuesday; questionable.
Lubomir Visnovsky, D (upper body) – no timetable for return.
Matt Carkner, D (back) – out for the season.
Brian Strait, D (personal) – no return date set.
New Jersey Devils
Stephen Gionta, C (hand) – out 3-5 weeks.
Jacob Josefson, C (illness) – did not play Thursday; doubtful.
Eric Gelinas, D – (illness) – did not play Thursday; doubtful.
Peter Harrold, D (face) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
Ryane Clowe, LW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Scott Clemmensen, G (illness) – no timetable for return.
Bryce Salvador, D (lower body) – no timetable for return.
Damon Severson, D (ankle) – no timetable for return.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Brian Gibbons, C (knee) – practiced Tuesday; questionable.
Boone Jenner, LW (back) – out 1-2 months.
Ryan Murray, D (knee) – no return date set.
Artem Anisimov, C (triceps) – no return date set.
Nathan Horton, RW (back) – out for the season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Peter Holland, C (upper body) – no timetable for return.
Joffrey Lupul, LW (lower body) – out four weeks.
Buffalo Sabres
Brian Gionta, RW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Torrey Mitchell, LW (foot) – no timetable for return.
Drew Stafford, RW (personal) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
Marcus Foligno, LW (finger) – out 1-2 months.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Radko Gudas, D (knee) – out four months.
Florida Panthers
Shawn Thornton, LW (groin) – no return date set.
Erik Gudbranson, D (upper body) – did not play Thursday; doubtful.
Calgary Flames
Josh Jooris, C (wrist) – no return date set.
Sam Bennett, LW (shoulder) – no return date set.
Karri Ramo, G (upper body) – no return date set.
Chicago Blackhawks
Kris Versteeg, RW (hand) – out one month.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D (knee) – no return date set.
Edmonton Oilers
Tyler Pitlick, RW (spleen) – out for the season.
Hot
Alex Steen, LW, St. Louis – In just three measly games in January, Steen has already totaled the same amount of points (8) as he did in 11 games in December. Now that the STL line has cooled off a little, the Blues' line of Steen, David Backes and T.J. Oshie has taken over as the league's most dangerous line. Steen is on a four-game point streak with two goals and seven assists in that span.
Justin Abdelkader, LW, Detroit – He's overlooked on a team replete with veterans and talented youngsters, but Abdelkader is a very good north-south player who creates room for his linemates, and when you play with guys like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, you're going to get some points. He's got five points in his past two games and 23 points on the season.
Cold
Jonathan Bernier, G, Toronto – Count me as one of those who was never sold on his abilities as a true No. 1 goalie, so I'd love to tell you he's allowed eight goals in his past two games as the Leafs go through yet another drama-filled season. The team's defensive woes weren't going to be fixed simply by signing a broken down, 37-year-old Stephane Robidas, so I can't say this is all that surprising. It remains to be seen if Peter Horachek can do anything with a defensive corps that's still pretty green and a group of forwards who play defense inconsistently.
Ryan Callahan, RW, Tampa Bay – Let's hope Callahan's lack of production isn't part of a bigger trend. He scored five points in six games in October, 16 points in 13 games in November, but dipped to nine points in 15 games in December and has yet to score in three games in January. He's pointless in his past four games. He gets more points when he plays with Steven Stamkos but he's been playing with Valtteri Filppula lately.
Recommended Pickup
Nick Bjugstad, C, Florida – Told you guys to pick him up last month. Bjugstad didn't pick up a point against Vancouver but still got his fair share of ice time and won 63% of his faceoffs. He's a big center who can create room for himself and possesses good playmaking ability with a very heavy shot. Aleksander Barkov will probably be the better all-round player but Bjugstad could be a future No. 1 offensive center. Bjugstad's a low-risk, high-reward play.
