This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
Just how bad is the Pacific Division?
Despite sitting in last place, Anaheim is just five points out of a playoff spot. The Pacific and Atlantic Divisions are the only two divisions that have seen only one member team crack the 40-point barrier, although it should be noted that Boston and Detroit could reach that target by the end of tonight, while Ottawa, Buffalo and even Toronto have improved since the previous year.
Even Vancouver, who is in a freefall with three straight losses and finding their playoff hopes looking bleaker and bleaker, especially now with captain Henrik Sedin day-to-day with a lower-body injury, are just one win away from clawing their way back into the picture. Only Los Angeles has a positive goal differential and barring any kind of massive run or injury to a key player, should have the division title locked up.
Any matchup against a Pacific Division team that's not Los Angeles should be exploited at the moment, although not for long. Traditionally, the division has been very tough, and once San Jose gets Logan Couture (thigh) and Edmonton gets Connor McDavid (collarbone) back, the division could see a huge shake-up. The only remaining head-scratcher remains Anaheim, whose situation seems direr with each passing day.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Bruins (Tuukka Rask) at Penguins (Jeff Zatkoff), 7:00 PM
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00 PM
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Hurricanes (Cam Ward), 7:00 PM
Sharks (Alex Stalock) at Senators (Craig Anderson), 7:30 PM
Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Red Wings (Jimmy Howard), 7:30 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Jets (Connor Hellebuyck), 8:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Boston Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (fractured leg) – out 6-8 months.
Zac Rinaldo, RW (upper body) – placed on IR; no return date set.
Joonas Kemppainen, C (upper body) – placed on IR; no return date set.
David Pastrnak, LW (foot) – skated Monday; no return date set.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) – out 4-6 weeks.
Nick Bonino, C (illness) – did not play Wednesday; questionable.
Kris Letang, D (undisclosed) – no return date set.
Marc-Andre Fleury, G (concussion) – no return date set.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Condra, RW (lower body) – game-time decision; probable.
Tyler Johnson, C (undisclosed) – no return date set; doubtful.
Ondrej Palat, LW (ankle) – will not play.
Jonathan Drouin, LW (lower body) – will not play.
Cedric Paquette, C (upper body) – placed on IR; no return date set.
Washington Capitals
Brooks Orpik, D (lower body) – no timetable for return.
Florida Panthers
Derek MacKenzie, C (knee) – will not play.
Nick Bjugstad, C (upper body) – will not play.
Steve Kampfer, D (lower body) – placed on IR; no return date set.
Alex Petrovic, D (foot) – skated Friday; no return date set.
Carolina Hurricanes
James Wisniewski, D (torn ACL) – out six months.
Nathan Gerbe, LW (lower body) – out 4-6 weeks.
San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, RW (suspension) – will not play.
Logan Couture, C (thigh) – out two weeks.
Ben Smith, RW (concussion) – no return date set.
Ottawa Senators
Curtis Lazar, RW (neck) – game-time decision; questionable.
Milan Michalek, LW (finger) – placed on IR; no return date set.
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Chris Phillips, D (back) – no timetable for return.
Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin, C (lower body) – left Thursday's game; doubtful.
Dan Hamhuis, D (face) – out two months.
Brandon Sutter, C (abdomen) – out 4-6 weeks.
Luca Sbisa, D (hand) – out two weeks.
Detroit Red Wings
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) – out 6-8 weeks.
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) – skated Thursday but out until January.
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – placed on long-term IR; no return date set.
Drew Miller, LW (jaw) – out six weeks.
New York Rangers
Dan Girardi, D (knee) – will not play.
Kevin Klein, D (oblique) – did not play Thursday; doubtful.
Derek Stepan, C (ribs) – did not play Thursday; questionable.
Antti Raanta, G (head) – left Thursday's game; questionable.
Winnipeg Jets
Grant Clitsome, D (back) – out for the season.
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee sprain) – out one month.
Hot
Mikko Koivu, C, MIN – With a three-point effort Thursday against the Rangers, Koivu now has eight points in his past three games and 28 points in 30 games on the season. He's on pace for the second 70-point season of his career at 32 years old, which is a pretty incredible feat. It's still a little weird to see Koivu and Thomas Vanek atop the Wild's scoring list.
Francois Beauchemin, D, COL – He scored both of the Avs' goals in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Islanders and now has three goals and three assists over his past five games. It's no coincidence that Beauchemin's strong play recently has helped the Avs to five wins in their past six games. He won't stay hot for long, but he's been one of the league's most productive defenseman of late.
Cold
Ryan Johansen, C, CLB – He's gone dead cold. Figuratively. As teammate Brandon Dubinsky knows, once you're in John Tortorella's doghouse, you don't really get out. Johansen has been heavily criticized for his lackluster play so far and was a healthy scratch Thursday against Arizona after being benched for the entire third period the game before. He's talented and Tortorella took Vincent Lecavalier to a new level, but now would be a good time to get Johansen for cheap, if you can.
Pekka Rinne, G, NSH – He's uncharacteristically allowed seven goals over his past three games and the Preds are struggling with just two wins in their past eight games. The Preds will go only as far as Rinne takes them and so far his overall numbers don't look that great either. He's sporting a .908 save percentage for the season.
Recommended Pickup
Brandon Pirri, LW, FLA – Last year's Cy Young winner (22 goals and just two assists) is on a five-game point streak during which he's scored two goals and five assists. Who knows how long he can maintain the hot hand, but with Nick Bjugstad out for some time, Pirri should get some extra ice time and produce a little more. Another 20-goal season from him could be valuable.
