This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
In the days leading up to the Winter Classic, I'm forever struck by the feeling that the event is one cheerleader and a shutout away from jumping the shark.
Leading up to the game there's so much hype, especially if you're tuning into to the World Juniors on the NHL Network. The build up is some of the most boring discussion you'll ever hear. How is the ice? Who has custom skates? What will the coaches wear?
What will they wear! Claude Julien, the fashion icon... would he wear a toque with a fuzzy ball on top? Are they in again? He wore that sweet fedora that launched a fad last time, will he wear Oakleys if it's sunny? What a fashionista.
Then I'm struck while watching the game, even in a game like yesterday's that ends with a four-goal win for Montreal, that it's a really fun event. I talked about it a bit elsewhere already, but it's always fun. I can do without the hype, but a game played outside with a little bit of pageantry -- a little bit, read: teams coming on the ice under flames to a Star Wars theme -- is fun to watch.
This year drove home that point, because it wasn't a particularly great game on the ice. Yet, it still managed to be fun even though the Bruins played just a lousy game. The only real problem I had with it was Claude Julien throwing out Zac Rinaldo at the end of the game with the clear intention of having some faces punched.
But I feel like that often when Rinaldo is on the ice. He's not very good at hockey. He barely played in the game, logging a total of 9:26 after he got some bonus ice time to muck it up when the game was out of hand. In a divisional game, when a fourth-liner with little skill is on the ice for the opposition's first three goals, you usually aren't throwing him out there late in the game for his high-end, game-breaking talent.
Now, we're back to our normally scheduled 24 teams in action tonight. I like outdoor games, but I'll take 12 games a night over an outdoor game any day.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Red Wings (Petr Mrazek) at Sabres (Chad Johnson), 1:00 PM
Coyotes (Anders Lindback) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 4:00 PM
Flyers (Steve Mason) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 4:00 PM
Blues (Jake Allen) at Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier), 7:00 PM
Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:00 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:00 PM
Stars (Antti Niemi) at Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00 PM
Islanders (Thomas Greiss) at Penguins (Matt Murray), 7:00 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Hurricanes (Cam Ward), 7:00 PM
Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Flames (Karri Ramo) at Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov), 10:00 PM
Jets (Connor Hellebuyck) at Sharks (Martin Jones), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
Detroit Red Wings
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) - is expected back in early January
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) - isn't expected back any time soon
Drew Miller, LW (jaw) - remains on injured reserve
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) - has weeks left on his recovery
Tomas Jurco, RW (upper body) - his status hasn't been updated since leaving a game on New Year's Eve
Buffalo Sabres
Tyler Ennis, LW (upper body) - missed Thursday's game
Robin Lehner, G (ankle) - has returned to practice
Mark Pysyk, D (lower body) - remains week-to-week
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) - isn't likely to be back any time in the near future
Arizona Coyotes
Boyd Gordon, C (head) - is on IR
Mike Smith, G (core muscle) - remains out following surgery
Martin Hanzal, C (lower body) - was out of the lineup on Thursday
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) - hasn't been given a return date
Edmonton Oilers
Eric Gryba, D (undisclosed) - didn't play Thurday
Oscar Klefbom, D (finger) - will miss another week
Nail Yakupov, RW (ankle) - skated with the team on Thursday
Iiro Pakarinen, RW (undisclosed) - didn't play Thursday
Connor McDavid, C (collarbone) - returned to practice yesterday
Andrew Ference, D (undisclosed) - is on IR
Philadelphia Flyers
Michal Neuvirth, G (illness) - didn't play Wednesday as expected
Vincent Lecavalier, C (back) - status remains in question
Los Angeles Kings
Jeff Carter, C (upper body) - is questionable
Matt Greene, D (upper body) - is on long-term IR
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) - doesn't appear close to a return
St. Louis Blues
Steve Ott, C (hamstring) - will be out another couple months
Patrik Berglund, C (shoulder) - is expected to return Saturday
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW (illness) - was a late scratch on Thursday
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) - could start skating again soon
Toronto Maple Leafs
Byron Froese, C (lower body) - was ruled out of Wednesday's game, is questionable for Saturday
Garret Sparks, G (lower body) - remains out
Nick Spaling, C (upper body) - hasn't had his timeline updated and remains out
James Reimer, G (undisclosed) - was unavailable Wednesday and is questionable for Saturday's game
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) - is still without a timetable
Minnesota Wild
Darcy Kuemper, G (concussion) - isn't traveling with the team
Zach Parise, LW (knee) - is questionable for Saturday, but practiced Friday
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ben Bishop, G (undisclosed) - was injured in Friday's practice and Andrei Vasilevskiy was recalled, but he hasn't been ruled out
Ondrej Palat, LW (ankle) - could return Saturday
Joel Vermin, RW (hand) - should miss upwards of another month following surgery
Florida Panthers
Dave Bolland, C (lower body) - didn't play Thursday
Steve Kampfer, D (lower body) - is on IR
Nick Bjugstad, C (upper body) - is close to a return, but is unlikely to play Thursday
Dallas Stars
Ales Hemsky, RW (lower body) - has been placed on IR
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (lower body) - was injured in Thursday's game, but is considered day-to-day and is questionable for Saturday
New Jersey Devils
Jacob Josefson, C (lower body) - was placed on IR Thursday
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - will be held out "a little bit"
Tuomo Ruutu, LW (illness) - is questionable
New York Islanders
Johnny Boychuk, D (shoulder) - will miss significant time after crashing into the end boards on Thursday
Jaroslav Halak, G (upper body) - has returned to practice
Pittsburgh Penguins
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) - could miss another month of play
Marc-Andre Fleury, G (concussion) - has returned to practice
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) - has effectively retired from hockey
Nashville Predators
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) - has skated, but is unlikely to play Saturday
Carolina Hurricanes
James Wisniewski, D (ACL) - has been out since being injured in the first game of the season
Nathan Gerbe, LW (lower body) - rejoined practice on Wednesday and could return soon
Washington Capitals
Brooks Orpik, D (lower body) - has been moved to long-term injured reserve, but is eligible to return at any time
John Carlson, D (undisclosed) - will be out for a while
Jay Beagle, C (upper body) - will be out a while and requires surgery following an injury in their last game
Columbus Blue Jackets
Matt Calvert, LW (knee) - will miss the next four weeks
David Savard, D (ankle) - has returned to practice
Markus Hannikainen, RW (shoulder) - is expected to miss another month of play
Cody Goloubef, D (jaw) - practiced on Monday
Calgary Flames
Michael Frolik, LW (upper body) - skated by himself on Thursday
Colorado Avalanche
Ben Street, C (chest) - is on IR
Reto Berra, G (ankle) - is on IR
Tyson Barrie, D (illness) - missed Thursday's game and is questionable for Saturday
Brad Stuart, D (back) - is close to returning, according to coach Roy
Winnipeg Jets
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) - won't be back for a few weeks
Mark Scheifele, C (concussion) - is traveling with the team
San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, LW (suspension) - is coming up on the end of his half-season suspension, but it's not yet clear if he'll be healthy enough to play once his suspension is up
Hot
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, ARI — The Coyotes rebuild is working. No, they aren't the team that we saw early in the year. They were getting some bounces. And that's fine. They are probably best served by not making the playoffs. But it wasn't clear how Ekman-Larsson fit into their plans. He should be a cornerstone, but at 24, what if he's too old for the rebuild? Turns out the rebuild is ahead of schedule and he's a perfect cornerstone piece. He's been great lately, with three goals and three assists in his last four games. He's regularly passing 25 minutes, and has put up seven blocked shots and nine hits in that stretch as well.
Patrick Sharp, LW, DAL — He's got a seven-game point streak going and has been lining up with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin again. Things are going very well for Sharp. In that seven-game stretch he has four goals and six assists, as well as 26 shots, a plus-6 rating, five hits and a blocked shot. He's not a shot blocking machine, having only blocked at least one shot in seven games this season, but he's producing across categories and is certainly on pace to silence anyone who questioned the price Dallas paid for a player who was generating conversation about his age and decline.
Cold
Matt Moulson, LW, BUF — Moulson, 32, has been one of the more amazing declines of recent years. We're four seasons removed from him scoring 30 goals in three straight seasons -- given it was with John Tavares -- and now you almost can't roster him in any format. He hasn't scored a goal since November 1, a stretch of 25 games. In those 25 games he has just six assists. He hasn't put up a point in eight games and has been held without a shot in three of his last four games. It gets worse. His ice time over the last five games: 13:23, 10:04, 11:28, 9:43, 12:01. He was also scratched a game in there.
Sean Monahan, C, CGY — It's been a rough stretch for the dynamic 6-foot-3 center. He's without a goal over the last five games, contributing only a single assist. He has a minus-3 rating and an average of two shots per game over that stretch as well. He's doing the right things and should be able to rebound, but it's been a rough stretch for owners.
Recommended Pickup
Charlie Coyle, C, MIN — In keeper leagues Coyle's ownership is below 5%, which is kind of crazy. He had one game jumping up into the top six with Zach Parise out. Parise is questionable for Saturday against Tampa Bay, but even if he plays, Coyle has been very good centering the third line. Over the last seven games Coyle has three goals and three assists, with a plus-6 rating, an average of more than three shots per game, five hits and two blocked shots. He's producing well above his ownership levels and could be a cheap fill-in for daily fantasy, especially if Parise is out of the lineup again.
