This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Despite the 24-year-old Artemi Panarin racking up points on a line with Patrick Kane, 19-year-old Dylan Larkin remains my favorite for the Calder this year. He's got the potential to be an elite player.
Watching last night's Red Wings win over the Sabres, you see how smart he is at both ends of the ice. He has that Zach Parise-esque sense and tenacity around the net, knowing where to be and never taking himself out of the scoring areas. He potted his rookie-leading fifth game-winner last night and it was a great example of the kind of play that has him putting together a Calder-worthy season.
Speaking of young players who have an immense impact on their teams, Aaron Ekblad continues to fly under the radar somehow. It's not a coincidence that Florida was on an incredible run and then struggled when he was out.
He put together a a very impressive game in his return on Friday. It wasn't just the bomb he scored on in the second to make it 4-0 against Chicago, it's his play in the defensive zone and in the neutral zone. He's patient and puts together great exit passes, reading plays like a veteran.
It's hard to remember that he's just 19.
We'll get on to tonight's games, but one more.
Nathan MacKinnon isn't flying under the radar at all, but as long as we're watching a couple highlights from Friday's play, this is worth another viewing. MacKinnon scored with under a minute left against St. Louis to send the game into overtime. The Avs wound up taking the extra point home in the shootout.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Penguins (Jeff Zatkoff), 12:30 PM
Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at Sharks (Martin Jones), 4:00 PM
Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Canadiens (Mike Condon) at Maple Leafs (James Reimer), 7:00 PM
Ducks (Frederik Andersen) at Red Wings (Jimmy Howard), 7:00 PM
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Panthers (Al Montoya), 7:00 PM
Devils (Cory Schneider) at Jets (Connor Hellebuyck), 7:00 PM
Flyers (Steve Mason) at Islanders (Thomas Greiss), 7:30 PM
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Stars (Antti Niemi), 8:00 PM
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Coyotes (Louis Domingue), 9:00 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin, C (undisclosed) - won't be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest
Dan Hamhuis, D (face) - remains weeks from a return
Brandon Sutter, C (abdomen) - is expected back soon
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nick Bonino, C (hand) - will be out for another couple weeks
Beau Bennett, RW (upper body) - skated on a line during Friday's practice
David Warsofsky, D (concussion) - remains out
Chris Kunitz, LW (lower body) - is a game-time decision on Saturday
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) - won't play hockey again
Minnesota Wild
Ryan Carter, LW (hand) - is unlikely to play again before the All-Star break
San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) - has suffered a "minor setback" to his return
Columbus Blue Jackets
David Savard, D (oblique strain) - will miss about four weeks
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) - has been placed on injured reserve
David Clarkson, RW (upper body) - has been on IR most of January
Curtis McElhinney, G (ankle) - is on IR
Boston Bruins
Matt Beleskey, LW (illness) - was sent home from practice on Friday
Chris Kelly, RW (femur fracture) - won't play this season
Adam McQuaid, D (upper body) - isn't likely to return in the next couple games
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price, G (leg) - could be out another three-to-four weeks
Tom Gilbert, D (lower body) - practiced Friday and is now considered day-to-day
Paul Byron, C (lower body) - was placed on IR
Nathan Beaulieu, D (lower body) - has skated
Toronto Maple Leafs
James van Riemsdyk, LW (foot) - is going to miss upwards of a month
Nick Spaling, C (upper body) - has been placed on IR
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) - has no timeline for his return
Anaheim Ducks
Simon Despres, D (concussion) - is in the AHL on conditioning and is approaching a return
Cam Fowler, D (knee) - is closing in on a return
Clayton Stoner, D (hip flexor) - is on IR
Detroit Red Wings
Drew Miller, LW (lower body) - is out for the season
Brad Richards, C (personal reasons) - missed Friday's game
Niklas Kronwall, D (knee) - is on IR
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) - isn't expected back any time soon
Tampa Bay Lightning
Healthy
Florida Panthers
Willie Mitchell, D (undisclosed) - will not play Saturday
Dave Bolland, C (lower body) - will not play before the All-Star break
New Jersey Devils
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - had surgery and is questionable to return this season
Jiri Tlusty, LW (upper body) - is questionable
John Moore, D (lower body) - was moved to IR on Friday
Jon Merrill, D (upper body) - is week-to-week and won't play before the All-Star break
Bobby Farnham, LW (suspension) - continues to serve his four-game suspension
Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifele, C (lower body) - remains on IR
Adam Lowry, LW (upper body) - is on IR
Alex Burmistrov, C (undisclosed) - is questionable and didn't play Thursday
Drew Stafford, RW (undisclosed) - has been on IR for the last week
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) - the initial timeline has him coming back soon, but there hasn't been an update on how he's progressing
Philadelphia Flyers
Sean Couturier, C (lower body) - was held out of Thursday's game
New York Islanders
Adam Pelech, D (upper body) - may not play for the rest of the season
Eric Boulton, LW (undisclosed) - has been on IR most of the month
Johnny Boychuk, D (shoulder) - has skated, but won't return Saturday
Colorado Avalanche
Brad Stuart, D (back) - has suffered a setback
Reto Berra, G (ankle) - remains on IR
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) - has been out all season
Ben Street, C (chest) - has been on the shelf since late November
Dallas Stars
Jordie Benn, D (lower body) - is on IR
Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) - is without a definitive timetable for his return
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) - is out for the season
Arizona Coyotes
Joe Vitale, C (fractured orbital bone) - remains out
Mike Smith, G (lower body) - has skated but isn't ready to return
Nashville Predators
Colin Wilson, LW (lower body) - has skated, but isn't ready to return
Gabriel Bourque, LW (upper body) - remains out
Edmonton Oilers
Brandon Davidson, D (undisclosed) - was placed on IR Friday
Connor McDavid, C (shoulder) - remains out
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C (hand) - requires surgery and will miss six-to-eight weeks
Oscar Klefbom, D (finger/leg infection) - has no timetable to return
Andrew Ference, D (hip) - will not play this season
Lauri Korpikoski, LW (foot) - missed Thursday's game
Hot
Petr Mrazek, G, DET — Mrazek posted a shutout on Friday, making it eight straight games of being at a .900 save percentage or better. In five of those eight he's been at .968 or higher, including two shutouts and a 6-1-1 record. He's not getting enough credit for the show he's putting on this season.
Ryan McDonagh, D, NYR — With a beautiful bar-down goal on Friday, McDonagh is on a four-game point streak where he also has a plus-2 rating and 10 shots. His hot stretch goes beyond the streak though, he's put up seven points in the last seven games. He's been reliable and logging some big minutes.
Cold
Eric Staal, C, CAR — Held pointless again on Friday, he is now in the midst of a season-long five-game slump. The 'Canes have been winning, but the scoring was never a bonanza there. You hope for a lot more out of Staal. Yet, it's not for want of opportunities. He's taken 16 shots in that stretch and they've been fairly evenly distributed between games. With an average of over three shots per game in the slump, he's primed to make one of them stick soon.
Jiri Sekac, LW, CHI — The trade to Chicago may put him in a system that favors his skill set, but he's nonetheless been absent from the scoresheet most of the season. There's an injury in there that limited the number of games he's played, but he hasn't scored since Oct. 22 and hasn't posted a point in 12 games. In that 12-game run, he was held without a shot five times. Even on a more offensively-minded team, it's hard to trust him.
Recommended Pickup
J.T. Miller, C, NYR — Miller posted a couple of goals in the Rangers win on Friday, including one where he absolutely embarrassed 'Canes rookie Jaccob Slavin. Miller has been putting together some nice performances recently. Over the last four games, he has four goals, 13 shots, 13 hits, three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating. He provides value beyond the scoring and is feeling it right now. If you need a low-cost plug-and-play, Miller is worth a look.
