This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
With the Chicago Cubs having won the World Series, the longest title drought in major American sports is over. Naturally, that might make hockey fans start thinking about long droughts. Obviously, nothing on par with the Cubs drought exists in the NHL, but there are a few teams with lengthy droughts, none lengthier than the droughts of the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.
Both of them have gone 48 seasons without winning a Cup. It's debatable whose drought is worse. The Blues have never won a Cup. There is not a single Blues fan that has seen their team hoist the Cup. Toronto won a Cup in 1967, and they've won several in the lifespan of some of their older fans. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs are the Maple Leafs. They are the team that represents the biggest city in the most hockey mad country in the world. Leafs fans are intense. They may be feeling the drought more than Blues fans (no knock on Blues fans).
The Blues have been a really good team for a few years, but they haven't gotten over the hump. They are in their window of contention. The Maple Leafs have been bad, but they've accrued talent through badness. That kind of makes them the Chicago Cubs of the NHL. Will the result be the same?
Featured Matchups
Rangers (PP: 13, PK: 19) at Bruins (PP: 29, PK: 10), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Henrik Lundqvist (6-3-0, 2.24, .913), Tuukka Rask (6-0-0, 1.48, .951)
Key Injuries:David Backes (elbow), Anton Khudobin (upper body), Kevan Miller (hand), Frank Vatrano (foot), Josh Jooris (upper body)
Well this is really looking like a low scoring game, given these two goalies. Lundqvist's overall numbers aren't great, but we know his track record, and he has a .928 save percentage in his last five games. New York does have the best goals per game average in the NHL, they are scoring over four goals per game, but Rask has been amazing. You will find more information about the Rangers' leading scorer J.T. Miller in the recommended pickup section. Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey, and Michael Grabner all have six goals. Has Brad Marchand cooled down? On the one hand, he has 12 points in 10 games. However, he only has four goals, and none of them have come on the power play. Patrice Bergeron, who missed three games, is still trying to get into the swing on things. He only has three points.
Blackhawks (PP: 10, PK: 30) at Stars (PP: 22, PK: 25), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Corey Crawford (5-3-1, 2.01, .936), Antti Niemi (3-1-1, 3.34, .899)
Key Injuries:Andrew Desjardins (lower body), Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body), Cody Eakin (knee), Ales Hemsky (hip), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Patrick Sharp (concussion)
Despite the Blackhawks being truly horrendous on the penalty kill, although their numbers are slowly improving, Crawford still has a strong save percentage. That should go to show you just how good he's been with the Blackhawks haven't been a man down. After his hot start, Richard Panik is returning to Earth to nobody's surprise. He has zero goals in his last five games. Meanwhile, Artem Anisimov is on a tear, and he now leads the Blackhawks in points with 14. He's often forgotten because of his teammates who are fantasy cornerstones, but he's a really good player in his own right. He'll also likely be very happy to get to put pucks on Niemi. The Stars have been dealing with injuries, but their offense still has to be disappointing. However, Tyler Seguin still has 12 points, so he's been reliable. Jamie Benn only has two goals, but he's taken 24 shots on net. The goals will come.
Penguins (PP: 5, PK: 21) at Sharks (PP: 12, PK: 7), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Marc-Andre Fleury (6-2-2, 3.07, .908), Martin Jones (5-5-0, 2.34, .909)
Key Injuries:Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed), Conor Sheary (eye), Daniel Sprong (shoulder)
With the way these two goalies are playing, presuming Fleury does get the start over Matt Murray, this has the makings of a high-scoring affair. You don't really need a rundown of the names on both of these teams. Sidney Crosby has been great since returning from injury, and that's now true of Kris Letang as well. In his two games since coming back, he has four points. Interestingly, Patric Hornqvist is blowing away his teammates in terms of shots on goal. He's taken 40 in 11 games. Joe Thornton only has one goal this season, but that's not that surprising because he's only taken eight shots on goal. However, since he's notched eight assists, he's still had plenty of value. Logan Couture, meanwhile, has taken 35 shots on goal, but only has scored twice.
Other Matchups
Wild (PP: 19, PK: 1) at Avalanche (PP: 15, PK: 22), 3:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Devan Dubnyk (5-2-1, 1.51, .948), Semyon Varlamov (2-5-0, 3.30, .891)
Key Injuries:Zac Dalpe (knee), Erik Haula (lower body), Zach Parise (foot), Marco Scandella (knee)
The Wild have become truly outstanding in goal prevention, owing in part to Dubnyk going on a tear. Their league-leading penalty kill will make things tough for the Avalanche. Only two Colorado players have more than two goals. One of them is Joe Colborne, who has three on 11 shots.
Blue Jackets (PP: 1, PK: 4) at Blues (PP: 17, PK: 5), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Curtis McElhinney, Jake Allen (4-3-2, 2.55, .898)
Key Injuries: N/A
Sergei Bobrovsky has played every game for the Jackets so far this season, even on the second night of back-to-backs. Eventually, McElhinney has to play, though, and the team who gets to see him will be happy about it. Allen has let in nine goals over his last two starts. That should be encouraging to Columbus, including rookie defenseman Zach Werenski, who leads the team in shots on goal.
Canucks (PP: 29, PK: 9) at Maple Leafs (PP: 6, PK: 14), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ryan Miller (1-4-0, 1.79, .934), Frederik Andersen (4-2-3, 3.19, .903)
Key Injuries:Matt Hunwick (lower body), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen)
The Canucks have the least impressive offense in the NHL, and they've lost seven in a row. That should be a relief to Andersen, who is off to a slow start, and who has a questionable, young defense in front of him. Vancouver is good at goal prevention, though, but that shouldn't scare the talented young trio of William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner. Also the now overlooked James van Riemsdyk, who has four goals on 32 shots on net.
Flyers (PP: 4, PK: 25) at Canadiens (PP: 14, PK: 3), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Steve Mason (2-4-1, 3.46, .878), Carey Price (6-0-0, 1.17, .964)
Key Injuries:Michael Del Zotto (lower body), Boyd Gordon (upper body), Andrew MacDonald (lower body)
The Flyers must be disappointed that the Canadiens decided to start Al Montoya on Friday. That means they have to try and score on Price. This may be the biggest disparity between two teams in terms of goal prevention, and goaltending, to this point of the season. Max Pacioretty has only scored two goals on 28 shots. That should change soon.
Sabres (PP: 9, PK: 11) at Senators (PP: 25, PK: 16), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Robin Lehner (3-3-1, 2.30, .922), Mike Condon (1-0-0, 0.00, 1.000)
Key Injuries:Zach Bogosian (knee), Nicolas Deslauriers (knee), Jack Eichel (ankle), Evander Kane (ribs), Craig Anderson (personal), Andrew Hammond (lower body), Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Mark Stone (neck)
Condon blanked the lowly Canucks in his one start, but he has a career .905 save percentage. That's good for Ryan O'Reilly, who leads the Sabres with eight points. Matt Moulson has cooled down after scoring four goals early, but he's taken 32 shots on goal, so he's still part of the offense.
Devils (PP: 11, PK: 18) at Lightning (PP: 3, PK: 6), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cory Schneider (4-2-2, 2.11, .933), Ben Bishop (4-3-0, 3.30, .891)
Key Injuries:Jonathan Drouin (head)
The numbers may look bad for Bishop, but it still feels too early to get worried. Plus, the Devils are only averaging 2.3 goals per game. P.A. Parenteau has four goals. The normal names for the Lightning are doing well, but keep an eye on 20-year-old rookie Brayden Point as well. He has four assists, and he's taken 26 shots on goal.
Oilers (PP: 21, PK: 2) at Islanders (PP: 23, PK: 17), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cam Talbot (7-3-1, 2.31, .927), Jaroslav Halak (2-3-1, 2.94, .908)
Key Injuries:Mark Fayne (undisclosed), Andrew Ference (hip), Matt Hendricks (lower body), Mikhail Grabovski (concussion)
Based on their talent, you'd think the Oilers' special teams rankings would be reversed. That's encouraging, in a way, because we know this offense has the skills. Connor McDavid doesn't have a power-play goal yet. That'll change. Andrew Ladd doesn't have a goal yet, and only one assist. The naysayers are looking smart so far.
Panthers (PP: 18, PK: 23) at Capitals (PP: 19, PK: 12), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Roberto Luongo (3-4-0, 2.30, .912), Braden Holtby (5-2-1, 2.22, .921)
Key Injuries:Nick Bjugstad (hand), Jonathan Huberdeau (lower body), Jussi Jokinen (knee)
The Caps have won four in a row, and they are second in goals against. Alex Ovechkin has six goals, but so does Marcus Johansson, who leads the team with 11 points. John Carlson has scored zero goals, but he's taken 30 shots on net. It may be early to say this, but Jonathan Marchessault seems legit. At the very least, he's earned the trust of fantasy owners for now.
Hurricanes (PP: 8, PK: 8) at Predators (PP: 2, PK: 28), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cam Ward (1-3-2, 3.33, .882), Pekka Rinne (2-4-2, 2.74, .915)
Key Injuries:Mike Fisher (upper body)
The Hurricanes may have a good penalty kill at this point, but you can't look at their goaltending and trust that. James Neal and Filip Forsberg have a combined one goal. Forsberg has none, but he does have seven assists. Neal has one, but he's taken 40 shots. Jeff Skinner is really impressing with five goals and 32 shots in eight games.
Flames (PP: 27, PK: 29) at Kings (PP: 23, PK: 27), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Brian Elliott (3-5-0, 3.12, .889), Peter Budaj (5-3-0, 2.31, .902)
Key Injuries:Kris Versteeg (undisclosed), Marian Gaborik (foot), Tom Gilbert (suspension), Jonathan Quick (groin), Jeff Zatkoff (lower body)
This is as blah of a goaltending matchup as you will find, but that's good for fantasy owners. Your Flames and Kings could be in for a good night. Michael Frolik leads the Flames with five goals and nine points. That feels legit. In his last full season, he had 19 goals on 206 shots. Alec Martinez is still leading the Kings in points, but that should change soon. Keep an eye on Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter. Both of them have two goals and six points, but they have 37 and 32 shots on goal respectively.
Recommended Pickup
J.T. Miller, C, NYR – Miller had something of an under-the-radar breakout season last year. Playing more than 15 minutes a night, he scored 22 goals and 43 points, while also chipping in 46 penalty minutes. This year, the 23-year-old seems like he may be ready to take his game to a whole new level. His minutes are up so far, although Chris Kreider's injury is part of that, but he also has four goals and eight assists in 11 games. The Rangers definitely need scoring depth, and Miller seems prepared to provide it.
