This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
I've been watching hockey since the 1993-1994 season, a year that ended for the Detroit Red Wings when, as a one seed, they were upset by the relatively newfound franchise the San Jose Sharks. Of course, things got a lot better for them not long after that, and the team has made the playoffs every season since 1989-1990. I literally don't remember a world where the Detroit Red Wings weren't in the playoffs.
However, the glory days are in the past. The last few years, I've been sweating out whether or not the Red Wings will even make the playoffs, and they haven't made it past the second round in years. It seems like they find themselves on the proverbial hamster wheel of mediocrity. They are good enough to eke into the playoffs, but not good enough to really make any noise, and they aren't bad enough to earn a good draft pick. While it's possible to break free of this cycle without tearing it down, it's hard, even when you draft as well as the Wings have done in the past (although it has also been a while since they really hit it big with a draft pick).
As long as the playoff streak continues, it would be hard for the Wings to justify a rebuild. However, when the day comes that they finally miss out on the postseason, and it will probably be relatively soon, I hope they realize that it may be time to jettison some veterans and bring in some young blood. First round playoff exits shouldn't be the goal for an NHL team.
(And I know that this feels a bit negative after the Wings soundly defeated the Lightning on Tuesday, but my point remains valid.)
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Rangers (Cam Talbot*) 3:00
Red Wings (Petr Mrazek*) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) 5:00
Bruins (Niklas Svedberg) at Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin) 5:00
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Senators (Craig Anderson) 5:00
Flames (Jonas Hiller*) at Predators (Pekka Rinne) 5:00
Ducks (John Gibson) at Devils (Cory Schneider) 7:00
Sharks (Antti Niemi) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury*) 7:30
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec) 7:30
*Confirmed Starters
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Capitals
Jay Beagle, C (shoulder) – Day-to-day.
John Erskine, D (neck) – Skating, return date unknown.
Rangers
Kevin Klein, D (upper-body) – Likely to miss rest of regular season.
Martin St. Louis, RW (knee) – Out this weekend.
Red Wings
Erik Cole, RW (upper-body) – Unlikely to play Sunday.
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Jonas Gustavsson, G (concussion) – Not practicing.
Riley Sheahan, C (upper-body) – Day-to-day.
Islanders
Michael Grabner, RW (illness) – Available Sunday.
Mikhail Grabovski, C (concussion) – Not close to returning.
Bruins
Brett Connolly, RW (finger) – Return date unknown.
Dougie Hamilton, D (shoulder) – Out indefinitely.
Kevin Miller, D (shoulder) – On long-term injured reserve.
Tuukka Rask, G (dehydration) – Pulled Saturday due to dehydration.
Hurricanes
Jack Hillen, D (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Rasmus Rissanen, D (knee) – May be out for season.
Alexander Semin, LW (hamstring) – Did not play Saturday.
Panthers
Nick Bjugstad, C (back) – Out for season.
Al Montoya, G (groin) – Return date unknown.
Senators
Andrew Hammond, G (lower-body) – Did not play Saturday.
Robin Lehner, G (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Milan Michalek, LW (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Chris Neil, RW (thumb) – Still wearing cast.
Chris Phillips, D (undisclosed) – Not close to returning.
Matt Puempel, LW (ankle) – Out 4-6 weeks.
Flames
Mark Giordano, D (shoulder) – Out for season.
Markus Granlund, C (illness) – Missed Saturday's practice.
Ladislav Smid, D (neck) – Out for season.
Predators
Matt Cullen, C (lower-body) – Did not play Saturday.
James Neal, RW (upper-body) – Missed last two games.
Eric Nystrom, LW (lower-body) – May return soon, but did not play Saturday.
Shea Weber, D (lower-body) – Day-to-day.
Ducks
Korbinian Holzer, D (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Tim Jackman, RW (lower-body) – Has not begun skating again.
Devils
Ryane Clowe, LW (concussion) – Out for season.
Bryce Salvador, D (back) – Likely out for season.
Sharks
Mike Brown, RW (leg) – Far from returning.
Mirco Mueller, D (hand) – Out indefinitely.
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) – Out for season.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D (undisclosed) – Out Sunday.
Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clots) – Out for season.
Christian Ehrhoff, D (upper-body) – Won't skate until next week.
Kris Letang, D (head) – Hospitalized Saturday.
Olli Maatta, D (shoulder) – Out for season.
David Perron, LW (illness) – Did not play Saturday.
Brandon Sutter, C (undisclosed) – Left Saturday's game with injury.
Blackhawks
Daniel Carcillo, LW (upper-body) – Day-to-day.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, D (hand) – Day-to-day
Patrick Kane, RW (collarbone) – Out for regular season.
Joakim Nordstrom, C (upper-body) – Out about a week.
Jets
Ben Chiarot, D (hand) – Nearing return.
Grant Clitsome, D (upper-body) – On injured reserve.
Bryan Little, C (upper-body) – Expected to return April 4.
Mathieu Perreault, C (lower-body) – May return Sunday.
Paul Postma, D (undisclosed) – Out a number of weeks.
Hot
Jarome Iginla, RW, COL – The 37, going on 38, year old is still performing from a fantasy perspective. After scoring four goals in five games, Iginla picked up three helpers against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Sure, it's the Sabres, but those assists still count, giving him 29 on the season to go with his 26 goals. The Avalanche are essentially out of the playoff chase, and Iginla may not necessarily be in the mood to bang up his body in meaningless games, but right now he's playing, and he's playing well.
Mikko Koivu, C, MIN – Koivu scored a game-winning goal Friday against the Calgary Flames, and he came up huge for the red hot Wild on Saturday too, scoring two goals and notching an assist as well. He has five points in his last three games, and he is a plus-4 in those games as well. His scoring totals haven't been great all season long, but he's had a very nice few games here.
Cold
Joe Thornton, C, SAN – Thornton is not happy with the Sharks, but they Sharks may not be terribly happy with his due to his recent play. He has zero points in his last four games, and he is a minus-4 across those contests. He was playing well just before that, but San Jose is all but out of the playoff race, so who knows how things are going to go down there?
John Tavares, C, NYI – John Tavares is great, and he's having a great season. Nobody can deny this. However, recently he's hit a real rough patch. Tavares has two points in his last eight games, and he is a whopping minus-10 in those contests. That being said, he's still taking a bunch of shots and seeing plenty of ice time, and obviously he has the talent to turn it around at any point. Fantasy owners better hope so.
Recommended Pickup
Cam Atkinson, RW, CLM – Atkinson followed up his hat trick on Friday with a goal and an assist on Saturday. He's been playing very well recently, and he now has 20 goals on the season. Atkinson is available in most leagues, so if you find yourself in need of a solid forward having a hot streak, you can likely pick him up.
