This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
With this being the last weekend of games before the All-Star break, I want to take a look at the current playoff picture and provide a forecast for what I will think it will look like come mid-April.
Eastern Conference (current)
Atlantic Division
Florida (61 points)
Tampa Bay (56 points)
Detroit (56 points)
Metropolitan Division
Washington (73 points)
New York Rangers (57 points)
New York Islanders (56 points)
Wild Card
Boston (55 points)
New Jersey (55 points)
Eastern Conference (projected)
Atlantic Division
Tampa Bay – finally getting healthy will boost their play
Detroit – good skating team that finds ways to win games
Boston – Bergeron and Krejci one-two punch, along with Tuukka Rask, makes them dangerous
Metropolitan Division
Washington – stand a head and shoulders above the rest of the league
New York Rangers – King Henrik is rediscovering his game; team scores by committee
New York Islanders – sit in a playoff spot even with John Tavares's struggles; Halak playing well
Wild Card
Pittsburgh Penguins – when push comes to shove, their talent will get them in
Florida Panthers – will squeak in, Luongo's age will begin to show and they rely too much on their top line
Western Conference (current)
Central Division
Chicago (68 points)
Dallas (65 points)
St. Louis (64 points)
Pacific Division
Los Angeles (61 points)
San Jose (53 points)
Arizona (51 points)
Wild Card
Colorado (55 points)
Minnesota (54 points)
Western Conference (projected)
Central Division
Chicago – Patrick Kane is playing out of this world; Corey Crawford having a career year
Dallas – Seguin, Benn, Sharp, Spezza, etc., will score enough to make it in comfortably
St. Louis – well-structured team with two above-average goalies; can rely on Tarasenko and Steen to create offense
Pacific Division
Los Angeles – talent, experience, goaltending; a lock to win the division
San Jose – offensive weapons are coming alive; Brent Burns is one of the biggest x-factors in the league
Calgary – Gaudreau, Monahan, and Giordano will lead this team in if they get some decent goaltending
Wild Card
Nashville – Johansen will make a difference; defensive corps will cover many of Rinne's blemishes
Minnesota – Dubnyk has played well to this point; look for Charlie Coyle to be a difference maker down the stretch
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) vs. Capitals (Braden Holtby), PPD
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) vs. Senators (Craig Anderson), 3:00 PM
Flames (Karri Ramo) vs. Hurricanes (Eddie Lack), 6:00 PM
Blues (Brian Elliott) vs. Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 7:00 PM
Kings (Jhonas Enroth) vs. Sharks (Alex Stalock), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Sunday
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider, LW (neck) – status unclear Sunday
Ottawa Senators
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – out indefinitely
Marc Methot, D (undisclosed) – status unclear Sunday
Milan Michalek, LW (finger) – out indefinitely
Chris Phillips, D (back) – out for the season
Kyle Turris, C (ankle) – status unclear Sunday
Calgary Flames
Lance Bouma, C (leg) – set to return Sunday
Micheal Ferland, LW (upper body) – out Sunday
Carolina Hurricanes
Riley Nash, C (illness) – questionable Sunday
Brett Pesce, D (lower body) – status unclear Sunday
Cam Ward, G (concussion) – remains on injured reserve
James Wisniewski, D (knee) – could return in April
St. Louis Blues
Jake Allen, G (knee) – status is week-to-week
Steve Ott, C (hamstring) – unlikely to return until March
Magnus Paajarvi, LW (upper body) – listed as week-to-week
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) – returned to practice this week
Chicago Blackhawks
Marcus Kruger, C (wrist) – could return in time for the postseason
Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) – yet to resume skating
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) – out for the season
San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) – three days remain on his conditioning assignement
Hot
Sam Bennett, LW, CGY – The fourth-overall pick in the 2014 draft looked like an established NHL player during Calgary's 11 playoff contests last season, scoring three goals and four points. Bennett struggled early on in 2015-16 though, registering five goals and 14 points in his first 39 games, including an 11-game scoreless streak. However, the 19-year old has regained his confidence with eight goals in his last five games, becoming the third-youngest player in NHL history to score four goals in a game along the way.
Joe Thornton, C, SJS – There were rumblings around the hockey world that we had seen the last of a dominant Jumbo earlier in the season, but the former Bruin has silenced his critics during the last month. In the 17 games played since Dec. 15, Thornton has failed to score in only one of those contests and is currently riding an eight-game point streak. If Thornton continues at a pace anywhere near that of the last month, he'll easily eclipse the 70-point mark at the ripe age of 36.
Cold
Marian Gaborik, RW, LAK – The fifth-highest scoring Slovakian in league history has been a mercurial talent since entering the league in 2000. The three time 40-goal scorer has been awful this season, and with eight goals through 47 games, is on pace to score just 14 times. Gaborik is pointless in his last seven games, and goalless in his last 10.
Recommended Pickup
Artem Anisimov, C, CHI – The big Russian is often overlooked while centering Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin, but Anisimov is quietly enjoying the best season of his career in 2015-16. With 17 goals in 50 games, Anisimov's well on his way to shattering his previous season-high in goals (22 in 2013-14), due to the fact that he provides a near constant net-front presence for his linemates.
