This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
After being routed by the Blue Jackets 10-0 in early November, the Canadiens had a blowout win of their own Saturday night with a 10-1 trouncing of the Avalanche. We knew that losing Erik Johnson to a broken fibula would hurt, but not this bad.
Calvin Pickard was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 20 shots, but Semyon Varlamov fared worse, allowing six goals on 16 shots. It was a bad game overall, and Nikita Zadorov in particular should burn the game tape. Even though he delivered an assist and six hits, he was a minus-3 and looked absolutely lost on the ice, often chasing the puck and getting caught out of position. He's already sat out as a healthy scratch and taken some dumb penalties this year, and this is a guy the Avs were counting on to bolster their defense for years to come. The learning curve for defensemen is steep and Zadorov has already played over 100 NHL games, but the improvements are just difficult to see.
The upside is that Zadorov is still just 21 years old and he'll always have his size going for him, but he's still too raw to be a regular in the NHL, and sometimes you wonder if he's truly confident in his abilities or oblivious to how much work still needs to be done. It's not entirely on him, though, as the Avs have been unable get much out of this current core and the goaltending has been horrendous.
Sunday's match against the youthful Leafs should be particularly telling. After an embarrassing loss like that, the Avs should come out swinging – anything less than a full effort and you really wonder how much patience Joe Sakic has left before making some drastic changes.
Featured Matchups
Blues (PP: 7, PK: 2) at Wild (PP: 21, PK: 11), 6:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (14-4-3, 2.40, .909), Devan Dubnyk (12-6-3, 1.66, .946)
Key Injuries:Victor Bartley (triceps), Zac Dalpe (knee), Robert Bortuzzo (lower body), Carl Gunnarsson (lower body)
The Blues power play is very effective, but the Wild have taken just 85 minor penalties this season, fifth fewest in the league, and they're still looking for a No. 1 center to make Vladimir Tarasenko's life a little easier. Even though the Blues are four points ahead in the standings and boast the better overall special teams, the Wild have two games in hand and have the best goal differential in the conference at plus-17. If past matchups have been any indication, it should be a hard fought match that may not provide much fruit for fantasy owners who have a stake in this game.
Devils (PP: 18, PK: 8) at Rangers (PP: 6, PK: 6), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Cory Schneider (9-7-4, 2.72, .911), Henrik Lundqvist (12-8-1, 2.55, .912)
Key Injuries:Pavel Zacha (face), Pavel Buchnevich (back), Rick Nash (groin), Matt Puempel (concussion), Mika Zibanejad (leg)
The best part about this game is that Schneider and Lundqvist are probably two of the best goalies in the league, but the worst part is that the two goalies may be so good the game-winning goal might come off a bad bounce. Even without key players Nash and Zibanejad, the Rangers are the favorite with matchup-heavy Alain Vigneault getting last change, and their defense is deep enough to keep Taylor Hall at bay. If Hall is kept in check, the Rangers should have no problem with the rest of the Devils.
Jets (PP: 24, PK: 26) at Oilers (PP: 5, PK: 9), 9:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Connor Hellebuyck (10-9-1, 2.73, .908), Cam Talbot (13-9-4, 2.57, .915)
Key Injuries:Brandon Davidson (shoulder), Mark Fayne (undisclosed), Eric Gryba (undisclosed), Darnell Nurse (lower body), Iiro Pakarinen (leg), Joel Armia (undisclosed), Shawn Matthias (lower body), Tyler Myers (lower body), Nicolas Petan (lower body)
In what should be an exciting north-south, end-to-end game featuring the best talent the league has to offer, the difference maker should be in goaltending, though neither Hellebuyck or Talbot have been consistent this season. Both teams are young and have Cup aspirations in the near future, but given how the season has played out so far and the challenges the Jets face in the Central Division, the Oilers are slightly ahead in their progression and boast a much better special teams. Connor McDavid has been shooting the puck with more frequency in his past five games, averaging 4.4 shots per game.
Other Matchups
Senators (PP: 22, PK: 13) at Ducks (PP: 9, PK: 20), 4:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Andrew Hammond (0-1-0, 4.50, .793), John Gibson (9-7-4, 2.58, .911)
Key Injuries:Simon Despres (head), Nicolas Kerdiles (concussion), Clayton Stoner (lower body), Nate Thompson (Achilles), Craig Anderson (personal), Curtis Lazar (upper body), Clarke MacArthur (concussion)
The Ducks have just five wins in their past 10 games, but with a win can vault back into first place in the division. Every game is important with first and fifth place separated by just four points, and with a relatively healthy roster there's no excuse for Anaheim. Meanwhile, the Sens are in second place in the Atlantic Division, but don't be fooled – their goal differential is minus-4 and they may have to turn to Hammond for this game, who has simply been atrocious this season.
Flyers (PP: 1, PK: 22) at Red Wings (PP: 25, PK: 10), 5:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Anthony Stolarz (1-0-0, 3.00, .906), Jimmy Howard (5-5-0, 1.75, .942)
Key Injuries:Justin Abdelkader (knee), Tyler Bertuzzi (ankle), Jonathan Ericsson (back), Darren Helm (upper body), Brendan Smith (knee), Joe Vitale (concussion), Mark Alt (upper body), Sean Couturier (knee), Michal Neuvirth (lower body), Matt Read (oblique)
Wayne Simmonds is on fire with four goals in his past three games, and there's no one on the Detroit defense that can move him from the crease – he's a big reason why the Flyers power play ranks first in the league. A Flyers win would put them in a three-way tie for first in the Metropolitan Division along with the Penguins and Rangers.
Canucks (PP: 26, PK: 5) at Capitals (PP: 16, PK: 14), 5:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ryan Miller (6-9-0, 2.63, .916), Braden Holtby (12-6-2, 2.18, .923)
Key Injuries:Derek Dorsett (neck), Alexander Edler (finger), Philip Larsen (upper body), Ryan Miller (undisclosed), Anton Rodin (knee), Chris Tanev (ankle), Matt Niskanen (upper body)
Miller (undisclosed) did not dress Saturday and could be unavailable Sunday as well, and if that's the case, the Canucks will have to either start Jacob Markstrom for the second game in a row or throw highly-touted rookie Thatcher Demko into the fire against a dangerous offensive team. The Caps have yet to find their groove and their offense has surprisingly lacked some punch, but should do fine against a mediocre team that has allowed 40-plus shots in three games this month. Jannik Hansen (ribs) is expected to draw back into the lineup for the Canucks, though it likely won't move the needle much either way.
Avalanche (PP: 20, PK: 24) at Maple Leafs (PP: 13, PK: 4), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Semyon Varlamov (5-12-0, 3.08, .905), Antoine Bibeau (NR)
Key Injuries:Erik Johnson (leg)
The Avs without Johnson were going to be bad, but not this bad. They'll be playing the second half of a back-to-back after allowing 10 goals against the Habs last night, and the Avs should come out swinging to avenge last night's embarrassing loss. The problem: Mike Babcock is an excellent coach, and once the Avs use their top lines and defensive pairs against Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, the Leafs still have Auston Matthews. It really doesn't matter if the Avs start Calvin Pickard or Varlamov; the Leafs should be able to control the play for most of the game.
Stars (PP: 15, PK: 27) at Blackhawks (PP: 19, PK: 30), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Antti Niemi (5-3-3, 3.20, .902), Scott Darling (5-2-2, 2.23, .926)
Key Injuries:Corey Crawford (illness), Brent Seabrook (upper body), Jonathan Toews (back), Ales Hemsky (hip), Julius Honka (arm), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Johnny Oduya (lower body), Patrick Sharp (concussion)
This matchup would be a barn burner if not for the very long list of injuries to key players. Neither team has lived up to the potential – the Stars have been in disarray for most of the season and the Blackhawks' lead in the division standings has nearly evaporated with just four wins in their past 10 games. The saving grace for Chicago has been Darling, who has been brilliant filling in for Crawford, and he'll be tested once again against Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
Recommended Pickup
Bryan Little, C, Jets – He was a sexy waiver wire pick-up when he inherited the No. 1 center job after Mark Scheifele suffered an injury, but has remained Patrik Laine's winger even though Scheifele has returned. Little was good in a loss against Calgary on Saturday, and has some offensive upside if the Jets are willing to turn him loose a little more often. He's owned in just over 50 percent of ESPN leagues.
