This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
As the regular season winds down and the qualities of players' seasons are pretty much nailed down, I figured that I would identify some players who have "laid eggs" in the mood of Sunday's holiday. All three of the players were All-Stars just a year ago, but have failed to hit the same heights in 2015-16.
Tyler Johnson has battled injuries almost all season long, to be fair, but the member of the "Triplets" line has seen his scoring average drop to just over a half-point per game. This is usually a more than respectable figure for NHL players, but after putting up 72 points in 77 games and ripping up the playoffs until sustaining a broken wrist, Johnson has to be disappointed with this year's campaign. That being said, Johnson seems to be finding his footing down the stretch, having racked up 11 points from his last 12 games.
Jiri Hudler was one-third of a high-scoring line in Calgary last season, skating with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan for the lion's share of last season. As a 31-year-old, Hudler set career marks for goals (31) and points (76) en route to the Lady Byng Trophy for a Flames team that made it to the second round of the playoffs. With the Flames struggling this year, Hudler's play suffered and he was shuttled from line to line. He was traded to Florida prior to the trade deadline, having amassed 10 goals and 35 points in 53 games. Hudler's play has improved slightly while suiting up for a playoff-bound team, but four goals and six points in 11 games isn't getting anyone too excited about a turnaround.
Nick Foligno represents the most disappointing case of a stark drop-off in play. Last year was a banner year, seeing him captain an All-Star team as his Blue Jackets hosted the event, along with scoring a career-high 31 goals and 73 points for a team that challenged for a playoff spot. As Columbus' captain, Foligno has just nine goals and 34 points while his team sits in second-to-last position in the Eastern Conference. While the Johnson and Hudler look as though they're on track to finish their respective seasons' strongly, the same cannot be said for Foligno, who hasn't tallied a goal in his last 11 games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Devils (Scott Wedgewood) vs. Hurricanes (Cam Ward), 5:00 PM
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) vs. Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:30 PM
Blackhawks (Michael Leighton) vs. Canucks (Ryan Miller), 8:00 PM
For updates later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Sunday
New Jersey Devils
Michael Cammalleri, LW (hand) - out for the season
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - without a timetable for his return
Jacob Josefson, C (wrist) - to be reevaluated in the coming days
Tyler Kennedy, LW (lower body) - status uncertain for Sunday
Jon Merrill, D (upper body) - listed as week-to-week
David Schlemko, D (upper body) - out Sunday
Cory Schneider, D (knee) - ruled out of Sunday's contest
Jiri Tlusty, LW (wrist) - could miss another month
Jordin Tootoo, RW (upper body) - doubtful Sunday
Carolina Hurricanes
Phil Di Giuseppe, LW (undisclosed) - out Sunday
Andrej Nestrasil, C (neck) - will miss the remainder of the season
James Wisniewski, D (knee) - unlikely to play again this season
Pittsburgh Penguins
Brian Dumoulin, D (upper body) - won't play Sunday
Chris Kunitz, LW (upper body) - deemed a game-time decision for Sunday
Olli Maatta, D (lower body) - out on a week-to-week basis
Evgeni Malkin, C (upper body) - out for the rest of the regular season
Kevin Porter, C (ankle) - could make a return in the event of a deep playoff run
Scott Wilson, LW (lower body) - out indefinitely
New York Rangers
Dylan McIlrath, D (knee) - has a chance to return Sunday
Chicago Blackhawks
Corey Crawford, G (upper body) - doubtful Sunday
Vancouver Canucks
Alexander Edler, D (leg) - out for the season
Markus Granlund, C (upper body) - a doubt for Sunday
Luca Sbisa, D (upper body) - no timetable for his return
Brandon Sutter, C (jaw) - also out for the season
Chris Tanev, D (back) - status uncertain for Sunday
Radim Vrbata, RW (knee) - another player that will miss the rest of the season
Hot
Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJ - The first-year Devil has taken full-advantage of an enhanced role on a new team, having already bagged a career-high 29 goals this season. Palmieri has scored four goals and seven point in the last five games, including two separate two-goal performances. When a player of Palmieri's caliber is averaging around 19 minutes per game and three minutes per game on the power play, they're bound to produce.
Cold
Eric Staal, C, NYR - As one of the biggest names moved at the trade deadline, Staal has really struggled since becoming a Blueshirt. In the 12 games since the trade, the former 100-point scorer has a single goal to go along with two assists. In addition, head coach Alain Vigneault has found it difficult to best set up his team in the midst of Staal's struggles, skating the player at wing and his natural position of center.
Recommended Pickup
Carl Hagelin, LW, PIT - Another player who was traded mid-season, Hagelin has found a new lease on life back on the east coast. After scoring 17 goals in back-to-back season with the Rangers in 2013-14 and 2014-15, Hagelin tallied just four goals in 43 games with the Ducks prior to his trade. Since coming to Pittsburgh, the former University of Michigan captain has seven goals in 29 games, along with three goals and six points in his last five contests.
