This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Fantasy playoffs are well under way in most leagues. NHL teams are clinching playoff berths. The wild card races are getting heated. But what's one of the most entertaining -- and frustrating -- spectacles to watch with just about two weeks left in the regular season?
Tanking.
You're heard about it all year. You heard about how it was coming last year. Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel in the 2015 draft and that teams -- well, the Sabres more than any other -- were in for the tank in 2015. It's gotten to the point where Sabres fans who cheer for the opposing team have been given a name: the Tankers.
Over the last couple weeks, the spectacle of The Tankers has reached its apex. It started in last week's Sabres vs. Coyotes mega-match. You remember, because who would have missed that clash of titans? A battle for 30th. Which team's management can elicit a loss, overcoming the will of the players to win?
The game took place in Buffalo and from the start, The Tankers were out in full force cheering for the Coyotes. It's sad to watch. It's a car crash you can't take your eyes off of. When the Coyotes won in overtime, you'd be forgiven for forgetting the game was in New York.
Bill Hoppe from Buffalo Hockey captured the moment well in quotes from Mike Weber.
"I've always spoken extremely high of our fans," an emotional Weber said. "I don't even know if disappointed is the word. They scored the first one, our fans are cheering. Late penalty, they cheer. They cheer when they score to win the game. I don't even know what to say. It's extremely frustrating for us."We don't want to be here (in this position). We understand where we are. We understand what this team's doing, what the organization's doing, the place we've put ourselves in. But I've never been a part of something like that where the away team comes into a home building, they're cheering for them."
The sad spectacle lumbered forward last night as angry Sabres fans took to Twitter to express their anger over a Sabres win. It was a particularly infuriating win for the tankers because it was against the tank-tastic Maple Leafs.
It's a sad state of affairs here at the end of a season that's featured tanking like I've never seen. Teams tank. It happens. But that explanation from team management this year has ignored the fact that it's become obvious, pre-planned, and reach an entirely new level of absurdity. Teams entered the season with the intention of losing as many teams as possible.
The remarkable tank-jobs taking place in Buffalo, Arizona, and Toronto make you appreciate the teams like Columbus, Carolina, and Edmonton who didn't embrace the tank quite as hard as the other teams. Hopefully once the Sabres turn things around in a couple of years, GM Tim Murray will get out there and shoot a PSA about the dangers of tanking. (Hey Jarmo, you wanna try tanking? Everyone is doing it. You ain't cool unless your team is hitting historic levels of awfulness.)
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Columbus Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price), 7:30 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson), 7:30 PM
Boston Bruins (Tuukka Rask) at Detroit Red Wings (Petr Mrazek), 7:30 PM
Carolina Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:30 PM
New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Minnesota Wild (Devan Dubnyk), 8:00 PM
Calgary Flames (Karri Ramo) at St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen), 8:00 PM
Vancouver Canucks (Eddie Lack) at Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 8:30 PM
Edmonton Oilers (Richard Bachman) at Los Angeles Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Thursday
New York Islanders
Michael Grabner, RW - (illness) has been missing from the lineup recently due to illness.
Mikhail Grabovski, C - (concussion) is not close to returning.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Jared Boll, RW - (suspension) remains out.
Ryan Murray, D - (lower body) did not play all weekend.
Rene Bourque, LW - (back) will miss the rest of the season following surgery.
Jack Skille, RW - (shoulder) is out for the season.
David Clarkson, RW - (oblique) won't be back on Thursday.
Washington Capitals
John Erskine, D - (neck) has returned to the ice, but isn't playing yet.
Jay Beagle, C - (shoulder) is expected to travel with the team, but isn't a guarantee to play.
Dmitry Orlov, D - Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post reports "there is a chance" that Orlov will join the Capitals on their upcoming road trip, and he could end up making his season debut at some point during that trip.
Montreal Canadiens
Tom Gilbert, D - (fractured jaw) could return on Thursday.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tyler Johnson, C - (upper body) missed Tuesday's game.
Braydon Coburn, D - (lower body) is on IR.
Jason Garrison, D - (upper body) remains out.
Victor Hedman, D - (lower body) missed Tuesday's game.
Andrej Sustr, D - (upper body) will be out one-to-two weeks.
Ottawa Senators
Robin Lehner, G - (concussion) continues to suffer from concussion symptoms.
Matt Puempel, LW - (ankle) remains out.
Chris Phillips, D - (undisclosed) is out.
Chris Neil, RW - (thumb) is out.
Milan Michalek, LW - (concussion) remains out.
Boston Bruins
Dougie Hamilton, D - (shoulder) is out indefinitely.
Kevan Miller, D - (shoulder) is on long-term injured reserve.
Brett Connolly, RW - (finger) hasn't been ruled out of Thursday's game.
Detroit Red Wings
Riley Sheahan, C - (upper body) didn't play Tuesday.
Pavel Datsyuk, C - (lower body) didn't play Tuesday.
Erik Cole, RW - (upper body) didn't play Tuesday.
Johan Franzen, RW - (concussion) remains out.
Drew Miller, LW - (facial lacerations) was practicing Wednesday after getting cut by a skate in Tuesday's game.
Jonas Gustavsson, G - (concussion) should get medical clearance in the near future.
Carolina Hurricanes
Riley Nash, C - (concussion) will not play Thursday.
Jack Hillen, D - (concussion) remains out.
Rasmus Rissanen, D - (MCL) remains out.
Florida Panthers
Nick Bjugstad, C - (back) is out for the season after undergoing back surgery on Friday.
Scottie Upshall, LW - (upper body) missed Tuesday's game.
Al Montoya, G - (groin) is out.
New York Rangers
Martin St. Louis, RW - (knee) could return Thursday.
Kevin Klein, D - (arm) remains on IR.
Minnesota Wild
Kyle Brodziak, C - (upper body) has been cleared to play.
Nate Prosser, D - (lower body) has been able to skate the last two days.
Jason Zucker, LW - (shoulder) isn't close to a return.
Keith Ballard, D - (concussion) appears unlikely to play again this season.
Matt Cooke, LW - (sports hernia) has returned to practice.
Calgary Flames
Ladislav Smid, D - (neck) is out for the season.
Mark Giordano, D - (biceps) is out for the season.
Paul Byron, C - (lower body) did not play on Monday.
Ryan Culkin, D - (wrist) remains out.
St. Louis Blues
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW - (lower body) will not play Thursday.
Alexander Steen, LW - (lower body) appears doubtful to play Thursday.
Vancouver Canucks
Ryan Miller, G - (knee) faced shots at Thursday's optional practice,, but isn't ready to return yet.
Zack Kassian, RW - (back) is not with the Canucks on their current four-game road trip.
Brad Richardson, C - (ankle) remains day-to-day.
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Kane, RW - Though he was able to get in a non-contact practice Wednesday, Kane said that his 12-week recovery timetable hasn't changed.
Joakim Nordstrom, C - (upper body) remains out.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D - (knee) remains in the AHL conditioning after sustaining a broken kneecap.
Daniel Carcillo, LW - (upper body) is out.
Edmonton Oilers
Andrew Ference, D - could rejoin the team presently.
Boyd Gordon, C - (back) will travel with the Oilers for their upcoming road trip.
Viktor Fasth, G - (knee) is being listed as out indefinitely.
Matt Hendricks, LW - (back) will travel with the Oilers for their upcoming road trip.
Tyler Pitlick, RW - (spleen) remains out.
Mark Fayne, D - (shoulder) remains out.
Los Angeles Kings
Slava Voynov, D - (suspension) remains out while he goes through the legal system for charges of domestic violence.
Tanner Pearson, LW - (leg) believes he'll be able to return at some point this month.
Jarret Stoll, C - (upper body) resumed skating last week.
Andrej Sekera, D - (lower body) was injured in Monday's game.
Hot
Chris Kreider, LW, NYR -- The 23-year-old winger is stepping it up as the Rangers move toward the playoffs. In the last six games he has four goals and two assists with a plus-2 rating. There have been a couple games in there that were a mixed bag -- he was held without a shot in two of those games -- but his game has been well-rounded enough to make up for that, as long as you aren't depending on him to provide quality TOI for your team.
Nick Bonino, C, VAN -- Bonino is on a three-game point streak over which he has two goals and three assists with an average of 2.66 shots per game. In the last seven games he has three goals, four assists, a plus-6 rating, and an average of 2.7 shots per game. He's been playing great, which isn't something you've consistently been able to say about anyone outside of Vancouver's top line this season.
Cold
Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA -- The 19-year-old rookie should have already worked his way into a Calder Trophy Finalist position, but his offensive production has gone silent as the Panthers have been desperate for points, barely clinging to their playoff hopes. Over the last 12 games he has no goals and a single assist. He hasn't looked like the player we've seen most of the season and his ice time reflects this slump, going from playing over 20 minutes of ice time in 19 of 20 games to playing under 20 in the last seven games. In fact, he's only broken the 19-minute mark once in those seven games. His ice time has been cut and he's not showing signs of an imminent turnaround.
Zdeno Chara, D, BOS -- Moving from one of the youngest defensemen in the league to one of its elder statesmen, Chara has also disappeared. It hasn't been a banner year for Chara overall, but the Bruins, like the Panthers, need all the help they can get right now and Chara has managed two goals and no assists over his last 13 games with a minus-5 rating.
Recommended Pickup
David Pastrnak, RW, BOS -- The 18-year-old, 2014 1st round draft pick came into full-time NHL action later in the season, but he hasn't disappointed, even if his ice time has been limited. He's on a three-game point streak over which he has a goal and four assists. If you back that time frame up, he's been solid for a long time now, posting six goals and 15 assists in 25 games since February 8. That's not bad for a kid with 41 NHL games in his career. His frame is a bit slight, but he -- like Johnny Gaudreau -- is showing that it doesn't matter much when you're this talented.
