This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Typically, this point of the season is ripe with trade rumors and speculation. Savvy owners can often grab a soon-to-be-traded asset and hope for a relocation to a more favorable fantasy situation.
However, with most teams flush against the salary cap, very few clear-cut sellers and the expansion draft looming, one of the quietest deadline stretches in years could be ahead. Where fantasy owners might find the edge is with AHL talents that are promoted for late-season runs. Jake Guentzel is currently moving the needle, and William Nylander serves as an example of a late riser from last year.
While there might not be a lot of player movement over the coming weeks, the playoff races are tight, and we're already in the stretch drive.
Featured Matchups
Rangers (PP: 15, PK: 11) at Islanders (PP: 25, PK: 17), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Henrik Lundqvist (26-13-1, 2.68, .911), Thomas Greiss (17-10-3, 2.55, .918)
Key Injuries:Cal Clutterbuck (lower body), Travis Hamonic (knee), Shane Prince (upper body)
The Islanders are 18-8-6 at home and coming off an appalling 7-1 loss to Toronto on Tuesday. The Rangers, meanwhile, have won six consecutive games to improve to 20-9 dating back to early December. Both clubs excel at generating offense with the Rangers creating the second-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (12.65), and the Islanders sporting a seventh-ranked 12.09 mark. Additionally, the Rangers and Islanders also allow the sixth-most (11.62) and second-most (12.31) high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, respectively.
An interesting difference between the two teams has been in goal. Even behind suspect defense, Greiss owns a .918 save percentage, whereas Lundqvist sports a career-low .911 mark. Another clear difference between the two clubs is the offensive depth the Rangers boast. The Rangers have eight double-digit goal scorers and seven players with over 30 points. The Islanders have just six and five, respectively. Additionally, the Blueshirts have battled injuries to top players to cut into their totals.
Jets (PP: 19, PK: 27) at Penguins (PP: 5, PK: 24), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Connor Hellebuyck (18-15-1, 2.77, .910), Matt Murray (21-6-2, 2.27, .926)
Key Injuries:Carl Hagelin (concussion), Bryan Rust (arm), Conor Sheary (upper body), Andrew Copp (upper body), Marko Dano (lower body), Toby Enstrom (lower body), Tyler Myers (lower body), Ondrej Pavelec (concussion)
The Jets need to string together a winning streak to improve their playoff chances, but PPG Paints Arena isn't a favorable starting point. Pittsburgh is 23-3-3 on home ice, after all. Additionally, the Penguins average the most goals per game (3.55) and generate the most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes (12.99) in the league. This is a daunting matchup for Hellebuyck, as he's posted a .902 save percentage and 3.22 GAA over his past nine road games. Murray, on the other hand, is 12-1-2 with a .932 save percentage and 2.20 GAA at home for the campaign.
Still, the Winnipeg offense can keep pace in a track meet … potentially. The Jets bring a top-heavy attack led by Mark Scheifele (2.97 points per 60 mintues) and Patrik Laine (3.05) but are also dealing with a slew of injuries. While Pittsburgh also has a few injured regulars, scoring depth was already its strength, and there should be a number of favorable in-game matchups for head coach Mike Sullivan to exploit.
Stars (PP: 18, PK: 30) at Wild (PP: 8, PK: 10), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Kari Lehtonen (12-17-6, 2.88, .902), Devan Dubnyk (31-10-3, 1.97, .933)
Key Injuries:Ales Hemsky (hip), Mattias Janmark (knee), Johnny Oduya (lower body), Jonas Brodin (finger),Mathew Dumba (lower body)
Dallas has lost consecutive games and is now well out of the playoff picture. In fact, the Stars are potential deadline sellers unless they put together a heater in a hurry. A second-lowest .895 team save percentage and a slew of injuries have done in Dallas, but they're still top heavy with an elite go-to offensive punch. Jamie Benn has three consecutive multi-point showings and nine goals and 18 points over his past 13 outings. Tyler Seguin is also scoring at a point-per-game pace over his past 15 games with six goals and nine assists.
Minnesota was stymied by John Gibson's 37 saves Tuesday, as Anaheim snuck out a 1-0 road win over the Wild. However, Minny is 26-5-2 since last losing consecutive games Dec. 2. It's an incredible run, and the Wild own a league-high team save percentage (.925) while allowing the second-fewest goals (2.26) and fourth-fewest high-dangers scoring chances (9.38) per 60 minutes. Dubnyk is rounding back into form with three wins, a .944 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA over his past four outings, too.
Other Matchups
Senators (PP: 24, PK: 8) at Devils (PP: 23, PK: 15), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Craig Anderson (13-7-1, 2.37, .926), Cory Schneider (18-16-8, 2.66, .912)
Key Injuries:Beau Bennett (lower body), Kyle Quincey (upper body), Chris Wideman (lower body)
While currently mired in a five-game point drought, look for Mike Hoffman to catch fire offensively sooner than later. He registered seven shots on net last game and received 21:34 of ice time. He's too talented for prolonged scoring droughts. For New Jersey, Schneider might finally be turning his season around. He's won three of his past four outings with a .943 save percentage and 1.76 GAA, and this isn't a daunting matchup with Ottawa generating just 9.55 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road.
Avalanche (PP: 29, PK: 25) at Sabres (PP: 2, PK: 29), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Calvin Pickard (9-17-1, 3.02, .904), Robin Lehner (15-16-6, 2.55, .924)
Key Injuries:Cody Franson (foot), Zemgus Girgensons (abdomen), Evander Kane (illness), Johan Larsson (wrist), Rene Bourque (lower body), Erik Johnson (leg),
This is the Avalanche's fourth tilt during a five-game road trip, and they've lost the first three outings. Colorado has also allowed the most goals per game in the league (3.39). While Jack Eichel has seven points through his past nine games, he has just a single goal and a 3.2 shooting percentage. There is positive regression in the goals column ahead for the star center. This sets up as a nice spot to sprinkle some Sabres into your daily lineups, too.
Canucks (PP: 27, PK: 23) at Blues (PP: 7, PK: 5), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ryan Miller (15-16-3, 2.65, .916), Jake Allen (21-14-3, 2.67, .904)
Key Injuries:Kyle Brodziak (foot), Robby Fabbri (knee), Paul Stastny (lower body), Sven Baertschi (concussion), Erik Gudbranson (wrist), Bo Horvat (leg), Anton Rodin (knee), Brandon Sutter (undisclosed)
While the Blues are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, Vancouver will be playing its last contest of a six-game road trip. St. Louis has gone 6-1 and allowed just eight goals since Mike Yeo took over as bench boss. It's a small sample size, but limiting the opposition to just 8.28 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes is suffocating defense and has helped the Blues under Yeo's watch. Allen has benefited and won four of five starts with a .953 save percentage and 1.40 GAA during the stretch.
Flyers (PP: 13, PK: 18) at Oilers (PP: 11, PK: 14), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Steve Mason (16-17-6, 2.90, .900), Cam Talbot (28-16-7, 2.36, .920)
Key Injuries:Andrew Ference (hip), Darnell Nurse (ankle), Tyler Pitlick (knee), Benoit Pouliot (undisclosed), Kris Russell (undisclosed), Travis Konecny (lower body)
Claude Giroux sports a five-game point drought and has just a single goal and no assists through his past eight outings. As a result, the Flyers have just 10 goals during the stretch and are two points out of a playoff berth. Edmonton is an admirable opponent with Philadelphia on the wrong end of back-to-back road games, especially considering Mason sports an active 2-8-2 record with a .876 save percentage and 3.49 GAA. Additionally, it's worth noting that while Leon Draisaitl posted a three-point night last time out, his goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five drops 0.71 points when he's not playing with Connor McDavid.
Coyotes (PP: 26, PK: 26) at Kings (PP: 21, PK: 6), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Mike Smith (14-15-6, 2.83, .918), Peter Budaj (26-16-3, 2.11, .917)
Key Injuries:Lawson Crouse (lower body), Brad Richardson (leg), Matt Greene (undisclosed), Jordan Nolan (lower body), Jonathan Quick (groin)
The Kings are fresh off their five-day bye, whereas Arizona is playing its third road game in four nights and allow a league-high 14.5 high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes on the road. Tyler Toffoli has just one goal through four games since returning from injury, but he's combined with Jeff Carter for an impressive 3.02 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five over the past three years. Although potentially chalky, the duo should have a strong showing in daily contests against the Coyotes.
Recommended Pickup
Jake Guentzel, F, PIT: Still widely available, Guentzel has been locked into a top-six role over the past month and has a respectable seven points -- three goals -- through 13 games. Of late, the 22-year-old winger has been skating on Sidney Crosby's flank, and Guentzel has averaged 19:36 of ice time and hit the scoresheet in consecutive games. Pittsburgh is also the highest-scoring team in the league, so being deployed as a key cog in an offensive juggernaut will also help buoys Guentzel's virtual value.
