This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The holiday break is nearly upon us – Tuesday's slate represents a last pre-Christmas hurrah for the NHL, which will take a short break for the rest of this week to once again let its players have a holiday with their families. That (mostly) allows hockey writers like yours truly to do the same; for that, we thank the league.
On that note, if you're looking for any injured players to return Tuesday, consider this to be the hockey version of the bye week – most guys on the verge of returning will sit out for the extra rest.
But first, 20 teams get some final action in before the holiday. Let's check 'em out.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Blues (Brian Elliott) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Ducks (John Gibson) at Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
Devils (Cory Schneider) at Red Wings (Jimmy Howard), 7:30 PM
Canucks (Jacob Markstrom) at Lightning (Ben Bishop), 7:30 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:30 PM
Canadiens (Mike Condon) at Wild (Darcy Kuemper), 8:00 PM
Blackhawks (Corey Crawford) at Stars (Kari Lehtonen), 8:30 PM
Jets (Michael Hutchinson) at Flames (Karri Ramo), 9:00 PM
Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier) at Coyotes (Anders Lindback), 9:00 PM
Sharks (Martin Jones) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM
For updates on projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Tuesday
St. Louis Blues
Kyle Brodziak, C (undisclosed) – Not traveling on road trip
Patrik Berglund, C (shoulder) – Still out forever, or something like it
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) – About four more weeks
Steve Ott, C (hamstring) – Out about another 10 weeks
Boston Bruins
Maxime Talbot, C (suspension) – Two-game ban
Chris Kelly, RW (leg) – Out many months yet
Zac Rinaldo, C (upper body) – Back at practice Monday
Joonas Kemppainen, C (upper body) – Lingering on IR; no timeline
Anaheim Ducks
Nate Thompson, C (suspension) – Eligible to return Tuesday
Simon Despres, D (concussion) – Still dealing with lingering symptoms
New York Rangers
Antti Raanta, G (head) – Still hurting and unable to assume backup duties
Dan Girardi, D (knee) – Didn't go Sunday; probably won't go Tuesday
Kevin Klein, D (oblique) – Hit IR Friday, but nearing return
New Jersey Devils
Bobby Farnham, LW (upper body) – No clear timeline
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) – Won't play Tuesday
Detroit Red Wings
Jonathan Ericsson, D (upper body) – Doubtful for Tuesday's game
Drew Miller, LW (jaw) – Out another four weeks or so
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW (shoulder) – Out another 4-to-6 weeks
Kyle Quincey, D (ankle) – Expected back in early January
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely
Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin, C (undisclosed) – Could play Tuesday
Dan Hamhuis, D (face) – Out two months
Brandon Sutter, C (abdomen) – Could be back in second week of January
Luca Sbisa, D (hand) – Original timeline points to next week
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tyler Johnson, C (undisclosed) – Won't return Tuesday
Ondrej Palat, LW (ankle) – No-contact practice Monday
J.T. Brown, RW (undisclosed) – Day-to-day
Jonathan Drouin, C (lower body) – Still a possibility for Tuesday
Cedric Paquette, C (upper body) – Game-time call Tuesday
Joel Vermin, RW (hand) – Out another 4-to-6 weeks
Brian Boyle, C (upper body) – Won't go Tuesday
Ottawa Senators
Chris Phillips, D (back) – Career may be over
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) – No timetable
Bobby Ryan, RW (finger) – Questionable for Tuesday's game
Cody Ceci, D (upper body) – Also questionable Tuesday
Milan Michalek, LW (finger) – Remains out indefinitely
Florida Panthers
Derek MacKenzie, C (knee) – Expected to rejoin the lineup Tuesday
Dave Bolland, C (illness) – Recalled from conditioning stint, but won't play Tuesday
Steve Kampfer, D (lower body) --
Nick Bjugstad, C (upper body) – Will return post-Chritmas
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price, G (leg) – At least three more weeks on the sidelines
Jeff Petry, D (upper body) – Didn't go Monday; Tuesday seems unlikely
Devante Smith-Pelly, RW (lower body) – Skating as an extra in practice
Brendan Gallagher, RW (fingers) – Skating, but not practicing yet
Minnesota Wild
Zac Dalpe, C (hip) – Out a few months yet
Chicago Blackhawks
Marian Hossa, RW (upper body) – Won't go Tuesday
Marcus Kruger, C (wrist) – Out four months
Dallas Stars
Devin Shore, C (undisclosed) – Out indefinitely after AHL injury
Winnipeg Jets
Ondrej Pavelec, G (knee) – Out into January or even February
Calgary Flames
Kevin Poulin, G (knee) – Out another couple weeks yet
Jon Gillies, G (hip) – Will need several months
Michael Frolik, LW (upper body) – Out for a matter of weeks
Lance Bouma, C (lower leg) – With road trip over, Tuesday return possible
Toronto Maple Leafs
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) – No timetable
Nick Spaling, C (upper body) – Out for "an extended period"
James Reimer, G (groin) – Had partial practice Monday
Garret Sparks, G (lower body) – Facing long-term absence
Arizona Coyotes
Joe Vitale, C (face) – Remains out with fractured orbital bone and concussion
Zbynek Michalek, D (lower body) – Tuesday status unclear, but possible to play
Mike Smith, G (lower body) – Out another 7-to-9 weeks
San Jose Sharks
Raffi Torres, LW (suspension) – Counting down to Jan. 14
Joel Ward, RW (undisclosed) – Doubtful to play Tuesday
Logan Couture, C (thigh) – Remains out through the break
Melker Karlsson, C (illness) – Probable for Tuesday
Los Angeles Kings
Kyle Clifford, LW (upper body) – Lingering on IR with no clear timeline
Dwight King, LW (foot) – Practiced Monday, but out into January
Matt Greene, D (upper body) – On LTIR
Hot
Corey Crawford, G, CHI – Someone tell this guy it isn't April yet, 'cause Crawford has been in full-on playoff mode lately. He's had only one day off in December, and the results he's been putting up lately have been incredible – the 30-year-old netminder's 7-1 in his last eight outings, and he owns a ridiculous 1.11 GAA and .963 save mark in that span. Scott Darling's proven no threat in a backup role, so although you have to imagine the 'Hawks will find ways to work him in for 20-ish games to keep Crawford fresh for the postseason, their blue paint very clearly belongs to the veteran netminder. He's cementing his place among the league's elite and could set a new career mark in games played this year.
Taylor Hall, LW, EDM – This isn't Hall's first 2015-16 appearance in this space, and it won't be the last. Still just 24 years old, he's working on his finest NHL campaign to date, and he's been doing particularly impressive things lately. The puck's like a yo-yo on his stick, and that skill's led to an immensely hot run recently – over his last nine games, Hall's racked up six goals (two of them on the power play), eight assists, a plus-2 rating, and even 12 PIM to boot. That positive plus-minus is part of a broader trend this year for Hall, who's sitting on a plus-13 for the year – well above his career-best mark of plus-5. Aside from playing for Edmonton, health's always been the big issue for Hall, but if he stays on the ice, he's going to set new personal highs in a whole load of categories.
Cold
Cam Fowler, D, ANA – You could still list all the Ducks here, but Fowler's been one of the more egregious offenders this year. He hasn't scored a goal since Nov. 19 (remember when he scored 10 goals as a rookie? That was nice) and hasn't even registered on the scoresheet in Anaheim's last eight games. Despite averaging 24:38 of ice time and 2:48 on the power play in that span, Fowler's only managed to put 13 shots on goal, including exactly zero (with a minus-3 rating) in Monday's loss to the Isles. Now his time on the man advantage is starting to fade away – Fowler has skated under a minute on the power play in three of the last four games.
Recommended Pickup
Kris Russell, D, CGY – Some fantasy owners have already caught on to Russell's recent warming spell, which started after a brief absence due to a hand injury, but two consecutive games off the scoresheet may make them slow their roll(s). Don't slow yours; while Russel's certainly already owned in leagues that count blocked shots, he's fairly widely available otherwise, and he's been a rock on a blue line that's been in surprising disarray this year. Despite the Flames' well-documented problems in net, Russell's just minus-3 for the season, and his recent three-game hot streak (a goal and four assists) shows what he's capable of delivering in short bursts. With all those minutes and even some power-play time, it'd be no surprise to see him deliver a few more nice little runs.
