This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a bad way. There is no other way to slice it, no way to sugarcoat it. They've gotten off to the worst start in the NHL. After losing Tuesday to the Islanders, they remain winless on the season. This is particularly galling, because they had some playoff aspirations entering the year. Some fans may have already given up on those postseason dreams, but at one point does it truly make sense to give up the ghost?
There are teams that have overcome bad starts. Take, for example, the 2007-2007 Washington Capitals. They began the year 6-14-1, then proceeded to fire Glen Hanlon and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau. Of course, that team had Alex Ovechkin. The Blue Jackets have a couple fine players, but they have no Ovechkin. More notably, the 1993-1994 San Jose Sharks started the season 0-8-1, and they ended up eking into the postseason. You may recall their major upset of the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round.
So, Columbus fans shouldn't give up just yet. Yes, the odds are against them, and Todd Richards may not be around much longer, but the playoffs could still be in the future. They just, you know, need to manage a few wins.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier) at Sabres (Chad Johnson), 7:00 PM
Flyers (Michal Neuvirth) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 8:00 PM
Red Wings (Petr Mrazek*) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 9:30 PM
Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Maple Leafs
Tyler Bozak, C (lower-body) – Expected to play
Stephane Robidas, D (groin) – On injured reserve
Sabres
Zach Bogosian, D (lower-body) – Did not practice Monday, unlikely to play Wednesday
Robin Lehner, G (ankle) – Out 6-10 weeks
Cody McCormick, C (illness) – Out indefinitely
Bob Sanguinetti, D (undisclosed) – Out indefinitely
Flyers
R.J. Umberger, LW (upper-body) – Day-to-day
Bruins
Seth Griffith, RW (knee) – Skating, return date unknown
Joe Morrow, D (illness) – On injured reserve
Dennis Seidenberg, D (back) – Out six weeks
Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk, C (ankle) – Not expected to return until November
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – On injured reserve
Oilers
Jordan Eberle, RW (shoulder) – On injured reserve
Matt Hendricks, LW (foot) – On injured reserve
Hurricanes
Riley Nash, C (shoulder) – Practiced in non-contact jersey Monday
Joakim Nordstrom, C (undisclosed) – Day-to-day
James Wisniewski, D (knee) – Out six months
Avalanche
Tyson Barrie, D (suspension) – Suspended three games
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – On injured reserve
Hot
Nicklas Backstrom, C, WAS – Backstrom missed the first couple of games of the season due to injury, but if you were worried about him coming back less than full strength, those fears should be assuaged. After scoring two goals against Calgary on Tuesday, Backstrom has three goals and two assists in two games. There are many teams where Backstrom would be the best player on the roster. He's hit the ground running this season, and he's already made up for lost time.
James Neal, LW, NAS – Neal was brought in by the Predators last season to give them some much needed offense, and he wasn't quite able to live up to the expectations. So far, he's done plenty to atone for that. Neal added two more goals and an assist Tuesday against Tampa Bay, giving him five goals and two assists in his last three games. This is a guy who has had big fantasy seasons in the past, and it would not be surprising to see him do that again.
Cold
Jack Johnson, D, CLM – I mentioned Columbus' struggles earlier in this column, and Johnson's numbers are indicative of those struggles. He has one point this season, a goal, and he is a minus-8. He was a minus-4 against Toronto, of all teams. Johnson is playing a ton of minutes, but on a team playing this poorly, that may not be a good thing.
Jakob Silfverberg, LW, ANA – Silfverberg may have come into the year considered a reasonable secondary scoring option. He scored 39 points last season, was a plus-15, and had 189 shots on goal. Plus, he only just turned 25, so there was still room for improvement. Well, there is a lot of room for improvement this season, as Silfverberg has yet to pick up a single point through five games. He's averaging more minutes per game than ever, so the opportunity has been there. He just hasn't taken advantage yet. Until he does, though, be wary.
Recommended Pickup
Ales Hemsky, RW, DAL – There was a little disappointment in Hemsky's performance last season, as he only scored 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games in his first season in Dallas. With so much talent around him, many figured that the move from Edmonton would do him well. He's only 32, so he's not at the end of the line, and he's off to a fine start to the season. He only has one goal, but he has six points in six games, and 14 shots on goal. Maybe this year he'll do what folks expected last season. Playing on a power play with guys like Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn can't hurt.
