This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
So, if you've been living under a rock – a rock that doesn't get NHL Network or ESPN or TSN or the Internet – for the last day, you may have missed the goal of the year so far, Monday night's Seth Griffith beauty.
Look at it. Just look at it.
Yes, that's a blocked shot followed by a nearly coast-to-coast rush in which the 21-year-old rookie bulls his way right down the middle between a pair of defenders, gets turned around, and then flicks a perfect, no-look shot that goes through a pair of five holes – his own and Cory Schneider's – for the game-winning goal. The rookie had been quiet in recent games for the Bruins, going scoreless in four straight, but he's certainly attracted a lot of attention with that masterpiece.
One of the more intriguing things about the NHL is that so many of the amazing plays we see – goals that simply go where the goalie isn't, amazing saves with the knob of the stick, so on and so forth – are to a great degree a matter of luck. Griffith's puck probably doesn't go in nine out of 10 times, but it did this time, so it's the goal of the year. But if the heel of Schneider's stick catches the puck before it slides between his legs, it's the save of the day, at the least.
There's no denying that this game's got plenty of luck to it. But you also make your own luck, and that's what Griffith did by not giving up on the play, driving to the net and directing the rubber on goal. Sometimes, the process is more important than the result – even when the result is amazing.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00 PM
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 7:00 PM
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
Blue Jackets (Curtis McElhinney) at Capitals (Braden Holtby), 7:00 PM
Jets (Ondrej Pavelec) at Canadiens (Carey Price), 7:30 PM
Sharks (Antti Niemi) at Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:30 PM
Sabres (Michal Neuvirth) at Blues (Brian Elliott), 8:00 PM
Oilers (Ben Scrivens) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 8:00 PM
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Blackhawks (Corey Crawford), 8:30 PM
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Coyotes (Mike Smith), 9:00 PM
Senators (Craig Anderson) at Canucks (Ryan Miller), 10:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Tuesday
Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise, LW (concussion) – Traveling with team, but won't go Tuesday
Josh Harding, G (foot) – Getting close to returning
Matt Cooke, LW (lower body) – Lingering on IR; no word on return
Jared Spurgeon, D (shoulder) – Traveling, but won't play Tuesday
New Jersey Devils
Martin Havlat, RW (lower body) – Couldn't play Monday, but could return Tuesday
Ryane Clowe, LW (head) – Didn't go Monday; seems unlikely for Tuesday
Jon Merrill, D (arm/hand) – Also sat out Monday; no word on return
Adam Henrique, C (lower body) – Another guy out Monday with no news on Tuesday
Colorado Avalanche
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – Not much news since end-of-October setback
Brad Stuart, D (hamstring) – Remains out with no timetable
Ryan Wilson, D (shoulder) – Placed on IR Monday; aiming for Nov. 20 return
New York Islanders
Eric Boulton, LW (undisclosed) – Tweaked something at Monday's practice
Johnny Boychuk, D (knee) – Didn't practice Monday
Matt Carkner, D (back) – Out for the year
Michael Grabner, RW (hernia) – Skated on his own prior to Monday's practice
Josh Bailey, LW (hand) – Won't return Tuesday
Pittsburgh Penguins
Beau Bennett, RW (knee) – Killing it in AHL; should be recalled soon
Olli Maatta, D (neck) – Recovering from successful thyroid tumor removal surgery
New York Rangers
Dan Boyle, D (hand) – Expects to return sometime this week
Ryan McDonagh, D (shoulder) – Out into late November
Columbus Blue Jackets
Mark Letestu, C (groin) – Looks like he's out another couple weeks
Matt Calvert, LW (upper body) – Didn't go Saturday; no word on Tuesday
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (finger) – Could return as soon as Friday
Ryan Murray, D (knee) – Eligible for Tuesday return, but doesn't sound likely
Fedor Tyutin, D (undisclosed) – Questionable for Tuesday
Brandon Dubinsky, C (abdomen) – Aiming for Nov. 18 return
Jack Johnson, D (suspension) – Final game of suspension Tuesday
Jack Skille, RW (undisclosed) – Questionable for Tuesday
Artem Anisimov, C (concussion) – No timetable released yet
Cody Goloubef, D (leg) – Out about another five weeks
Washington Capitals
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – May not return until end of month
John Erskine, D (neck) – Out into December after surgery
Tom Wilson, RW (lower body) – Didn't practice Monday; questionable for Tuesday
Brooks Laich, C (upper body) – Didn't practice Monday; doesn't sound good for Tuesday
Winnipeg Jets
Anthony Peluso, RW (upper body) – Still hasn't returned despite being cleared last week
Montreal Canadiens
Michael Bournival, C (shoulder) – Placed on injured reserve Sunday
San Jose Sharks
Mike Brown, RW (hand) – Skating without cast, but out a matter of weeks still
Florida Panthers
Sean Bergenheim, LW (lower body) – Won't return Tuesday, but sounds likely for Friday
Dave Bolland, C (groin) – Expected back soon
Dmitry Kulikov, D (knee) – MRI showed no serious injury
Brandon Pirri, C (concussion) – Has missed four straight; lingering on IR
Buffalo Sabres
Patrick Kaleta, RW (face) – Cleared to play
Matt Hackett, G (knee) – Practicing with team
Marcus Foligno, LW (shoulder) – Cleared to play
St. Louis Blues
T.J. Oshie, RW (concussion) – Practiced in a non-contact jersey Monday
Edmonton Oilers
Taylor Hall, LW (knee) – Should be closing in on a return
Nashville Predators
Viktor Stalberg, LW (knee) – Expected out a while
Mike Fisher, C (Achilles) – Still a matter of weeks away
Anton Volchenkov, D (suspension) – All done; should be back in Tuesday
Tampa Bay Lightning
Victor Hedman, D (hand) – Might not return until early December
Brett Connolly, RW (lower body) – Skating, but not close
Alex Killorn, C (upper body) – Sat out again Sunday; no word on Tuesday status
Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Sharp, LW (knee) – Out about another three weeks
Daniel Carcillo, LW (knee) – Skating; looking to return on upcoming road trip
Dallas Stars
Cody Eakin, C (upper body) – Could play Tuesday
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (groin/hip) – Hit IR on Sunday
Arizona Coyotes
David Moss, RW (upper body) – Practiced in a non-contact jersey Monday
Ottawa Senators
Marc Methot, D (back) – Still no timetable
Alex Chiasson, RW (undisclosed) – Sat out Sunday for second straight
Vancouver Canucks
Tom Sestito, LW (lower body) – Out indefinitely
Luca Sbisa, D (undisclosed) – Sat out Sunday
Derek Dorsett, RW (undisclosed) – Didn't go Sunday
Zack Kassian, RW (leg) – Hit IR on Sunday
Radim Vrbata, RW (leg) – Couldn't go Sunday
Hot
Steve Downie, RW, PIT – Entering this season, it looked like the injuries that have dogged Downie throughout his career had finally sapped him of his skills, leaving behind an ineffective, defensively irresponsible pugilist. And early on this year, it looked like that wasn't about to change – through the first six games, he collected one whole assist and put all of five shots on goal. But then the light went on. Over the last seven games, Downie has scored two goals (one on the power play), dished out four assists (two on the power play) and accumulated a plus-3 rating – and he's complemented all that with a fantasy-friendly 37 PIM. He narrowly avoided a head injury Saturday, and it's likely he'll spend time on IR before all's said and done, but right now, Downie's healthy and producing great lines for fantasy owners.
Jakub Voracek, RW, PHI – I hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for Voracek to cool off. The last time this guy went without a point, you hadn't even bought your Halloween costume. Voracek's produced multiple points in exactly half of his 14 games this year, which explains how he finds himself sitting on a 22-point total, second only to that Sidney Crosby guy who always seems to top the list. And yet he hasn't scored a power-play goal yet this year. Be afraid, NHL. Be very afraid.
Cold
Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA – We expected to see a breakout sophomore season from 2013's No. 2 overall pick, but it's been slow going early on, as he's got just a lonely goal in 10 games and missed a couple contests with a lower-body issue. Since returning from that injury, he's stepped right back into first-line ice time, but has taken one shot on goal in nearly 35 minutes (including more than five on the power play) spanning two games. Barkov has failed to put a shot on goal four separate times this year, and he played more than 18 minutes in three of those games. All in all, it just doesn't look like the 19-year-old is ready for the role into which he's been thrust.
Jason Spezza, C, DAL – Spezza's season line of 13 points in 14 games doesn't really describe the way this year's gone for him, as the 31-year-old has actually had a pair of slumps sandwiching a mega-hot streak. He just snapped a four-game scoreless streak with a power-play assist Saturday, but ended up with a minus-3 rating, which takes a lot of the luster off that point. The experiment of putting him on a line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn has come to an end, and the Stars' top-heavy lineup means Spezza's stuck with one of the league's worst second-line wing pairs: rookie Curtis McKenzie and terrible veteran Ales Hemsky.
Recommended Pickup
Justin Faulk, D, CAR – Faulk led the way in Monday's win over the Flames, ripping off the game-winning power-play goal and two assists for his second straight multi-point game. The fantasy community's been slow to notice, but he now has an impressive 10 points in 14 games on the year, with four of those points coming on the power play and a shorthanded goal to boot. He's been pulling up the ol' plus-minus, too, which dropped as low as minus-9 in late October, but is now up to a reasonably respectable minus-4. It helps that the 'Canes as a whole are playing a lot better lately. This is pretty much the last call on Faulk – secret's out now.
