This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
I'm sure you've heard this one before: You're never as good as you look when you're on a hot streak, and you're never as bad as you look when you're slumping. There are three teams in the league who hope the former part of that statement doesn't hold true – the Rangers, Canadiens and Stars, who have raced out to early leads in their respective divisions.
Of course, the Habs are already cooling – they've lost nothing with backup goalie Mike Condon instead of Carey Price, but are still a relatively modest 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. But the Rangers are aflame, in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, while the Stars have themselves won eight of their last 10.
It's interesting to see different styles leading to the same results in the standings. The Rangers have the best defense in the league, which they've complemented with a deep offensive attack; the Habs have a slightly better offense and a slightly worse defense, and are benefiting from a number of out-of-nowhere contributions in the goal column; and the Stars are, well, top-heavy with stars, but not a good defensive team.
Of the three, maybe it's the homer in me, because as long-time readers know, I'm a Rangers fan, but it seems like New York's approach is the most sustainable. The Rangers are where they are despite the fact that their top two lines, Mats Zuccarello aside, have been mediocre offensively. Kevin Hayes and Oscar Lindberg – two (talented) guys who are 17th and 18th on the team, respectively, in average ice time – are tied for third among Rangers in points. Their productivity, in combination with the fact that we're still waiting for Rick Nash (two goals!), Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider (both with 10 points) to step up, is indicative of considerable upside remaining for a team that's already been tough to beat.
The Habs, on the other hand, have a number of guys playing over their heads – guys like Dale Weise, Tomas Fleischmann and Torrey Mitchell are doing things we would never have expected in Montreal, and as they cool off, the team will too.
As for the Stars, an injury to Tyler Seguin or Jamie Benn would sink their entire offense. Indeed, the trio of Seguin, Benn and new-minted stud blueliner John Klingberg has totaled 71 points in 18 games this year; only four other guys on the team have even hit double digits. We've certainly seen throughout NHL history that superstars can power their teams to titles, but these Stars certainly have all their eggs in just a few baskets.
Anyway, let's look at Tuesday's action.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Sharks (Martin Jones) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 7:00 PM
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Sabres (Chad Johnson), 7:00 PM
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Flyers (Steve Mason), 7:00 PM
Blues (Brian Elliott) at Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky), 7:00 PM
Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury), 7:30 PM
Avalanche (Reto Berra) at Maple Leafs (James Reimer), 7:30 PM
Ducks (Frederik Andersen) at Predators (Pekka Rinne), 8:00 PM
Devils (Cory Schneider) at Flames (Karri Ramo), 9:00 PM
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News for Teams Playing Tuesday
San Jose Sharks
Logan Couture, C (foot) – Beginning to approach return
Ben Smith, RW (head) – Skated Monday for about 20 minutes
Raffi Torres, LW (suspension) – Still banned 'til the halfway point
Boston Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (leg) – Out for the entire regular season at least
Alexander Khokhlachev, C (hand) – Out another 3-to-5 weeks
Colin Miller, D (lower body) – Returned to practice Monday
David Pastrnak, LW (foot) – Dealing with small fracture
Dallas Stars
Travis Moen, LW (upper body) – Could be back in Tuesday
Jyrki Jokipakka, D (lower body) – Has sat two straight
Buffalo Sabres
Zemgus Girgensons, C (undisclosed) – No practice Monday; may not play Tuesday
Mike Weber, D (knee) Week-to-week after undergoing surgery Friday
Patrick Kaleta, RW (knee) – No return date still
Zach Bogosian, D (lower body) – Back sometime this week, maybe even Tuesday
Evander Kane, LW (knee) – Within one week of timetable's early end
Robin Lehner, G (ankle) – Well within return timeframe, but no updates lately
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Greene, D (upper body) – Not traveling on road trip
Dwight King, LW (foot) – In a soft boot for two more weeks
Philadelphia Flyers
R.J. Umberger, LW (undisclosed) – Hit IR over weekend
Mark Streit, D (pelvis) – Out six weeks after surgery
Ryan White, RW (upper body) – Out 2-to-4 weeks
Steve Mason, G (undisclosed) – Missed practice Monday, but just a maintenance day
St. Louis Blues
Steve Ott, C (upper body) – Still has no timetable
Patrik Berglund, C (shoulder) – Out into January
Jaden Schwartz, LW (ankle) – Out at least nine more weeks
Paul Stastny, C (foot) – Has shed his walking boot
Columbus Blue Jackets
David Clarkson, RW (lower body) – Lingering on IR
Alexander Wennberg, C (foot) – Out another week or so
Brandon Dubinsky, C (elbow) – Has "complications" from a cut
Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise, LW (knee) – Back to skating Monday
Justin Fontaine, RW (knee) – Out about another 2-to-4 weeks
Tyler Graovac, C (groin) – Out at least four more weeks
Zac Dalpe, C (hip) – Out into April
Pittsburgh Penguins
Patric Hornqvist, RW (undisclosed) – Missed Monday's practice
Nick Bonino, C (illness) – Didn't practice Monday
Colorado Avalanche
Alex Tanguay, LW (knee) – Out for an "extended period"
Brad Stuart, D (back) – Left team on road trip and returned to Denver
Semyon Varlamov, G (groin) – Hit IR over weekend
Gabriel Landeskog, LW (suspension) – Will sit out Tuesday
Toronto Maple Leafs
Stephane Robidas, D (groin) – No timetable for return
Anaheim Ducks
Nate Thompson, C (shoulder) – Should start taking contact soon
Simon Despres, D (concussion) – Skating on his own
Josh Manson, D (illness) – Didn't play Monday; Tuesday uncertain
Jiri Sekac, RW (ankle) – Off his crutches
Nashville Predators
Eric Nystrom, LW (upper body) – Back at practice Monday
Paul Gaustad, C (lower body) – Has missed three straight
New Jersey Devils
Stefan Matteau, LW (illness) – Didn't play Saturday; probably better chances for Tuesday
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) – Practiced Monday; nearing return
Tuomo Ruutu, LW (foot) – Out a matter of weeks yet
Calgary Flames
Jonas Hiller, G (hip) – Skated Monday
Lance Bouma, C (leg) – Out another two months
Hot
Dan Girardi, D, NYR – As a guy who's known for the defensive side of his game, Girardi's not a sought-after fantasy commodity, but he's certainly been a useful play this month. Over the course of seven November games, the veteran blueliner's got a goal, six assists and a plus-9 rating, all while providing more or less his typical complement of hits and blocks. This is probably about as good as it gets for Girardi, and you can't expect him to keep up the hot streak, but as he has been for nearly a decade now, he's the linchpin of a defense that protects Henrik Lundqvist game after game. Girardi's recent two-way productivity is no small part of why the Rangers have been unbeatable lately.
Brock Nelson, LW, NYI – After suffering through a nine-game stretch in which he recorded just one point, Nelson's awoken in a big way lately, racking up three goals and six points over the course of the last four games. That's coincided with a spike in his ice time and more consistent power-play minutes, though he still remains without a point on the man advantage this season. Still, Nelson has worlds of upside and he gets to skate next to John Tavares, which is a winning formula for fantasy owners.
Cold
Jonathan Drouin, LW, TAM – Even before an undisclosed injury sidelined him for Monday's game, Drouin was well on his way to once again disappointing this season. The 2013 No. 3 overall pick has only six points in 14 games this year and is in the midst of a nine-game skid without a point right now, dating all the way back to Oct. 15 thanks to the time he's missed to injury. His combination of talent, team context and power-play time should be yielding much more than it has, but so far, no dice.
Recommended Pickup
Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJ – I hate the Devils. Hate them. So you know if I'm recommending one, he's got to be good. Indeed, as a one-time first-round pick (in 2009 by Anaheim), Palmieri has tons of talent, but he never realized it on the left coast. New Jersey's been a different story, though – for the first time in his career, he's seeing big minutes both at even strength and on the man advantage, and Palmieri has paid off the Devils with a whopping eight power-play points out of the 14 he's accumulated over 17 contests this season. He's been particularly sizzling of late – though he went without a point Saturday, Palmieri still has five goals and six assists in his last nine games. Don't let him linger on the wire any longer.
