This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
Happy New Year and Happy Winter Classic Day!
For the Canadiens and Bruins, it's just another game in a long season and the 773rd meeting between the two teams in the regular season, but for the rest of the world, it's one of the biggest spectacles of the year.
In any other year, I'd be wary of advertising this as a good hockey game, in part because "good hockey game" means so many different things to so many different people, but also in years past the Winter Classic has been a sort of a dud, from delays due to sunlight and rain to constant dry scrapes. But this year's game will be different because there's quite a bit at stake today.
The Atlantic Division race is wide open. The five top teams are all separated by just four points, with the Panthers sitting at the top with 46 points. The Habs without Carey Price have started to freefall, going 2-8 in their past 10 games and seeing what seemed to be a strong foothold in first place becoming a mid-season collapse. The Bruins will be without David Krejci, but with the way Patrice Bergeron has carried the weight on his shoulders all season, they head into the Winter Classic with six wins in their past 10 games.
Can the Habs halt their losing streak and spark a little confidence, knowing that Price should return before the season's end? Or do the Bruins dominate and, despite all the criticism levied on Don Sweeney and his crew, complete the transformation from an aggressive, hard-hitting team to one that is quicker, nimbler and much more offensive in less than a year?
The other game on the slate will be a dinner date between the Canucks and Ducks, with the winner putting themselves into a playoff spot in another wide-open division. The story for this matchup is very similar; the Canucks are hoping Jacob Markstrom stop the bleeding as they deal with Ryan Miller's injury and a woeful 6-7-3 record at home, while the Ducks are surging upwards with six wins in their past 10 games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Montreal Canadiens (Mike Condon) at Boston Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 1:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks (John Gibson) at Vancouver Canucks (Jacob Markstrom), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Montreal Canadiens
Carey Price, G (lower body) – no return date set.
Tom Gilbert, D (lower body) – out until Jan. 6 at least.
Boston Bruins
Brad Marchand, LW (suspension) – will not play.
Chris Kelly, LW (fractured leg) – out indefinitely.
Joonas Kemppainen, C (upper body) – no return date set.
David Krejci, C (upper body) – no return date set.
Anaheim Ducks
Simon Despres, D (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Cam Fowler, D (knee) – out indefinitely.
Vancouver Canucks
Sven Baertschi, LW (upper body) – no return date set.
Ryan Miller, G (cramps) – no return date set.
Dan Hamhuis, D (face) – out two months.
Luca Sbisa, D (hand) – out two more weeks.
Brandon Sutter, C (abdomen) – set to return mid-January.
Hot
John Gibson, G, ANA – A shutout against Edmonton last night gives Gibson back-to-back shutouts and three straight wins. Gibson has been very impressive this season with a 1.81 GAA and .926 SV%, putting the Ducks' goaltending situation in flux with incumbent starter Frederik Andersen riding the pine right now. It's too early to tell who the Ducks will go with by the end of the year, but both goalies are worth owning right now.
Anze Kopitar, C, LA – He feasted on the Canucks with a four-assist effort and has eight points in his past four games, all of them wins. Rumor is that Kopitar is close to an extension with the Kings that should keep him in California for the better part of a decade, which is terrible news for everyone else in the Pacific Division.
Cold
Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR – He was pulled in three of his past six games before Wednesday's win against Tampa Bay and has allowed 22 goals in that span. Those are atrocious numbers though it hasn't really made a dent in his respectable 2.49 GAA and .921 SV%. Thing is, though, he has dates against Dallas, Washington, Boston and Brooklyn coming up.
Tomas Tatar, LW, DET – Everyone's just waiting for this kid to break out and tell everyone "I told you so," but the slick winger hasn't scored since Dec. 11 and has just one assist in his past eight games. He's still shooting at a pretty good clip with 11 goals on 83 shots and admits that he's getting the chances but just not capitalizing on them. He's just a little snake bit.
Recommended Pickup
Mikkel Boedker, RW, ARI – He's one of the league's most underrated forwards along with Martin Hanzal, but that's what happens when you play in Arizona. With another assist against Winnipeg last night, he now has a goal and six assists in his past four games. With dates against Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary coming up, he has a good chance to extend his streak.
