This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Tampa Bay Lightning players are like Lay's potato chips ("Betcha can't eat just one") -- or in this case, bet you can't choose just one Tampa Bay fantasy hockey player.
It used to be Steven Stamkos did most of the heavy lifting in the Sunshine State, but no more. Six Lightning players rank in the top 100 NHL scorers and that doesn't include Victor Hedman or Jonathan Drouin. Hedman, of course, has missed significant playing time, while Drouin is learning the craft as a rookie but has produced a respectable 11 points in 20 tilts.
The Bolts lead the NHL in goal scoring, averaging 3.46 goals per game. Their 1.00 goal differential (3.46 GF - 2.46 GA) trails only the Chicago Blackhawks' 1.08 (3.04 GF – 1.96 GA). Tampa Bay finished ninth in scoring a season ago with 2.83 goals per game, but that was largely on account of Stamkos missing 45 games. In 2012-13, the Lightning's 3.06 goals per game average ranked third in the league.
So long as Stamkos doesn't break a leg, there's good reason to believe Tampa Bay will sustain its scoring pace. Knock on an old Koho.
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What's going on in Pittsburgh?
The current top-six forward configuration more closely resembles that of Rico Fata, Maxime Ouellet and Milan Kraft than that of the Ronny Francis, Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux salad days.
In recent years, Evgeni Malkin and/or Sidney Crosby were the ones to suffer some sort of injury worthy of an IR stint. This year, it's everybody around them who's getting hurt for the flightless birdies. Pascal Dupuis is likely done for the season, Chris Kunitz is out with a foot fracture and Beau Bennett (who was technically toiling on the third line but would've moved up) is rehabbing a knee. Patric Hornqvist got his bell rung Thursday and the team has yet to provide a timeline for his return.
Of course, the glass half-full approach appreciates that both Malkin and Crosby remain healthy. Malkin, in particular, has picked his game up in recent action to a level reminiscent of his Art Ross Trophy campaign in 2011-12.
The team's four lesser-owned forwards skating top-six right now include Steve Downie and Nick Spaling with Crosby; Blake Comeau and Brandon Sutter with Malkin. Downie has marked value as the NHL's top penalty-minute guy while Comeau is contributing with consistent point production. Perhaps the player with the biggest fantasy stock appreciation in the last game (with Hornqvist out) is Sutter. Not only is he centering Malkin on the second line, but he's also skating on the No. 1 PP unit. Naturally, he'll get the boot whenever Hornqvist comes back, so it probably wouldn't be wise to overspend or reach for Sutter (even though he's become one of coach Mike Johnston's favorite players).
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Pittsburgh Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider) at Carolina Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin), 7:00 PM
Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at St. Louis Blues (Martin Brodeur), 8:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Monday
Pittsburgh Penguins
Beau Bennett, RW - Bennett (knee) is now listed on injured reserve, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/2/2014)
Anton Zlobin, LW - Zlobin underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday, Jonathan Bombulie of the Luzeme County Citizen's Voice reports. (12/2/2014)
Scott Wilson, LW - Wilson (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/5/2014)
Pascal Dupuis, RW - Dupuis (blood clot) skated on his own Tuesday morning. (12/2/2014)
Chris Kunitz, LW - Kunitz (foot) was moved to injured reserve Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. (12/5/2014)
Kris Letang, D - Letang (groin) took part in Saturday's morning skate. (12/6/2014)
Patric Hornqvist, RW - The Penguins will likely update Hornqvist's status following the team's game-day skate in New York on Monday. (12/7/2014)
New York Rangers
Tanner Glass, LW - Glass (mumps) skated on his own before Thursday's practice, Andrew Gross of The Record reports. (12/4/2014)
Chris Kreider, LW - Kreider had to head to the locker room during Sunday's practice after a collision with Carl Hagelin, Steve Zipay of Newsday reports. (12/7/2014)
New Jersey Devils
Adam Larsson, D - Larsson (flu) is not taking part in Saturday's morning skate. (12/6/2014)
Steve Santini, D - Santini underwent surgery to repair a broken wrist, Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger reports. (10/28/2014)
Patrik Elias, LW - Elias (groin) will not travel with the team for their game on Monday against the Hurricanes, Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger reports. (12/7/2014)
Martin Havlat, RW - Havlat (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Tom Gulitti of The Record reports. (12/4/2014)
Bryce Salvador, D - The Devils placed Salvador (lower body) on IR on Monday, Tom Gulitti of The Record reports. (11/17/2014)
Michael Cammalleri, LW - Cammalleri (lower body) won't travel with the team to Carolina for the game Monday, Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger reports. (12/7/2014)
Travis Zajac, C - Zajac (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Monday, Rich Chere of the Star-Ledger reports. (12/1/2014)
Ryane Clowe, LW - Coach Peter DeBoer said Clowe (head) could be headed for an extended absence, Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger reports. "[Clowe's] out. Maybe it looks long-term," DeBoer said. (11/21/2014)
Cam Janssen, RW - Janssen has been ruled out indefinitely after suffering an upper-body injury Tuesday while playing with AHL Albany, Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record reports. (10/24/2014)
Carolina Hurricanes
Jordan Staal, C - Staal (leg) has shed his cast and is expected to begin off-ice workouts soon, NBC Sports reports. (12/1/2014)
Brett Bellemore, D - Bellemore (lower body) joined the Hurricanes on the ice for Thursday's morning skate. (12/4/2014)
Florida Panthers
Scottie Upshall, LW - Upshall (ankle) won't travel with the team to St. Louis, but could meet the team in Detroit on Friday, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. (12/7/2014)
Dave Bolland, C - Bolland (groin) will be a game-time decision Saturday against the Sabres, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports. (12/6/2014)
Aleksander Barkov, C - Barkov (hand) will not fly with the team to St. Louis for Monday's game, George Richards of the Miami Hearld reports. (12/7/2014)
St. Louis Blues
Brian Elliott, G - Elliott (knee) skated Tuesday for the first time since suffering his injury last week, Sportsnet's John Shannon reports. (12/2/2014)
Carl Gunnarsson , D - Gunnarsson (upper body) is listed as doubtful for Monday's game against the Panthers, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. (12/7/2014)
Alexander Steen, LW - Steen, who missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, is considered questionable for Monday's tilt with the Panthers, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. (12/7/2014)
Jay Bouwmeester, D - Bouwmeester (groin) will remain out Saturday against the Islanders, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. (12/5/2014)
Hot
Bobby Ryan: Fresh off a three-assist effort Sunday, Ryan makes the hot list. Since returning from a broken finger, Ryan has four assists, six hits and 12 shots on goal in three contests. Ryan also has scored two goals and seven points on the man advantage in 24 games. Last year, he finished with nine power-play points in 70 games, so there's plenty of sneaky room for improvement in that category, too.
Nikita Kucherov: One of the many Lightning players alluded to above, Kucherov is coasting along I-95 with nine goals, 23 points and a plus-14 rating in 28 contests. What I like about the forward is that he's picked up only one point in the last 11 games he's collected a point. That means he hasn't loaded up with one or two big games and gone cold in the other ones. Yes, it's true that a point's a point, but it shows consistency from the 21-year-old. Finally, he's already scored more points (23) than he did in 2013-14, when the winger finished with 18 points in 52 contests.
Cold
John Tavares: It's probably a good thing for the Islanders, as a team, that Ryan Strome has only four fewer points than Tavares does, or that Brock Nelson is one point behind him, or that Kyle Okposo is tied with Tavares for the team point lead. That said, Tavares' overall numbers mask a decline in production since season's start. He got off to a red-hot start, picking up nine points (2G, 7A) in four games. It was looking like he might run away with Art Ross's Trophy and hide it on his mantel. That hasn't happened. In his last 23 tilts, Tavares has scored 15 points. The Isles are flying high, but fantasy owners have to hold out hope that JT goes on a scoring binge in the near future. Perhaps all he needs is to be listed on the cold list here. FYI, do not go out and sell Tavares (well, unless you get a huge whopper of a trade offer).
Sidney Crosby: He's battled a cold in the last week, lost both of his linemates (Kunitz and Hornqvist) to injury and appears to have lost some confidence (he missed a wide open net on a power-play chance Thursday). There's even been talk that an injured wrist he decided to rehab rather than undergo offseason surgery is acting up on him. Whatever the case, Crosby has but two goals in his last 18 games. He has 18 assists during that span, but the lack of goal scoring is concerning for the centerman – he's registered only 17 shots in his last nine games.
Recommended Pickup:
Kyle Palmieri: Palmieri gave the Ducks a victory Sunday, potting an overtime game-winner for his fourth goal of the season. He debuted in mid-November after suffering a high ankle sprain in the preseason. The forward, who scored 31 points in 71 games in his first full campaign in 2013-14, has three points in his last three games. Palmieri, 23, appears to be rounding back into shape and offers fantasy owners secondary scoring at a likely low acquisition cost.
