This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The Dennis Wideman ruling came in yesterday and the independent arbitrator reduced his suspension for running over linesman Don Henderson to 10 games. HWideman has already served 19.
All it really means is that he was able to play Friday instead of serving his 20th game and he's going to get 10 extra games of salary, which is significant. Though owners of Flames players and the actual Flames probably wish they could get those nine games back.
Whether or not the ruling came back this way, Wideman was on his way back into the lineup in short order and that's good news for the Flames who have allowed four or more goals in 13 of the 19 games Wideman was out.
It didn't help that they traded away Kris Russell in the middle of that suspension, but Wideman's presence should help to stabilize their defense a little and give the goaltenders a little extra help.
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Montreal has been a mess this season. It's been a historic fall for the team that was the hottest in the league to start the season. They've been a lot better lately though.
Alex Galchenyuk has, in particular, been great. He has two goals in each of his last three games and has five multi-goal games over his last eight. He's been ridiculous.
But they're a mess outside of those top players. With a slew of injuries right now, it's hard to know what to expect from them. Not only are they still without Carey Price, they're down P.K. Subban, Brendan Gallagher, David Desharnais, Nathan Beaulieu, Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, Brian Flynn and Daniel Carr.
They also traded away Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann at the trade deadline. This is a thin team hitting the ice Saturday. It makes it a lot harder to trust their depth players on your roster. Until they start getting some guys back, it may be prudent to steer clear of depth guys here.
Though you should probably keep playing Galchenyuk.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Islanders (Thomas Greiss) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 1:00 PM
Hurricanes (Cam Ward) at Sabres (Robin Lehner), 1:00 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek), 2:00 PM
Wild (Darcy Kuemper) at Canadiens (Mike Condon), 7:00 PM
Maple Leafs (Garret Sparks) at Senators (Craig Anderson), 7:00 PM
Flyers (Michal Neuvirth) at Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 7:00 PM
Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov) at Jets (Ondrej Pavelec), 7:00 PM
Blues (Jake Allen) at Stars (Antti Niemi), 9:00 PM
Coyotes (Louis Domingue) at Oilers (Cam Talbot), 10:00 PM
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Canucks (Ryan Miller), 10:00 PM
Devils (Keith Kinkaid) at Kings (Jonathan Quick), 10:30 PM
Capitals (Braden Holtby) at Sharks (Martin Jones), 10:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
New York Islanders
Jaroslav Halak, G (groin) - is slated to miss the next six weeks
Mikhail Grabovski, C (upper body) - is questionable
Calvin de Haan, D (lower body) - is "not close" to a return
Adam Pelech, D (upper body) - may be unavailable for the rest of the season
Marek Zidlicky, D (upper body) - was out of the lineup Wednesdat and may not be available Saturday
Boston Bruins
Chris Kelly, RW (fractured femur) - has skated, but isn't close to a return
Kevan Miller, D (upper body) - is a game-time decision
Zac Rinaldo, C (suspension) - hasn't yet started serving a give-game suspension
Carolina Hurricanes
James Wisniewski, D (knee) - has started skating again, but won't be back Saturday
Justin Faulk, D (leg) - is questionable
Andrej Nestrasil, C (lower body) - is out for the rest of the season
Buffalo Sabres
Ryan O'Reilly, C (foot) - has skated again, but isn't read
Cody Franson, D (neck) - is sidelined for the foreseeable future
Tyler Ennis, LW (concussion) - is still with a definitive timetable
Cody McCormick, C (blood clots) - still has no timetable for return
New York Rangers
Rick Nash, LW (knee) - could return from a 20-game absence Saturday
Marc Staal, D (back) - expects to return to the lineup Saturday
Dylan McIlrath, D (knee) - will be out for a couple of weeks
Detroit Red Wings
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) - remains out
Drew Miller, LW (lower body) - won't play again this season
Minnesota Wild
Jason Pominville, RW (lower body) - is traveling with the team, but won't play Saturday
Devan Dubnyk, G (illness) - returned to practice and is in Montreal, but it's not clear if he'll play
Montreal Canadiens
David Desharnais, C (foot) - is back in practice, but unlikely for Saturday's game
Brendan Gallagher, RW (groin) - will miss at least two weeks
Nathan Beaulieu, D (lower body) - is on IR
Brian Flynn, C (lower body) - remains out
Daniel Carr, LW (knee) - is out
Carey Price, G (leg) - continues to make progress, but isn't ready to return yet
Jeff Petry, D (lower body) - is out for the season
Tom Gilbert, D (knee) - is out for the season
P.K. Subban, D (neck) - has been ruled out of Saturday's game
Toronto Maple Leafs
Stephane Robidas, D (knee) - has no timetable for a return
James van Riemsdyk, LW (foot) - is out for the rest of the season
Raffi Torres, LW (knee) - won't play again this season
Brad Boyes, RW (undisclosed) - is questionable
Joffrey Lupul, LW (abdomen) - is out for the year
Matt Hunwick, D (abdomen) - won't play again this season
Byron Froese, C (hand) - remains out
Viktor Loov, D (undisclosed) - did not play Wednesday
Tyler Bozak, C (head) - has no timetable for this return
Ottawa Senators
Mark Borowiecki, D (knee) - is sidelined
Clarke MacArthur, LW (concussion) - has not been cleared for contact
Kyle Turris, C (ankle) - is out indefinitely
Chris Phillips, D (back) - isn't making progress toward a return
Philadelphia Flyers
Jakub Voracek, LW (lower body) - is questionable
Michael Del Zotto, D (wrist) - is unlikely to return this season
Jordan Weal, C (upper body) - is on IR
Florida Panthers
Teddy Purcell, RW (groin) - didn't play Thursday
Willie Mitchell, D (undisclosed) - is still on the shelf
Dave Bolland, C (lower body) - is on IR
Colorado Avalanche
Brad Stuart, D (back) - remains out
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) - remains without a timeline for return
Gabriel Landeskog, LW (suspended) - is serving a three-game suspension
Chris Bigras, D (concussion) - is questionable
Winnipeg Jets
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW (eye) - has no timeline for return
Joel Armia, RW (lower body) - will miss a week
Anthony Peluso, RW (upper body) - is out
Mark Stuart, D (upper body) - is out
Bryan Little, C (head) - will miss the rest of the season
Dustin Byfuglien, D (upper body) - left Thursday's game with an injury and is questionable for Saturday
St. Louis Blues
Steve Ott, C (hamstring) - skated Friday, but isn't likely to be on the ice Saturday
Brian Elliott, G (lower body) - is skating again
Dallas Stars
Jason Demers, D (shoulder) - is out for six weeks
Jordie Benn, D (lower body) - has been ruled out of Saturday's game
John Klingberg, D (lower body) - has been ruled out of Saturday's game
Patrick Sharp, LW (lower body) - has been ruled out of Saturday's game
Arizona Coyotes
Mike Smith, G (lower body) - has skated, but remains out
Anders Lindback, G (Achilles) - is done for the season
Jarred Tinordi, D (suspension) - is serving a 20-game suspension for the use of PEDs
Joe Vitale, C (concussion) - isn't coming back this season
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D (upper body) - didn't play Friday
Edmonton Oilers
Eric Gryba, D (knee) - is out "long-term"
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C (hand) - is expected back Saturday
Oscar Klefbom, D (infection) - is expected to return next week
Darnell Nurse, D (suspension) - will serve the second game of a three-game suspension Saturday
Brandon Davidson, D (lower body) - is out "long term"
Benoit Pouliot, LW (shoulder) - remains out
Matt Hendricks, LW (undisclosed) - is questionable
Andrew Ference, D (hip) - is done for the year
Nashville Predators
Eric Nystrom, LW (foot) - is on IR
Paul Gaustad, C (upper body) - is not traveling with the team
Vancouver Canucks
Alexander Edler, D (leg) - is out for the season
Jannik Hansen, RW (ribs) - resumed skating Thursday, but remains questionable
Brandon Prust, LW (ankle) - is being shut down for the season
Brandon Sutter, C (jaw) - returned to the ice, but it isn't clear if he's back Saturday
Chris Tanev, D (upper body) - was out Wednesday
Henrik Sedin, C (upper body) - is expected to return Saturday
New Jersey Devils
Patrik Elias, LW (knee) - may not play again this season
Jiri Tlusty, LW (wrist) - is probably done for the year
Jacob Josefson, C (upper body) - isn't traveling with the team
Michael Cammalleri, LW (hand) - isn't close to returning
Cory Schneider, G (knee) - remains out
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Greene, D (shoulder) - is out for the rest of the season
Jordan Nolan, RW (undisclosed) - is out indefinitely following surgery
Marian Gaborik, RW (knee) - could return before the end of the season, but isn't back Saturday
Washington Capitals
John Carlson, D (lower body) - is out long term
San Jose Sharks
Tommy Wingels, RW (shoulder) - hopes to play sometime next week
Matt Tennyson, D (head) - remains out
Hot
Jason Spezza, C, DAL — Spezza is on a five-game goal streak and has 11 points in the 11 games since he came back from injury. Coach Lindy Ruff has been asking his offensive leaders to get back on the scoresheet with regularity and Spezza is leading the way. Of particular note is that the team's top power play unit looked good again on Friday. When they're clicking, they're a gold mine.
Cam Atkinson, RW, CBJ — With a goal in Friday's game, Atkinson has five goals and six points in his last five games. The Blue Jackets may be playing out a lost season, but Atkinson is posting career totals and isn't letting the pending end of the season ruin his good time. His 24 goals and 44 points are both career-highs.
Cold
Michael Stone, D, ARI — Stone has been producing some good offense this season and has been an important part of the Coyotes power play. However he has struggled to produce offense lately. He's without a goal in his last 11 games and has just a single point in the last six games. But with Oliver Ekman-Larsson sidelined, Stone will get a larger role on the power play and will be getting opportunities to snap out of his slump.
Justin Schultz, D, PIT — Schultz is getting a chance at new life in Pittsburgh and he may be able to make it work. It just hasn't happened yet. He has one assist in three games as a Penguin, and his ice time has been limited. If you stretch back to his time in Edmonton, he's without a goal in 18 games and has just two points in his last 13 games. The fresh start is exciting, but it's worth steering clear of him for now.
Recommended Pickup
Antoine Roussel, LW, DAL — Roussel is always a great add for some penalty minutes, but he's been proving to be much more than that in recent games. With three goals and four points in the last five games, his been displaying his versatility. He also has a plus-4 rating, six penalty minutes and an average of 2.4 shots per game during that run. Additionally, he's tied for seventh in the league with six game-winning goals on the season.
