Saturday Daily Puck: The Great Game Heads Outdoors

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Updated on February 21, 2015 6:48AM EST

Around the Rink

The great game is heading back outdoors.

The 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings will take place Saturday night at Levi's Stadium at 10 p.m. ET. A regulation win on Saturday will place the Kings in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and push the Sharks outside the playoff picture. The Sharks currently have 68 points in 60 games, while the Kings have 66 points in 57 games.

The Kings enter Saturday riding a six-game win streak, while the Sharks have just two wins in their last seven games. Never has an outdoor game had such big implications.

The players to watch for the Kings are Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. Carter is riding a five-game point streak and has scored in two straight games. During his recent streak, Carter has compiled four goals, nine points and an impressive 25 shots on goal. Toffoli, meanwhile, has scored six goals in his last six games and has produced nine points in his last five outings.

The players to watch for the Sharks are Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. Pavelski has produced three points in his last two games and has only been held off the scoresheet just twice in his last eight outings. Couture, meanwhile, has tallied three goals and nine points in his last eight games.

Let's head outdoors.

Almost time... #StadiumSeries http://t.co/Nf7MkTW08K pic.twitter.com/HFpoqoqR2O
— NHL (@NHL) February 20, 2015

Here's what you need to know for the rest of Saturday's NHL action.

Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)

Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Capitals (Braden Holtby), 12:30
Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Flyers (Ray Emery), 1:00
Ducks (John Gibson) at Oilers (Ben Scrivens), 7:00
Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin) at Devils (Cory Schneider), 7:00
Panthers (Roberto Luongo) at Senators (Andrew Hammond*), 7:00
Blue Jackets (Curtis McElhinney) at Canadiens (Carey Price), 7:00
Jets (Michael Hutchinson) at Leafs (Jonathan Bernier), 7:00
Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Blues (Brian Elliott), 7:00
Red Wings (Jimmy Howard) at Stars (Kari Lehtonen), 8:00
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Coyotes (Mike Smith), 8:00
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Sharks (Antti Niemi), 10:00

*Confirmed Starters

For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.

Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday

Ducks
Frederik Andersen, G (upper body) -- Did not suffer a setback, he still is not traveling with the Ducks for Friday's game in Calgary, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.
Matt Beleskey, LW (upper body) -- Was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Sami Vatanen, D (lower body) -- Was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Coyotes
Martin Hanzal, C -- Underwent back surgery Tuesday, formally spelling ending his season, Craig Morgan of FOX Sports Arizona reports.
Alex Bolduc, RW (mid-body soreness) -- Skated on his own prior to Wednesday's practice, Craig Morgan of FOX Sports Arizona reports.
Zbynek Michalek, D -- Suffered a lower body injury and did not travel with the team for Monday's game against the Avalanche, Craig Morgan of FoxSports Airzona reports.

Blue Jackets
Sergei Bobrovsky, G (groin) -- Skated with the Blue Jackets on Wednesday and even faced a few easy shots, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Boone Jenner, LW -- Has yet to resume skating since suffering a back stress fracture Dec. 20, Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Brian Gibbons (knee) -- Was placed on waivers on Monday, the Columbus Sun Times reports.

Stars
Ales Hemsky, RW (lower body) -- Was not on the ice for pregame warmups, indicating he won't play Thursday, Mark Stepneski of the Stars' official site reports.
Travis Moen, LW (upper body) -- Was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, retroactive to Feb. 17.
Valeri Nichushkin, RW (hip) -- Met with his doctor in New York last Friday and was told he would need another 4-to-6 weeks of recovery before he could play in a game, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Tyler Seguin, C (knee) -- Could be forced to miss as much as eight weeks depending on his progress in rehab, Renaud Lavoie of TVA reports.

Red Wings
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) -- Is still dealing with concussion symptoms and doesn't have a timetable to return, MLive.com reports.

Oilers
Jeff Petry, D (ribs) -- Indicated the he felt better Thursday after leaving Wednesday's game against the Bruins with the injury, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports.
Anton Lander, C -- Suffered a shoulder injury in Wednesday's game and will not return.
Viktor Fasth, G (knee) -- Is being listed as out indefinitely.

Panthers
Willie Mitchell, D (upper body) -- Skated Thursday morning and continues to be viewed as day-to-day, Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Dmitry Kulikov, D -- Has been handed four games by the league for his hit on the Stars' Tyler Seguin in Friday's loss, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.

Kings
Alec Martinez, D (concussion) -- Has been able to work out on an exercise bike of late, Lisa Dillman of the LA Times reports.

Canadiens
Sergei Gonchar, D -- Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said Thursday that Gonchar (upper body) will likely return next week, NHL.com's Arpon Basu reports.
Alexei Emelin, D -- Canadiens coach Michael Therrien said Thursday that Emelin (upper body) will be out for at least one more week, NHL.com's Arpon Basu reports.
P.A. Parenteau, RW (concussion) -- Could be cleared to return to practice soon, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Predators
Anton Volchenkov, D (lower body) -- Skated by himself Thursday morning.
Ryan Ellis (lower-body injury) -- Is expected back in the Preds' lineup in a week or two, the Tennessean reports.

Devils
Damon Severson, D -- General manager Lou Lamoriello indicated Thursday that Severson (fractured left ankle) isn't close to a return to game action, Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger reports. "He's only really been on the ice a little over a week," Lamiorello said. "It's a combination of rehab, conditioning, and also making sure he's 100 percent okay to get into any type of contact. It will be a while."
Bryce Salvador, D -- Though the Devils haven't made it official yet, it appears unlikely that Salvador (back) will play again this season, Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger reports. "[Salvador's] in rehab right now. He hasn't started skating, so I can't answer how long it will be for him to come back once he starts skating," general manager Lou Lamoriello said Thursday.

Islanders
Mikhail Grabovski, C -- Left Thursday's game against the Predators with an upper-body injury and will not return, NHL.com's Brian Compton reports.
Casey Cizikas, C -- Was officially placed on injured reserve Wednesday retroactive to Feb. 16, Arthur Staple of Newsday reports.

Senators
Clarke MacArthur, LW (upper body) -- Was placed on injured reserve Thursday.
Robin Lehner, G (upper body) -- Was placed on injured reserve Thursday.
Chris Phillips, D (general soreness) -- Was placed on injured reserve Thursday.
Chris Neil, RW (thumb) -- Was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
Craig Anderson, G -- Senators coach Dave Cameron said Monday that, so far as he knows, Anderson (hand) is not close to making a return, the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch reports.

Flyers
Steve Mason, G (knee) -- Indicated that there's a chance that he could play Tuesday in Carolina or next Thursday in Toronto, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Kimmo Timonen, D (blood clots) -- Took part in his first full practice with the Flyers on Wednesday, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Penguins
Christian Ehrhoff, D (concussion) -- Took part in limited contact drills Thursday but is not close to returning.

Blues
Chris Porter, RW (ankle) -- Is in the "100 percent range" according to coach Ken Hitchcock.

Lightning
Radko Gudas, D (knee) -- Is no longer using crutches, but is without a timetable for a return, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Matt Carle, D (hip) -- Participated in drills for the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery in January, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Leafs
Joffrey Lupul, RW -- According to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Lupul (knee) will not make the trip to Carolina for Friday's game against the Hurricanes.
Dion Phaneuf, D (hand) -- Has been ruled out for both of the Leafs' games over the weekend against the Hurricanes and Jets, Jonas Siegel of TSN Radio 1050 reports.
Trevor Smith, LW (lower body) -- Has been ruled out from a return to action for either of the Maple Leafs' two games this weekend, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Jets
Matt Halischuk, RW -- Coach Paul Maurice indicated Wednesday that he expects Halischuk (lower body) to return to action in early March, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun reports.
Mathieu Perreault, C -- Coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday that Perreault has been ruled out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, with the Jets fearing he could be lost for the season, Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun reports. The Jets have moved Perreault to injured reserve, according to Sara Orlesky of TSN.

Hot

John Tavares, C, NYI – The Islanders' top-line center is red-hot right now, recording five goals and nine points in his last four games. He's scored in four straight outings and is now at 29 goals on the season – sixth most in the NHL. He's dominating in almost every fantasy category, recording 60 points, 12 power-play tallies, six game-winning goals and 198 shots on goal. He's a prime reason the Islanders are leading the Metropolitan Division and have won six of their last seven.

Derick Brassard, C, NYR -- This guy is on fire right now and he's showing no signs of slowing down. Brassard is riding a six-game point streak and has compiled one goal and 12 points in his last 10 games. The top-line center has 47 points in 55 games on the season and is the perfect set-up man for elite goal-scorer Rick Nash. Brassard's career-high 34 helpers are 15th most in the NHL – putting him on track for a 50-assist season.

Cold

Patrick Sharp, LW, CHI – Sharp has now been held pointless in seven straight games and has just one assist in his last 10 games. He skated on the fourth line in his last outing, but has stilled fired nine shots on goal in his last two games. While he's seeing considerably less minutes right now, his 6.0 shooting percentage is shockingly low, so his fortunes have to change sooner or later. The 33-year-old sniper is just too good to not turn things around.

Mark Streit, D, PHI – Streit has just one assist in his last nine games after putting up 10 points in his previous 10 games. Don't be worried, as Streit seems to play his best with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek up front. Those two, however, have gone quiet of late, so Streit is feeling the effect, both at even strength and on the power play. The veteran defenseman still has 36 points in 58 games and is going to be a key player for the Flyers down the stretch as they aim for the playoffs.

Recommended Pickup

Mark Stone, RW, OTT – Skating on the second line and top power-play unit, the 22-year-old has racked up one goal and five points in his last three games. He's only owned in 10 percent of ESPN leagues and has recorded at least one point in 13 of his last 17 games. That's some consistency. He's sporting an impressive plus-7 rating and has recorded 36 points in 54 games in his first full season. Give this emerging fantasy threat a chance.

Follow @BradyTrett

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire.