This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Yesterday, Brady looked at some of the teams that have made big improvements compared to last year. Today let's look at teams that have regressed from the Christmas break a year ago.
Many people projected the Avalanche to fall off of last season's Central Division leading 112 points based on unsustainable #fancystats and sure enough they are -14 points off last year's pace. The Avs have scored 12 fewer goals while giving up 20 more goals than a year ago. That's a clear recipe for regressions.
The Kings, (-13), Bruins (-11), Wild (-10), and Stars (-7) are some other fallers from last year. The Kings, Bruins, and Stars have all seen significant increases in goals against, while the Wild actually have a better goals for and against ratio, but have frankly been so afflicted by the NHL's mumps epidemic that it's a miracle they aren't doing worse.
Which brings us the biggest loser in the NHL from last Christmas to now: the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona had 44 points and +5 goal differential headed into the break in 2013, but this year they have only 28 points and are a -32 in goal differential. Amazingly that may overstate the quality of the Coyotes play. Goalie Mike Smith has fallen off a cliff posting just a 3.48 goals against and a .884 save percentage, which has resulted in him moving into a time-share with Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk of course is paying for his fourth organization in less than a year. Arizona depends on impeccable goaltending to succeed because offensive talent is not the calling card of this the squad – they have only three players with more than 20 points, one of whom (their leading scorer) is defenseman Keith Yandle. While top prospect Max Domi has two goals and an assist in Canada's first two games at the World Junior Hockey championship (his assist against Slovakia was a thing of beauty), Arizona's best young talent is not close to making an impact at the NHL level.
The Coyotes struggles and the fact they don't seem likely to turn things around in the short-term make the Coyotes a likely candidate to shake things up as the trade deadline approaches. Captain Shane Doan has suggested he doesn't want to go anywhere, but Yandle and top center Antoine Vermette are both players who bring decent returns, while veterans Lauri Korpikoski, David Moss, Martin Erat, and Martin Hanzal could all be moved to teams looking for different skill sets. Even Sam Gagner who was acquired just this past off-season is a candidate to move. The Yotes would probably like to rid themselves of Smith and the $22-million they still owe him, but a buyout seems more likely. From the current roster only Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mikke Boedker, both promising talents under 25 years-old, should require an asking price that would give other teams pause. Arizona just doesn't have the talent to compete in the tough Western Conference and should be moving as many assets as they can to retool for the future. Whether an ownership group that purchased a franchise in an already precarious position just over a year ago has the fortitude to make these types of moves is another story.
Now, onto the preview of Sunday's games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Toronto Maple Leafs (Jonathan Bernier) at Florida Panthers (Roberto Luongo), 5:00 PM
Vancouver Canucks (Ryan Miller) at Anaheim Ducks (Ilya Bryzgalov), 8:00 PM
*Confirmed Starters
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leo Komarov, LW - Komarov (concussion) was cleared to resume non-contact practice Saturday, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports. (12/27/2014)
Florida Panthers
Shawn Thornton, LW - Thornton (groin) was unable to practice Saturday, Harvey Fialkov of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. (12/27/2014)
Vancouver Canucks
Dan Hamhuis, D - Hamhuis (leg/groin) was on the ice prior to Saturday's morning skate, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports. (12/20/2014)
Zack Kassian, RW - Kassian (finger) skated on his own in full gear prior to Saturday's morning skate, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports. (12/20/2014)
Anaheim Ducks
Kyle Palmieri, RW - Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said Saturday that Palmieri (shoulder) is still a week or two away from returning, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/27/2014)
John Gibson, G - Gibson was forced to exit Saturday's game with AHL Norfolk early due to the stomach flu, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/22/2014)
Stefan Noesen, C - Noesen (Achilles) posted on his personal Twitter account that he was able to resume skating Thursday. (12/18/2014)
Tim Jackman, RW - Jackman will not return to Monday's game after taking a hit to the head from the Sharks' John Scott. (12/22/2014)
Corey Perry, RW - Perry (knee) is not expected to play Sunday against the Canucks, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/27/2014)
Eric Brewer, D - Brewer (foot) is still considered week-to-week, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports. (12/22/2014)
Hot
Johnny Gaudreau, LW – Gaudreau was already having a great rookie season before his recent hot streak, but he managed a hat trick and four goals in the two games prior to the break. Then he scored two more Saturday when play resumed. If you don't already have him in a keeper or dynasty league you're probably too late, but he may be kicking around shallow re-draft leagues.
Alex Tanguay, LW – No one has accused Tanguay of being unproductive when healthy, just he can't stay healthy. The 35 year-old had 24 points at the break, including five in the last three games prior to the break and was a plus-5, which on this year's Avs squad is a monumental achievement.
Cold
James Wisniewski, D – The Blue Jackets' defenseman put up an impressive 51-point season last year, but is struggling to build off that performance. With 14 points thus he hardly been a disaster, but he had just one assist in the five games before the break, although he did grab another in the first game back. The Jackets' struggles with injury won't help him find outlets for his offensive abilities and the whole team is likely to struggle scoring goals.
Jake Allen, G – When Brian Elliott went down with a knee injury a month ago Allen had a chance to seize the starting job in St. Louis by the jugular, but he hasn't been able to do so. While he remains one of the most promising young tenders in the league, Allen's save percentage is down to 90.3% on the season and in six of nine starts he has made since Elliott's injury he has yielded more than three goals. Elliott is back practicing with the team, which means that Allen's window to be the clear starter is closing for this year barring a setback to his teammate.
Recommended Pickup
Sam Gagner, C – Maybe it was the dry air, but Gagner took a long time to get acclimated to playing hockey in the desert after being acquired by Arizona an off-season trade. After being a healthy scratch on December 13, the 25 year-old had six points in the final four games before the Christmas break and picked up an assist Saturday when play resumed. Gagner is a guy who has always seemed on the bring of a breakout and while he is not likely to surpass his career high (49 points) due to the slow start, he is now up to 16 points in 33 games, which could get him close to, if not surpassing, 40 points. This is who he was supposed to be early in the year.
