The Daily Puck: Stepping Out of Sid's Shadow

Projected Goalie Starters

Toronto (Chris Mason) at Atlanta (Ondrej Pavelec), 7:30 PM
Carolina (Justin Peters) at Florida (Tomas Vokoun), 7:30 PM
Ottawa (Brian Elliott) at Chicago (Corey Crawford), 8:30 PM
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Dallas (Kari Lehtonen), 8:30 PM
Detroit (Jimmy Howard) at Calgary (Miikka Kiprusoff), 9:00 PM
Edmonton (Nikolai Khabibulin) at Vancouver (Cory Schneider), 10:00
Columbus (Steve Mason) at Anaheim (Jonas Hiller), 10:00 PM

Injuries for Teams Playing Friday

Day-to-Day (Includes DL players close to returning)
Jussi Jokinen (W) Carolina – (Lower body) Will return to action Sunday.
Joni Pitkanen (D) Carolina - (Upper body) Will return to action Sunday.
Pascal Leclaire (G) Ottawa - (Lower body) Will serve as the backup Friday.
Michal Rozsival (D) Rangers – (Ribs) Questionable to play Friday, did not skate Thursday.
Jason Blake (W) Anaheim – (Shoulder) Questionable to return Friday.

Long Term or IR
Jean-Sebastien Giguere (G) Toronto – (Groin) Should return to action next week.
Jordan Eberle (W) Edmonton – (Ankle, Appendicitis) Out another 7-10 days.
Ryan Getzlaf (C) Anaheim – (Nasal fractures) Out 4-6 weeks.

Transactions

Boris Valabik (D) Atlanta – Placed on re-entry waivers.
Trent Whitfield (W) Boston – Re-assigned to the AHL.
J.D. Watt (W) Calgary – Released.
Jassen Cullimore (D) Chicago – Re-assigned to the AHL.
Ethan Moreau (W) Columbus –Placed on the injured list.
Mike Commodore (D) Columbus –Placed on waivers.
Matt Calvert (W) Columbus – Recalled from the AHL.
Philip Larsen (D) Dallas –Recalled from the AHL.
Toby Petersen (C) Dallas – Placed on IR.
Steve Reinprecht (C) Florida – Loaned to the German Hockey League.
Milan Jurcina (C) Islanders – Signs a one-year extension.
Danny Syvret (D) Philadelphia – Recalled from the AHL.
Matt Climie (G) Phoenix – Recalled from the AHL.
Andrew Desjardins (C) San Jose – Re-assigned to the AHL.
Marc-Andre Bergeron (D) Tampa Bay – Cleared waivers, assigned to the AHL.

Hot

Chris Kunitz (W) Pittsburgh – When you think of star wingers in the NHL, Chris Kunitz is not a name that comes to mind, but playing on a line with Sidney Crosby, perhaps he should be. With teams paying so much attention to Sid the Kid, Kunitz is allowed to roam freely around the ice and is putting up solid numbers this season with 13 goals and 28 points. He had a hat trick Wednesday, and with Crosby now out for the next week or so, Kunitz will be relied upon even more for his offensive potential. If he is still sitting around on your waiver wire, grab him.

Tobias Enstrom (D) Atlanta – Enstrom is another player that is sort of flying under the radar a bit thanks to his teammate Dustin Byfuglien, who is putting up monster numbers, but Enstrom is also an offensive threat with seven goals and 35 points already this season. He has also been hot lately with seven points in his last seven games.

Cold

Simon Gagne (W) Tampa Bay– There were always two things we knew about Gagne. One, he was a dynamic offensive force who could put points on the board for his NHL team as well as fantasy teams. Second, he was made of fine China and always hurt, thus driving his NHL team and fantasy teams crazy. This season he has solved one of those problems, unfortunately not the injury side, as he has still missed a majority of the season, and now even when he plays he's not putting points up on the board.

Sergei Bobrovsky (G) Philadelphia – Bobrovsky started off hot this season but has certainly cooled down of late. He hasn't won a game since Dec. 18 and is losing a majority of his starts to Brian Boucher. The good news is that Michael Leighton was sent down to the AHL, so there is no longer a three-way goalie rotation, but if his play doesn't pick up and Leighton plays well in the minors, their situations could easily be reversed.

Recommended Pickup

Drew Stafford (W) Buffalo – Stafford has only played 24 games this season due to injury, but during those 24 games he has 13 goals. Do the math there and you see that he would be on a 40-plus goal pace if he played the entire season. In other words, if he is still on your waiver wire, he could certainly help out your fantasy team, and with the loss of Derek Roy for the season he will be playing important minutes in Buffalo.