This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Many rosters are going to get shaken up. Like a 16-year-old fast food employee who has tested the limits of the "three strikes" system, Gustav Nyquist is about to take an unpaid vacation.
In Sunday's game against the Wild, Nyquist speared Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon in the face. Though Nyquist said after the game that the contact was accidental, the replay makes it look anything but accidental.
Later in the evening, the Department of Player Safety said Nyquist had been offered an in-person hearing for the play. That happens when a player is facing a suspension upwards of six games. That's a huge loss for the Red Wings, who are battling to keep their playoff streak alive but have fallen to last place in the East.
A six-game suspension would mean Detroit loses Nyquist, who has the team's second-most assists (22) and fourth-most points (29), until after the trade deadline. For a comparison, late last season Duncan Keith slashed the Wild's Charlie Coyle in the face and got six games, one of which was a playoff game. Keith's slash didn't look quite as intentional as this spear. That means it's not hard to see how a suspension could be even longer than six games and it might help make the Wings decide they're sellers at the deadline.
Featured Matchups
Rangers (PP: 12, PK: 13) at Blue Jackets (PP: 2, PK: 15), 7:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Henrik Lundqvist (26-13-1, 2.68, .911), Sergei Bobrovsky (30-11-3, 2.17, .926)
Key Injuries:Dan Girardi (foot)
In a night with two very different games on the slate — two thriving teams meet and two floundering teams meet — this one features two division rivals who can create a lot of offense and are also defensively sound. Both clubs are getting points on special teams and solid contributions down the lineup.
All over both rosters, there are players providing lots to like for almost any fantasy format. With the Rangers, it's guys like J.T. Miller, Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes, and Brady Skjei, among others, who are making a name for themselves and making the case that they're just as rosterable as names more commonly drafted high at the start of the season. On the other side, there are skaters like Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg, and Zach Werenski making a similar case.
However, though the season-long stats tell a story of a team thriving, the Blue Jackets have faced adversity, going 3-4-1 over their last eight games. They've struggled at times and the goals haven't been pouring in with the team averaging just 1.8 goals per game over their last five contests.
However, they did recently put up six on the Rangers with Lundqvist in net for three of those. Even with their scoring taking a dip, you can't write off the possibility that they go off for six on any given night.
Coyotes (PP: 25, PK: 26) at Flames (PP: 9, PK: 20), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Mike Smith (13-15-6, 2.92, .915), Chad Johnson (17-12-1, 2.48, .914)
Key Injuries: None
In the second game, we get two divisional rivals who don't have special teams clicking and aren't having outstanding years. But, as always, those season-long stats can be deceptive if you're looking to catch lightning in a bottle on your roster.
The Flames may be rusty. They're coming off their bye week and that might not be a recipe for success with players stepping out of their rhythm and getting five days to do anything but play hockey.
The Coyotes might seem like the perfect match coming off a bye week, but the cellar-dwelling team from the south has been trending up recently. They're 5-2-1 over their last eight and it hasn't been a stretch of easy games. They've faced Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Jose and Los Angeles during that stretch.
Despite the competition, they've averaged 2.75 goals per game. On a night with just four teams in action, it might be tough to find creative ways to put low-cost players on your roster in daily formats. The Coyotes depth chart is worth a look.
Recommended Pickup
J.T. Miller, LW, NYR — He's the Rangers' leading scorer and not getting the respect he deserves. Miller is in the midst of a six-game point streak over which he has two goals and eight assists. Moreover, he's been held without a point in just two of the last 18 games. He's earning more ice time and the secret is not so slowly starting to get out. With 18 goals and 27 assists on the season, he's been great. Ride the wave while he's hot, but also note his shooting percentage. At 17.6 percent, he's not likely to keep putting up goals at this rate unless his shot rate increases. He's a career 13.2 percent shooter. He simply won't shoot above 17 percent forever.
