Saturday Daily Puck: Return Of The King

Saturday Daily Puck: Return Of The King

This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.

Around the Rink

The King is back. Henrik Lundqvist took to Twitter Friday to potentially indicate he will be returning to the crease for Saturday's game against the Bruins.



Lundqvist has been out since Feb. 2 with a vascular injury and will be returning to a New York team that recently became the first NHL team to clinch a spot in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. While Lundqvist was sidelined, backup Cam Talbot filled in admirably, posting 15 wins. 20-year-old Mackenzie Skapski also saw action in Hank's absence, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 0.50 GAA and .978 save percentage.

The red-hot Rangers have suffered just three regulation losses in their last 22 games, while Lundqvist owns a 25-11-3 record on the season. The 33-year-old would be taking his impressive .922 save percentage and 2.25 GAA into Saturday's match. Now that the King appears to be back in action, make sure he's in your lineup every game he gets the nod.

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

Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)

Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Capitals (Braden Holtby*), 12:30
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist*) at Bruins (Tuukka Rask), 1:00
Ducks (John Gibson) at Islanders (Michal Neuvirth*), 1:00
Sharks (Alex Stalock*) at Flyers (Steve Mason), 1:00
Coyotes (Mike Smith*) at Penguins (Thomas Greiss*), 1:00
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek*), 2:00
Devils (Cory Schneider) at Hurricanes (Cam Ward*), 7:00
Panthers (Roberto Luongo*) at Canadiens (Carey Price), 7:00
Senators (Andrew Hammond) at Leafs (James Reimer*), 7:00
Blue Jackets (Sergei Bobrovsky) at Blues (Brian Elliott*), 5:00
Kings (Jonathan Quick) at Wild (Devan Dubnyk), 8:00
Sabres (Anders Lindback) at Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov), 9:00
Stars (Kari Lehtonen) at Canucks (Eddie Lack), 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

Coyotes
Lauri Korpikoski, LW (mouth) -- Will not play Thursday against the Sabres, Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports.

Bruins
Brett Connolly, RW (fractured right finger) -- Practiced with the team at Thursday's morning session, CSN New England's Joe Haggerty reports.
Dougie Hamilton, D – Hamilton, who is thought to be dealing with a shoulder injury, is out indefinitely, according to coach Claude Julien.

Sabres
Tyler Ennis, RW -- Left Thursday's game against the Coyotes with an upper-body injury and will not return.
Jerry D'Amigo, LW -- Likely out for the season after undergoing surgery.

Hurricanes
Jack Hillen, D -- Has yet to resume skating with the team since sustaining a concussion nearly three weeks ago, Chantel McCabe of FOX Sports Carolinas reports.

Blue Jackets
Matt Calvert, LW (concussion) -- Is hoping to return to practice next week, Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch reports.
Ryan Murray, D (lower body) -- Won't play Friday against Chicago.
Rene Bourque, RW (upper body) -- Is expected to travel with the Blue Jackets on the team's upcoming two-game road trip.
Alexander Wennberg, RW (hand) -- Will not play Friday against Chicago.
Jared Boll, RW -- Has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head of the Ducks' Patrick Maroon on Tuesday.

Stars
Valeri Nichushkin, LW (hip) -- Was activated from injured reserve and loaned to AHL Texas on a conditioning assignment Friday, NHL.com's Mark Stepneski reports.
Trevor Daley, D (knee) -- Could be ready to play at some point during the Stars' three-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Calgary, NHL.com's Mark Stepneski reports.

Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk, C (lower body) -- Will not play Thursday against the Sharks, the Red Wings' official site reports.
Erik Cole, LW (upper body) -- Will miss Thursday's game against the Sharks, MLive.com's Ansar Khan reports.
Jonas Gustavsson, D (concussion) -- Expects to return to practice in the near future, MLive.com's Ansar Khan reports.

Panthers
Nick Bjugstad, C (lower body) – Done for the season.

Kings
Tanner Pearson, LW (leg) -- Believes he'll be able to return at some point in April, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports.
Jarret Stoll, C (upper body) -- Resumed skating Tuesday, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports.

Wild
Kyle Brodziak, C -- Will not play Tuesday due to upper-body tightness.

Canadiens
Tom Gilbert, D (face) – Gilbert, who has already been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Predators, will also sit out Thursday's tilt with the Jets, the Montreal Gazette reports.

Predators
Matt Cullen, LW (lower body) -- Will not play Thursday against the Lightning, Adam Vingan of the Washington Post reports.
Eric Nystrom, RW (lower body) -- Will not travel with the Predators during their two-game road trip that begins Thursday in Tampa Bay.
Viktor Stalberg, LW (lower body) -- Will travel with the Predators on their two-game road trip beginning Thursday in Tampa Bay.
James Neal, RW (upper body) -- Is in line to miss the Predators' two-game road trip Thursday in Tampa Bay and Saturday in Washington.

Islanders
Lubomir Visnovsky, D (lower body) -- Was able to get in a skate Thursday, but it's not clear when he might get back into the lineup.
Mikhail Grabovski, C (concussion) -- Is not close to returning to game action for the Islanders, according to the Islanders Point Blank.

Rangers
Dan Girardi, D -- Suffered a "gash" on his arm after getting hit by the puck in Thursday's game and will require stitches.
Martin St. Louis, RW (knee) -- Was encouraged by the results of his on-ice session Thursday morning, Andrew Gross of The Record reports.
Henrik Lundqvist, G (neck) -- Indicated Tuesday that he expects to play this week.

Senators
Andrew Hammond, G – Hammond and Senators coach Dave Cameron both acknowledged that the goaltender is dealing with a minor ailment, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
Clarke MacArthur, LW -- Is targeting a return to action this weekend.
Milan Michalek, LW – His upper-body injury is being labeled as a concussion, TSN's Steve Lloyd reports.
Matt Puempel, LW -- Will be out for 4-to-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain, Ian Mendes of TSN reports.

Flyers
Andrew MacDonald, D -- Will require six weeks of rehab for the broken hand he suffered in Wednesday's win over the Blackhawks, Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.
Wayne Simmonds, RW -- Will require four weeks of rehab for his fractured left leg, Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News reports.
Luke Schenn, D (lower body) -- Will not play Wednesday against the Blackhawks, NHL.com's Adam Kimelman reports.

Penguins
Christian Ehrhoff, D -- According to Coach Mike Johnston, Ehrhoff will be out for several days with an upper-body injury.
Patric Hornqvist, RW (undisclosed) -- Won't return to the lineup Thursday against the Hurricanes, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Evgeni Malkin, C (lower body) -- Won't travel with the team to Raleigh for Thursday's game against the Hurricanes, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pascal Dupuis, RW – Dupuis, who has not played since Nov. 15 after being diagnosed a blood clot in his lung, will not play again this season, NHL.com reports. "Based on the doctor's report I don't believe we'll see Pascal this year, and that's a big loss," GM Rutherford said Monday. "He's not going to be cleared to play until June."

Sharks
Mirco Mueller, D -- Missed most of the third period Thursday after blocking a shot due to an injured thumb, David Pollok of the San Jose Mercury News reports. He was sporting an arm sling following the game and is currently considered day-to-day.

Blues
Carl Gunnarsson, D (upper body) -- Is expected to return to the Blues' lineup Saturday versus the Blue Jackets, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Kevin Shattenkirk, D (abdomen) -- Is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jackets, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Lightning
Brenden Morrow, LW -- Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, The Tampa Tribune reports.

Leafs
Sam Carrick, C -- Is absent from Friday's practice for personal reasons, TSN's Mark Masters reports.
Zach Sill, LW (undisclosed injury) -- Was not spotted at Thursday's morning skate, Jonas Siegel of TSN 1050 reports.
Trevor Smith, C (undisclosed) -- Was not spotted at Thursday's morning skate, Jonas Siegel of TSN 1050 reports.
Peter Holland, C (lower body) -- Skated on his own prior to Wednesday's practice.

Canucks
Brad Richardson, C (ankle) -- Will not play Thursday against the Avalanche, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports.
Ryan Miller, G (knee) -- Faced shots at Thursday's optional practice, Irfaan Gaffar of Sportsnet reports.
Zack Kassian, RW (back) -- Reportedly suffered a minor setback while skating last week, Jon Abbott of TSN 1040 reports.

Capitals
Jay Beagle, RW -- Remains sidelined with what the Washington Post describes an an apparent left shoulder injury.
John Erskine, D (neck) -- Resumed skating with the team Tuesday, Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports.

Hot

Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM – Eberle continues to pile on the points, scoring seven goals in his last 10 games and recording 27 points in his last 22 games. After potting the game-winner Friday against Dallas, he's now scored a goal in six of his last eight games. The 24-year-old sits 27th in league scoring with 60 points in 74 games and has helped the Oilers win four of their last six games. While Edmonton may be out of the playoff race, the red-hot Eberle should be rolled with confidence down the final stretch.

Sergei Bobrovsky, G, CBJ – Bob turned in another great outing Friday, stopping 31 of 33 shots in a win over the Blackhawks. Bobrovsky has now won four straight games, allowing just nine goals in that span. The 26-year-old is 24-17-2 on the season with a .916 save percentage and 2.76 GAA. The Blue Jackets may be out of the playoff race, but Bobrovsky has won eight of his last nine games, so ride him while he's hot.

Cold

Mike Fisher, C, NSH – Known for being consistently inconsistent, Fisher is currently going through a dry spell, managing just one goal and no assists in his last nine games. This comes as a surprise considering Fishing has been steadily producing all season, managing 36 points (17 goals) in 54 games. The second-line center has managed just five shots on goal in his last five games, with March. 3 marking the last time he recorded more than two shots on goal in a game. The Predators had previously lost six straight games, so now that they've won three straight, Fisher is likely to build off the team's recent success. With elite forward James Neal sidelined, the line combinations have changed, leaving Fisher on a unit with Kevin Fiala and Colin Wilson. Things appear to being trending upwards for Nashville though, so Fisher should get back on track soon.

Brad Marchand, LW, BOS – With just one assist in his last nine games, things haven't been going too well for Marchand of late. He's managed just six shots on goal in his last four games and is stuck at 39 points on the season. The Bruins haven't been playing well of late, dropping six straight games, so it's hard to put the blame on one guy. Marchand is still skating on the top line with Patrice Bergeron, so if the Bruins can find their game, Marchand should get right back on track with them. Marchand has 22 goals on the year, and before this slump, he had scored in four straight games. If the Bruins hope to make one final push for a playoff spot, expect Marchand to be right in the middle of it.

Recommended Pickup

Mark Stone, LW, OTT – Owned in only 35 percent of ESPN leagues, the second-liner continues to produce for a Sens team in a tight battle for a playoff spot. He's racked up six points in his last five games and has been steadily producing since early-January. Stone has 10 goals and 33 points in his last 36 games and is also sporting a plus-15 rating. A 22-year-old top-six forward for a surging Ottawa team not even owned in 40 percent of ESPN leagues? It's time to fix that. This emerging youngster is the real deal and is on a team playing very desperate hockey right now. Grab him for the final stretch run.


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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brady Trettenero
Brady is a passionate hockey fan and sports writer with over five years experience specializing in digital media, plus a degree in Broadcast Journalism. He's been writing for RotoWire since 2013.
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