Morning Player Notes in the Draft (Apr 8)

Unfortunately, the updates on the website will have to wait until after work... the perils of keeping everything on the cloud and not syncing between machines before shutting them down for the night.  Argh.  On the plus side, I can still write on the blog, it will just be a little less exciting, with nothing to really compare it against, numbers-wise, so bear with me.

The word out of Anaheim was that defenseman Sami Vatanen was held out of the lineup in the Ducks' game against the Kings due to illness. There shouldn't be a lot of concern here, as he should be good to go this weekend, with Anaheim still with two games to play, thanks to the rescheduled game on Sunday.

Before play got started last night, John S. was still leading in the Mover & Shaker and through the first handful of games to start the night, he was still leading by a single point.  He probably could have used Vatanen, as much as the Ducks could have, in their 2-1 loss last night to the Kings.

Looks like the Chicago Blackhawks are in full rest mode, trying to heal up some bumps and bruises before the playoffs get started.  Artem Anisimov was added to the list last night, dealing with an upper-body injury.  He is not expected to play on the weekend either, as they will let him get back to 100% before the Spring Dance.  This is likely the same for Andrew Shaw, who is also dealing with an injury, while Duncan Keith is still off with his suspension and the team waits for word on the availability of Corey Crawford.

Bad news for John P., as he would have preferred Anisimov to be in this weekend, as his team continues to hunt down 3rd place money.  When I left the scoring race, his team was still 12 points behind and now with only the better part of this weekend to go.

The Detroit Red Wings lost the services of forward Justin Abdelkader last night against the Bruins, adding injury to an insulting performance, where they could have clinched their playoff spot, but dropped a 5-2 decision to a team chasing them down in the standings.  Abdelkader's presence has been key for the Wings this season, as he has provided a punch, both offensively and physically.  If he is going to miss Saturday's finale against the Rangers, that could be a tough game to play without the big winger.

For Derek & Dan, they don't have much more to worry about this season, as they have the PIM pool locked up tight.  For the playoffs, his status will certainly be in the air, assuming that the Red Wings clinch a spot.  Abdelkader sits in Box 19, which could be a prime spot to be picked after how good his year was.

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