Morning Player Notes (Apr 5)

I suppose I could have done a little bit more research on the potential scratches for the Boston Bruins last night, as it wasn't just David Krejci taking a seat and a rest against the Minnesota Wild.  He was joined by Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara, since this game really didn't mean much of anything.  The Bruins were still able to walk away with a 3-0 win, despite not having some of their top players.  Boston closes out their regular season schedule on Saturday afternoon against the Lightning and there's no word on the lineup just yet.

Added to the list of teams missing out on skater games on Thursday night were Stuart, Brenda & Seward and Benson.  The duo are the only one of the three teams currently looking to move a spot in the standings, gaining a little on 22nd, now only 4 points back with two nights to go.

With the Ottawa Senators giving Joey Daccord his NHL debut in net against the Sabres last night, a 5-2 loss, they were able to give veteran goalie Craig Anderson the night off as a healthy scratch.  Anderson's season may not be done though, as the Senators will conclude their season on Saturday against the Blue Jackets and what a tough season it was.  Anderson still has one more year on his 35+ contract, which likely means he'll still be around for another year of rebuilding with the Senators.

Mike's team has now dropped back to 8 points of 20th place in the standings with only a couple of nights of action left.  It seems rather improbable that his team is going to make that up, but on the plus side, his team won't drop any further.

Flyers sophomore forward Nolan Patrick was a late scratch for their game in St. Louis on Thursday night, citing an upper-body injury as the reason why he sat.  He's currently considered day-to-day and is questionable for the team's finale, at home to the Hurricanes on Saturday night.  If Patrick can't go, his season would finish with 31 points in 72 games, hovering around the top 300 in hockey pool scoring this season, right around where he finished his rookie season, 30 points in 73 games.

It may have been Scott's bias that had him hopeful for a big sophomore season, but it just wasn't to be.  I would, however, start considering him to be one of those year three breakout players.  Scott's team didn't make up much ground last night, still 4 points from passing Derek B. for 24th after Thursday night.

There's some legitimate concern for Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks, as he crashed into the boards and had Darnell Nurse fall on top of him last night in the 3rd period and was forced from the game with an apparent wrist injury.  Meier went for X-rays last night, but the results were not immediately available after the game, so it's a wait-and-see game.  If one had to guess, I would be leaning towards doubtful for the team's finale against the Avalanche on Saturday night, just to err on the side of caution, but the real concern is for the start of the playoffs.

If Meier does miss out on the last game of the season, he can say he had a productive 2019 campaign for Dale C.'s pool team, posting 30 goals and 66 points in 78 games, which currently has him ranked 68th in pool scoring after Thursday night.  Dale's team currently holds the 10th spot in the standings and there's still wiggle room, up and down, before the end of the season.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko was held out of the lineup for the game against the Flyers, due to a maintenance day, dealing with a minor undisclosed injury, to which the team says that if this was a playoff game, he would dress and play.  An extra game or two of rest will probably go a long way for his performance in the opening round of the playoffs, which their match-up is currently wide open to decide, even with one game to go.  I would imagine Parayko gets the finale off as well, since the team has clinched and they are hosting the summer-bound Canucks on Saturday afternoon.

Another body down for Dale C., who may have some trouble defending 10th place, if his team is losing all of these bodies before the end of the regular season.  It's still unclear if Parayko will go in the finale or not, 28 points in 80 games isn't a bad year all told though.

The Tampa Bay Lightning took advantage of their clinched positioning to do a little bit of resting ahead of the playoffs, as forward J.T. Miller was the body that came out of the lineup for their game against the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.  Miller has been good for the Bolts this season, posting 13 goals and 45 points in 74 games this year and may have just needed a night off or was just the guy that came out to give Ryan Callahan a spin around the ice for the night.  The reasoning wasn't quite clear, but that's what happened in the end.

The Vancouver Canucks had Jake Virtanen back in the lineup, as pointed out in the preview yesterday afternoon, but we weren't quite sure who was coming out of the lineup, but it was Sven Baertschi coming out again, likely as a healthy scratch more than an injury.  Baertschi did come back from an injury a couple of weeks ago and his conditioning has been an issue since then.  There's no word on the team's finale on Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, as to who will dress or not, so we'll see how that all plays out.

Between Miller and Baertschi, it was a tough night for Troy's team, which still occupies the Basement Dweller spot in the weekly scoring with 6 points through Thursday night's action.  It's not the end of the world just yet, since there are eight teams within 4 points of his team, but these teams already have their points to avoid the basement and who knows if Troy will have those bodies on Saturday?

Evening Preview (Apr 4)

I'm not sure how these posts have necessarily gotten better since I've changed it up from just the goalie starts to a more well-rounded post, because it looks like I've written a whole lot more than normal again today.  Where did I ever find the time?

It's the second-to-last busy day on the regular season schedule, Saturday being the last one.  I won't go much into the race detail here today, because I've already written a ton and it covers most of it already, so let's just get right to it and you can figure it out from there.

Joey Daccord (N/A) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
It's a nothing game between the Senators and Sabres tonight and the Sens will be playing on back-to-back nights, sending NCAA signing Joey Daccord out for his NHL debut tonight.  He was one of the top goalies signed out of college in these last few weeks, so the team is certainly interested to see what he can bring to the table.

Wes' team lost its grip on its top 10 spot last night in the limited amount of action, but his team starts 1 point back of 10th place and he gets a goalie start from Carter Hutton and the Sabres, who are trying to finish the season on a positive note.  Wes' pool team is trying to do much of the same at this point.

Mikkel Boedker is expected to return tonight for the Sens after a couple of games as a healthy scratch, which is good news for Chelsea's team tonight.  Another healthy body is good news.  Coming out of the lineup tonight is Bobby Ryan, who ended up blocking a shot against the Rangers and will get the night off.  Jeremy loses out on a skater game with this news, but his 19th place team is still comfortable.

Andrei Vasilevskiy (Dale C.) versus Frederik Andersen (Wilton)
Nothing new at stake for these two teams tonight, when Tampa goes into Toronto for a tune-up game ahead of the playoffs.  This potential 2nd round match-up may not have the same bite that a playoff game might, but that's no excuse to not leave a mark tonight.

The Leafs are sending their number one goalie out for their last two regular season games, just to make sure Frederik Andersen is sharp going into the playoffs, which is good news for Wilton's team.  Wilton's team has been able to maintain 9th place and is 8 points clear of 10th, which is comfortable... for now.  The Lightning are chasing down some records of their own, so they are going to go with Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight, which is good news for Dale C., who has now moved into 10th place after Wednesday night and is chasing Wilton's team now for 9th.  There's a little bit of intrigue there, I guess.

Jake Gardiner is set to make his return to the Leafs' lineup tonight after being out for over a month with a back issue.  It's too little, too late for Troy's team, but he is in a battle for some bragging rights, so it is a positive in that way.  More on that below.  Nazem Kadri is also coming out of the lineup tonight, considered a maintenance day/healthy scratch.  Since this game has no real meaning, he'll need the extra day ahead of the playoffs.  This will be a missed skater game for John P. and his 14th place team.

Thomas Greiss (Stuart) versus Sam Montembeault (N/A)
The Islanders have an outside chance at the Metro Division title, but they need to win out and Washington needs to lose their last two in regulation for that to happen.  The Islanders are on the road for their last two, starting with Florida tonight, who is playing for pride, on the way out to the off-season.

Stuart gets the only hockey pool start in this one, as Thomas Greiss was the first goalie off from their morning skate today, which is one of the better indicators on game day.  There's very little hockey pool importance, since Stuart is miles ahead of the everyone else in the standings.  It would have been better if Chelsea got a start from Robin Lehner, but he'll be backing up, dealing with some general soreness.

Jimmy Howard (Tony) versus Matt Murray (Scott)
The Penguins did indeed take the Red Wings for granted in the first half of their home-and-home series, so they are still looking to lock up their playoff spot tonight, but this time it will be in their own barn and probably with a little bit more desperation.  A win would indeed clinch their spot, but a single point could do it with a little bit of help from the rest of the schedule.

Scott's team starts play tonight 6 points back of 24th place, so if there is any hope to get out of last place, he'll need the Penguins to clinch their playoff spot tonight with a win, so Matt Murray can collect those 2 (or more) points.  Murray has been given the green light tonight and there's no sense in waiting for other teams to lose, right?

Carey Price (Stacey M.) versus Braden Holtby (Stacey C.)
The Montreal Canadiens still have a real shot at a playoff spot tonight, but they do not control their own fate.  They do, however, still need to win the games that they have left, starting with tonight in Washington.  The Caps need a win to earn the Metro title outright or else they could rely on some help in the schedule, but they will likely continue playing like they have something to play for.

We know Stacey M. will get her second start of the night from the visitors, who are pushing for that spot.  Carey Price gets the nod in this crucial game for the Habs, who don't have control over their destiny, but Price's success will certainly leave Stacey's fate in her team's hands.

Cory Schneider (N/A) versus Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.)
The Carolina Hurricanes can clinch their playoff berth with a regulation win and a Montreal loss in any fashion or they can gain a point in the standings and they would need Montreal to lose in regulation.  Either way is good for the Hurricanes, who get the New Jersey Devils tonight, a team coasting to the finish.

Stacey C. gets the only hockey pool start in this game, his team will get the Petr Mrazek start and look to close up the 7-point gap up to 7th place, the highest point he can finish this year.  It's a pretty good bet for the 2 points, but that's why they play the game. 

Brian Elliott (Troy) versus Jordan Binnington (N/A)
The St. Louis Blues start the night 1 point back of both Winnipeg and Nashville, all three teams start the night with two games remaining on the schedule, all three playing tonight and Saturday.  The Blues get the traveling Flyers tonight, as they try and keep the pace and make things interesting.  They'll be going back to their wonder-kid goalie, Jordan Binnington, to try and keep the pressure on.

The only pool start will be the last one for Troy in Philly this season, as Brian Elliott has been tapped for this game, as his team is in a 3-way tie for 15th place with Clayton and Brian at 617 points.  Troy's team only has 4 points this week, 1 clear of the basement, so one last win from Elliott would be greatly appreciated.

Jacob Markstrom (Chelsea) versus Pekka Rinne (John P.)
The Nashville Predators will welcome the Vancouver Canucks to town tonight, as they try to keep the pressure on the Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division title.  The Predators don't have the tie-breaker against the Jets, so they need to get the most points outright to take the title.

The Predators are treating this game as an important one and rightly so, sending Pekka Rinne out to the crease tonight.  If John P.'s team is going to have a late shot at the equator of the standings, he'll need a big outing from his keeper tonight, as his team start the night 9 points back of 13th.  Of course, if he gets that high, there are a couple more places he can get to as well.  At the visiting end, Chelsea gets another start out of Jacob Markstrom, making his 60th start of the season, and he's playing for a long-term contract with the Canucks, so he'll be motivated for that extra win to negotiate with.

Grant's team has fallen right out of the money picture in the last couple weeks, so the return of Jake Virtanen to the Canucks lineup is within the realm of too little, too late.  Grant's team has now fallen all the way down to 6th and is running cold, only 6 points this week.

Jaroslav Halak (Stacey M.) versus Alex Stalock (Ryan)
There isn't much in this game, as the Bruins already know who and where they are playing their opening round games next week, while the Wild are out of the playoffs in the west, so it will be going through the motions, some players looking to stay sharp, other players looking for job security next season.

Stacey M. is hoping that her second start of the night is a fruitful one, as she'll get another Jaroslav Halak start out of the Bruins, as her team defends 2nd place from the duo.  Now that the Wild are out of the playoff picture, we might get to see Alex Stalock a little bit more, which is of interest to Ryan's team, which is still holding out hope for a top 10 spot, opening up tonight only 5 points back, not getting any help from his goalies last night.

It sounds like the Wild are going to shut down Zach Parise for their last two games of the season, citing the flu tonight and likely going to give some ice-time to NCAA signing, Nico Sturm.  Dale C. is looking for help to stay in 10th place or even catch 9th, but no Parise for the last two games of the year won't be any help.  On the Bruins side, David Krejci appears to be getting a rest for the Bruins, coming out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.  This will make five bodies out of active duty on Neil's team, which still has some room to give in 7th place today.

Connor Hellebuyck (Jeremy) versus Philipp Grubauer (Jesse)
The fate of the last playoff spot in the west is in the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, since they control their own destiny.  They need 1 point out of the last two games in the regular season to make it and the first game is against the division leading Winnipeg Jets.  The Jets are in their dog fight for top spot in the division, so they will not be giving this game away.

Neither team appear to be giving up anything, as the Jets will run their number one out there tonight, Connor Hellebuyck getting the nod and giving Jeremy a start tonight.  Not that it really matters to his pool team.  The Avalanche have seemingly put all of their eggs into Philipp Grubauer's basket of late, as he is the choice to help lift the team into the playoffs tonight with the start against the Jets.  Jesse was hoping that this would happen this season, but at a much earlier point in the season.  Nevertheless, the starts does help his team in the last gasp for the money.

Jets forward Brandon Tanev has been sent back to Winnipeg to be evaluated for his upper-body injury and won't be available for tonight's game and it seems rather unlikely that he'll play on Saturday as well.  Brian's chances of getting out of the weekly Basement Dweller spot have just gotten a little bit longer.

Aaron Dell (Troy) versus Anthony Stolarz (N/A)
It's a nothing game in Edmonton tonight, when the San Jose Sharks visit the Oilers.  The Sharks may be tuning up for their playoff run, while the Oilers are probably looking at themselves and thinking, 'what do we do next?'

Troy gets the first of two starts from the San Jose Sharks, who are coasting through this match-up with their backup goalie, Aaron Dell.  From having very little action in the crease to two starts, Troy's team won't know what to do with all of this action.  The Oilers are also rocking their backup tonight, because why not?

In the lineup department, the Sharks will sit Joonas Donskoi tonight, according to some early afternoon reports.  He'll be out as a healthy scratch, possibly nursing some bumps and bruises, just ahead of the playoffs.  If Wes wants to see his team finish in the top 10, he's going to have to hope for his healthy players to really show up tonight or else it will be tough sledding going forward.

Darcy Kuemper (Neil) versus Marc-Andre Fleury (Troy)
The Arizona Coyotes don't control their own fate for that last wild card spot in the west, but they can still make things interesting, if the Avalanche were to drop tonight's game against the Jets.  The Coyotes don't have it much easier, heading into Vegas to take on the Golden Knights, who are already locked in for 3rd place in the Pacific.  Saying that, it will be interesting to see what their mind set is ahead of this game.

There was a bit of an eye injury scare for Arizona's Darcy Kuemper, but it sounds like he'll be good to go tonight against the Golden Knights, trying for that one last gasp for a playoff spot, you know, if the Avalanche hadn't quite knocked them out in the game earlier.  They won't know for sure until midway through their game, at least.  Neil is also trying to hold off Stacey C. for 7th place in the standings, so he's glad to get the start.

For the Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury will try to shake off the rust of missing action since the middle of March, dealing with a lower-body injury.  Fleury has been given the green light, which is more positive news for Troy's team, which is teetering over top of the basement heading into action tonight.

Evening Preview (Apr 2)

There's going to be plenty of playoff ramifications in the 10 games on the NHL schedule tonight, which may be a little bit more exciting than some of the hockey pool races that are left, but we'll mix in a little bit of both, just like we have been doing for the last few weeks.

Stacey M. retook 2nd place on Monday night, gaining a 2-point advantage over Kristy & Don and Stacey still has a slight advantage in the projected games to be played column on the standings page as well.

Jesse and Tony both got off to good starts last night, Jesse passing Grant's team for 4th place and made up a little bit of ground on the duo, now 19 points back heading into tonight's action.

Dale C. and Ryan both made up some ground on Wes' team for a top 10 spot in the standings this year, Wes' team is now clinging to a 2-point buffer for that last coveted spot in the standings.

Finally, Derek B.'s team leads Scott's team 1-0 this week in the battle for the basement, Derek's team is now 4 points clear at the start of play tonight.  Scott's team had the chances last night, but couldn't post the points.

Lots to go on the schedule today, so let's get right at it.

Pekka Rinne (John P.) versus Carter Hutton (Wes)
The Nashville Predators dropped to 3rd in the Central last night, thanks to tie-breakers not in their favour, but they could retake 2nd with a win in Buffalo tonight.

The pool goalie match-up will see Pekka Rinne going for John P. and his 15th place team against Carter Hutton and his 10th place team in the standings.  Right now, John's team could finish as high as 14th and as low as 18th, while Wes' 10th place hold isn't very strong, only 4 points clear of 13th, so both are jockeying for their own final placement, but where they are, they're not related at all, given the gap between 13th and 14th.

On the injury front, it sounds like Rasmus Ristolainen is ready to return for the last few games of the season for the Sabres, which is okay news for Jeremy's 19th place team.  As it has been mentioned over the last few days, his team is resting comfortably with no hope and no stress.

Tuukka Rask (Jesse) versus Sergei Bobrovsky (Kristy & Don)
The Boston Bruins are in and are now just jockeying for position in the Atlantic Division race, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have been red hot of late and looking to secure their spot in the playoffs in a come from behind sort of fashion.  The Jackets have very little breathing space to work with, but the teams they are racing against, much like themselves, have difficult opposition tonight, so a loss might not be the end of the world.

It's a pretty solid top four goalie match-up tonight, as Jesse's team is tracking down the money spots and he gets a key start for the Bruins and Tuukka Rask tonight, something to possibly shave down the gap between his team and 3rd place.  Kristy & Don occupy that spot and they have the reigning Player of the Week starting, Sergei Bobrovsky, so I would say that this is the hockey pool game of the night and one worth watching.

Petr Mrazek (Stacey C.) versus Garret Sparks (Grant)
The Hurricanes are one of those teams that the Jackets are racing against in that 3-team race for two wild card spots and Carolina has drawn the Maple Leafs tonight, who coincidentally, is racing against the Bruins for 2nd place in the Atlantic.  I'm sure they are looking at Columbus saying, "we'll scratch your back, if you scratch ours" tonight.

Grant gets the first of two starts tonight with Garret Sparks going for the Leafs tonight.  Grant's team lost 4th place in the standings last night to Jesse and starts 2 points out and 21 points out of 3rd, so he'll need some real help from the crease tonight, if he's going to have a chance at anything.  For Stacey C., it looks like the best his team can finish is 7th and his team starts 6 points back of that spot at the start of play tonight, but gets a start from Petr Mrazek and the Canes, as they hunt down a playoff spot.

Eddie Pasquale (N/A) versus Carey Price (Stacey M.)
The third team in the 3-team race, the one currently on the outside looking in, the Montreal Canadiens, don't get any favours tonight, drawing the President's Trophy recipients, the Tampa Bay Lightning.  If there is any saving grace to this, the Bolts played last night, where the Habs didn't, so that could work in their favour a little.

Stacey M. appears to be getting the only pool start with Carey Price heading back to the crease for the Habs tonight, as they try and make that big push to a playoff spot.  Stacey's team is also trying to make that push to get away from Kristy & Don in 2nd place and both of those teams are getting starts here tonight, which should keep things very interesting.

Matt Murray (Scott) versus Jimmy Howard (Tony)
The Pittsburgh Penguins can punch their ticket into the playoffs tonight in the first of a home-and-home series with the Detroit Red Wings tonight, if they post a win in any fashion on the road tonight.  The Red Wings are more than happy to play spoiler, as they have two players really motoring in the scoring department right now and they could make the Penguins sorry, if the Pens take these games for granted.

Matt Murray was the first off the ice at the Penguins' skate this morning, meaning that Scott will get another start out of the Pittsburgh number one tonight.  Scott's team is the only one sitting at zero points at the start of play tonight.  The race to get out of last is far from over.  It doesn't seem very logical that the Red Wings would bring out a keeper for his first start against the Penguins, so it seems far more likely that Jimmy Howard gets the start again, but that has yet to be confirmed.  I'm sure Tony is looking for this start, hoping the Wings can play a spoiling role at home tonight.

One scratch expected tonight, as the Penguins didn't have Brian Dumoulin on the ice at the skate, he is not expected to play against Detroit due to a lower-body injury.  A missed skater game from the blueline likely won't hurt Neil's team too badly, but his team has reached its ceiling of 7th, now trying to stave off Stacey C. for the spot.

Eric Comrie (N/A) versus Devan Dubnyk (Wes)
Big Central Division match-up in Minnesota, when the Jets take on the Wild.  The Wild are looking at this game with a serious level of desperation, 5 points back of the last wild card spot, so they most definitely need a win in any fashion to at least have a chance, while the Jets, they're just looking to pad their small lead in the division, looking for that division title.

We knew the Wild were going into this big game with Devan Dubnyk back in the crease, giving Wes another start tonight, getting both keepers into the nets tonight will certainly help his chances at defending 10th place tonight.  The Jets haven't confirmed their goalie, but seeing as though they are on back-to-back nights and they still have two games remaining after this one, it seems very likely that they will finally give Eric Comrie a spin in net, since Laurent Brossoit may not be ready to go from his injury yet.

Cam Talbot (Mike) versus Anton Khudobin (Grant)
The Dallas Stars only need 1 point to get themselves into the playoffs and they get a team now playing for pride in the Philadelphia Flyers at home, but they shouldn't be taking this team likely, as the Flyers are a sly bunch and will play spoiler at the drop of a hat.

Grant's team does have a little bit of hope with a second start tonight, thanks to the Dallas Stars and Anton Khudobin getting the call against the Flyers.  It's not going to be an easy game, but one that he could win and help Grant retake 4th place and possibly make that late push for 3rd as well.  The Flyers are doing Mike's team a favour tonight and giving Cam Talbot another audition for a job for next season, as Mike may or may not (I'm not exactly sure, to be honest) want that 20th overall spot from Benson.

Mikko Koskinen (Tony) versus Semyon Varlamov (Wilton)
The Oilers were officially eliminated last night, while the Avalanche can eliminate the Blackhawks and pad their slight lead in the wild card with a win tonight.  Both teams are coming off of losses last night, so the curse of the back-to-back will do one of these teams in tonight.

Surprisingly, with not a whole lot to play for, Tony is going to be gifted another start from the Oilers, as they'll send Mikko Koskinen back to the net, which will certainly give him at least a chance for 2 points, but the Avalanche are going to be hungry for those points and I can't imagine the mood in the Oilers room is all that giddy.

Martin Jones (Brenda & Seward) versus Thatcher Demko (Clayton)
The San Jose Sharks are locked into 2nd place in the Pacific and the Vancouver Canucks have been out of the playoff picture for a few days now, so there isn't a whole lot to play for tonight, except for jobs and pride.

The Canucks will be giving rookie goalie Thatcher Demko a chance to improve their chances against the Sharks, a team they haven't had much success against in recent history.  Clayton's 17th place team sure hopes that's the case, but the best his team can do is 14th, so the hope for the pool points is somewhat moot.  Brenda & Seward will get another start from Martin Jones and the visiting Sharks tonight, as expected, their only start of the night, chasing down Chelsea's team, which misses out on a Canucks start tonight.

And if Clayton's team wanted that win, he probably didn't want to see the return of his forward Joe Pavelski to the Sharks lineup tonight.  It looks like he's ready to return from injury, after missing the last few weeks and sinking his pool team into the depths of the bottom half of the standings.

Jack Campbell (N/A) versus Darcy Kuemper (Neil)
The Arizona Coyotes have the most hope remaining in the schedule to possibly climb into a wild card spot, as they start the night only 2 points behind the Avalanche with three games to go and they have the tie-breakers in their back pocket, so they just need to get the points to make it really interesting too.  They get the Kings tonight, who lost last night to the Flames, which may bode well for the dogs, but this is why we play the game!

No surprises with the Coyotes tonight, as they will definitely be going with Darcy Kuemper again, giving Neil another start and a good chance at points in this game.  His grip on 7th could be strengthened by a good effort from the dogs tonight, especially with a road-weary club as their opponent.