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| Daniel Carcillo is known for racking up penalty minutes (his 324 PIM are 110 more than anyone else in the league), but on Friday he displayed his goal-scoring ability, notching his first career hat trick. Carcillo has 22 points on the year and has become a fantasy asset. |
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| Phil Kessel netted his 19th goal of the season Friday, a tally that proved to be the game-winner against the Senators and propel the Bruins into the playoffs. Kessel took just a small step forward in production this year, but he's still just 19 and will be a start in due time. |
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| Tomas Vokoun left Friday's game after one period due to back spasms, according to SportsTicker. He stopped 17 of 18 shots before exiting. With the Panthers already being eliminated from playoff contention, Vokoun won't play in tomorrow's finale. |
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| Daniel Briere missed Friday's game with a knee injury that he suffered Wednesday, according to Sports Network. The injury must be pretty bad, because Philly needs a win to make the playoffs and could really use Briere in the lineup. We'll let you know if the forward will be able to play this weekend. |
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| Tomas Holmstrom will play in the regular season finale on Sunday, the Detroit News reports. He's been dealing with an abdominal strain. |
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| Kris Draper will play in the regular season finale on Sunday, the Detroit News reports. He's been out since March 30 due to a sore groin. |
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| Tomas Kopecky is out for the rest of the season and probably well into next season. He tore the ACL and sprained the MCL in his left knee on Thursday, the Detroit News reports. |
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| Mike Ribeiro did not play on Thursday night and is questionable for Friday night, the Dallas Morning News reports. He is battling flu-like symptoms, and the Stars don't have a good reason to rush him at this point. |
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| Brad Richards did not play on Thursday and remains questionable for Friday night. He may still be feeling some ill-effects of the mono he battled earlier this year. "I'm just not feeling 100 percent," Richards tells the Dallas Morning News. "It's nothing serious, but there's no sense with everything so close with the playoffs to risk it. I just want to make sure I'm healthy and ready to go." |
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| The Predators are expected to use Chris Mason or Pekka Rinne in goal on Friday against the Blackhawks, the Tennessean reports. Starter Dan Ellis will get a night to rest. |
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| Darcy Hordichuk will be out again on Friday against the Blackhawks, the Tennessean reports. He is close to returning from an MCL sprain but apparently is not quite ready. |
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| Marc Savard skated and got in a little work on Friday morning, the Boston Herald notes. He is out for Friday and Saturday due to his back injury, and no timetable has been established for his return. |
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| The Bruins still don't know if Andrew Ference is ready to return. He has missed five games due to a sprained knee and has skated the last three days. Ference tells the Boston Herald that he feels good, but "it’s just a matter of the coaches figuring out what’s the smartest thing to do on whether to push it to get back or just continue on." |
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| Andrew Alberts showed no ill-effects on Thursday, one day after returning to the ice for the first time in three months. Alberts was out due to a concussion/neck injury. "Once I got that first hit in, it calmed me down, knowing I could get hit and feel fine. That was the biggest thing for me," he tells the Boston Herald. Alberts expects to play in the final couple contests. |
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| Kimmo Timonen will play on Friday despite a sore left ankle and foot, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He took a shot off the foot on Wednesday. "It's a little painful, but you have to suck it up," Timonen says. |
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| Blair Betts could return to the ice on Friday night, although is sounds like he's a game-time decision, Newsday reports. Betts has been out since undergoing foot surgery on March 21. |
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| Brian Campbell finally suffered his first regulation loss since becoming a member of the Sharks 19 games ago. In fact, the Sharks had gone 20 games without a regulation loss as they became the first team in league history to go the entire month of March without a regulation loss. Campbell has been a big part of that streak as he has scored an amazing 18 points in 19 games wearing the teal with 11 of those points coming with the man advantage. He should be one of the first three defensemen chosen for playoff pools. |
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| Jaroslav Spacek was paired with Andrej Sekera in his first game back after missing 10 contests due to a chest injury, this according to the Buffalo News. Spacek skated a regular shift and saw over 19 minutes of ice-time on the night as he contributed one shot on goal and an assist. |
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| Martin Brodeur will make his 40th straight start on Friday night and could play the teams final regular season contest on Sunday as well, this according to the Bergen Record. "You want to play well going in. It's just the time factor, depending on when we start, the 10th or the 9th. It will be a long time [between starts] if I skip the Ranger [game]. I don't know. We'll figure it out." Brodeur is a workhorse who has appeared in at least 70 games for 10-straight seasons, so don't worry about him wearing down in the playoffs. |
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| Alexander Radulov has 26 goals on the year in an overall successful regular season though his play has tailed off of late, this according to the Tennessean. Radulov has scored just twice in the last 18 games and both came in one contest. With David Legwand out due to injury, Radulov has found himself skating with new linemates, and the transition has not gone well. In order for the Predators to move on in the playoffs, one would think that Radulov would have to play a big part as he could be their most dynamic talent on offense. Mark him down as a late round grab in playoff pools. |
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| Evgeni Nabokov was a surprise starter for the Sharks on Thursday night as HC Ron Wilson decided to let him go for the single season win record, this according to the team's Official Website. Nabokov has 46 wins on the year meaning he would have needed to win both of the Sharks final two games to tie Martin Brodeur's single season record. Since the Sharks lost last night to the Kings there is no way that Nabokov can tie the record now, so perhaps the Sharks will rest their workhorse for the final game of the regular season before the grind of the playoffs begin. |
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| Sergei Zubov will likely not be available for the Stars in the first round of the playoff due to his sports hernia, this according to the Dallas Morning News. In fact, the injury is taking so long to heal that Zubov has actually flown to Germany to have a "procedure" done that should speed up his recovery, but the team doesn't know when he will be back in action. Zubov was having a tremendous season when injury struck and he will end the year with 35 points in 46 games. His loss is a big blow to the Stars playoff hopes as he is a stabilizing force on the blueline that runs the team's power-play. |
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| Kyle Turris played in his first NHL game on Thursday night on a line with Peter Mueller and Shane Doan, though he failed to register a point, this according to the Arizona Republic. "It felt great, awesome," Turris said. "Playing with Muels and Doaner (Shane Doan), they give you the puck, they know you're open. It's an honor to play with those two. I just had to give them the puck and I was getting it back." Turris should be a star for years and given the lack of established talent in the Coyotes lineup, there seems to be a good chance of him breaking camp with the big league squad next fall. Keeper leaguers should grab him now. |
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| Craig Rivet and Christian Ehrhoff both sat out the Sharks game on Thursday night to rest minor injures, this according to the San Jose Mercury News. Rivet is nursing and upper-body injury, Ehrhoff a lower-body injury, but neither injury is thought to be serious. All indications are that the team, which is locked into the second best record in the league, is just trying to get some of their banged up guys some rest. Therefore, both skaters should be high on playoff pool lists for defensemen given the way that the Sharks have been skating of late. |
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| Ryan Carter hopes to be able to play in either of the Ducks last two games though he may have to wait until the playoffs begin to play in a game, this according to the Los Angeles Times. Carter, who has been out since February 20th with a broken wrist appears close, barring a late set back. The rookie only scored eight points in 33 games this season, but it's hard to replace a young guys enthusiasm come playoff time. Since the Ducks have a strong squad, Carter would appear to be an average pickup for the playoffs, but you could certainly do better. |
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| Daniel Briere, who suffered the dreaded lower body injury on Wednesday (it appeared to be his knee), had an MRI that was clear and should suit up on Friday, this according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Flyers are clinging to their playoff lives and need all the bullets in their gun. Briere, who has produced 31 goals and 72 points in his first season in Philly, should be active on fantasy squads for tonight's tilt. |
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| As if the loss of captain Daniel Alfredsson wasn't enough, the Senators will also be without Mike Fisher for "weeks" because of a knee injury, this according to the Ottawa Sun. "We just don't know the extent (of the injuries) at this point," said HC Bryan Murray. "If we go a couple of rounds, yeah (they could come back). Maybe if we go one round, but I don't think it will be right away. They're both out for some time." Fisher is an overlooked part of the team's offense as he provides secondary scoring behind the team's big guns. He will finish the year with 23 goals and 47 points in 79 games. |
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| The Senators suffered a potentially devastating injury to captain Daniel Alfredsson on Thursday night, one that could keep him out of action for weeks, this according to TSN. Alfredsson has an injured knee and suffered concussion on a questionable hit by the Leafs Mark Bell. Alfredsson's production has really slowed of late, but make no mistake about it, his loss is a crushing blow to the Senators playoff hopes. As a result, drop him way down in your playoff pool since we have no clear-cut answer as to when he will be back on the ice. |
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