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| As the fans of the great white north have learned, Jarome Iginla is the name of hockey in Calgary, and such was the case this evening in the Flames' 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. The Flames earned just 10 total shots on goal as the Sharks were swarming on defense, but Iginla made the one shot he had on goal good, netting his first of the playoffs. |
Our View: He also helped Dion Phaneuf make good on one of his three shots on goal, assisting on the Flames 2nd and final goal of the game.
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| Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger , normally filling the role of enforcer and assist man, carried the offensive burden for the Anaheim Ducks in a 4-2 road win, putting their series with the Dallas Stars 2-1 in favor of the Stars. |
Our View: Pronger scored the final two goals the Ducks would get in the game, thus making them game winners. He also added an assists on the first goal of the game (netted by Todd Marchant).
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| Brenden Morrow serves as the lone offensive player of note in tonight's loss for the Dallas Stars, falling 4-2 to the Anaheim Ducks. Morrow scored two goals early in the 3rd period, the second coming about a minute and half after the first.
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Our View: They were the only scoring Dallas was able to put in the net this evening.
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| Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 31 of 33 shots put on goal by the Dallas Stars this evening, and based on the overall numbers, that should make this goaltender Anaheim's playoff MVP thus far. |
Our View: The Ducks put just 15 shots on goal but were lucky to find a struggling goalie on the other side. Giguere was on top of his game and put it to bed with a top-shelf effort.
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| Winger Vaclav Prospal was a great friend for his fellow Philadelphia Flyers tonight, doing all he could to help in the 3-6 trouncing of the Washington Capitals. Prospal picked up three assists on the evening, including two in the first with two of the three going to center Daniel Briere. |
Our View: In the second game of the series, Prospal was quiet, but in the first he netted two goals and an assists. Now he touts six total points through three games as the series takes a lean towards Philadelphia, 2-1.
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| Philadelphia center Daniel Briere continues to shine in the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs, scoring his third and fourth goals of the series and adding an assist to the night in the Flyers’ 3-6 win over the Washington Capitals. |
Our View: Briere entered the series with what was believed to be a troubling knee injury, but he has played at a top level and has Philadelphia enjoying a timely offensive surge.
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| Patrice Brisebois scored his first goal of the playoffs, giving the Montreal Canadiens a 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in tonight’s NHL Playoff action. |
Our View: Brisbois’ power play net gives the Canadiens a 3-1 lead in the series.
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| Canadiens goalie Carey Price stopped each and every one of the 27 shots thrown on goal by the Boston Bruins to lead his team to a hard-fought 1-0 victory. |
Our View: Price allowed five combined goals over the first three games and tonight’s rise couldn’t have come at a better time. Now Montreal carries a 3-1 series lead over Boston and needs one more win to advance.
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| Right winger Rob Niedermayer missed tonight's Game 3 against the Dallas Stars with an apparent concussion sustained earlier in the series, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Niedermayer didn't travel to Dallas after complaining of concussion-like symptoms. As of this moment, we are unaware of future plays for this veteran winger and his status moving forward is unknown. We will update as news becomes available.
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| Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen has left tonight's game against the Washington Capitals with an undisclosed injury, according to the Sports Network. |
Our View: Timonen was checked into the Caps’ net by Brooks Laich with less than a minute remaining in the 2nd period and left immediately for the locker room. His status for return is unknown.
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| The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed defenseman Denis Grebeshkov to a one-year contract believed to be worth approximately $1.5 million, according to SLAM Sports. |
Our View: Grebeshkov finished this season with three goals and 15 assists in 71 games for the Oilers this season, serving as one of (if not the) top defenders for the Oilers. Now he reaps the rewards of that effort and hopes to earn bigger dollars after proving himself once more.
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| The Washington Capitals have signed Francois Bouchard to a new three-year entry-level contract, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: The 19-year-old Bouchard was taken by Washington in the second round of the 2006 NHL draft. He led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 80 assists and 125 points in 2006-07. He had one goal in four regular-season games for the Hershey Bears of the AHL this season.
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| Miikka Kiprusoff will start Game 4 against San Jose despite being pulled for poor play in Game 3, according to TSN.ca. Curtis Joseph replaced him Game 4, but will return to the bench to prevent a goalie controversy for Calgary. |
Our View: He is a solid goaltender, and should bounce back for Calgary.
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| Vincent Lecavalier will undergo surgery on his ailing right shoulder today, according to the Tampa Tribune. Following surgery, he will require 12-15 weeks of recovery time. Lecavalier is expected to be 100% by the time training camp opens in September. |
Our View: He scored 92 points for the Lightning this season, and hopefully he will make a favorable recovery.
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| Chris Clark, who missed most of the season with a groin ailment, was able to skate on his own yesterday and will travel with the team, but won't likely play in Game's 3 or 4, according to the Washington Post. |
Our View: He is a team captain and his return would boost the Capitals in the playoffs, but he is not quite there yet.
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| Derian Hatcher has not played since breaking his leg on March 15, but he wants to play in Game 3 tonight against Washington, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer. He skated yesterday and said he feels strong, and added, "I'm healthy. I'm ready. I haven't talked to anybody. I'm not calling the shots. My conditioning is not going to be 100 percent, but it's fine. I hope to play." |
Our View: It remains to be seen if the team will let him play, and he won't likely log many minutes if he does return tonight.
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| Daniel Alfredsson made a miraculous comeback as he was able to play around 17 minutes in Monday's loss to Pittsburgh, according to the Ottawa Sun. He battled knee and head injuries to return on Monday, and was thought to miss the entire first round. He didn't score but he provided an emotional boost to the team, and Coach Bryan Murray stated, "If anybody questions Daniel Alfredsson's character again. I might approach them in an unkind manner, this guy has nothing but character."
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Our View: The Senators are in a 3-0 hole against Pittsburgh, and hopefully his return will spark them, and prevent a sweep.
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| John Madden has been playing great in the post-season as he notably scored the game-winning OT goal against the Rangers on Sunday, and has earned more ice time and gained praise from Brent Sutter, according to the Newark Star Ledger. Sutter is very high on Madden right now and commented, "You try to play your top players on the power play, your most skilled guys who contribute maybe the most offensively on it. Sometimes you change things just to shake things up a little bit, but John's one of those guys that, since Day One, has played extremely well for this team. He's done everything that I've asked of a player to do. He's had a great year to date and he'll continue to play well, because he plays for the front of that jersey. That jersey means everything to him. He's a fiery guy. He's got the intensity and the intangibles that make up a winner. And his character showed Sunday night."
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Our View: Madden only scored 42 points in the regular season, but contributed three goals over their four playoff games against the Rangers so far. His fantasy stock remains on the rise in the postseason.
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| Patrice Bergeron is expected to miss Game 4 against Montreal, according to the Boston Herald. He is suffering from a concussion and has not gained clearance to play by neurologist Robert Cantu. Bergeron does not know when he will return and commented, "No timetable exactly. Obviously, I’m going to try and get in contact with them at some time. But for now, it’s disappointing. I’d like to be out there to help the guys, but obviously I’ve got to listen to the doctors and do what’s best for me." He has been out since October 27 due to the injury. |
Our View: Hopefully he will ultimately be able to resume his career favorably.
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| Tomas Plekanec had a -1 rating in Game 2 and 3 and admitted that he isn't playing well in their series with Boston, according to the Boston Globe. He stated, "No question about it. I haven't been playing well. The last two games, I played like a little girl out there. I have to change it, that's for sure." |
Our View: He scored 69 points in the regular season, and looks like he will push himself harder for their next game against Boston.
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| Francis Bouillon tested his sore ankle on the ice yesterday and will be a game-time decision for Game 4 against Boston, according to the Boston Herald. Coach Guy Carbonneau noted, "We are going to see how he feels and we’ll know more by tonight. It’s probably not ready right now, but we don’t know. If he has a good day yesterday and skates again this morning and feels good, then we have the option of using him."
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Our View: He only scored eight points in the regular season, with a +/- of nine, and he holds no fantasy value.
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| Jiri Hudler contributed one goal and one assist in Monday's 5-3 loss to Nashville. That was his first goal, and he notably notched an assist in all three games of the series so far. |
Our View: He only scored 12 goals and 28 assists in the regular season, so he has really stepped up his game in the playoffs.
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| Ryan Suter was named the Third Star of Monday night, as he collected an assist and blasted the game-tying goal in Nashville's exciting 5-3 win over Detroit, according to NHL.com. |
Our View: Those were his first points of the series.
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| Pierre-Marc Bouchard earned Second Star honors as he registered one assist and the game-winning goal on Monday, as Minnesota edged Colorado 3-2, according to NHL.com. Minnesota now holds a 2-1 lead in the series, and Bouchard scored three points over the last two games. |
Our View: He ended the regular season with 62 points, and has now stepped up in the playoffs.
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| Marian Hossa generated one goal and two assists in a 4-1 win over Ottawa on Monday, and earned First Star honors of the night, according to NHL.com. The Penguins now hold a 3-0 lead in the series, and Hossa contributed six points over the three games. |
Our View: Hossa scored 66 points over 71 games in the regular season, and he should remain a solid source of points through the playoffs.
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| Kirk Maltby will likely miss the remainder of the first round playoff series against Nashville, according to the Detroit News. His hamstring ailment is getting better but he is likely running out of time and noted, "I'd have to be very fortunate healthwise. But I don't know if I'm going to ask the guys to prolong the series just for the sake of that playing. As long as I don't have any setbacks, I should be ready for the second round."
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Our View: The team remains in good hands without him, and he should take his time and not rush back into action.
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| Pierre-Marc Bouchard netted the overtime game-winner on Monday night and put the Wild up 2-1 in the series against the Avalanche. It was his first goal of the season. |
Our View: Bouchard keeps improving, and the 23-year-old should be viewed as a decent No. 3 forward heading into next season.
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| Joe Sakic had another strong game on Monday night, scoring a goal and adding an assist in a loss to the Wild. |
Our View: Sakic has four points through three games in the series, which shouldn't surprise anyone.
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| Mikko Koivu is starring for the Wild in the playoffs. He netted his third goal in as many games on Monday night. |
Our View: Koivu turned it on in March and is beginning to look like a guy who will be a more effective fantasy performer come the 2008-09 season.
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