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| Nicklas Lidstrom was the second star of the Red Wings 4-1 victory over the Stars on Thursday thanks to two assists. |
Our View: This is his second straight two assist game, and he now has assists in 4-straight games leading the way from the blueline like he always does.
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| Brenden Morrow scored his eighth goal of the playoffs on Thursday night but it was the only puck the Stars could get past Chris Osgood in a 4-1 loss. |
Our View: Can't blame this loss on the Stars captain as Morrow did his thing on this night, but not enough of his teammates joined him.
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| Marty Turco had his worst game of these playoffs in Game 1 of the third round as he allowed the Red Wings to score four times on 31 shots to lose the game. |
Our View: To be fair to Turco, three of the goals were scored on the power-play, and on at least two of the goals there is no way he even saw the shot. The Stars will need a much better effort than this if they want to move on.
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| Tomas Holmstrom created trouble all night screening Marty Turco on his way to a power-play goal and a power-play assist in Game 1 of the third round against the Stars. |
Our View: This game turned out just as we had predicted. Holmstrom screened Turco all night, he may have interfered with him on one goal, but that's the Swedes game and he did it to perfection tonight.
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| Chris Osgood improved to 7-0 in these playoffs by stopping 20 of 21 shots that he faced against the Stars in Game 1 of the third round. |
Our View: Amazing. Osgood continues to give the Wings just what they need each night rendering all-time talent Dominik Hasek as nothing more than a towel boy.
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| The Flyers received some terrible news with the report that offensive defensmen Kimmo Timonen will likely miss the entire Eastern Conference Finals series with the Penguins because of a blood clot in his ankle, according to NHL.com. Jaroslav Modry or Ryan Parent will likely fill in. |
Our View: More than missing his offense, the Flyers will miss Timonen's defensive ability as he helped to hold Alexander Ovechkin and Alexei Kovalev down in the first two rounds. Look for Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby to have even more room to work their magic.
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| It appears that the Dallas Stars will sign 23 year old Swedish star Fabian Brunnstrom, according to Slam Sports. "There were no bad options for him," agent J.P. Barry said. "Dallas, he felt, was the most comfortable fit." |
Our View: Brunnstrom scored nine goals with 28 assists in 54 games in the Swedish Elite League and was being pursued heavily by the Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Canadiens.
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| Simon Gagne still wants to play in these playoffs, and in order to make sure he has exhausted all his options, he will visit with his doctor one more time next week, according to the South Jersey Courier Post. "Of course, I want to play," Gagne said. "But on the other hand, I need to think about my career." |
Our View: Our best bet is that Gagne has seen his last game action of the season. Gagne has suffered multiple setbacks in his battle with head trauma, so we would be shocked if he was cleared to play even if the Flyers make the Cup Finals.
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| Despite earlier reports, Riley Cote will begin the third round as a healthy scratch, according to the South Jersey Courier Post. |
Our View: The Flyers will go with a fourth line of Jim Dowd, Patrick Thoresen and Sami Kapanen. Look for Cote to be inserted if the series gets rough, or if the Flyers need a spark.
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| Philippe Boucher (hip) is being listed as doubtful to skate in Game 1 of the series against the Red Wings, according to the Dallas Morning News. |
Our View: Boucher is still a bit away from returning to the ice in a game, but he continues to progress and is hopeful of returning to action in the third round.
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| Stu Barnes (concussion) is being listed as doubtful to skate in Game 1 of the series against the Red Wings, according to the Dallas Morning News. |
Our View: Barnes continues to improve and is pushing himself a bit more each day at practice. Still, concussions are a touchy thing, and the Stars want to make sure that Barnes is 100% before they put him back in the lineup. Brad Winchester should continue to fill in for Barnes.
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| Valtteri Filppula will play tonight in Game 1 against Dallas, according to the Detroit News. Coach Mike Babcock confirmed he will play tonight, and Filppula commented, "I skated yesterday and it felt good, and I skated again today and it felt good again, so I'm ready. There shouldn't be any concerns. It should be fine now. We kind of took it easy just to be sure. But I was pretty confident that I was going to play today." He was nursing a leg injury.
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Our View: Filppula notably racked up one goal and four assists against Dallas in the regular season, and he will provide solid depth for the Red Wings tonight.
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| The Panthers and defenseman Keaton Ellerby agreed to a three-year deal on Thursday, the Ticker reports. Ellerby was the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and he played 53 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL last season. |
Our View: Ellerby is a playmaking-type defenseman with a very hard shot in his arsenal. We don't expect much in 2008-09, but he's worth noting in keeper leagues.
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| Valtteri Filppula practiced for the first time this week but remains questionable for Game 1, according to the Detroit Free Press. He is nursing a leg injury and coach Mike Babcock said, "Fil skated real well today. We're going to find out on Thursday." |
Our View: If he cannot play, then Kirk Maltby would make his first appearance of the playoffs. Filppula will provide solid depth if he can make it onto the ice.
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| Chris Chelios will play in Game 1 tonight against Dallas, according to the Detroit Free Press. He has been nursing a leg injury, but said he is fine to play. |
Our View: Chelios leads the NHL in all-time playoff appearances, and his veteran leadership will provide a boost to Detroit as they begin their series against Dallas.
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