This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The playoffs are the best.
Each of the first three nights has produced some great games and interesting storylines. Friday night the Blackhawks and Predators were in a tight battle, trading goals, until the Predators broke the game open, winning 6-2. Corey Crawford has not been good. Goals five and six were weak, and he should have had goal one knowing that playing reverse VH was going to leave a pocket open over his shoulder. It was gaping. He was inviting Colin Wilson to shoot it up top.
That's going to be giving coach Joel Quenneville some pause before setting the lineup for Game 3. Crawford after the first period of Game 1, then allowed six goals in Game 2. Scott Darling was fantastic in relief in Game 1. It could be that we see Darling take the reins soon. Crawford's slump could be the storyline of the series, but Shea Weber got injured and left the game Friday night. If that injury persists and keeps Weber out for a couple games, that could be a game-changer for Nashville.
Ottawa is having a similar situation with The Hamburglar, Andrew Hammond. They dropped Game 2 on Friday night when Alex Galchenyuk scored a weak game-winner in overtime that trickled past Hammond. Two games down, Ottawa may consider turning to the more experienced Craig Anderson. Hammond hasn't been terrible, but there were definitely a couple goals that beat him that he wants back.
Will that happen? I wouldn't guess they turn away from Hammond in Game 3, but the leash has to be getting shorter.
Saturday stands to be an exciting day in the hockey world, not just because we're got two afternoon games, then another pair in the evening, but because tonight is the NHL Draft Lottery. An entire year of tanking (or two in the case of Buffalo) is behind us and for two teams, tonight's lottery is basically the draft. Whoever wins the lottery just drafted Connor McDavid. Whoever goes second is grabbing Jack Eichel. After that we get into a mishmash of Noah Hanifin, Mitch Marner, and Dylan Strome, all of which are great pickups. But they're no McDavid or Eichel.
There's an excitement around the draft lottery that we just genrally don't see. It's rarely such a foregone conclusion of who will go number one overall and the prize has rarely been as big when it is clear.
Happy @cmcdavid97 Day! @TSNBobMcKenzie on the hours leading up to the Lottery. http://t.co/M9q66Tq2Jkpic.twitter.com/zZYHVY8PGV
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) April 18, 2015This will determine the future of a franchise. The playoffs are great, but even teams who are out of contention are having a big day today.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Detroit Red Wings (Petr Mrazek) at Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop), 3:00 PM
Minnesota Wild (Devan Dubnyk) at St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen), 3:00 PM
Pittsburgh Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 8:00 PM
Winnipeg Jets (Ondrej Pavelec) at Anaheim Ducks (Frederik Andersen), 10:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Saturday
Detroit Red Wings
Jonas Gustavsson, G - (concussion) should be able to practice soon.
Erik Cole, RW - (spinal cord contusion) will not play in the postseason.
Justin Abdelkader, LW - (hand) skated Friday in a non-contact jersey.
Johan Franzen, RW - (concussion) acknowledged Wednesday that he isn't expecting to return to the lineup during the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Jason Garrison, D - (upper body) said he's unlikely to play Saturday.
Michael Blunden, RW - (knee) won't play.
Minnesota Wild
Matt Cooke, LW - (undisclosed) was only ruled out of Game 1, but won't play Game 2. It's not clear if that's injury related or not.
Keith Ballard, D - (concussion) will not play in the postseason.
Darcy Kuemper, G - (illness) practiced Friday. At best he'll be Saturday's back-up.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pascal Dupuis, RW - (blood clot) will not play this season.
Derrick Pouliot, D - (upper body) remains day-to-day in advance of Game 2.
Olli Maatta, D - (shoulder) will not play in the postseason.
Anton Zlobin, LW - will not play in the postseason.
Christian Ehrhoff, D - (upper body) remains day-to-day in advance of Game 2.
Kris Letang, D - is unlikely to be available in the playoffs.
New York Rangers
Dan Girardi, D - (face) took part in practice Friday.
Kevin Klein, D - (arm) was not at practice Friday and won't play Saturday.
Winnipeg Jets
Mathieu Perreault, C - took part in the Jets' optional morning skate on Friday.
Grant Clitsome, D - (back) will not play.
Paul Postma, D - (undisclosed) is not ready to return.
Anaheim Ducks
John Gibson, G - (upper body) was not available for Game 1.
Nate Thompson, C - (upper body) is likely out.
St. Louis Blues
No injuries.
Hot
Patrick Sharp, RW, CHI -- Chicago might not look like the behemoths of old, but Sharp is starting to. After a disappointing season where his linemates changed how he handled rushes and he shot at the second lowest shooting percentage of his career, Sharp is bouncing back in the postseason. He finished the regular season with a goal and that combined with goals in each of the first two playoff games has him on a three-game goal streak. Sharp is look sharp.
Colin Wilson, C, NSH -- Wilson got the scoring going for Nashville in Friday night's beating of the Blackhawks. After two games he has a league-high three goals and his 12 shots rank second. Wilson was a secretly excellent player all season. His 58.56% scoring chance for percentage ranked sixth in the NHL through the regular season. He's been creating quality chances all year and it hasn't stopped with the start of the postseason.
Cold
Curtis Glencross, LW, WSH -- The deadline acquisition of Glencross paid instant dividends for the Capitals, with Glencross posting four goals and two assists in his first seven games with the team. However, things have slowed considerably. In the season final 11 games he had just one assist and five shots. He was held entirely without a shot in six games, including a stretch of four straight at one point. That slump has carried over into the postseason. He has two shots (both taken in Game 1), a minus-3 rating, and played only 7:08 in Game 2. Until further notice, stay far away from Glencross.
Bobby Ryan, RW, OTT -- Ryan finished the season with no goals and one assist in the season's final ten games. This is especially noticeable because it was taking place through a period where the Senators were one of the hottest teams in the league. They were doing it without the assistance of one of their best scorers. In two postseason games, Ryan has no points. The upside is that if you've played him he's got four shots and a plus-1 rating, which isn't something to write home about, but he's at least doing things to break out of the slump and the plus rating is impressive with Ottawa down 2-0 in the series.
Recommended Value Play
Matt Dumba, D, MIN -- In daily games, Dumba should come cheap. Since the All-Star break he's been playing like a man on a mission. The rookie defenseman been solid defensively and is putting points on the board with six regular season goals since February 18. He has a thunderous shot and is getting regular time on the Wild's second power play unit. He's a high upside bet if you're low on funds. He scored a goal in his postseason debut on Thursday and finished with the best shot attempt differential on the team, posting a +5.
