This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
Well, that didn't take long.
The Blackhawks completed a sweep of the Wild last night, which tells us that either the Blackhawks are really, really good or the Blues were really, really bad. Even by basing these assumptions on zero to minimal scientific data, I think most would agree it's the former. Chicago will await the winner of the Calgary-Anaheim series, which will go at least five games.
The Flames have a lot of momentum going into Game 4, having won Game 3 in overtime to avoid putting themselves in a 3-0 hole. Jack Adams nominee Bob Hartley has his team fighting for every inch on the ice yet again, and the Flames' surprise come from behind win even has Bruce Boudreau contemplating some lineup changes, but after a two-day break including a team-building stay in the nearby mountains, the Ducks admittedly feel relaxed.
Grinder Lance Bouma is expected to play and Karri Ramo is expected to start in Game 4, but neither will likely make a big difference in the game or over the rest of the series. The Ducks are just simply too deep and too good. The Flames scored just once in the first two games of the series and needed a little luck to score four in a Game 3 win, but the Ducks average four goals per game, so even when the Flames have a good day on offense, the odds aren't in their favor. A Ducks win would give them a 3-1 stranglehold as the series moves to Anaheim, where Calgary hasn't won in nearly a decade. Even if the Flames manage to surprise yet again and even the series 2-2, Game 5 is almost is sure-win for the Ducks, which puts the Flames in a do-or-die situation in Game 6, and even if they win that one (possible), Game 7 will be in Anaheim.
In New York, the Capitals will try to avenge their two previous playoff exits, both of which came at the hands of the Rangers in seven games. The tables have surely turned this year, with the Caps holding a 3-1 lead, giving Barry Trotz a chance to make it to the conference finals for the first time in his career. The Rangers chose a bad time to stop scoring because this is Trotz's Caps, not Boudreau's; the defense is much deeper and experienced, the goaltending has been nothing short of elite and the team is just tighter defensively and tougher to play against.
The Rangers' scoring woes are quite reminiscent of their days before acquiring Rick Nash, who is probably one of the worst playoff performers nobody talks about. Sure, he carries the puck a lot and still does his patented drives to the net, but for whatever reason he's a far less dangerous scorer in the playoffs. Maybe it's because he's always been known to be better at scoring goals off dekes and from in-close rather than using a quick release or pinpoint accuracy to score his goals, since open ice is much harder to come by in the playoffs. Either way, Nash was supposed to be the difference maker for the Rangers, who played a defensive style under John Tortorella and averaged a little over two goals per game in the playoffs during that time, but he hasn't been that impact player. Even with an elite goalie in Henrik Lundqvist and a stout defense, the Rangers have to score, because betting that Alex Ovechkin would be held off the score sheet is a dead man's folly. The big red Russian machine has three points in four games and been a wrecking ball all over the ice, amassing 17 hits and 19 shots on goal.
Braden Holtby limited the Rangers to just four goals in the first two games at MSG to split the series before moving to D.C., and is looking like the most unbeatable goalie in the playoffs this year. Among goalies who have appeared in at least five games, Holtby leads the league with a 1.48 goals-against average and .930 save percentage, slightly better than Lundqvist's 1.64 and .939. Derick Brassard's five goals lead the team, while Nash, Martin St. Louis and Mats Zuccarello (upper body) have combined for just one. Keith Yandle, the team's prized trade deadline acquisition, has just two assists in nine games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby) at New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist), 7:00 PM
Anaheim Ducks (Frederik Andersen) at Calgary Flames (Karri Ramo), 9:30 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Washington Capitals
John Erskine, D (neck) – likely out for the season.
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – no return date set.
Michael Latta, C (illness) – did not skate Wednesday; questionable.
Eric Fehr, RW (shoulder) – skated Thursday; game-time decision.
New York Rangers
Mats Zuccarello, RW (upper body) – will not play in second round.
Anaheim Ducks
None.
Calgary Flames
Ladislav Smid, D (neck) – out for the season.
Mark Giordano, D (biceps) – no return date set.
Paul Byron, C (lower body) – no return date set.
Micheal Ferland, LW (upper body) – did not play Game 3; questionable.
Lance Bouma, LW (upper body) – practiced Thursday; probable.
Hot
Corey Crawford, G, Blackhawks – The grumpy goalie has a history of bouncing back from poor outings, and after replacing Scott Darling late in the series against Nashville, has now won five straight games. The Wild were swept but they weren't bad; Crawford was simply just outstanding, making at least 30 saves in each of the four wins. He'll need to keep it up if the Hawks want to make the finals, since the high-scoring Ducks will likely be their opponent in the next round. Poolies who picked Crawford and feared the worst when Darling started to win games can breathe easily now.
Steven Stamkos, C, Lightning – He's still not scoring at the pace we're all accustomed to, but the Lightning captain gets involved in other ways, and with an assist last night now has points in three straight games. What's happening with Stamkos this year is clearly an anomaly, shooting just 3.7 percent despite averaging an astounding 17.2 percent in the regular season and 13.3 percent in the postseason excluding this year's drought. He's already one of the most efficient goal scorers in NHL history, and if he shot at as much as Ovechkin he'd be a 60-goal scorer every year. Stamkos is getting the points and should just be starting to heat up.
Cold
P.A. Parenteau, RW, Canadiens – The Habs needed to score six goals before Parenteau got on the score sheet with an assist, his first point of the playoffs. Even though I agree that, in general, French-Canadians play a little bit harder for their (presumably) favorite team growing up, it's not exactly a winning strategy to grab all the French-Canadians they can find, or to only hire French-speaking coaches, for that matter. I guess Parenteau's struggles shouldn't be all too surprising, since he's only scored 22 goals over the past two seasons and one goal in 13 career playoff games. By the way, the Habs owe him $4 million next year. At least Marc Bergevin only had to give up Danny Briere for him, another French-Canadian who's stint with the bleu, blanc et rouge was, oh, how do you say it in French… "une catastrophe"?
Jason Garrison, D, Lightning – Sometimes you forget Garrison has one of the heaviest slap shots in the league because he scores so infrequently. The rugged, 222-pound defenseman has just one goal in eight games, the lone tally coming in Game 3 against Detroit. In 16 career playoff games, he's scored just twice, and after scoring 16 goals for the Panthers and turning that into a huge pay day with Vancouver in 2012, has scored just 11 times over the past two seasons, seeing his shooting percentage drop by nearly half. He doesn't need to score for the Lightning to win, but if they face the Caps in the next round, they'll need everyone to chip in.
Recommended Value Play
Matt Beleskey, LW, Ducks – The Caps and Rangers aren't good options for Friday because it's expected to another low-scoring game, and the Ducks are much more desirable than the underdog Flames. Beleskey has scored in three straight games, and though he hasn't had a point streak last more than three games during the regular season, he's a good bet to score another. He was held pointless in four games against the Jets but has three points in three games against the Flames. Patrick Maroon and Jakob Silfverberg are other good options, but in most daily leagues Beleskey can be had for much cheaper and has an equally good chance as the other two players to score some points.
