This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
The fickle life of the Cinderella goaltender. Seemingly just yesterday, Andrew Hammond and Scott Darling were good stories about netminders that had come out of, essentially, nowhere to bring stability to the net of their respective NHL teams. These weren't young goalies, like Petr Mrazek, who were simply following the traditional trajectory of a professional career. Andrew Hammond is a 27-year-old whose numbers in the AHL weren't even very good. Then he took over in net for the Ottawa Senators and helped lead them into the playoffs. Scott Darling is 26 and as recently as last season played in the ECHL. Then, after Corey Crawford struggled in net to start the Blackhawks' series with the Nashville Predators, in stepped Darling.
The bubble seems to have burst on both stories now. After a few losses, and with Craig Anderson now healthy, Anderson took over the starting role for the Senators and helped save them from a sweep. Darling gave up three early goals in Game 6 of Chicago's series with Nashville, Crawford stepped in, stopped every shot he faced, and the Blackhawks won the game and the series. Crawford is likely to keep the job, now.
It was a good run for both Hammond and Darling, but this is probably the end of it for both of them. Still, there may be a career as a backup available for both of them. There are worse ways to make a living.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Lightning (Ben Bishop) at Red Wings (Petr Mrazek) 7:00
Islanders (Jaroslav Halak) at Capitals (Braden Holtby) 7:30
*Confirmed Starters
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Lightning
Nice and healthy.
Red Wings
Erik Cole, RW (neck) – Out for season.
Johan Franzen, RW (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Jonas Gustavsson, G (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Islanders
Calvin de Haan, D (shoulder) – Did not play in Game 6. Day-to-day.
Travis Hamonic, D (knee) – Week-to-week.
Lubomir Visnovsky, D (concussion) – Out indefinitely.
Capitals
John Erskine, D (neck) – Out indefinitely.
Eric Fehr, RW (upper-body) – May play in Game 7.
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – Out indefinitely.
Hot
Mikael Granlund, C, MIN – Zach Parise was the real hero of Minnesota's 4-1 win Sunday that propelled the Wild into the second round of the playoffs, but few people are probably sleeping on Parise at this point. Granlund, on the other hand, might be going under the radar a bit. With an assist Sunday, Grandlund now has four assists in his last four games, and he is a plus-3 in those games as well. The young center came into the league with promise and, while he hasn't begun to fill it entirely, he is a capable playmaker, and somebody to keep an eye on.
Cold
Alex Galchenyuk, C, MTL – The Canadiens' series clinching win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday was indicative of Montreal's season as a whole. Carey Price was outstanding, and he blanked the Senators while the offense did just enough. Galchenyuk notched a point in each of the first two games of the series, but he has not tallied any points in the four games since. As the playoffs go on, the offensive options for fantasy shrink, but right now, Galchenyuk is a shaky choice.
Recommended Value Play
Luke Glendening, RW, DET – Glendening's value to the Red Wings generally stems from his defensive prowess, he's an excellent penalty killer and such, but he has a little offensive acumen as well. He's playing over 16 minutes a night, even though he missed part of one game with an injury, and he has two goals, one assist, and six penalty minutes. In terms of depth forward types playing on Monday, Glendening has more upside than most.
