This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
In the course of human events, on the rare occasion we have been treated to somebody winning a Conn Smythe Trophy while playing for the losing team. The most recent time was when Jean-Sebastian Giguere carried Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Final, wherein they lost to the New Jersey Devils. It has only happened five times and, most notably, only once has it been somebody who wasn't a goalie.
In 1976, Reggie Leach won the Conn Smythe while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. Leach scored a record 19 playoff goals in 16 games. The question is, could this happen again? The answer is, of course, yes, because it is theoretically possible. However, it also seems quite implausible. You need a winning team that doesn't have a particularly good choice for the award. You need a player who had an especially great postseason, and his team needs to have a goalie who didn't have a great playoff run.
If anybody is going to do it this year, the early money has to be on Corey Perry. His 13 points are three more than anybody else in the postseason, but he's also done it in only six games. On a points per game level, he's doing notably better than, say, Tyler Johnson, whose having an excellent postseason, but he's also played nine games already. Plus, Frederik Andersen doesn't seem like a risk to take home the Conn Smythe, even if he just blanked the Flames. It's a longshot, and this probably won't be the year for a forward winning the Conn Smythe on a losing team, but the possibility is still there.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist*) 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
Rangers
Mats Zuccarello, RW (upper-body) – Out for series.
Capitals
John Erskine, D (neck) – Out indefinitely.
Eric Fehr, RW (upper-body) – Day-to-day, did not play in Game 2
Dmitry Orlov, D (wrist) – Out indefinitely.
Hot
Patrick Sharp, LW, CHI – After a disappointing season wherein he only scored 16 goals, things are going a bit better in the playoffs for Sharp. With a goal and an assist in Sunday's win over Minnesota, a win that puts the Blackhawks up two games to none and gets them on the precipice of another Western Conference Finals appearance, he now has a three game point streak. He has two goals and three helpers in that time, and the Blackhawks' offense has been as potent as anybody's this postseason.
Cold
Alex Galchenyuk, C, MTL – Galchenyuk's struggles against Ottawa have continued against Tampa Bay. The Canadiens had their worst game of the postseason Sunday in a 6-2 loss to the Lightning, and Galchenyuk, once again, delivered no points. He only has two points in this postseason, and the Habs look primed to be eliminated this round, based on their play so far. It may be time to write off Galchenyuk for this postseason.
Recommended Value Play
Derick Brassard, C, NYR – The Rangers have quite a few upper echelon forwards on their team, but right now, tied with Rick Nash for the team lead in points this postseason, is Brassard. He also leads the team in goals with four, and is also leading in plus/minus and even penalty minutes. With so many big names in this series, even with his strong performance so far, a guy like Brassard could easily fly under the radar.
