UPDATE
Evander Kane = shoulder surgery - out for the year.
Henrik Lundqvist = neck - out for a month or so.
Get Cam Talbot - who is Lundqvist's backup - he will pay off I'm thinking.
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Just about every team in the National Hockey League has played 50 games now, only the Rangers and Blue Jackets have played 49 games. So with approximately 30 games left in the season, it’s literally ‘crunch time’ for each team. The top rank teams are fighting for the highest seed possible so they get a chance to have home ice advantage for this year’s playoffs run. The bubble teams are using all the gas in their tanks to try and squeak into the glory that comes with a playoff run. It wouldn’t be the first time for an 8th seed team to get hot at the right time and win the Stanley Cup, just ask the Los Angeles Kings.
Is it possible for any team to be worse this season than the Buffalo Sabres? No, it’s that simple…mind you, the Leafs sure have given them a run for their money in the last month or so…Don’t worry Edmonton fans I haven’t forgotten about you; you will still get your top 3 pick at the draft.
As of late the Flyers have started to pick up their game and Mason has been excellent between the pipes since returning from injury. Will they have enough games left in the season to catch up to the Bruins or Capitals? They would have to pass the Florida Panthers before that were to happen who have four more points at this time and a couple games in hand. I love this time of the year, every game has meaning.
Is anyone else amazed that Detroit is just a couple points back of holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference? Maybe, just maybe they will actually make an impact trade this year and go for it…they have done a great job over the years at drafting and building within; but with Pavel and Hank getting older I would certainly say it’s a good time for Holland to make a splash and try to improve a slot or two on his roster. The Wings are 8-2 in their last 10 games as Mrazek has done a great job at manning the fort while Howard and the ‘Monster’ have been injured; speaking of which it looks like Gustavsson will be back in action on Saturday for the squids.
The Ducks took care of the Predators last night as Rinne made his return into the lineup after an injury that put him out of the All-Star game. Not exactly an easy game to get back in the mix. The hottest team in the league right now is the St. Louis Blues with a win streak of 7 games. They have been absolutely dominant at home this season with a 20-4-2 record; something to note as most of the top tier teams in the NHL these days are powerhouses at home.
Things are a bit wild in the wonderful world of Winnipeg where some stories about Evander Kane have come out. Sounds to me like he’s a bit of a head case, but after seeing some of his pictures on twitter and what not; I’m not all that surprised. Kane is currently on the IR with what looks to be a shoulder injury; but I don’t know the extent of the injury. Of course this hinders any trade involving Evander going forward…but he’s certainly on the move out, that’s pretty much a guarantee at this point.
Los Angeles has now lost 3 games in a row…not only that, but they have been putrid on the road this season and have a record of 5-12-6. Not exactly impressive considering they won the Cup last season; ugly. Will they be able to turn it around and squeak into the playoffs? Time will tell, but the clock is ticking…Time to put the gear into overdrive if they want to make up the 5+ points on Vancouver who currently sits in the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Starting Goalies: - will update
(TOR) Reimer VS (NJ) Schneider (ANA) Andersen VS (WSH) Holtby (STL) Elliott VS (CLB) McElhinney (CHI) Crawford VS (WPG) Hutchinson (PIT) Fleury VS (CLG) Hiller
Injuries:
Taylor Hall – he tried to play Monday vs the Sharks but made his injury worse – day to day as of now
Kevin Shattenkirk – surgery needed on abdominal
Evander Kane – shoulder it looks like…
Henrik Lundqvist - took a puck in the throat last Saturday – day to day as of now
Jori Lehtera – concussion symptoms – day to day
Tyson Barrie – hip – day to day
Ryan Getzlaf – got banged up in pre-game warmups – day to day
It’s a heavy weekend of hockey so get those rosters set accordingly…hopefully everyone is on track for a playoff run in their fantasy pools. Any questions or comments feel free to ask in the comments section.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your Friday.