The Detroit Red Wings topped the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL Playoff’s first Game 7 last night.

Tonight we are all lucky enough to have two more Game 7′s on the docket. First we have the Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins at 7 PM EST followed by the New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals at 8 PM EST.

The Maple Leafs came back from 3-1 down thanks to the outstanding goaltending of James Reimer. Boston in recent memory has had difficulty closing out playoff series and that problem has come to the forefront yet again. The Bruins looked like they were in control of the series and then all of a sudden they could not beat Reimer. Game 7 goes tonight in Boston, the city of Toronto should be wild and so should the game. Prediction: Maple Leafs win 3-2.

The home team has won every game in the Capitals and Rangers series, so that bodes well for the Capitals tonight. Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby have each played very well through six games and we will likely see good games from both of them tonight. These two faced in a 7-game series in the second round last year, which was won by the Rangers. I think that will happen again tonight on the back of ‘King’ Henrik. Prediction: Rangers win 3-1.

Round 2 Preview 

Western Conference

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings

The Blackhawks did exactly what they had all season in the first round vs. Minnesota. They scored a bunch of goals while getting great goaltending from Corey Crawford. His 1.32 GAA leads all NHL playoff goalies so far. While some might say Jonathan Toews struggled because he only had two assists in five games, it is what he does in the defensive zone that makes him an elite player. The same can be said about the Red Wings Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, but they also scored a ton and carried the team vs. Anaheim. The Blackhawks were the better team in the regular season but the Red Wings played Chicago hard every game (minus that one 7-1 thumping). I think this series will be much closer than some may think especially because of how clutch the Red Wings have been of late. They won four straight at the end of the season to get into the playoffs and then won three overtime games in the first round. Prediction: I’m a Red Wings fan, I can not Predict this series. 

#5 Los Angeles Kings vs. #6 San Jose Sharks

Wow, was that Kings vs. Blues series not awesome to watch? Hit after hit after hit, that is what you want when you watch playoff hockey. The coolest part about that series was it was so physical, but the players were not stupid about it. They were hammering each other but it did not get out of control. The Sharks were amazing in round one. They completely dismantled the Canucks in a four-game sweep. This will be another physical exciting series and should have great goaltending. There is tons of offensive talent and size on the ice with these two California teams and it should provide the viewers with a great brand of hockey. Prediction: Kings win in 6. 

Eastern Conference 

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #7 Ottawa Senators

Remember February 13th when Matt Cooke sliced Erik Karlsson’s Achilles? And then Karlsson made a historical come back, is playing great and pushed the Sens into the second round? Well Karlsson will get his chance for revenge when the Senators take on the Penguins next round. Pittsburgh had some trouble keeping the biscuit out of their net against the Islanders but as expected they had no problem scoring. Craig Anderson was great against Montreal posting a 1.80 GAA in five games. He will need to bring his ‘A’ game against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evegni Malking, Jarome Iginla etc… if the Senators are going to have a chance in this one. Jason Spezza has started skating recently but likely will not be returning anytime soon. Should he return it would be a huge boost to the Sens lineup, but do not get your hopes too high. Prediction: Penguins win in 6.

#3 Washington Capitals / #6 New York Rangers vs. #4 Boston Bruins vs.#5 Toronto Maple Leafs

I can not really do much of a preview since we have no idea who is going to be playing next round. Check back after tonight’s Game 7′s for a preview of this round two matchup.

Editor’s Note: If you have any Fantasy Hockey or General NHL Stanley Cup Playoff questions or concerns you can contact us on Twitter @DailyFaceoff or @Brock_Seguin

The shortened 48-game regular season has come and gone and now it is time for the playoffs! Just because the regular season is over doesn’t mean fantasy hockey is over. In this article I will be giving a small preview of each first-round series in the EAST and then players on each team that hold good value in fantasy playoff pools.

FACT: This is the first time since 1996 that all Original-6 teams (BOS, CHI, DET, MON, NYR and TOR) have made the playoffs.

#1 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #8 Minnesota Wild

Blackhawks – 36-7-5 = 77 Points / 2nd in NHL w/ 3.38 Goals for per Game; 1st w/ 2.02 Goals against per Game
Wild – 26-19-3 = 55 Points / 22nd w/ 2.46 Goals per Game; t-15th w/ 2.60 Goals against per Game

The Blackhawks have been dominant all season long and it is not likely likely going to stop now. Entering the season their one question mark was their goaltending. However those questions have been put to rest now that the combination of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery posted the lowest goals-against this season. The Wild expected more than an eighth place finish when they signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter this offseason. They are struggling to score without Danny Heatley and Jason Pominville, which will likely spell their demise in this series. Chicago won the season series 2-1, outscoring the Wild 8-5.

Blackhawks: The Hawks players are likely going to come off the board quickly because they are favorites for the Cup. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are going to get their points. You should be able to find some value in players like Brandon Saad who has come on strong this season and Dave Bolland, who has missed the last three games but could be back on Tuesday. He has been a good playoff performer in his career, posting 37 points in 49 games. And you can’t forget about Duncan Keith who would have posted his fifth straigh 40+ point season if it were an 82-game season.

Wild: Parise, Suter and Mikko Koivu all had successful seasons. The Wild have not had much secondary scoring thus far and they will need some of their bottom-6 to step up if they are going to pull off the upset. Parise, Suter and Koivu will likely be the only ones worth drafting.

#2 Anaheim Ducks vs. #7 Detroit Red Wings

Ducks – 30-12-6 = 66 Points / 8th w/ 2.79 Goals per game; t-9th w/ 2.40 Goals against per Game
Red Wings – 24-16-8 = 56 Points / t-19th w/ 2.54 Goals per Game; 5th w/ 2.29 Goals against per Game

The Detroit Red Wings won four straight down the stretch to extend their playoff streak to 22 years. They will take on an Anaheim team who has been consistent all season. Detroit struggled to score for most of the season but when they got desperate, their star players showed up. Both teams have good experienced players mixed with inexperienced young players and good goaltending. Jimmy Howard won four straight with a 0.75 GAA and .969 SV% and two shutouts to clinch a playoff berth while the Ducks have used both Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth all season. The Red Wings won the season series 2-1 while outscoring the Ducks 9-7.

Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan will attract a lot of attention after strong seasons. Veterans Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne could be great mid-round pickups as they’ve been great playoff players in the past. However there is not too many other players that jump off the page at you. It is not going to be an easy series for the Ducks and they will need either Hiller or Fasth to step up and match Howard.

Red Wings: The Wings top line of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader has caught fire as of late. Abdelkader provides a physical force on a highly skilled line. Datsyk and Zetterberg combined for four goals and 14 assists in the final four games of the seasson. Johan Franzen struggled at times this season but he scored seven goals and six assists in the last 13 games. He has always been a great playoff performer (73 points in 88 games) so catching fire at the right time might be all the Red Wings need to pull off the upset. Vallteri Filppula is another player who struggled but started playing well late in the season. Young players like Damian Brunner and Gustav Nyquist will make great late value picks should the Red Wings make it out of the first round. And one of the most important players to the Red Wings is Niklas Kronwall, who yet again had a great year. He has 40 points in 79 career playoff games.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 San Jose Sharks

Canucks – 26-15-7 = 59 Points / t-19th w/ 2.54 Goals per Game; t-9th w/ 2.40 Goals against per Game
Sharks – 25-16-7 = 57 Points / 24th w/ 2.42 Goals per Game; 6th w/ 2.33 Goals against per Game

This is a battle between two strong West Coast teams. It should be a physical series with a lot of offense but at the same time great goaltending. Should Cory Schneider be healthy he will start for the Canucks and he has had a great year (17-93, 2.11 GAA, .927 SV%). As for the Sharks, Antti Niemi has had a Vezina worthy season himself (24-12-6, 2.16 GAA, 924 SV%). The Sharks dominated the season series winning all three games vs. Vancouver, outscoring them 9-5 in the process.

Canucks: Obviously the Canucks have Daniel and Henrik Sedin who will be early picks. But after them they have a handful of players who are not standouts offensively but should provide you with some mid-round offense. Mason Raymond, Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler and Derek Roy are players that will all get the job done. If they don’t then the Canucks will not make it past the Sharks.

Sharks: The Sharks are an interesting playoff team because they were sellers at the Trade Deadline but still made the playoffs. They got rid of veterans Ryan Clowe and Douglas Murray who are both good playoff players. They still have plenty of talent on their roster. Obviously Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are there and will pile on the offense. However the two most intriguing players on this team are Logan Couture and Brent Burns. Couture scored five goals and three assists in his last seven games. Burns was moved to forward mid-season and has looked dominant. He has posted four goals and six assists in his last 13 games.

#4 St Louis Blues vs. #5 Los Angeles Kings

Blues – 29-17-2 = 60 Points / 18th w/ 2.56 Goals per Game; t-7th w/ 2.38 Goals against per Game
Kings – 27-16-5 = 59 Points / 10th w/ 2.73 Goals per Game; t-7th w/ 2.38 Goals against per Game

This is a rematch of a second-round matchup last season. The Kings swept the Blues in that series and also swept them 3-0 in the season series, outscoring them 14-7. So the Blues are 0-7 in their last seven vs Los Angeles but they will start the series at home. The Blues enter the playoffs having winning 15 of 18 games in April, while the Kings are 10-4-3 in their last 17. It should be a good physical series, meaning you would expect it to be a defensive series. However they combined to average seven goals per game in all three regular season meetings.

Blues: The Blues are not really a team that you want to build your fantasy playoff team around. They have a lot of good  two-way players but no body that really lights up the score sheet. If you have to take defensemen in your league then Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jay Bouwmeester (in his first playoffs) have  a lot of value. As far as their forwards go… Which one do you take first? David Perron, T.J Oshie,  David Backes, Chris Stewart the list goes on and on. However it is impossible to predict which one of them is going to be the one who steps up.

Kings: The Kings entered the playoffs as the eighth seed last year and went on to win the Stanley Cup. They are a dangerous team come playoff time. They can play big, physical teams and won’t get worn down. They can also play with the small, fast, skilled teams. Jeff Carter is a goal scoring machine. He scored 26 goals in 48 games this season and he had 13 points in 20 games in the playoffs last year. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar were great last year scoring 20 in 20, while Drew Doughty had 16 from the blueline. All these guys are good players and will be worth drafting, because the Kings could make another run.

For a Preview of the Eastern Conference click HERE

EDITORS NOTE: If you have any Fantasy Playoff questions post them into the comments below or tweet us @DailyFaceoff or me directly @Brock_Seguin and we will answer you as quickly as possible! Good Luck to everyone!

The shortened 48-game regular season has come and gone and now it is time for the playoffs! Just because the regular season is over doesn’t mean fantasy hockey is over. In this article I will be giving a small preview of each first-round series in the EAST and then players on each team that hold good value in fantasy playoff pools.

FACT: This is the first time since 1996 that all Original-6 teams (BOS, CHI, DET, MON, NYR and TOR) have made the playoffs.

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 New York Islanders

Penguins – 36-12-0 = 72 Points / 1st in NHL 3.38 Goals per Game; 12th w/ 2.48 Goals against per Game
Islanders – 24-17-7 = 55 Points / 7th w/ 2.81 Goals per Game; 21st w/ 2.83 Goals against per Game

Both teams enter the playoffs having played well down the stretch. Pittsburgh is 8-2-0 in their last 10 while New York was 6-1-3. The Penguins will hope to get Sidney Crosby back who has been out since March 30th with a broken jaw. The Penguins won the season series 3-1 while outscoring the Isles 15-to-9.

Penguins: In a playoff pool the Penguins players are more valuable because they are very-likely going to continue to the second round. Obviously Sidney Crosby, Evegeni Malkin, James Neal, Jarome Iginla, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz are going to be hot commodities. Someone like Pascal Dupuis might slide under the radar a bit and would be someone who could hold a ton of fantasy value in the playoffs. He scored 12 points in 13 games down the stretch without Crosby in the lineup.

Islanders: The Islanders probably are not going to win this series but you should be able to get some points out of John Tavares and Matt Moulson before it is over for them. They each had good seasons, but you probably should not dig too deep into the Islanders roster because they are not going to be around for long.

#2 Montreal Canadiens vs. #7 Ottawa Senators

Canadiens – 29-14-5 = 63 Points / 4th w/ 3.04 Goals per Game; 14th w/ 2.58 Goals against per Game
Senators – 25-17-6 = 56 Points / 27th w/ 2.33 Goals per Game; 2nd w/ 2.08 Goals against per Game

Montreal has struggled a bit towards the end of the season, but they won enough games to secure the Northeast Division and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. As for the Senators they really struggled and almost slipped out of the playoffs, but then the got Erik Karlsson back. Karlsson is key for this team and should give the Senators a chance to win this series. Ultimately I think it will come down to Craig Anderson. If he can go save-for-save with Carey Price then the Sens can pull off the upset. They split the season series 2-2 (each with a shooutout win). The Sens outscored Montreal 10-7 in the four contests.

Canadiens: Nobody on this team scored at a point per game pace, but PK Subban finished tied with Kris Letang for the NHL scoring lead amongst defensemen. The Habs do not really have anyone who has a ton of playoff experience or that is known as a playoff performer. However you have to look at their best players like Max Pacioretty and Subban as guys who will need to get it done for the Habs to be successful. Someone like Michael Ryder could be a great value pick. He scored 17 points in 25 games with the Bruins in the 2010-11 NHL Playoffs. Brendan Gallagher is an in-your-face player who is great for the playoffs, so he might be someone to keep an eye on in the late rounds

Senators: Everybody is going to be looking at Karlsson. He is their best player. They have a young team with a lot of offensive skill but no playoff experience. Sergei Gonchar is a solid playoff performer, posting 84 points in 125 career playoff games. Daniel Alfredsson will be leaned on heavily for leadership, but can he get the job done offensively? He posted eight points in six games in a first round loss in 2009-10. I expect Kyle Turris to step up and have a good first round, even if the Sens lose the series. If they win he should be a big part of their success.

#3 Washington Capitals vs. #6 New York Rangers

Capitals – 27-18-3 = 57 Points / t-4th w/ 3.04 Goals per Game; 18th w/ 2.71 Goals against per Game
Rangers – 26-18-4 = 56 Points / 15th w/ 2.62 Goals per Game; 4th w/ 2.25 Goals against per Game 

I think the rest of the Eastern Conference is happy to see these two teams playing each other. Both the Rangers and Capitals have gotten hot at the right time. The Rangers were bad until the trade deadline. They made some significant moves including acquiring Ryan Clowe and trading Marian Gaborik to the Blue Jackets. They went 9-3-1 down the stretch. It is all about Alex Ovechkin for the Caps. They were struggling at one point and then BOOM! Ovie was back and on fire. They are in the worst division in the league which led to their #3 rank in the East but they are red-hot entering the playoffs. They finished 15-3-2 in their last 20 games. These two teams met in the second round last year, the Rangers won the series in seven. They also won the season series 2-1, outscoring the Caps 8-4.

Capitals: The Caps have a good chance to win this Series as long as they continue to get good goaltending from Braden Holtby. Ovechkin and Backstrom are obviously their top guys and will go early. The trio of Mike Ribeiro, Troy Brouwer and Martin Erat will be key for the Capitals. This will be Ribeiro’s first trip to the playoffs since 2007-08 when he scored 17 points in 18 games for the Stars. Brouwer had his best season as a pro this season, scoring 19 goals in 47 games. He could translate his strong season into the playoffs, making him a good sleeper. Erat has never played on a team who has ever really had a good chance to do well in the playoffs. The Caps gave up a lot to get him so they will be expecting big things. Lastly Mike Green has been on a tear. He has 18 points in his last 15 games, he like Alex Ovechkin appear to be back to their old-selves.

Rangers: Rick Nash has only appeared in four playoff games in 2008-09, where he recorded three points. He will go early along with the great playoff performer Brad Richards and the captain Ryan Callahan. Even though Derek Stepan had an amazing year he could drop just because he is not a house hold name just yet. Derek Brassard was acquired in the Gaborik trade and is a young offensive playmaker that could make a difference in his first NHL playoff appearance, giving him some late round value.

#4 Boston Bruins vs. #5 Toronto Maple Leafs

Boston – 28-14-6 = 62 Points / 13th w/ 2.65 Goals per Game; 3rd w/ 2.21 Goals against per Game
Toronto – 26-17-5 = 57 Points / 6th w/ 3.02 Goals per Game; 17th w/ 2.67 Goals against per Game 

It is the first time the Maple Leafs have made the playoffs since 2004. Unfortunately for them they have to take on the Boston Bruins in the first round. The Bruins are a strong team that should have finished second in the East, but started to hit some bumps in the road toward the end of the season. The playoffs are an entirely new season and I think they’ll find their game again and should take care of the Leafs. Boston won the season series 3-1, while out scoring the Leafs 9-7.

Bruins: Boston does not have any one player that is a standout superstar. They have a very balanced offensive attack and most of their forwards are good two-way players. Brad Marchand struggled in the playoffs last season but his style of play is made for playoff hockey. Patrice Bergeron is probably Boston’s best forward, he has 42 points in 61 career playoff games. Tyler Seguin has 10 points in 20 games in the playoffs, but he is still just 21 years-old and could take over at any time. Jaromir Jagr is playoff stud. He has 189 points in 180 playoff games and was brought to Boston for that very reason. Milan Lucic has had a terrible season and will look to redeem himself in the playoffs, making him an interesting pick in fantasy. All these players could be great options.

Maple Leafs: This is an interesting team in terms of fantasy playoffs. They need James Reimer to stand on his head if they are going to beat the Bruins. Phil Kessel is an elite goal scorer (10 goals in his last 10 games) and will likely be an early pick. James van Riemsdyk is the only player on this team who was in last years playoffs. He is just 23-years-old so we still don’t know what to expect out of him. The same goes for Nazem Kadri who had a great season in Toronto. Joffrey Lupul should be a safe pick this year. He is a hard working, strong offensive player who is ideal for playoff hockey.

For a Preview of the Western Conference click HERE

EDITORS NOTE: If you have any Fantasy Playoff questions post them into the comments below or tweet us @DailyFaceoff or me directly @Brock_Seguin and we will answer you as quickly as possible! Good Luck to everyone!

With only a couple of days left in this lockout-shortened NHL season the Western Conference playoff race is heating up.

There are three teams that are separated by just one point, battling for the seventh and eighth playoff spot. It is an interesting race because all three teams are completely different.

• First you have the Detroit Red Wings (23-16-8 = 54 points). The Wings have been a model of success for many years now. They have a streak of 21 straight seasons of making the playoffs that is in jeopardy. However they have won three straight and could be playing their best hockey at the right time.
• Then there is the Minnesota Wild (25-18-3 = 53 points). Minnesota looked like they were comfortably in the playoffs in the middle of March. However they have went 4-8-2 down the stretch and now sit eighth in the West. They picked up Zach Parise and Ryan Suter each for $98-million dollars over 13 years in the offseason and seemed like a lock for the playoffs. It hasn’t worked out quite as planned and tonight’s clash with Edmonton is HUGE.
• Finally there are the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets (23-17-7 = 53 points). When they traded Rick Nash to the Rangers everyone thought that this team would just go through the motions this season and pick up another top-5 draft pick. Then Sergei Bobrovsky splashed onto the scene with a ridiculous season and they traded for Marian Gaborik at the deadline. They sit in ninth in the West with only a tie-breaker separating them from eighth.

Detroit and Columbus each only have one game left. Detroit faces the Stars in Dallas tomorrow while the Jackets take on the Predators at home, also tomorrow. Minnesota is in the best spot with two games left. Like I said earlier they take on the Oilers tonight and the Avalanche in Colorado tomorrow.

The Red Wings and Wild each hold their own fate in their hands. If the Red Wings get to overtime tomorrow vs. Dallas they clinch a  playoff berth. If the Wild win tonight against Edmonton, they are also in. However if Minnesota loses tonight, they still have a chance to win tomorrow to clinch their spot. Columbus is going to have to win and hope Detroit loses in regulation or Minnesota loses both of their games in regulation. If both happen and Columbus wins, then the Blue Jackets will finish seventh and the Red Wings will finish eighth. Got all that? 

If the playoffs were to start today, this is what the matchups would look like in the West.

1. Chicago vs. 8. Minnesota

2. Anaheim vs. 7. Detroit

3. Vancouver vs. 6. San Jose

4. St. Louis vs. 5. Los Angeles

I wrote an article on Monday saying that Erik Karlsson would not play. But this time… HE’S BACK!

Miraculously after getting 70% of his left Achilles tendon severed by Matt Cooke’s skate on February 13th, he will return tonight with two games left in the regular season. Original diagnosis had him missing 4-6 months… Well Karlsson must have laughed when he heard that because he is back just TEN weeks later.

His return could not have come at a better time for the Ottawa Senators. They are slipping in the Eastern Conference standings and could fall completely out of the playoffs. Their power-play is 20th best in the NHL and has been dreadful as of late. If you had a bad power-play and you had one wish… Your wish would definitely be “I wish to have Erik Karlsson on my team.” He is the most dynamic offensive-defenseman in the NHL and should step in and produce immediately.

In the 14 games Karlsson appeared in this season he averaged 27:06 time on ice a night. Even though this guy is coming off of a horrible injury, there is no reason not to expect him to play 25-plus minutes tonight. He had six goals, four assists and was a spectacular plus-6 before getting hurt. He will play on the Sens top pair with Marc Methot and will be on the point with Sergei Gonchar on their top power-play unit.

If you were on the ball and picked him up in a daily league… Get him in your lineup tonight!

Per the Vancouver Canucks twitter, their netminder Cory Schneider is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and Joe Cannata has been re-called as a result.

There is no word on what happened to him or when it occurred. Schneider had started the Canucks last four games and nine of their 11 games in April. In those nine starts he posted and 5-3-1 record with a 1.86 GAA and .936 SV%. Vanocuver has only two game left and they have already locked up the Northwest Division. They can not catch Anaheim for second, so they are going to finish third in the Western Conference no matter what happens.

Roberto Luongo who has had a frustrating season sitting behind Schneider will likely start both of the remaining games. Although Luongo has not played a lot this season, it is not because he has played poorly. He is 9-4-3 with a 2.34 GAA and .913 SV% (better than Schneider’s .911). If you have Cory on your roster and Roberto is available, make sure you pick him up.

Remember at the Trade Deadline when there was tons of speculation about Luongo being traded to Toronto or somewhere else? Well, I am sure that the Canucks are pretty happy that they did not and Luongo’s big contract could become a blessing in disguise. There is no word on how long Schneider will be out, but should it extend into the playoffs, the cage will be Luongo’s.

However, according to Luongo he does not think Schneider’s injury is “anything too serious.” Continue to monitor the latest development in the Vancouver goalie saga.

Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson resumed practicing on Friday and practiced again this morning.

Karlsson had his left Achilles tendon cut by Penguins forward Matt Cooke’s skate in a game on February 13th. He had surgery and was expected to be sidelined for 4-6 months, which would have seen him miss the rest of the season. It has been just 10 weeks since the injury and he has been cleared to resume skating and just needs to get back into game shape before getting back in the lineup.

With Karlsson practicing there was obviously speculation that he could play tonight vs. Cooke and the Penguins. However with the Senators currently sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference, they likely are not going to rush him back. He might not be fantasy relevant in regular season pools, but should the Sens hold onto a playoff spot, he would be worth a look.

If you are in the finals of your daily league, keep an eye on his status because anytime he is on the ice he is a threat to score. The Senators play on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday after tonight so Karlsson has a few days to get to 100%. If he’s available, it could not hurt to take a flier on him.

Pittsburgh at Boston was rescheduled from tonight to tomorrow (Saturday) at 12:30 pm.  As of posting this article, there are no confirmed starters for either team.

Pittsburgh’s originally scheduled game for Saturday – at Buffalo – was rescheduled to Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 pm.  This means all Sabres and Penguins players will play one less game this week than originally planned – plan accordingly.

We have been lucky enough to partner up with our friends at Draftstreet again to provide a one day fantasy hockey contest for our readers, complete with $300 in cash prizes. The contest will occur on Saturday April 20th, but you can sign up at any time through this link, and rosters lock at 1 PM EST on Satursday.

This is a salary cap league where everyone tries to assemble the best team out of the available players. You will have a $100,000 budget to build a team of 2 LW’s, 2 RW’s, 2 C’s, 2 Defenseman, 1 Goalie, and a FLEX. Each NHL player has been allocated a price based on their expected fantasy performance. Daniel Sedin is going to be much more expensive than Mason Raymond.

As usual – my team:

LW – Alex Ovechkin, Marcus Johansson

C – Nicklas Backstrom, Patrick Elias

RW – Patrick Kane, Jakub Voracek

D – Mike Green, Duncan Keith

G – Martin Brodeur

Flex – Wayne Simmonds

Click here to sign up for the free $300 one day contest on Draftstreet.

Brad Marchand was hurt in Wednesday’s contest with the Devils when he took a vicious elbow from Anton Volchenkov. (Watch it HERE)

Volchenkov was suspended for four games because of the hit. Yesterday it was released that Marchand had suffered a ‘mild’ concussion. A concussion is a brain injury so it is strange to hear it being called ‘mild’.

The Bruins are already without Patrice Bergeron who is dealing with a concussion so losing Marchand will put a strain on their lineup. They lost 2-1 last night to the Islanders in their first game without the two forwards. Marchand leads the Bruins in goals (16) and points (33) this season, so this is likely a big loss for your fantasy team as well.

Daniel Paille and Jordan Caron will see an increase in minutes with Marchand out. Concussions are tricky so it is tough to put a timetable on when he might return. Monitor his status going forward and get him in your lineup when he returns.

LUPUL HAS A CONCUSSION

Joffrey Lupul has missed the Maple Leafs last three games with what they were reluctant to call a concussion. Today head coach Randy Carlyle finally confirmed Lupul is dealing with a concussion. He participated in Leafs practice in a non-contact jersey this morning, so he likely won’t play tomorrow vs. Montreal. Toronto has four games next week (MON, TUE, THU and SAT) so we will have to wait and see if Lupul will be fit to return to the lineup.