This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
It sometimes seems like the players who shine in the playoffs are the role players, but it's fair to say that in the playoffs most teams will go as far as their best players are able to take them. Saturday showed us two examples of how important it is for the stars to shine in the postseason.
The Blues and Penguins both faced the possibility of going down 2-0 in their respective series, which could have been disastrous for both teams. The Blues always seem fragile and, despite winning the Central Division, lined up with the hottest team in the league coming into the playoffs, the Minnesota Wild and dropped Game 1 in a forgettable performance. In Game 2, budding superstar Vladimir Tarasenko, and new linemate Alexander Steen, put the Blues on their backs to even the series with a 4-1 win, with Tarasenko finishing off a hat trick into the empty Wild net.
The Penguins limped into a first-round match up with the President's Trophy winning Rangers injured and reeling, and lost Game 1 decidedly. On Saturday, Sidney Crosby scored twice, and the Penguins scored on two of their four power plays (as opposed to the Rangers who only managed to capitalize on one out of seven opportunities) to even the series heading back to Pittsburgh.
Both the Blues and Penguins need contributions from their full lineups, but when you have superstars like Crosby and Tarasenko you need them to show up or the dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup is likely to be short-lived.
Now, onto the preview of Sunday's games.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check out our Projected Goalies Grid.
Washington Capitals (Braden Holtby) at New York Islanders (Jaroslav Halak), 12:00 PM
Nashville Predators (Pekka Rinne) at Chicago Blackhawks (Scott Darling), 3:00 PM
Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price) at Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson), 7:00 PM
Vancouver Canucks (Eddie Lack) at Calgary Flames (Jonas Hiller), 10:00 PM
*Confirmed Starters
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
Washington Capitals
Dmitry Orlov, D - Orlov (wrist) will not enter the lineup Saturday against the Rangers, Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports. (4/11/2015)
John Erskine, D - Erskine (neck) isn't expected to play in the Caps' final two games of the season, Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reports. (4/8/2015)
Braden Holtby, G - Head coach Barry Trotz said he expects Holtby (illness) to start for Sunday's matinee against the Islanders, Chuck Gormley of CSN Washington reports. (4/18/2015)
New York Islanders
Travis Hamonic, D - Hamonic (knee) is unlikely to play Game 3 Sunday versus the Capitals, according to Newsday. (4/18/2015)
Mikhail Grabovski, C - Grabovksi (concussion) is close to a return to action, according to SNY.tv. (4/18/2015)
Nashville Predators
Mike Fisher, C - Fisher (lower body) will make the trip to Chicago with the Predators, John Glennon of the Tennessean reports. (4/18/2015)
Eric Nystrom, LW - Nystrom (lower body) skated on his own Wednesday morning, John Glennon of The Tennessean reports. (4/15/2015)
Shea Weber, D - Weber will not make the trip to Chicago with the Predators, John Glennon of The Tennessean reports. (4/18/2015)
Chicago Blackhawks
Daniel Carcillo, LW - Carcillo (upper body) has yet to resume skating, Tracey Myers of CSN Chicago reports. (4/13/2015)
Montreal Canadiens
P.A. Parenteau, RW - Parenteau (upper body) practiced Saturday, but is not expected to play Sunday according to head coach Michel Therrien, the Montreal Gazette reports. (4/19/2015)
Ottawa Senators
No news
Vancouver Canucks
Zack Kassian, RW - Kassian (back) resumed skating on his own last Friday. (4/13/2015)
Calgary Flames
Raphael Diaz, D - Diaz (undisclosed) isn't likely to play Tuesday against the Coyotes, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet.ca reports. (4/7/2015)
Mark Giordano, D - Giordano (biceps) skated on his own Monday, and hasn't ruled out a return later in the postseason, Flames play-by-play announcer Derek Willis reports. (4/13/2015)
Lance Bouma, C - Bouma (upper body) isn't likely to be available for Game 1 of the Flames' playoff series against the Canucks on Wednesday, Roger Millions of Sportsnet reports. (4/15/2015)
Paul Byron, C - Byron (lower body) did not take line rushes in advance of Wednesday's playoff opener against the Canucks, Roger Millions of Sportsnet reports. (4/15/2015)
Hot
P.K. Subban, D – Subban can get under the skin of opponents and opposing fans alike, but never let anyone tell you the guy isn't talented. He has been making life difficult for the Senators through the first two games of their series – posting two assists before being tossed out of Game 1 and scoring on an absolute rocket from the point in Game 2. He will continue to dominate the series in Game 3.
Eddie Lack, G – Lack is not exactly a household name, but he is playing ahead of one, big off-season free agent signing Ryan Miller, as Vancouver heads into Game 3 of their tough series with Calgary. Set aside the theatrics at the end of Game 2 and focus on the fact that Lack has stopped 50 of 53 shots in the series' first two games. The 27-year-old Swede posted a robust .921 save percentage in the regular season, so this isn't a small sample size oddity.
Cold
Mark Stone, RW – It is admittedly weird to include a player coming off a two-assist game in the Cold section. Everyone knows Stone's story – he was one of the hottest players in the NHL heading into the series with the Habs when he suffered a fractured wrist as a result of a slash from P.K. Subban. While the fact that he grabbed those two assists in Game 2 is remarkable (and a sign he can contribute while playing hurt), Stone didn't register a shot in the game for just the third time since March 1. He will do as much as he can on adrenaline and pain medication, but unfortunately, you can't count on the usual level of performances from the man who finished in a tie for top rookie scorer with 64 points.
Andrew Hammond, G – The Legend of the Hamburgler was always likely to end in tragedy. Hammond led Ottawa to the playoffs by reaching a level of play he had never previously touched as a professional. While he was much better in Game 2, fending off 39 of 42 shots, the whispers have started that he will cede the net to Craig Anderson, who is the better goalie if we're being honest about it. The Sens never would have made it this far without Hammond, but they might go any further with him either.
Recommended Value Play
Jonathan Toews, C and David Desharnais, C –Toews wasn't a big factor in Game 2 against Nashville, but he lit them up in Game 1 and is available at a significant value on Draft Kings as compared to other available options going Sunday.
In the case of Desharnais, he is a different player when he is lining up with a healthy Max Pacioretty. If you watched Game 2 of the Habs-Sens series, Patches looks good enough to hold up for a deep playoff run, which makes Desharnais a valuable player for Game 3.
