This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the Rink
Just two games are on the schedule Sunday and they are both potential elimination games with high stakes for the participants.
The Ottawa Senators have brought their series with Montreal back home after a huge 5-1 win on the road against the Canadiens on Friday. Despite being the clubhouse leader for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player, Carey Price has been outplayed by Craig Anderson, since the latter took over in net for Ottawa. The Senators have been outshot by the Habs 123 to 91 in the three games Anderson has played, and he has stopped 120 of them for a .976 save percentage, which is incredible. So incredible that you might say the Sens are getting lucky and their luck is bound to end. Or, that the likelihood of taking a third (or fourth) game in a row from Price is miniscule. That is probably true. Yet, as many have pointed out, this is the kind of roll the Sens got on from mid-February though the end of the regular season to just make the playoffs. The Habs have to be feeling tighter with each save Anderson make and each opportunity to put the Sens away that they squander.
The Blues will try to stave off elimination on the road in Minnesota on Sunday. It has been an unusual series with neither team winning two games in a row and the loser of each game getting pretty well dominated. The summary is that both teams have scored 13 goals, while the Blues have outshot the Wild 128 to 115. The gap in shots is primarily a result of Games 4 and 5 – a win and a loss for the Blues despite a 63 to 37 shot advantage. If anything that might provide a small boost of confidence for St. Louis heading into Game 6, because they've now dominated the puck in consecutive games. It's no guarantee of victory, but it's a good sign for the Blues.
Now, here is what you need to know for 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.
St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen) at Minnesota Wild (Devan Dubnyk), 3:00 PM
Montreal Canadiens (Carey Price) at Ottawa Senators (Craig Anderson), 6:00 PM
*Confirmed Starters
Injury News For Teams Playing Wednesday
St. Louis Blues
Jori Lehtera, C - Lehtera (lower body) skated in full on Saturday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. (4/25/2015)
Minnesota Wild
No news
Montreal Canadiens
Jarred Tinordi, D - Tinordi underwent surgery on his wrist Monday and will require two-to-three months of rehab, Marc Antoine Godin of La Presse reports. (4/21/2015)
Nathan Beaulieu, D - Beaulieu (upper body) will be out for the rest of the Habs' playoff series against Ottawa. (4/21/2015)
Ottawa Senators
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C - Pageau is considered day-to-day after prematurely exiting Friday's Game 5 against the Canadiens with an apparent lower-body injury, Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen reports. (4/24/2015)
Clarke MacArthur, LW - MacArthur will not return to Friday's Game 5 against the Canadiens after suffering a lower-body injury. (4/24/2015)
Hot
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW – Tarasenko's production in the series with the Wild had mirrored the outcomes of the games (a good game followed by a bad game) until he scored the Blues only goal in Game 5. He leads everyone in the playoffs in goals with six and is tied for the lead in points with seven and has 10 goals in 12 career playoff games. If the Blues go down it won't be because he didn't show up.
Mike Hoffman, LW – Despite scoring 27 regular season goals, Hoffman didn't start the playoffs on the Sens' top two lines. He was promoted to play with Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan partway through Game 4 and stayed there in Game 5, and he responded by posting a goal and two assists (including the Game 4 winner). Hoffman has a really good shot and has fired 10 of them on net in the series. If he can keep the chemistry going with his two better-known line mates it bodes well for the Senators.
Cold
Carey Price, G – In a season in which he legitimately made a case for MVP of the whole darn league, the truth is that Price was not great in Game 5 against Ottawa, as he allowed five goals on 25 shots. More likely than not, Price will come back strong in Game 6, but are you confident that his teammates will do the same? If you're were making a bet that seems like the more relevant question and a less than certain proposition.
T.J. Oshie, RW – Oshie has just a lone point in the Blues' series with the Wild and if the Blues are going to come back to even the series, let alone win it, they need more from Oshie and line mate David Backes. Oshie has fired 13 shots on net in the five games played so far, a higher per game rate than during the regular season, so there is reason to think that he should find the back of the net soon. If he does, it could turn the series in the Blues favour.
Recommended Value Play
Patrick Wiercioch, D – Wiercioch is tied for the most points on the Senators with four and for fourth among defenseman in the playoffs. He doesn't play as many minutes as some top defensemen, but he is a darling of the advanced stats guys (especially the subset of Senators fans in that category) and he is getting enough ice time, including on the power play in the playoffs that the difference in price between him and the top defensemen or a lower ranked forward could be worth it.
