Jason Spezza (back) is ready to return to the Senators' lineup.
Look for Spezza to play on the top line in Game 3 on Sunday. The Ottawa Senators are down 2-0 in their second-round series against Pittsburgh, but getting Spezza back will be a huge boost. Although the Senators still might not make it past this round, he will help plenty of fantasy owners in playoff pools in the short term.

Wade Redden (undisclosed) practised with his Bruin teammates Saturday and will be a game-time decision for Sunday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
We will update you as to Redden's status on Sunday.

Loui Eriksson had two goals and an assist in Sweden's 3-0 victory over Finland in the IIHF World Championship semifinals.
Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists. Henrik's twin brother, Daniel, assisted on both of Eriksson's goals. Jhonas Enroth turned aside 30 shots to earn the shutout. Sweden will now participate in the gold medal game while Finland still has a shot at the bronze medal.

With an assist in Friday night's game, Paul Martin now has a four-game playoff points streak.
Martin has looked good thus far in the post-season. He is having a nice comeback campaign making him fantasy relevant again.

San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan said that there's a "good chance" Martin Havlat will play Saturday night.
It is not yet clear what line Havlat will play on, assuming that he ends up playing at all. The Saturday practice lines weren't altered to accommodate Havlat's potential return, but that's because Havlat informed the coaching staff of his availability after the morning skate.

Despite being the winning goalie in the Penguins' 4-3 victory over the Senators Friday night, Tomas Vokoun did not play particularly well.
Many hold the view that Ottawa's first two goals were soft. Kyle Turris' goal went between Vokoun's legs and Colin Greening beat the Pens' goalie on the short side. Vovoun later rallied to make two outstanding stops on Sens' breakways. It remains to be seen if Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma will give Marc-Andre Fleury an opportunity to play in the second round against the Sens.

When Ottawa coach Paul MacLean pulled Craig Anderson early in the second period Friday night, it was the first time a Senators goalie did not finish a game he started for non-injury reasons this season.
That's a span of 55 games. It just demonstrates how good Ottawa goaltender has been this campaign to this point. That said, Anderson has not looked good in round two against the Penguins and we wouldn't be shocked if he is pulled again if he runs into trouble in Game 3.

Todd Bertuzzi is a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Drew Miller (hand) is ready to return and that's why Bertuzzi was pushed out of the lineup. Bertuzzi has no points and a minus-two rating in six playoff games.

Drew Miller (hand) will return to Detroit's lineup on Saturday.
Miller said on Friday that he wasn't 100%, but he felt good enough to play. This will be his first game since April 20.

Erik Karlsson is struggling to regain his form after returning to action from a sliced Achilles tendon.
He has not looked good against the Penguins and was particulalry vulnerable on Pittsburgh's first goal Friday night as Sidney Crosby blew by him and beat Craig Anderson. As a result, Sens' coach Paul MacLean cut Karlsson's ice time for the remainder of the contest. If you are relying on Karlsson in a playoff pool, we suggest you look for alternatives until the Sens' rearguard shows he is in better game shape.

Jason Spezza (back) joined the Senators for Saturday's practice.
It looks like Spezza is skating on the first line, which will just fuel the speculation that he could return on Sunday. For now he should still be regarded as questionable for that game, but this is a very good sign.

Adam Burish (hand) is participating in the Sharks' Saturday morning skate.
Burish is recovering from a broken hand. He's hoping to return before the end of the second round, but there's no guarantee that he'll succeed.

Based on the San Jose Sharks' morning skate, it looks like there won't be any lineup changes on Saturday.
That would suggest that Martin Havlat (undisclosed) will not return for Game 3. Consider him doubtful for now and keep in mind that the Sharks might still choose to tweak their lineups in the minutes before the 9:00 p.m. ET start time.

Michal Handzus will play on Saturday despite missing Friday's practice.
That's not too much of a surprise, but Handzus has now missed three straight practices. There's been speculation that he's playing through a back injury. All the same, he'll skate alongside Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp on the second line.

Viktor Stalberg won't participate in Game 2.
Stalberg was also a healthy scratch for the opening game of Chicago's second-round series against Detroit. Stalberg recently spoke to Quenneville about what he needs to do to get back into the lineup. "Nothing too different, but he wants me to produce more and be more effective out there," Stalberg said.

Eric Staal has sustained only a third-degree, right-knee sprain of his MCL that will not require surgery.
The MRI results are in and the news is as good as the Hurricanes could have hoped for. Staal will need three months to rehabilitate the injury but will not need to go under the knife. If all goes well, Staal should be good to go once training camp opens in September. All Staal owners in keeper leagues can exhale now.

Brad Richards may have reached rock bottom.
Not only has he been demoted to the Rangers' fourth line, he was on the ice for only 9:59 at even strength Thursday night, the least amount of any Ranger skater. It is difficult to determine how Richards has fallen from star to marginal player so quickly. Some believe it has to do with the fact that the 33-year-old pivot did not play during the lockout. Whatever the reason, Richards is not currently relevant from a fantasy perspective.

Look for the Canadiens to draft and/or acquire some bigger players this off-season.
The belief amongst Montreal management is that the team is fast enough to be compettive but lacks the size to defeat the bigger and more aggressive teams in the NHL. We expect the Habs will focus their attention on a number of the more physcial free agents in the market and perhaps make a deal or two to bring in a power forward who can play on one of the team's top three lines and a rugged top six defenseman

There is no word yet on the results of Eric Staal's MRI.
He is undergoing the imaging on his knee sometime Saturday in Raleigh. The Canes and Staal's owners have their fingers crossed. The hope is that he has a severe sprain and not a torn ligament as a result of his knee-on-knee collision with Alexander Edler at the IIHF World Championships.

There is a very good chance that Ryan Miller will be traded this off-season.
Given the fairwell-like send off he recieved from the Sabre faithfull and his reaction to it, it seems the team and Miller would welcome the change. With only one year left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Miller should be a target for a number of contending teams willing to offer up some picks or young players to acquire the veteran netminder. Stay tuned.

Zdeno Chara has been logging a ridiculous amount of ice time in the Bruins' eight playoff games to date.
He has averaged 30:02 minutes per game, tops in the NHL and a full two minutes more than second place Drew Doughty of the Kings. In Boston's last two games, both first-period overtime victories, Chara has been on the ice for an astounding 73:48. Needless to say, the 6'7" rearguard is running on all cylinders now.

The Bruins are perfect in overtime so far this post-season.
Boston defeated Toronto twice in the first round of the playoffs and won Thursday's game in the extra frame against the Rangers. The Bruins' Gregory Campbell attributes his team's 3-0 record to being aggressive. "The approach in overtime is you have to put your best foot forward right off the bat, and you can't sit back and wait to see what they're going to bring," said Campbell. "The next goal is going to win, obviously. . . . It's really important to really go after them and not sit back, and I think so far we've done a good job at that. We saw it as an opportunity and we took it." Conversely, the Rangers have yet to win in three tries in overtime.

Although he is only 5'9", Bruins' rookie defenseman Torey Krug should not be underestimated physically.
He tossed 6'7" Brian Boyle into the net during Thursday's overtime win against the Rangers and did not back down from any of the larger New York players. "He's a strong, stocky little kid," said teammate Matt Bartkowski. "He's got a good frame and a good base and he's strong for his size, so it really doesn't surprise me that he's able to stand in there and toss (Rangers forward Brian) Boyle into the net". Krug is a strong offensive player so the fact he can take of himself on the ice as well makes him a potential fantasy asset going forward.

One time Vancouver Canuck Kevin Connauton is enjoying his time with the Texas Stars.
The defenseman was dealt along with a second round pick to Dallas for Derek Roy and while he was shocked at the time of the deal, Connauton now realizes the deal could have been the best thing that happened to him. "Coming here was really a positive thing, it was a fresh start," Connauton said. "I was able to hit the reset button and it's been nothing but positives since I got here." Connauton had two goals and six points in nine regular season games after the trade and has two goals and five points in nine playoff games. The third round pick in the 2009 Draft has a good shot to crack the Dallas lineup next season.

Scott Gomez had two assists Thursday, including his 100th playoff point of his career.
Gomez played in Game 2 as the third line center, replacing the suspended Raffi Torres. It was his second two-point game of the season, with the previous one on March 9. With Torres suspended for the remainder of the series, Gomez will get plenty of work on the third line and the power play.

Brad Stuart's goal on Thursday was his first of the season.
Stuart did not score during the regular season while picking up six assists. He also added an assist as he had his best offensive game of the season. King's goalie Jonathan Quick seemed to be screened on Stuart's goal. "I was just shooting the puck. Save it for the playoffs," Stuart said. "We've just got to keep doing the same things. If he doesn't see it, it's tough to save it. That's what we have to keep doing." Do not expect Stuart to have this kind of offensive breakout again in the 2013 playoffs.

The Nashville Predators will make the signing of Roman Josi a priority in the off-season.
Josi will become a restricted free agent in the off-season and the Predators want him to add muscle in the off-season as they think he lacks "man strength" according to coach Barry Trotz. Josi is second on the Predators depth chart on the blueline, behind Shea Weber and is expected to be an integral part of the Nashville defense for many years to come. He had five goals and 18 points in 48 games this season and should hit the 35-40 point mark next season if he remains healthy.

Coach Darryl Sutter was not happy with the play of his defenseman, save for the effort of Drew Doughty.
Doughty was a stud on the blueline once again as he played a team-leading 28:28 minutes and scored a power play goal, his second goal of the post-season. "Our defense can clearly do a better job at that (getting more involved in the play), other than Doughty last night," coach Darryl Sutter said. "I think he had . . .maybe nine total attempts, and he had five shots. After that, we were. . .not nearly as involved, or what we were getting from the outside from some guys that are looked on as goal scorers or shooters for their team, what they were doing in the series - things like that." Game 3 will be played on Saturday with the Kings leading two games to none.

Brendan Smith took a lot of criticism for his play in Game 1 Wednesday.
Coach Mike Babcock did not think that Smith played poorly and spent Friday morning in the video room going over a tape with Smith that showed the defenseman all the good plays he made in Game 1. "I saw a young guy try to make a bunch of plays and no one there to accept the pass on the other end," Babcock said. Smith's speed allows him to be the first one to get the puck when it is dumped in and hopefully he will recover from the troubles he had in Game 1 and use the pep talk he got from Babcock to his advantage. Smith has a goal and an assist in eight playoffs games and despite his perceived poor performance Wednesday, he was plus-one in a 4-1 loss.

The Detroit Red Wings have been outscored 15-5 in the third period during the 2013 playoffs.
That is not a good recipe for winning games and series and the Red Wings will need to figure out how to hold off the Blackhawks in the final stanza while increasing their production. The good thing is that the Red Wings scored enough in their opening round series to defeat the Ducks in seven games and move into the second round against the top-seed Chicago Blackhawks.

Do not be surprised if the Detroit Red Wings put up a much better effort in Game 2 Saturday.
The Red Wings were spent coming into Game 1 Wednesday as the dropped a 4-1 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks. Detroit had a tough seven game series with Anaheim and the extra travel to the West Coast did not help. Detroit played like they were in a fog according to Henrik Zetterberg. "That's how it felt like, we were there but we weren't really there," the captain said. "It's nice to have a few extra days here and we feel we're ready to go." The Red Wings expect to play a lot better on Saturday.

Defenseman Dan DeKeyser (broken thumb) skated on Friday.
Before you get too excited that the rookie defenseman will be back in the lineup, he is still six-eight weeks away from returning. "I was just waiting to see the doctor and after he checked it out, he said I could get at least get on the ice and keep the legs going," he said. "I'm doing every little thing I can to make sure it gets better as quick as it can." Look for DeKeyser to be back for developmental camp in July. He has a lot of talent and should be considered late in deeper drafts next season if he is able to crack the Detroit lineup.

Michal Handzus may be dealing with a sore back.
Handzus played in Game 1 but has missed the last three practices and the rumor mill suggest that he has a sore back. Coach Joel Quenneville says that Handzus will be available Saturday for Game 2 but if he is unable to go, then Ben Smith will take his spot between Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp. Stay tuned.

Dave Bolland played in Game 1 and his linemates were happy to have the pesky center back in the lineup.
Bolland missed the final couple of games of the regular season in addition to the first round of the playoffs with a groin injury but was back between Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell on the third line. "We had some good chances and we felt good. It felt like we got that chemistry back," Bickell said. "For his first game back, I thought (Bolland) played pretty well. The first period for our whole team was OK, but the second and third we picked it up, and he had a good second and third, too."

Ben Smith centered the second line in practice Friday.
Smith replaced Michal Handzus between Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane but Handzus is expected to be back in the Chicago lineup for Game 2 Saturday. It was thought that Smith could play in Game 1 in place of Handzus but Handzus was in his regular spot when the game began and ended up playing 17:01 minutes while winning seven of 11 faceoff draws.

Viktor Stalberg may not be in the Chicago lineup once again in Game 2 Saturday.
Stalberg was a healthy scratch in Game 1 and was wearing a white jersey in practice Friday, a sign that he would not be dressing for Game 2. Stalberg is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but doesn't think sitting in the press box during the playoffs will affect that status. "Whether I'm here next year or not, we'll see what happens. That's something we'll take (up) after the year," Stalberg said. "It's nothing I'm really too concerned about at this point. We'll figure that one out after, hopefully, we hoist the Cup here."

Craig Anderson was roughed up for three goals in Ottawa's 4-3 setback in Game 2 of their semifinal series with the Penguins on Friday night.
The Penguins certainly dictated the pace, though Anderson wasn't sharp for the second straight tilt, making 18 saves and getting yanked 1:15 into the second period. The silver lining was how backup Robin Lehner played. Making his playoff debut, Lehner kicked aside 20 of 21 shots, the only goal coming about seven minutes after he entered the game. The 21-year-old got sharper as game went on, making a number of great saves to keep Ottawa within striking distance. Anderson is still the starter, but he's now given up seven goals in the series and Lehner's performance Friday night might sway coach Paul MacLean into a quick hook if he struggles again.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Senators in their 4-3 loss in Game 2 of their second-round series with the Penguins on Friday night.
The coming out party continues for the 5-foot-9 winger who now has four goals and two helpers in seven playoff games. Kyle Turris notched a power-play goal and Colin Greening had the other marker. Chris Neil had four penalty minuets, a game-high six hits and a helper. Ottawa needs to figure out a way to hold on to pucks longer and sustain pressure or this will be a very short series for them. The upside is that this is a team that has brushed aside adversity the entire season.

Tomas Vokoun made 19 saves in Pittsburgh's 4-3 win against Ottawa in Game 2 of their semifinal series Friday night.
Vokoun made some key saves, but this really was not his finest effort as he looked shaky at times. He allowed a goal in each period. This performance could crack the door open a bit for Marc-Andre Fleury to get another opportunity, though the fact Vokoun has won his four playoff starts should matter more in the big picture. Vokoun has a 1.70 goals-against average and .945 percentage in the postseason. The Penguins take a 2-0 series lead into Ottawa for Game 3 on Sunday night.

Sidney Crosby had a hat trick to lead the Penguins over the Senators 4-3 in Game 2 of their second-round series Friday night.
The Penguins now hold a 2-0 lead in the series. Crosby notched his hat trick by 1:15 of the second period, showcasing his tools with great stick handling and speed, cleverness on the ice and a plus shot. It's not easy to stop the Penguins captain, but the Senators certainly could've done a better job being physical on him. Brenden Morrow potted what is considered the game-winning goal. Paul Martin and Kris Letang picked up two assists apiece. Matt Niskanen finished with a game-high plus-three rating, and he also had a helper. Chris Kunitz, James Neal and Evgeni Malkin also had assists.

Rob Klinkhammer signed a two-year, $1.25 million contract with the Coyotes.
Klinkhammer is coming off a one-year, two-way deal worth $650,000. The upside for him now is some job security on a one-way contract. He had five goals and 11 points in 22 NHL games, and he notched 44 points in 55 AHL games this season.

Raffi Torres won't appeal his suspension.
Torres was suspended for the rest of Round 2 for his illegal hit to the head of Kings forward Jarrett Stoll. Don't think that this means Torres agrees with the suspension; in fact the organization disagrees with it. Sharks general manager Doug Wilson released a statement on it, calling it "abundantly clear that this was a clean hockey hit." He also said it was an "inappropriate application" of Rule 48.1, where the head is the principal point of contact and target of the hit. Wilson said this suspension was "grossly unfair" to Torres.

Andre Benoit is officially in Ottawa's Game 2 lineup.
With Eric Gryba (upper body) unable to play, Benoit will make his second appearance of these playoffs. Benoit had 10 points in 33 games this year.

Matt Kassian is a healthy scratch for the Senators in Game 2 of their second-round series with the Penguins.
The 26-year-old played in Game 1, getting 9:42 of ice time and a shot on goal. Guillaume Latendresse, who has played in two playoff games this year, gets the chance in Kassian's place.

Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) hasn't been cleared for contact yet.
When asked if he'd be able to return before the end of the second round, Clifford said, "It's up in the air right now." He's missed three straight games due to the injury.

Marc Staal (eye) has started to skate again.
Staal stayed off the ice for several days. There's still no timetable for his return and information regarding his progress has been scarce during the playoffs.

Matt Hendricks' teammates are hoping the Capitals re-sign him.
Hendricks is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after completing his two-year/$1.65 million contract. "There's always changeover from year to year, but he's one of those guys you're not going to replace," Jason Chimera said. "It's not an easy job to go out there and fight guys twice his size. He sticks up for guys on the team and brings energy when no one else has it." Hendricks had eight points, 73 penalty minutes, and 93 hits in 48 games this season.

Adam Burish's upper body injury is a broken hand.
Burish has been ruled out for the second round, but he's hoping to prove that projection wrong. He had three points and 25 penalty minutes in 46 games in the regular season.

Jason Demers (lower body) appears to be progressing nicely.
"He's getting closer," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "Today's skate will give us a much better indication of where he's at. He's going to become an option here pretty soon." He's been out since April 18 with a suspected ankle injury.

Martin Havlat (undisclosed) is still questionable for Game 3 on Saturday.
Havlat skated for about an hour on Friday. "Getting better. We'll see how it goes tomorrow morning," Havlat said. He didn't want to speculate any further about the possibility of him returning soon. Sharks coach Todd McLellan is looking forward to putting Havlat back into the lineup, but cautioned that it's "Marty, mother nature and the trainer's decision."

Anze Kopitar needed stitches after being struck in the face by the puck Thursday, but he's otherwise fine.
Kopitar left the game briefly, but was able to return. "They numbed me up pretty good right after for stitches, so I didn't really feel anything," Kopitar said. "So it wasn't too bad. But after it wore off, it was sore a little bit but nothing too bad." Needless to say, he's expected to play Saturday.

Drew Miller (hand) believes he's ready to return to the Red Wings' lineup.
"I wouldn't say it's 100% percent, but I wouldn't say it's far off," Miller said. "I think I can play. I'm comfortable with it. I thought practice today was the big step to see how it was. I got through practice and I felt fine and everything, I had no pain. I feel like I was able to perform what I need to perform to be able to play. As far as I'm concerned, I'm available." Miller had four goals and eight points in 44 regular season games. Consider him probable for Game 2 on Saturday.

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't expect to win the Jack Adams Award.
Boudreau was surprised to even get nominated, but he's also honored. "It's hard coming on the heels of probably your most depressing moment in a year, when you're still decompressing from losing in the playoffs," Boudreau said. "It's certainly a great honor. I just know how many great coaches there are in this league, and how many great jobs were done by coaches this year. To be picked out as one of three is, I don't know the right word, but it brings you down to earth. It's a great compliment." Boudreau led the Ducks to one of the best regular seasons in their franchise's history with a 30-12-6 record.

Jason Spezza (back) might be available for Game 3 on Sunday.
Spezza reportedly doesn't have medical clearance yet, so there are still hurdles for him to overcome. "He continues to skate on a daily basis and makes progress," said Senators coach Paul MacLean. "We'll go through practice (Saturday) and the pre-game skate and we'll see where it is. If he's available to us, it's Jason Spezza, we're going to have him in the lineup." Spezza was limited to just five regular season games.

Sharks coach Todd McLellan has been very happy with what Scott Gomez has given them this year.
Gomez is far removed from his days as an NHL star, but he's become an important piece of the Sharks' squad. "Gomer has been a very good player for us in a number of different ways," McLellan said. "I don't want to say it's surprising, but he's almost like a third or a fourth coach. He's trying to do things the right way. He's trying to get guys to keep their shifts short, that we have a high guy, that we don't turn pucks over. I didn't know we were getting that in Scott Gomez, but we're getting it, and he's been a big influence that way."

Senators GM Bryan Murray feels Paul MacLean's performance as the team's head coach this year is a step up from what he did in 2011-12.
"Absolutely," Murray said. "It was an outstanding job. There were times during the year we had seven key players out of our lineup and he was able to bring up a number of young players playing their first games in the National Hockey League, allowed them to play, gave them ice time, gave them an opportunity to play with a variety of linemates and defensive partners and survive. Not only did they survive but he put them in positions to be successful." MacLean has been nominated for the Jack Adams Award and he should be regarded as the heavy favorite to win.

Eric Boulton has agreed to a one-year extension with the New York Islanders.
Boulton was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He had no points and 36 penalty minutes in 15 games in 2013.

Michal Handzus didn't participate in Chicago's practice on Friday.
Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said that Handzus will still be available on Saturday, but it's worth noting that Handzus has now missed three practices during the postseason. All the same, Quenneville insists that Handzus is "fine."

Duncan Keith missed Friday's practice, but is still expected to play on Saturday.
This might be a sign that Keith is playing through an injury, but he's been averaging 23:31 minutes per game in the postseason. With that in mind, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if the Blackhawks simply felt that he would benefit more from a day off than another practice.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville would like to see Viktor Stalberg play with more intensity.
"It's nothing you've never heard before," Stalberg said. "Most guys, when they're not playing, get to hear that. Nothing too different, but he wants me to produce more and be more effective out there. Hopefully I can get back and I'll try to make a difference." Stalberg was a healthy scratch for Game 1 of Chicago's second-round series.

John Tortorella doesn't think the Rangers' struggles with the man advantage are "playing with their head at all."
Maybe not, but it's kind of moot. Regardless of whether it's bothering them, the result alone hurts. The Rangers have a 6.4% power-play success rate through eight postseason games, which is dead last among the teams that are still alive. To put that in perspective, both the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins struggled to capitalize on their power-play chances in their recent Stanley Cup winning playoff runs, but neither of them were nearly as bad as the Rangers currently are. The Kings converted on 12.8% of their power-play opportunities in the 2012 playoffs and the Bruins capitalized on 11.4% of their chances in the 2011 postseason.

Wade Redden (undisclosed) hasn't been ruled out for Game 2 on Sunday.
"There is a possibility. That much I can say," Bruins coach Claude Julien said of Redden's status as well as the availability of defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference. Redden missed the Bruins' morning skate on Thursday and the team didn't practice on Friday.

Andrew Ference (lower body) might be available for Game 2 on Sunday.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said it was too early to say for sure, but he wouldn't rule out the possibility. Ference has missed the Bruins' last three games due to the ailment.

Dennis Seidenberg (lower body) participated in an off-ice workout on Friday.
The Boston Bruins didn't hold a team practice on Friday. Seidenberg missed Game 1 of the second round due to the ailment, but he might return on Sunday.

Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider "didn't pick" Ilya Bryzgalov before the team signed him to a nine-year, $51 million contract.
"That's not my job," Snider continued. "Our staff picked Bryz of the available goaltenders and (general manager) Paul Holmgren basically decided that was the guy he wanted. My role in the whole thing was to say, `We've got to get a quality goaltender. We can't go through what we went through that year with the goaltending in the (2010) playoffs.' I think we would have won that Cup (instead of losing in the Final to Chicago) if we had been a little more solid at the time in goal and not switching around so often. The point is that I don't get involved. I don't ever say, `I'm signing this player.' I don't know enough about the players. We have scouts. We have Paul Holmgren. We have all the people that work for Paul that make these decisions." There has been speculation in the past that Snider was largely responsible for the Flyers getting Bryzgalov specifically, so when asked about it, he wanted to set the record straight. Bryzgalov's time in Philadelphia has been

Andre Benoit is expected to play in Game 2 on Friday.
It will be Benoit's second appearance of the 2013 playoffs. He had an assist and logged 12:35 minutes of playing time in Ottawa's 3-1 loss to Montreal on May 3.

Guillaume Latendresse will be back in the Senators' lineup for Game 2 on Friday.
Latendresse hasn't played since May 3. He had six goals and 10 points in 27 games in 2012-13.

Eric Gryba (upper body) will not participate in Game 2 on Friday.
Gryba collided with Brooks Orpik late in the second period of Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. There's some speculation that he might have a concussion, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Tomas Vokoun will play between the pipes on Friday.
Just in case there was any doubt. Vokoun has a 1.28 GAA and .962 save percentage in three playoff starts. Until he has a bad game, Marc-Andre Fleury isn't likely to get a shot at redemption.

Alexander Edler has been suspended by the IIHF for his knee-on-knee hit of Eric Staal.
Edler will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2013 World Championship for his "reckless" and "dangerous" actions. The IIHF Disciplinary Committee can choose to extend Edler's suspension if they wish, which would open the door to him missing part or all of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, Carolina Hurricanes fans just have to hope that Eric Staal's injury isn't as bad as it looked.

Patrick Marleau scored a goal in San Jose's 4-3 loss Thursday.
Marleau has five goals and six points in six postseason contests. He hasn't been this hot since his historic start to the 2013 campaign.

Although the San Jose Sharks are down 2-0 in their second-round series, coach Todd McLellan is confident they can bounce back.
"The one thing I like about our team, is maybe in the past this would have probably bothered our team a little more," McLellan said. "But, with the group of guys we have, I think we can recover from this." Game 3 will be played in San Jose, where the Sharks were 17-2-5 this season.

The San Jose Sharks disputed Marc-Edouard Vlasic's costly delay of game penalty.
The argument is that the puck hit Kings forward Jeff Carter before going into the stands, but the referees disagreed. That gave Los Angeles a 5-on-3 advantage, which they used to score two power-play goals late in the third period of their 4-3 victory. "You go back and look at it, it looks like it changed direction," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. But he also added, "The one thing that I've learned, certainly through this playoffs, is it's not going to do me any good to whine and moan and bitch about the referees. It's not going to get us anywhere. We took some penalties, we needed to kill them, and we move on." It's worth noting that Vlasic's third-period goal might have been the game winner if not for his penalty.

Dustin Brown scored a power-play goal in the Kings' 4-3 victory on Thursday.
Brown has been quiet in the playoffs from an offensive production standpoint, but perhaps this is a turning point. He was one of Los Angeles' heroes last year with eight goals and 20 points in their Stanley Cup winning run.

As expected, Brad Richardson was inserted into the Kings' lineup on Thursday due to the injury to Jarret Stoll.
"I thought he was nervous," Kings coach Darryl Sutter remarked. Richardson recorded an assist and three hits, but also finished the night with a minus-one rating. He logged 11:00 minutes of playing time.

Kings coach Darryl Sutter didn't have a problem with his team's efforts in their come-from-behind 4-3 victory on Thursday.
Los Angeles scored two power-play goals in the final two minutes of play in part thanks to Marc-Edouard Vlasic's controversial delay of game penalty. That might lead to remarks that the Kings got lucky in this contest, but when Sutter was asked if he had concerns about his team's performance, he fired back. "Every question you ask - we shouldn't have even won a game yet," Sutter said. "When you go to 16 teams in the playoffs, there's a good chance the other team is going to be leading a game at some point. I have yet to have a series or a game where you totally control the whole game. I was hoping the experience of you watching that you'd grab onto that. We're playing a really good hockey club, and there's a good chance they're going to have momentum, too." Seven of the Kings' eight playoff contests have been decided by a single goal.

Tyler Toffoli earned his first career playoff point on Thursday.
Toffoli assisted on Trevor Lewis' game-winning goal. It was just his 14th career NHL contest, including both regular season and playoff matches.

Jeff Carter had a goal and an assist in Game 2 on Thursday.
Carter has four goals and six points over the last five contests. He was a dominate goal scorer in the regular season, but also a hot/cold player. Right now he's on fire and the Kings are reaping the benefits.

Mike Richards recorded an assist in the Kings' 4-3 win Thursday.
Richards has seven points in his last five contests. He's tied for sixth in the NHL with seven assists in the playoffs.

Joel Quenneville has been nominated for the Jack Adams Award.
Quenneville's Blackhawks posted a 21-0-3 record before they finally suffered their first regulation time defeat. What's remarkable about his squad is that they never really suffered through a rough patch. In the end they were 36-7-5 and captured the Presidents' Trophy. Quenneville previously won the award in 2000.

Bruce Boudreau is a nominee for the Jack Adams Award.
Boudreau led the Anaheim Ducks to a 30-12-6 record, which was good enough for the second seed in the Western Conference. "He's a players' coach. He makes everybody feel very important," Teemu Selanne said. "Everybody just [loves] to play for him." Boudreau is looking to win this award for the second time after earning it in 2008.

Paul MacLean is one of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award.
Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau and Chicago's Joel Quenneville are the other candidates for the award that will go "to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." It would be surprising if MacLean misses out on this award. His Senators had to overcome major injuries to Craig Anderson, Erik Karlsson, Milan Michalek, and Jason Spezza. The fact that they managed to make the playoffs despite that is incredible.

Chris Kunitz was reunited with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis at Thursday's practice.
"I'm sure [coach Dan Bylsma] is pretty comfortable with us because we've played together for so long," said Crosby. The move sent Jarome Iginla back to the right side with Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. These may be the line combinations that Bylsma chooses to go with in Game 2 versus Ottawa Friday night.

Toronto GM Dave Nonis expects James Reimer to be back as the team's number one goalie next season.
"At this point, I'd say he'll be back as No. 1," Nonis told reporters on Thursday to wrap up the year. "I think his mental make-up remains his strength. It's something you could question last year. I think it was clear that a lot of his issues a year ago were based upon his health. When we needed quality goaltending ... James was very good. I don't think anyone could point to goaltending as an issue with our team." The Leafs may continue their search for a quality veteran keeper, but Reimer made plenty of positive steps during the lockout-shortened campaign.

Brenden Morrow wasn't happy with the way he played against the Islanders in Round 1 and he's already gotten off to a decent start versus Ottawa.
"Looking back at that series against the Islanders, I'll be honest, I'm not too happy with how I played," he said. "I was a minus-3. I know I need to be better than that, and I know I can play better than that. I'm not satisfied right now." Morrow had an assist on Paul Martin's power-play goal in Game 1 versus the Senators and their physical style should suit him better than the speedy game that the Isles play. Morrow has been credited with 22 hits in seven postseason matches with the Penguins.

Jonathan Ericsson wasn't too happy with Detroit's defense in Game 1 of their second-round series.
"I think it took way too long for us to get out of our own zone and when we get out we don't have any energy to attack. . We have to do a much better job in the D-zone and the D's got to do a better job of getting the pucks up and the forwards have to do a better job in being open," Ericsson said. Over the past few seasons, several Red Wings defensemen have either left the team or retired and that's pushed Ericsson into the position of being one of the team's veteran blueliners. He ranks second on the team with 18 hits and fourth with eight blocked shots.

Johan Franzen has cooled down again.
Franzen has one goal in Detroit's last six games and no points in their last three contests. That's not a horrible stretch, but Detroit needs all of their best players if they're going to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. When Franzen gets hot, he can be a difference maker and the Red Wings just have to hope that happens.

Erik Karlsson agreed with coach Paul MacLean's assessment that he isn't playing up to his past standards since returning from his Achilles injury.
"I'm not playing the way I did when I got hurt and that's just the way it is," Karlsson said. "I'm trying to figure it out. Every once in a while it works and you feel pretty good out there. I've got to find the consistent game as well." Even a partially healthy Karlsson is valuable to the Senators though, as they continue to play in the postseason against Pittsburgh in the second round.

Patrik Elias and the New Jersey Devils haven't started contract discussions yet.
The Devils have started talking to David Clarkson though. Both players are eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.

New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello has started contract talks with potential unrestricted free agent David Clarkson.
"We'll continue to work on it," Lamoriello said Thursday. "We've certainly started the process, but until (contracts) are complete there is nothing done." There hasn't been financial discussions at this point though. Clarkson would garner a fair share of attention if he were to hit the open market.

The Rangers lost the special teams battle in Game 1 against Boston and they know that their power play especially needs to improve.
New York went 0-for-3 with the man advantage in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss, while the Bruins scored once on four chances and generated momentum through those opportunities. "I don't want to say [it's] frustrating," said defenseman Dan Girardi, "but it needs to be better. We need to get good chances and create momentum. We've got to get a goal on the power play. It's a difference-maker and we don't get one and we lose the game. We definitely have to figure out something with that." The Blueshirts have gone 2-for-32 on the power play so far in the playoffs.

Derek Stepan registered his third goal of the playoffs in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to Boston.
He didn't record a point in Games 5, 6 and 7 against Washington in the first round. Stepan's marker ended that cold streak and it gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead early in the third.

Glen Gulutzan will serve as a temporarily guest coach with the WHL Saskatoon Blades.
The Dallas Stars decline the option year on Gulutzan's contract. The Blades, which he played for in 1991-92, are participating in the Memorial Cup playoffs. "It's one of those things where you don't want to prepare for it," Gulutzan said. "Certainly with the change of Joe Nieuwendyk, who was the guy that hired me and Jim Nill coming in, I had a pretty good idea that there was going to be changes. When a new GM comes in he wants to bring in his own people." Gulutzan hasn't decided what he'll do after his coaching stint with Saskatoon.

Henrik Lundqvist wasn't pleased with himself after losing his third overtime game of these playoffs on Thursday night.
"I've got to be really careful to ask myself the right question there," said Lundqvist following New York's 3-2 overtime defeat against Boston in Game 1. "Have I played bad in overtime? No. Can I score? No. Is it frustrating? Yes. My record is terrible in overtime, but I've just got to stick with it, play my game." He made 15 stops in the extra session and 45 in the contest before Brad Marchand beat him to give the Bruins a 1-0 series lead.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville won't announce if Viktor Stalberg will return to Chicago's lineup for Game 2.
Stalberg was a healthy scratch in the series opener because of Dave Bolland's return. Stalberg is a solid secondary scorer with nine goals and 23 points in 47 regular season games.

Daniel Girardi logged a team-high 32:05 of ice time in Thursday night's Game 1 loss to Boston.
He also had five of the team's 29 blocked shots in the contest. Boston's Adam McQuaid was the only player who had more than Girardi with six on the night.

Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger have been a big part of Chicago's penalty-killing success this year.
Chicago has not surrendered a power-play goal in the playoffs. "They've been real solid all year," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "When they started at the beginning of the year it was a work in progress, and they've progressed in a real nice way. They're first and third on each kill, they're blocking shots, they're getting in lanes and play at a good pace. It's gotten them more of a role, more ice time. And that line played well all year, so a real nice fit for us." They've been something of an unlikely duo, especially seeing as Frolik wasn't known for killing penalties before coming to Chicago. All the same, they've become valuable pieces of the Blackhawks' squad.

Marc Staal (eye) did not travel with the Rangers to Boston.
The two teams will play Game 2 of their semifinal series on Sunday afternoon, but Staal's availability is still up in the air. He played in Game 3 against Washington in Round 1, but hasn't played since because of blurry vision.

Patrick Kane thinks his nomination for the Lady Byng Trophy is a reflection of how much he's grown as a player.
Kane accumulated 52 penalty minutes as a rookie, but he's been cutting down on the bad penalties. This year he only ended up with eight penalty minutes in 47 contests. "Any time you're up for an award it's exciting," he said. "I thought I had a chance at this one. It kind of speaks volumes in how my game's gone since my rookie season. I took a lot of unnecessary penalties and I got that out of my game. It's an honor for sure." Most fantasy owners are in the unusual position of actually benefiting from penalty minutes, but Kane staying out of the sin bin certainly helps his team.

Dougie Hamilton got his first career playoff point in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers.
He earned an assist on Torey Krug's power-play goal in the third period to tie the game at 2-2. Hamilton played his best game of the postseason after skating in three contests versus Toronto in the opening round. He also had five shots during his 20:45 of ice time. Hamilton appears to be growing much more comfortable out there.