The NHL playoffs are again proving to be the best post season in all of professionals sports and tonight figures to be the most intense and pressure packed evening of action so far. Here is your Thursday NHL playoff lineup after we had a big night with the St. Louis Blues last night.
C – Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay
Stamkos opened at $8,800. The Lighting are at the Detroit Red Wings with a starting time of 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on CBC and NBCSN. The Red Wings lead the best of seven series 2-1. As the star player and captain of the Lightning this is a game that calls for a big night by Stamkos. So far Stamkos has been held to just two assists in the series but with regular season numbers of 43 goals and 31 assists there is plenty of upside here in what is the biggest game of the year for Tampa Bay.
RW – Jiri Hudler – Calgary
Hudler opened at $5,500. The Flames are at the Vancouver Canucks with a starting time of 10 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on CBC and CNBC. The Flames lead the best of seven series 3-1. The truculent Flames are surprising many fans and experts but not us as we were bullish on them at the outset of the series. Hudler has been a big reason for Calgary’s successful push to make the playoffs and in this series. Hudler has a goal and an assist against the Canucks and is in good form with four goals and five assists in his last ten games. He scored 32 goals and 46 assists on the season.
LW – Patrick Sharp – Chicago
Sharp opened at $7,900. The Blackhawks are at the Nashville Predators with a staring time of 9:30 p.m. ET. The Blackhawks lead the best of seven series 3-1. The game can be seen on NBCSN. The Blackhawks are in Stanley Cup form and Sharp has been a big reason for their success against the Preds. Sharp has two goals and one assist so far in the playoffs and has four goals and two assists in his last 10 games.
D – Matt Niskanen – Washington
Niskanen opened at $3,700. The Capitals host the New York Islanders with a starting time of 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on CNBC. The best of seven series is tied at 1-1. We called for Washington to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final and this game will be pivotal towards that end. That also means that players such as Niskanen must step up and deliver. Niskanen showed good offensive ability during the regular season with four goals and 29 assists and should rate a good chance to reach the scoresheet again against an Islander team that is far from air tight on defense. He has two assists and a minus-two so far in the playoffs with plenty of upside.
D – Niklas Kronwall – Detroit
Kronwall opened at $3,800. While many observers considered the Lightning a lock we said that the Red Wings rated a strong chance to pull off the upset with the coaching of Mike Babcock. Another big reason is top defenseman Niklas Kronwall who is a plus-two but has been shut out from the scoresheet thus far. Kronwall had nine goals and 35 assists in the regular season and rates a strong chance to produce points in what could be a huge night for Detroit.
G – Scott Darling – Chicago
Darling opened at $9,000. Darling represents a big problem that we have alluded to all season long in that his size leaves virtually no net to shoot at. Darling has a .948 save percentage in his last 10 games and is at an insane .969 for the playoffs with a 1.05 goals against average. We simply have to keep riding the huge red wave in this one.
Sleeper – Brent Seabrook – Chicago
Seabrook opened at $4,700. Seabrook has been one of the top Blackhawks in the playoffs with two goals, one assist and a plus-two in this series with the Predators. Seabrook is a solid offensive defenseman that had eight goals and 23 assists on the season.
