It's NCAA tournament time in more ways than one, and hockey's version of March Madness once again promises to be compelling for multiple reasons.

This year's regionals will begin with a can't-miss matchup Friday afternoon when defending champion North Dakota faces Boston University, a team loaded with first-round NHL prospects.

Here are five players to keep an eye on throughout the tourney:

Henrik Borgstrom

Borgstrom is one of the major reasons Denver enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

The 19-year-old Finnish freshman posted 21 goals and 38 points in 33 games for the Pioneers in his first season in North America.

Borgstrom was drafted 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers last June, but he'll be appealing to more than just Cats fans this spring.

The center led all Division I freshmen in goals, and only two first-year players (Boston University's Clayton Keller and Penn State's Denis Smirnov) registered more points than Borgstrom this season.

Jake Oettinger

Boston University boasts a quartet of players who were snapped up in the 2016 draft - forwards Keller and Kieffer Bellows and defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Dante Fabbro - but their starting goaltender is a talented freshman who isn't yet property of an NHL club.

Oettinger placed third in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings for North American goalies, and with good reason.

The 18-year-old went 20-10-3 with a 2.09 GAA and a .927 save percentage in his first collegiate season, and he'll be worth watching as the Terriers appear poised to make a deep run if they can knock out the defending champs in the opening round.

Michael Vecchione

Union College is led by a pair of undrafted forwards who may be among the most coveted free agents as soon as the season ends for the Dutchmen.

Vecchione ranked second in the nation with 29 goals and third with 62 points in his senior campaign.

The 24-year-old led all Division I NCAA skaters in points per game (1.68) and tied for the most game-winning goals (7) in the country this season.

Spencer Foo

Vecchione's teammate has been impressive in his own right.

Foo racked up 24 goals and 60 points in his junior season, ranking sixth and fourth in the nation in those categories, respectively.

The 22-year-old doubled his goal total and more than doubled his point production from his sophomore season, posting the country's third-best points-per-game (1.62) and ranking eighth in the country with 10 power-play goals.

Adam Fox

Calgary Flames fans have a little extra incentive to watch Harvard, because the East Region's top seed is anchored by a promising defenseman taken by Calgary in the NHL draft last June.

Fox tied for the lead among all Division I blue-liners with 36 points and finished second with 31 assists as a freshman this season.

He helped the Crimson win the ECAC, capture the Beanpot tournament in Boston, and post the best winning percentage in the nation.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Thursday, March 23 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

• LW Alex Ovechkin (73K) & C Nicklas Backstrom (58K), Capitals (vs. Blue Jackets): Ovechkin's salary hasn't rebounded from his extended 10-game goal-less drought, even with six points in his last five games. Backstrom is criminally cheap for the someone ranked fifth in the points race. The Blue Jackets are allowing 8.51 scoring chances per 60 minutes since Feb. 23, and they lost 5-2, Wednesday, to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

• LW Mike Hoffman (66K) & C Jean-Gabriel Pageau (36K), Senators (vs. Penguins): Pittsburgh ranks 29th in scoring chances against per 60 minutes when on the road since Feb. 23. Only two teams are expected to allow more 5v5 goals per 60 minutes than Pittsburgh's 3.15. Ottawa's insistence on balancing the limited healthy forward talent resulted in Hoffman's line playing 20.73 percent of the 5v5 minutes last time out.

• C Nick Schmaltz (27K) & RW Patrick Kane (110K), Blackhawks (vs. Stars): It is impossible to roster Kane and LW Artemi Panarin together, even with a minimum-salary goalie. Schmaltz has three assists in two games as the center for the second line. Any additional production he provides relative to his low salary can help offset Kane's monstrous price tag.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Jake Allen (113), Blues (vs. Canucks): The Blues allow a league-low 3.55 scoring chances against per 60 minutes with their 1.83 expected goals against per 60 minutes also representing the best rate in the league while at home. Vancouver is expected to score a modest 2.45 goals per 60 minutes while acting as the visitor.

• BARGAIN - Budaj (75K), Lightning (at Bruins): Budaj relieves G Andrei Vasilevskiy who allowed four goals in three consecutive losses. Budaj stopped 26 of 28 shots faced in his most recent start. Boston has been expected to score a modest 2.45 5v5 goals per 60 minutes while at home over the past month.

• FADE - Connor Hellebuyck (87K), Jets (at Kings): The Kings have climbed up to rank sixth in expected goals per 60 minutes over the past month. Hellebuyck has allowed at least three goals in four of his past five games.

• CONTRARIAN - Curtis McElhinney (95K), Maple Leafs (vs. Devils): The Maple Leafs are on the second half of a back-to-back and will turn to McElhinney, after G Frederik Andersen picked up Tuesday's 5-2 win. The Devils have averaged a league-worst 6.84 scoring chances per 60 minutes while on the road over the past month.

Photo courtesy Getty Images

Bargain Plays

• C John Hayden (25K), Blackhawks (vs. Stars): Hayden has joined C Jonathan Toews and LW Richard Panik on the Blackhawks top line, with the trio playing 27.55 percent of 5v5 minutes in their most recent game. Hayden has a goal and two assists in his four games with the big club.

• LW Matt Nieto (25K), Avalanche (vs. Oilers): Nieto has gone point-less in four consecutive games and has just one goal in March. He has topped 15 minutes in two of his past three outings while skating on Colorado's second line with C Matt Duchene and LW Gabriel Landeskog. With neither of the high-priced stars performing consistently, Nieto is a safer low-risk option at the minimum salary.

• D Zach Werenski (27K), Blue Jackets (at Capitals): Werenski has oddly been held below 20 minutes in four of his past five games, but he has still be able to tally two goals and four assists. Head coach John Tortorella is intentionally managing his minutes in preparation for the playoffs, but he is still being used in ideal offensive situations.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Top Fades

• LW Jamie Benn (59K), Stars (at Blackhawks): Benn has been skating on a line with C Cody Eakin and RW Ales Hemsky of late, with the trio playing 23.47 percent of 5v5 minutes in the Stars' most recent game. The line severely handicaps Benn's personal ceiling at a salary reflective of his usual spot beside C Tyler Seguin.

• RW Nikita Kucherov (65K), Lightning (at Bruins): Kucherov has three goals in his past two games and eight goals and 15 points this month. He has at least three shots on goal in four straight games, but he's still operating at an inflated 19 percent shooting rate for March.

• D Roman Josi (52K), Predators (vs. Flames): Josi hasn't scored since a two-goal game Feb. 25. He does have 28 SOG in the drought, as he has been the victim of poor luck. His salary is too high for nothing but the chance of an assist in a difficult matchup.

(Photo courtesy Action Images)

Contrarian Options

• D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (51K), Coyotes (at Panthers): Ekman-Larsson has scored in back-to-back games with a total of 10 shots on goal in his past four outings. Florida is expected to allow 2.61 goals per 60 minutes while on home ice since Feb. 23. Arizona has averaged 8.20 scoring chances per 60 minutes while on the road over the same span.

• C Anze Kopitar (71K), Kings (vs. Jets): The Jets have allowed 11.76 scoring chances per 60 minutes in two road games since Feb. 23. Kopitar has been playing at a lower ceiling most of the season, largely due to the caliber of his linemates. He has tallied just one or fewer SOG in all but three games this month, but he has topped 20 minutes in all nine outings.

• LW Max Pacioretty (70K), Canadiens (vs. Hurricanes): Canadiens head coach Claude Julien has bumped C Alex Galchenyuk off the top line. A perceived downgrade, C Phillip Danault has actually played better with Pacioretty and RW Alexander Radulov this season. The trio owns a Corsi For rating of 55.47 percent in over 330 5v5 minutes together.

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The New York Islanders will have to try and secure a playoff spot without Ryan Strome.

The young forward broke his wrist during Wednesday's game against the Rangers and will be sidelined for several weeks, reports Arthur Staple of Newsday. Strome is therefore unlikely to play again this season unless the Islanders go on a deep run.

Staple adds that either Shane Prince or Alan Quine are likely to take Strome's spot in the lineup.

Strome had been playing some decent hockey of late, recording six goals and nine assists in 24 games since the beginning of February.

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With their slim playoff hopes fading by the day, the Florida Panthers will once again be without Aaron Ekblad.

The top-pair defenseman will not play in Thursday's game against Arizona due to a sore neck. The injury is supposedly unrelated to the concussion that kept him out of the lineup for four games earlier in March, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald.

No timetable has been set for Ekblad, who played just one game - Tuesday's loss to Carolina - following his return from the concussion.

Ekblad has recorded 10 goals and 11 assists in 68 games while averaging 21:27 a night, ranking second on the team in both points and average ice time for a defenseman behind Keith Yandle.

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Jonathan Bernier is flipping the script by putting the Ducks on the hunt.

In the month of March, and while filling in for the injured John Gibson, the Anaheim goalie has posted a record of 7-1-1 while stopping 272 of 287 shots against for a sterling save percentage of .948.

With Wednesday's win over the Edmonton Oilers, the Ducks now sit in sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division and only two points back of the San Jose Sharks.

Bernier's recent stretch marks some of the best hockey of his career, albeit in a small window. But after a poor showing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and an AHL demotion last season, it's an important resurgence, especially as he's set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

"I hope people understand that there was always a very good goalie there," Ducks' goalie coach Sudarshan Maharaj told Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. "And I don’t want to use the word resurrection but I believe and I hope that what he has done has certainly drawn the attention of the people that are paying attention. Because he deserves it."

For his part, Bernier is happy to be a meaningful and consistent contributor to a winning team.

"It’s been a nice stretch just to play a lot of games and feel good about yourself and the work that you put in, that you get rewarded."

The Ducks, too, are also reaping the rewards.

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Halak is back.

The New York Islanders recalled goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the NHL club announced Thursday.

He went 17-7-1 with a 2.15 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts in 27 AHL games this season.

The veteran netminder was demoted after clearing waivers on New Year's Eve.

He won only six of his 21 NHL appearances to begin the campaign, going 6-8-5 with a 3.23 GAA and .904 save percentage with the Islanders, who underachieved collectively before the firing of head coach Jack Capuano in January.

Three teams reportedly expressed interest in Halak before the trade deadline, but New York held on to the 31-year-old, who is under contract for this season and next at a cap hit of $3.55 million.

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Andrew Cogliano doesn't always get the headlines, but he's proven to be an invaluable piece of the Anaheim Ducks' core and one of the NHL's most reliable players for nearly a decade.

Cogliano reached another milestone Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, and the latest feat in his remarkable run further emphasizes just how impressive the streak has been.

The veteran forward played in his 777th consecutive contest, passing Craig Ramsay to take sole possession of the fourth-longest ironman streak in league history.

Cogliano tied Ramsay on Sunday, three months after passing St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester for fifth on the all-time list and securing the longest active consecutive games streak in the process.

Incredibly, he hasn't missed a game in his NHL career, which began with the Oilers in 2007-08 after they selected him 25th overall in the 2005 draft.

Assuming he's able to play the remaining nine games on Anaheim's regular-season schedule, that would give him an astounding 10 seasons without sitting out a single contest.

He could then catch former NHL forward Steve Larmer for third all time if he plays another full season and the first 16 games in 2018-19.

Cogliano hasn't been a typical first-round talent, but he averaged 14 goals in his nine previous campaigns and he's already equaled that figure this season.

The 29-year-old is often overshadowed by Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Rickard Rakell, and Ryan Kesler on a Ducks squad that's loaded with talent up front, but he's playing top-six minutes and is also one of the league's best penalty killers.

Cogliano isn't flashy and his skills are sometimes underappreciated, but he deserves more credit for what he provides and for the fact that he's done it for almost 10 years straight.

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The New York Islanders seem to be getting their money's worth after all.

Eyebrows across the league were raised after general manager Garth Snow signed veteran winger Andrew Ladd to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract last summer after allowing both Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen to jet as unrestricted free agents.

The questions only grew louder as Ladd proceeded to score three goals through October and November.

But in scoring the game-winning goal against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, Ladd reached 20 for the sixth time in his career, while more importantly, helping the Islanders move within two points of the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"Obviously it was a very tough start for me, but I found a way to get a couple to go and found the confidence to start to play the right way," he said on the NHL Network following the win.

Ladd only has eight assists to go with the 20 goals, and that contract continues to sit heavy against the salary cap. But for the time being, however, he's making good on it by finding the back of the net and giving the Islanders a fighting chance, neither of which seemed likely a few months ago.

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Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.

Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.

▲ Leaning on Leon

Connor McDavid is getting most of the attention around the hockey world these days (and rightfully so), but another Edmonton Oilers forward has outperformed the phenom as of late.

In fact, over the past two weeks, Leon Draisaitl has recorded more points than any other player in the NHL.

It's a small sample size to be sure, but Draisaitl - who was drafted third overall the year prior to McDavid's arrival - is proving to be a key piece of the puzzle for the suddenly successful Oilers.

▼ Bruins lacking bite

A three-game losing streak has bumped the Boston Bruins out of third place in the Atlantic Division and put them in danger of losing their playoff spot altogether.

Over the past week, the Bruins fell prey to Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa, losing all three games in regulation. Overtaken by the Maple Leafs in the division standings, Boston now sits only two points ahead of the New York Islanders in the race for the second wild-card spot, and with one less game to play than the Brooklynites.

Boston does have a 70.6 percent chance of making the playoffs as compared to 35.7 for the Islanders (per Sports Club Stats), and defenseman Torey Krug has said flat out the team won't fall out of the postseason picture after two years of doing so.

Still, late March is not a great time to pile up losses.

▲ Blues singing a different tune

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Since the decision was made to fire head coach Ken Hitchcock and promote assistant and heir apparent Mike Yeo to the position of bench boss, the St. Louis Blues have posted one of the best records around the league.

In 22 games played since Feb. 1, the Blues have gone 15-7-0, amassing 30 points, tied for fifth among all teams in that span. More recently, the Blues have won eight of ten games in the month of March, and are riding a three-game winning streak.

Add it all up, and St. Louis has jumped out of a wild-card spot and into third place in the Central Division, setting up a possible first-round series with the Minnesota Wild, a team trending in the opposite direction.

▼ Burns losing grip on Norris

Once thought to be a lock for the Norris Trophy as well as a possible Hart Trophy candidate, San Jose's Brent Burns is struggling at both ends of the ice and rapidly losing ground to Ottawa's Erik Karlsson as a result.

Burns still leads all defensemen in scoring this season, ranking ninth overall in total points while leading the NHL in shots on goal with 287.

Recency bias is a real thing, however, and performance down the stretch may dictate how the voting goes in what should be a hotly-contested race.

Mobile app users - expand the banner below to view more on the race to the playoffs.

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