Goaltender Zachary Fucale has been recalled from the ECHL's Brampton Beast on an emergency basis after Al Montoya suffered a lower-body injury during Tuesday's morning skate.
Montoya was slated to start against Dallas, but Carey Price will now draw the assignment with Fucale serving as backup.
Fucale was selected in the second round of the 2013 Draft and has yet to make his NHL debut.
Instead, they stood in solidarity with the Carolina Hurricanes as goaltender Eddie Lack was stretchered off the ice Monday after a collision with Andreas Athanasiou, who scored the game-winning goal on the play.
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, March 28 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
LW Sven Baertschi (45K) & C Bo Horvat (59K), Canucks (vs. Ducks): While the Ducks are on a four-game winning streak during which they've scored 14 goals, they rank 27th in road Corsi For percentage since Feb. 28 at 43.69 percent. Baertschi, Horvat and RW Brock Boeser (31K) played 21.13 percent of the 5v5 minutes last time out. Horvat and Baertschi have combined for 17 points in March.
LW Tanner Pearson (53K) & C Tyler Toffoli (48K), Kings (at Oilers): The Oilers have scored seven goals in three of their past seven games, yet they still have a league-worst CF% of just 46.12 over their past nine home games. They're expected to score 3.24 goals per 60 minutes, but they also give up more than 10 scoring chances per 60. The Kings' top line has a CF rating of 63.41 percent.
LW Jeff Skinner (50K) & RW Lee Stempniak (40K), Hurricanes (vs. Red Wings): Recommended ahead of Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Red Wings, Skinner scored the game's first goal with Stempniak dishing the assist. Detroit is playing the third of three consecutive games, which included an extra two minutes of play Monday. Skinner has an absurd eight goals over his past six games.
(Photo courtesy Action Images)
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET - Craig Anderson (87K), Senators (at Flyers): The Flyers have averaged 30.02 shots on goal per 60 minutes but just 2.45 expected goals for since Feb. 28. Anderson is in his worst four-game stretch since his first four starts of the season, but he has twice made more than 30 saves. Ottawa allows a lot of low-quality shots, helping Anderson pad his points total.
BARGAIN - Braden Holtby (75K), Capitals (at Wild): The Wild are averaging just 2.15 expected goals for per 60 minutes at home since Feb. 28. They muster just 6.87 scoring chances per 60 minutes and in reality have scored only nine goals in their past five home games. Holtby has stopped 57 of 59 shots faced in his past two starts.
FADE - Carey Price (100K), Canadiens (vs. Stars): The disappointing Stars have averaged just 28.74 SOG per 60 minutes over the past month, but they've still been able to rack up 8.67 scoring chances. They own the superior splits in both scoring chance percentage and expected goals percentage. Montreal has totaled four goals in its last three games not against the Ottawa Senators.
CONTRARIAN - Ryan Miller (104K), Canucks (vs. Ducks): As mentioned above, the Ducks have struggled mightily on the road since February. They're just 15-15-7 at home for the season, compared to a sparkling 26-8-4 record on home ice. Miller owns a .919 save percentage at home for the season, and he has made at least 30 saves in each of his past six starts.
(Photo courtesy Action Images)
Bargain Plays
C Andreas Athanasiou (29K), Red Wings (at Hurricanes): Athanasiou has scored in each of his past two games, adding one assist on five SOG. He played roughly 14:30 in each outing. His line, which includes LW Justin Abdelkader and C Dylan Larkin, played 19.47 percent of the 5v5 minutes in Monday's win. Detroit should balance the lines even more for its third game in as many nights.
LW Phillip Danault (26K), Canadiens (vs. Stars): Danault has returned to his pass-first role on the Canadiens' top line where he centers LW Max Pacioretty and RW Alexander Radulov. The Stars' defense has improved of late, but they still allow 8.30 scoring chances on just 26.91 SOG against per 60 minutes.
RW Matt Read (34K), Flyers (vs. Senators): Read has fallen a long way since his 47-point rookie season. He has just 10 goals and 19 points through 61 games this season. He was bumped up to the top line with C Claude Giroux and RW Jakub Voracek in his most recent game, notching an assist and two SOG in 14:38 of playing time.
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Top Fades
D Roman Josi (46K), Predators (at Bruins): The only real fault on Josi is his salary relative to top-pairing D P.K. Subban. Josi has had to rely much more heavily on the offensive part of his game this season, while Subban has been a more consistent source of both hits and blocked shots. Opt for Subban as the safer choice when their ceilings are nearly identical.
RW Cam Atkinson (56K), Blue Jackets (vs. Sabres): Atkinson has gone without a point in four consecutive games, totaling just 13 SOG. He played more than 17 minutes in just one of those games, as his season average of 18:09 continues to fall. The Sabres are on the second half of a back-to-back, but G Robin Lehner has stopped 62 of the last 64 shots he faced.
LW Jamie Benn (67K), Stars (at Canadiens): The Stars' balanced lines have resulted in Benn playing with C Cody Eakin and RW Ales Hemsky. The line was the fourth-most frequently deployed in Dallas' last game, playing just 18.95 percent of the 5v5 minutes.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Contrarian Options
C Brayden Schenn (51K), Flyers (vs. Senators): Schenn has been separated from all three of Giroux, Voracek and RW Wayne Simmonds at 5v5. His line with LW Dale Weise and C Sean Couturier was the most commonly used by the Flyers in their most recent game. He has gone without a point in four straight games, but he topped 18 minutes in each of his past two games.
LW Nick Foligno (46K), Blue Jackets (vs. Sabres): Foligno had multiple SOG and hits in all but one of his past five games while averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time. He had just one assist and no goals. He comes at a much more reasonable salary than Atkinson against a tired opponent.
D Torey Krug (42K), Predators (at Bruins): Krug has upped his blocked shots and hits totals of late, while contributing a modest one goal and two assists in his past five games. He registered seven SOG in his most recent home game. He had multiple SOG in all but one of his past five, and he topped 21 minutes of TOI in each of his past four. The Predators play their second game in as many nights.
To go or not to go - that is the question the NHL faces with regard to the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
I have to be honest - I am torn. On one hand, I personally want to see the best players in the NHL play in the Winter Games. On the other, I was in the Olympics the last year that amateurs went in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. So it holds a special place in my heart.
I can definitely understand NHL owners’ reluctance to send players to South Korea. The jet lag, injuries, and wear and tear on the bodies of their best players will be a major impediment to winning a Stanley Cup.
I saw it firsthand while coaching with the St. Louis Blues in 2014. We sent nine players to the Olympics in Sochi, and most, if not all, came back completely fatigued; if they weren’t already injured, they were hurt as soon as they returned to NHL action. We were subsequently knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks.
I won’t even get into the money side of all this; it’s complicated and expensive. Insurance and liability are a whole other element.
My argument is more personal than professional: It was possibly the best year of hockey of my life. Picture traveling the world and playing hockey with your best friends. The majority of you are single, and you’re all between the ages of 20-24. You play hockey in countries like Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Norway, then cap it off with a trip to the Olympics. It was the ultimate hockey player experience.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
If not for those Games, some of my friends might never have played in the NHL. I think of Todd Hlushko, whose career was on its last legs after he’d been released by the Capitals. He led our team in goals at the Olympics, and it gave him a showcase. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Flyers. I also think of Brian Savage, drafted 171st overall in 1991, a long shot. He went on to play 674 games in the NHL.
I have so many unforgettable memories of playing for the Canadian national team. Here’s one: During the season, the team had a really early flight out of Moscow. We had to get our equipment from the arena after competing in the Izvestia tournament.
Two Russian cops were guarding the arena in their police car. They were both passed out - maybe drunk, maybe hungover, could have been anything, I don’t know. We packed up our equipment from the arena, loaded the bus, and they never budged. Not once. We probably should have checked for a pulse.
I believe we need NHL players in the Olympics. I am personally grateful for the NHL. It’s the reason I became a goalie and fulfilled a lot of my childhood dreams. The NHL needs to go because somewhere out there, a kid like me is waiting to be inspired by the best in the world.
Losers of three straight and 11 of 14 games in the month of March, the Minnesota Wild recalled forward Joel Eriksson Ek from Sweden, the club announced Tuesday evening.
Eriksson Ek, who was drafted 20th overall in 2015, spent the majority of the season playing for Swedish Elite League club Farjestad after a nine-game stint with the Wild to kick off 2016-17.
By recalling the forward, the Wild will burn the first year of his entry-level deal once he appears in his 10th game.
Eriksson Ek recorded two goals and three assists during his time with the Wild, and went on to contribute eight goals and eight assists in 26 games in Sweden, followed by three goals and three assists in seven playoff games. He was also one of the better players at the 2017 World Junior Championship.
Despite their recent swoon, the Wild will be in the playoffs, likely with a little spark in their back pocket.
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley was quick to formally welcome the Oakland Raiders to Nevada, but he qualified his feelings on the NFL club's relocation in 2019.
Foley had expected the NBA would be the second league to move in, perhaps sharing the T-Mobile Arena, in lieu of spending $750 million in public money to help finance a football stadium, he told "Vegas Hockey Hotline" on Monday.
"There are a lot better ways to spend $750 million than on bringing the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas," Foley declared. "Spend it on police, firemen, and teachers, and have all three be the best in the country. But I guess we're going to make a $750-million investment in a stadium."
The Raiders' new stadium will cost a total of $1.9 billion.
Foley conceded there are positives to having the NFL in the city, especially in terms of bringing opposing fans into hotels and casinos, and further proving Las Vegas is a legitimate sports town.
While he's not concerned about splitting the market with the NFL - saying it's like comparing apples to New York steak - he admitted it's not a situation he was yearning for.
"If I had had complete control of the situation, I would not have opted to have the Raiders come here, but I had no control and they're coming, so welcome," he said. "Bring it on."
Foley reiterated that his goals for the hockey club remain the same regardless of the potential pressure involved in competing with the Raiders: playoffs in three years and a Stanley Cup in six years.
"We're going to win, and we're going to win fairly early," Foley said. "You can take it to the bank."
Through the remainder of the regular season, we'll take a look at how the night's action impacts the playoff race, highlighting which teams' postseason odds went up or down significantly.
While the eight Western Conference playoff teams are pretty much set and now jockeying for position, it looks like the Eastern Conference will contain more drama than the recent "Gilmore Girls" revival.
Long thought to be a write-off, the Tampa Bay Lightning may have saved their season with a massive come-from-behind overtime win against the Blackhawks on Monday.
