Alex Burrows is playing tonight. No word on Daniel Sedin yet.

For those of you with center ice, you won’t want to miss tonight’s game between Colorado and Calgary. The Flames trail the Avalanche by only two points for the final spot in the West.

Someone gives you $100 bucks to bet on the NHL playoffs – you are laying your coin down on…

David Krejci skated with Marco Sturm and Miro Satan at practice this morning. Why is this significant? Because Krejci has been stuck with dead weight (in the form of Ryder and Wheeler) for most of the season. Sturm leads the B’s in goals, and Satan has been playing some solid hockey over the past few weeks. Another interesting line combo to come of Bruins practice is Bergeron between Recchi and Lucic.

I want to wish Dobber a very happy birthday! He is turning somewhere between Patrick O'Sullivan's plus-minus and Alex Ovechkin's shots on goal total.

Jonathan Bernier looked a bit shaky last night – good thing he got a “bit” of goal support. After the game, Terry Murray said he plans to play Quick heavily during the final few games for the Kings. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last we have seen of Bernier until next season.

Roberto Luongo would like to formally apologize to all of our readers who own him. Bye bye goalie points for this week! He allowed eight goals on only 29 shots. Ro8berto? How does that sound?

Alex Burrows took a Jarret Stoll slapper to the throat last night in a very scary situation. Apparently he can speak and may even play tomorrow, but I doubt the Canucks will want to risk anything. They got smoked last night, but Henrik Sedin looked pretty good skating on a makeshift top unit with Kesler and Raymond.

Do you like winning free stuff? Check out the final week of the Down the Stretch contest – up for grabs is an autographed photo of Brenden Morrow!

This is Erik Karlsson’s world, and we are just living in it! The kid is on fire right now (10 points in his past six games)! Two more goals last night.

Jason Spezza has 11 points in his past four games. He should be up with Sedin and Ovechkin competing for the Art Ross, but he usually finds a way to miss 10-20 games due to injury. If he ever finds a way to play 75+ games, he should be right around the 100-point mark. It is what makes drafting him so frustrating – everyone knows what kind of player he could/should be. I bet a lot of people soured on him this season after a very slow start without Heatley.

Nick Backstrom scored his 30th of the season last night. Since he scored 10 goals back in the SEL in 2005-06, he has progressed to 12, then 14 (rookie season), then 22 last year, and finally 30. I wonder how much higher he can go? For a guy who gets labelled as a playmaker, he has an absolutely lethal release on his shot.

The Islanders are such a tough team to figure out from a fantasy hockey perspective. They score six times last night, Kyle Okposo is pointless, Tavares has two helpers, and Jon Sim has three points. Their lines play such balanced minutes, that it has been hard for any player to really rise above the rest in terms of production. Blake Comeau is playing some great hockey lately and has upside as a 25-goal winger, especially with the insane talent down the middle on Long Island (Tavares and Bailey).

To validate my claim about the Islanders, check this out (numbers from before last night's game): Okposo 46 points, Tavares 45, Moulson 45, Bailey 34, Nielsen 34, Comeau 30. Washington has SEVEN players with more points than Okposo, and Vancouver has six.

Dallas has re-signed center Tom Wandell to a two-year extension. The deal is worth $1.55 in total. When I first heard the news, I figured that was the annual salary. Wandell is a very solid two-way player with untapped offensive upside. Mike Modano probably won't be back next year, and Wandell is the logical choice to center the third line behind Ribeiro and Richards. He only had 15 points through 51 games this season (but led all Dallas forwards in short-handed TOI/game at the time of his injury), and hasn't scored more than 15 goals at any level of professional hockey. However, he has the potential to become a 50-55 point second liner in Dallas.

Pavel Datsyuk… yet again.

Some updates from the CHL playoffs:

Seguin and Hall went head-to-head in game one of the second round series between Plymouth and Windsor last night. Hall's Spitfires are the favourites, as they boast depth that probably no CHL team could match. Windsor won the game last night, and Hall added two goals in the process. Seguin was pointless and minus-3.

📢 advertisement:

Cody Hodgson had one assist for Brampton in a 5-2 loss to the Barrie Colts. Don't be surprised if the Colts sweep this one. Hodgson is playing through a foot injury, and he may decide to shut it down after this series wraps up instead of going to join the Manitoba Moose.

I recently made a trade in one of my keeper leagues (not officially, as the deadline is still enforced until the season ends), acquiring Jamie McBain. I usually don't rush to judgement on young players, but really liked what I saw from McBain, and think he could be a 40-point defenseman as soon as next season. Once again, he was second only to Joni Pitkanen in ice time last night for the Hurricanes.

Philadelphia, Boston, and Atlanta are playing hot potato with the final spot in the Eastern Conference right now. It is pretty comical to watch (as a fan of none of the teams, of course). All three teams lost last night. Philadelphia got shelled by the lowly Islanders, Atlanta lost to the Caps, who are simply cruising into the post-season, and Boston couldn't score against Scott Clemmensen – not sure which of the three is the worst.

The Bruins have scored more than two goals only three times in their past ten games. I know they miss Kessel, but they were one of the most potent teams in the league from an offensive standpoint in 2008-09. The horrible season of Dennis Wideman is another major reason why they have struggled to score. Obviously missing Savard for significant stretches is another factor as well.

Three of Viktor Stalberg's eight goals this season have come against Buffalo.

Due to all of the injuries in Buffalo, the team has been able to see what they have in three young forwards – Tim Kennedy, Nate Gerbe, and Tyler Ennis. Kennedy is the most NHL ready and will stick around for the playoffs, but Ennis possesses the most offensive upside – by far. Gerbe is fast and feisty, but he is so small that he's really going to have to work at his game in order to become a legitimate scoring line player for the Sabres. Ennis will be on the big club next year, and could score 20.

According to this article, the Flyers have signed Sebastien Caron. Caron's season in Switzerland has finished. Perhaps some people who can read French better than me will weigh in. Brian Boucher had another stinker of a game last night – perhaps Caron gets a shot? I would assume he would have to clear waivers if the Flyers planned to have him join the club this season.

Matt Calvert, a late-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, was named Player of the Month for March in the WHL. I wrote about him a few weeks ago, and he should be on your radar if you are in any keeper league format. The link to my article is here.

Brandon Yip will suit up for the Avalanche tonight against Calgary. He has missed the past month with a shoulder injury. Coach Joe Sacco has indicated that Yip will start the game on the third line, but the key to his production will be power play time. He should see some time with the second unit.

Don't forget to check out Justin Bourne's daily blog. As a recently retired professional hockey player, he has insights that are unique and very interesting. He's a pretty darn good writer as well.

Follow me and Dobber on twitter! @DobberHockey and @angus_j

Baseball season is almost upon us – time to pop over to DobberBaseball, pick up the fantasy guide, and join the forums!

Coming soon (spoiler alert, Marty St. Louis IS on the team)…

Prime Cuts 2010