Lordy, lordy, look who’s 40! Yikes!

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My Hockey News article yesterday takes a look at the biggest goalie questions you have in fantasy hockey when it comes to 2014-15. Read it here.

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Ju-u-ust about to hit the ‘delete’ button on the Toronto players on my Playoff Draft List as I start putting that together, when I watch the Leafs add to their lead while the Avs comeback against the Blue Jackets and the Capitals get hammered by Dallas. I should have known. Whatever can happen to delay the final version of this list…or in some way hinder it, will happen. So look for the wins and losses around the league to balance out and see to it that the Leafs, the Canucks, the Sens and the Devils aren’t officially knocked out until the final game has been played. Murphy’s Law. Larry Murphy, that is.

Congrats to the Leafs for beating the – statistically – fifth-worst team in the NHL and ending their eight-game losing skid. And congrats to David Clarkson for finally reaching that magical five-goal mark. It took Clarkson eight games to score five last year. This year it took him 55 games.

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Joe Colborne has 14 points in his last 20 games and his ice time has been hovering around 17 minutes lately as Bob Hartley gets a better feel for the type of player he is, looking ahead to next year. He sure looked like a potential scoring-line player last night, and I hadn’t been able to say that about him in a couple of years.

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Do a Twitter search for “Dion Phaneuf“. Or try “Dion Phaneuf murder” or “Dion Phaneuf hate” to really drill down. Unbelievable. They know it’s just a game, right? And that he’s a human being? I have such a low opinion of Internet trolls. I need a vacation.

I stumbled on the above because I did a search of his name to see the reaction for his shenanigans at the end of the game and found the hateful diatribe quite by accident. But his 24 penalty minutes all in the final seconds sure helped his fantasy owners…

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Attention poolies in leagues that count blocked shots – Adam Larsson has eight of them in the two games he played since returning to the NHL. He also has three hits. Strikes me as really making that extra effort to stay in the lineup by increasing the grit-factor.

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In typical Josh Bailey late-season fashion, he has eight points in his last 10 games. Once again teasing us into thinking he can take that step forward next year (always next year). But we’re onto you, Bailey! We’re onto you…

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Eight points in eight games for Andrei Loktionov. He’s an intriguing pick for next season, as he could breakout for 45-50 points, or he could get 25 or 30. He depends a lot on confidence and linemates – he’s pretty helpless on a depth line. Like Tlusty that way. Here are the line combos, last three games:

Lindholm had two goals last night. He has 10 of his 19 points via multi-point games this year and has never had points in three straight.

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Lee Stempniak has managed just nine points in 15 games on Crosby’s line. Crosby, who got his 100th point last night, is slowing down somewhat (by his standards). I bet $50 on Bodog in the preseason that he gets 33 goals or more, but I bet $25 that he gets less than 107 points. I already won the former, but the latter is going to be close. You can review all my preseason bets here. Looks like I’ll get around 60% of them, but for 70% of the money (i.e. I’m winning a bigger chunk of the bigger bets).

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Alex Chiasson had three assists last night, but his ice time was stuck at around 10 minutes and I have little faith in him helping you don’t the stretch. He could, I just don’t have faith. Don’t forget, he started the year with nine points in nine games. Since then 23 in 63 heading into last night’s contest.

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Worried about Evgeny Kuznetsov. Just for this season, not for the future -he’ll be a stud. But for this season I wonder if he’ll help you going forward. Pointless in two, but his ice time is what concerns me. Last four games (last night at the top):

11:24

13:53

14:45

17:58

If Adam Oates is reeling in his ice time when they desperately need wins, then it doesn’t bode well for his final six games.

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Alex Ovechkin is killing me in the league I own him in. Pointless in his last three (minus-5) and he just went through the entire month of March without scoring a single even-strength goal.

Jaroslav Halak got the hook after giving up three goals on 23 shots. He is 0-1-3 in his last four, but hasn’t played all that bad, the Caps are just snakebitten.

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Sure enough, Nathan Horton is sidelined and now Cam Atkinson is scoring again. Hmmm…

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Since the Olympic break, Nathan MacKinnon has just one goal. It’s a good thing he has 13 assists, giving him 14 points in 16 games.

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With six games left in the season, Ondrej Palat needs seven points (he had two Tuesday) to reach 60. He’s also sitting on a plus-28 rating – giving MacKinnon a run for his Calder money…

Steven Stamkos has 13 points in 14 games since Martin St. Louis was traded.

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Tyler Johnnson with the nice shortie:

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Another TB highlight – or lowlight, rather. Douglass Murray takes out Mike Kostka with this devastating, and very suspendable hit:

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Ho-hum. TJ Oshie, nice shootout goal: