Happy Tuesday y'all! Don't forget to post your championship squads on Twitter and tag @DobberHockey so we can see your winning lineups! If you still have leagues in action, like one of mine, good luck in these last three nights!

Another day closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and we have a more clear picture of the teams involved. While we have all the playoff teams settled, we only have three matchups set; the battle of Minnesota, (North) Dallas Stars against the Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the Montreal Canadiens, and the battle for Pennsylvania between the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The Pens and the Flyers will be reignited, and it has us reminiscing about the old Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux rivalry. We are being fed plenty of nostalgia with the Crosby and Alex Ovechkin matchups throughout the years, but I think the Sid/Giroux one was filled with actual hatred. 

I'm putting my money on Captain Canada and the Pens in this series and would be happy to invest in the line of Sid, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust for playoff pools. Crosby has 15 goals and 21 assists in 23 playoff matchups against Philly, with 60 lamp lighters and 79 apples in 93 games in the regular season against their interstate rivals. 

—-

With teams clinched, players are saying they have headaches and classifying them with upper body injuries or they kicked the couch leg at 2AM and suffered a lower body injury.  Basically, they want to rest players before a grueling playoff run so that makes it hard to determine lines at this stage of the year. 

If you want to separate yourself from your opponent and find a hidden gem to win your league, a key factor to look at is young players and veterans on expiring contracts. The young skaters are looking to make an impression going into next season and veterans are looking to do the same in hopes of extending their NHL careers. Two examples from Monday night came from the San Jose Sharks and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Igor Chernyshov isn't necessarily in the lineup because the Sharks have been knocked out (although after writing this, the Los Angeles Kings won and eliminated San Jose), but because he has forced management and the coach’s hands. It helps that Igor has found instant chemistry with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, but having 18 points in 26 games is hard to deny. Still only 2% owned in Yahoo leagues, the Russian winger needs to be added as San Jose is 1 of 10 teams that has two games in the final three days.

The Carolina Hurricanes clinched the Metropolitan Division last week and have been resting skaters the last couple of games. A veteran who has been trying to take advantage of game action is Nic Deslauriers. If your league counts hits, Deslauriers has come into the lineup and that is all he has done. He was credited with 11 (!) hits last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. He has one game left on the season, and it is Tuesday night, so he is an easy addition if you are looking for a boost in some banger categories.

Another player that benefited from the healthy scratches in Carolina is Bradly Nadeau. The first-round pick from two drafts ago scored a goal, had three shots on net, and two hits last night. Nadeau has over 50 points and over 25 goals in his first two professional seasons as he looks to become a full time Hurricane in 2026-27. He could cement that role as early as this postseason. Nadeau could see himself inserted into the lineup as some offensive depth and with his knack to score, could become a fan favorite for the Hurricanes and create a name for himself going into training camp.

—-

One player I would look to avoid in playoff pools, if you think the Ducks will make a deep postseason run, is Beckett Sennecke. Sennecke is a highly skilled, run-and-gun-type of player that comes with plenty of highlights, but sometimes those moves can be too much and cause turnovers that lead to goals against. Coach Joel Quenneville has been very patient with the 19-year-old during the regular season, but may not keep the leash as long in the playoffs. I'm not saying it would lead to a healthy scratch, but if the score is tight and there is little room for error, he may not receive the same opportunities.

—-

As the regular season comes to a close, thank you all for your continued support. If there is anything specific you want covered during the off-season, hit me up on Twitter, @LAM1926 and I'd love to chip in my two cents.

Enjoy the first weekend of the NHL Playoffs!