Monday, June 08, 2015

Player Notes in the Playoffs (June 8)



It sounds like there will be a change to the Chicago Blackhawks lineup, which has very limited reach in the Playoff Pool, as it is believed that defenseman David Rundblad will be a healthy scratch again in these playoffs, making way for rookie defender Trevor Van Riemsdyk.  Rundblad has played in five games in these playoffs, failing to register a point, but is a +2 in the plus/minus rating, averaging a shade over seven minutes of ice-time in Games 1 & 2.

Rundblad was taken once in the pool, belonging to the 12th place team of Grant S.'s, and his team is 26 points back of the money, nowhere near the final race to the cash.

There's no doubt that the most anticipated news is to whether or not Ben Bishop will be in the crease for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3, after leaving Game 2 early with an undisclosed issue.

At the morning skate, as reported by every outlet and their respective dogs, Bishop was on the ice for the team's optional skate and was taking shots, moving normally.  It sounds like everything should be a go for Game 3, barring any unforeseen issues, possibly related to whatever ailed him before... or not.  Who knows?

Of course, there should be no question about the Blackhawks' crease, as Corey Crawford is expected to be back in for Chicago, as they come home for Game 3.

The goaltending is the main focus of the last race in the hockey pool, as Jesse tries to hold off Thor for 2nd place in the pool.  Jesse is holding onto Crawford and got a break in Game 2, when Andrei Vasilevskiy took the win for the Bolts, snagging it from Bishop.  The difference is only 1 point, so a win could be a big swing either way.

An updated list of injuries can be found here.

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