The Daily Puck: Spirit of St. Louis

The Daily Puck: Spirit of St. Louis

This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.

Projected Goalie Starters

Pittsburgh (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Devils (Martin Brodeur), 7:00 p.m. ET
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Ottawa (Craig Anderson), 7:30 p.m. ET
Carolina (Cam Ward) at Chicago (Corey Crawford), 8:30 p.m. ET
Columbus (Mathieu Garon) at Calgary (Miikka Kiprusoff), 9:00 p.m. ET
Dallas (Kari Lehtonen) at Anaheim (Dan Ellis), 10:00 p.m. ET

Injuries for Teams Playing Friday

Day-to-Day (Includes DL players close to returning)
Brendan Morrison (C) Calgary – (Knee) Had an MRI Thursday on his swollen knee, doubtful for Friday.
Brad Richards (C) Dallas -- (Concussion) Questionable to play Friday.
Saku Koivu (C) Anaheim – (Groin) Practicing but still doubtful for Friday.

Long Term or IR
Chris Kunitz (W) Pittsburgh -- (Lower body) Progressing but unlikely to play Friday.
Zach Parise (W) New Jersey – (Knee) Has resumed skating, wants to play again this season.
Marian Gaborik (W) Rangers – (Concussion) Still suffering symptoms, out until at least next week.
Derek Boogaard (W) Rangers – (Concussion) Not suffering symptoms, will resume skating next week.
Daniel Alfredsson (W) Ottawa -- (Back) Still suffering spasms, but hopes to play again this season.
Milan Michalek (W) Ottawa -- (Foot) Expected to be out for at least a few weeks.
Jonas Hiller (G) Anaheim – (Vertigo) Practicing, but still not feeling 100 percent.

Transactions

Kris Newbury (C) Rangers – Re-assigned to the AHL.
Ben Holmstrom (C) Philadelphia – Re-called from the AHL.

Projected Goalie Starters

Pittsburgh (Marc-Andre Fleury) at Devils (Martin Brodeur), 7:00 p.m. ET
Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) at Ottawa (Craig Anderson), 7:30 p.m. ET
Carolina (Cam Ward) at Chicago (Corey Crawford), 8:30 p.m. ET
Columbus (Mathieu Garon) at Calgary (Miikka Kiprusoff), 9:00 p.m. ET
Dallas (Kari Lehtonen) at Anaheim (Dan Ellis), 10:00 p.m. ET

Injuries for Teams Playing Friday

Day-to-Day (Includes DL players close to returning)
Brendan Morrison (C) Calgary – (Knee) Had an MRI Thursday on his swollen knee, doubtful for Friday.
Brad Richards (C) Dallas -- (Concussion) Questionable to play Friday.
Saku Koivu (C) Anaheim – (Groin) Practicing but still doubtful for Friday.

Long Term or IR
Chris Kunitz (W) Pittsburgh -- (Lower body) Progressing but unlikely to play Friday.
Zach Parise (W) New Jersey – (Knee) Has resumed skating, wants to play again this season.
Marian Gaborik (W) Rangers – (Concussion) Still suffering symptoms, out until at least next week.
Derek Boogaard (W) Rangers – (Concussion) Not suffering symptoms, will resume skating next week.
Daniel Alfredsson (W) Ottawa -- (Back) Still suffering spasms, but hopes to play again this season.
Milan Michalek (W) Ottawa -- (Foot) Expected to be out for at least a few weeks.
Jonas Hiller (G) Anaheim – (Vertigo) Practicing, but still not feeling 100 percent.

Transactions

Kris Newbury (C) Rangers – Re-assigned to the AHL.
Ben Holmstrom (C) Philadelphia – Re-called from the AHL.
Mattias Ritola (W) Tampa Bay – Recalled from the AHL.
Blair Jones (W) Tampa Bay – Recalled from the AHL.
Braden Holtby (G) Washington – Recalled from the AHL.
Casey Wellman (C) Minnesota– Recalled from the AHL.

Hot

Andy McDonald (C) St. Louis – Injury problems always seem to be preventing McDonald from being they type of player that most scouts thought he could be at one time, and this season has been no different as he has missed time with a concussion, but he is certainly hot at the moment with three goals and eight points in his last eight games. The Blues may not be the most explosive offensive team in the league, but they do have some underrated talent and McDonald could help out your fantasy team in the stretch drive.

Alex Pietrangelo (D) St. Louis – Sticking with the St. Louis theme, Pietrangelo is rewarding the Blues' faith in him. One of the reasons St. Louis traded away Erik Johnson was because they believed Pietrangelo was ready to step up into the No. 1 role on defense, and so far so good. In his last eight games he has two goal, five assists and is a plus-1.

Cold

Semyon Varlamov (G) Washington -- It's not that Varlamov has played badly of late or this season; his numbers are solid, - 2.27 GAA, 92.3 SV% - it's just that he can't stay healthy for any length of time. Last season he was in and out of the lineup with a leg injury, and now this season he is out once again with a lower-body injury. Tough to rely on a goaltender who can't stay in your lineup consistently.

Alexandre Burrows (W) Vancouver – Burrows is now up to seven games without a goal, and has only two assists during that time period. This latest slump seems to have coincided with a foot injury that Burrows suffered in mid-February. One has to wonder if this injury is bothering Burrows more than he and the team are letting on.

Recommended Pickup

Devin Setoguchi (W) San Jose – Setoguchi had a strong rookie season and was on everyone's fantasy radar last season, but then suffered from the dreaded sophomore slump that lasted into this season as well. He has turned it around lately with six goals in his last seven games. The Sharks are still a powerful team on offense, and if Setoguchi has rediscovered the magic of his rookie season, he can certainly help out your fantasy team.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
George Kurtz
George is a former RotoWire contributor. He started covering fantasy sports in 2006 and joined RotoWire in 2007. In addition to RotoWire, George has written for SeamHeads, LeatherHeads, Going9 Fantasy Baseball, and FantasyPros911.com. Besides RotoWire, George can currently be found on the Fantasy Sports Radio Network, RotoExperts, and FantasyData.com.
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