Chara and Pacioretty

DETROIT

Games this week
vs. Washington, @ Columbus, @ Nashville

Notes
The Red Wings play three games in four nights so look for Chris Osgood, if he finally returns to action, to play once in place of Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings will be tired on Thursday when they play a rested Columbus team as Detroit take on Washington the previous night. The Red Wings are rested against the Capitals on Wednesday as Washington are in Montreal on Tuesday. Brian Rafalski has missed six straight games with back spasms. Johan Franzen finally broke his 14 game goalless drought on Saturday. The Red Wings are struggling at home as they are 7-10-2 in their last 19 games at the Joe Louis.

EDMONTON

Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Colorado

Notes
The Oilers play only twice so we recommend benching all your Edmonton players. Nikolai Khabibulin is back but expect to see Devan Dubnyk in net more often. Sam Gagner suffered a severed tendon in his hand and is gone for the season. The Oilers look to be on track to grab the first overall pick again and it is just a matter of time before they become an elite team in the NHL with all their young talent. Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky are also gone for the remainder of the season.

FLORIDA

Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. Toronto, vs. New York Islanders

Notes
The Panthers are rested when they take on the tired Maple Leafs on Thursday as Toronto are visiting Carolina Wednesday. They are also rested on Saturday when they face a tired Islanders squad. The Panthers play all three at home this week. David Booth has three goals and four points in his last three games. Look for Niclas Bergfors to get a big chance to perform with the Panthers after being a healthy scratch in Atlanta for 11 games this season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
@ Nashville, vs. St. Louis, vs. Anaheim

Notes
The Kings are rested on Thursday when they take on the Blues as St. Louis play on Wednesday in Anaheim. Jon Quick has stopped 79 of 80 Detroit shots at the Joe Louis Arena this season in winning both games. Dustin Penner has been getting first line minutes alongside Anze Kopitar. Andrei Loktionov underwent season ending surgery to repair his injured left shoulder.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ San Jose, vs. Columbus, vs. Montreal

Notes
Minnesota play three games in four nights so look for Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom to share the net. The Wild are tired on Sunday when they face Montreal after playing Columbus the previous night. Cal Clutterbuck has started skating again after he took a hit to the head from Trevor Gillies of the Islanders, who found himself suspended for 10 games. Guillaume Latendresse finally returned to action this past week.

MONTREAL

Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. Tampa Bay, @ New York Rangers, @ Minnesota

Notes
The Canadiens play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Alexander Auld to play once in place of Carey Price. The Habs are tired on Friday when they play the Rangers in New York and are rested on Sunday when they are in Minnesota as the Wild play Columbus the previous night. Max Pacioretty suffered a broken vertebrae and a severe concussion when rammed into the boards by Zdeno Chara and will be out of action for a long time. Carey Price was the third star of the week, winning all three games with a .974 save percentage and a GAA of 1.00.

NASHVILLE

Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Boston, vs. Detroit, @ Buffalo

Notes
The Predators play four games this week including three in four nights but coach Barry Trotz has said that Pekka Rinne will play the rest of the way. Steve Sullivan had a procedure for an abductor release last week and will be out of the Nashville lineup for the next four-six weeks. Rinne is 3-1-2 in his last six games and has given up only nine goals on 170 shots.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
vs. Atlanta, @ Ottawa, vs. Washington, @ Columbus

Notes
The Devils play three games in four nights as well as four times this week so expect to see Johan Hedberg once in place of Martin Brodeur. The Devils are tired on Friday when they play a rested Washington team as New Jersey play the Senators in Ottawa the night before, but will be rested on Sunday when they play a tired Columbus team. Zach Parise (knee) took some shots on goal Wednesday and is making positive strides in his skating as well. Ilya Kovalchuk has six game winning goals over the last month.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
@ New York Rangers, @ Carolina, @ Florida

Notes
The Islanders are tired on Saturday when they play in Florida after having to travel 674 miles from Carolina the night before. Al Montoya is 6-2-2 this season for the Islanders as New York made a great acquisition in picking him up from the Coyotes. John Tavares has 24 goals and 55 points this season. His minus-17 rating will hurt you, but expect a lot better next season. Matt Moulson leads the team with 28 goals.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Montreal, @ Pittsburgh

Notes
The Rangers are rested and waiting for the Canadiens on Friday as Montreal will take on Tampa Bay the night before. Marc Staal, who missed three games in February, will likely battle with lingering knee pain for the remainder of the season. Look for Henrik Lundqvist to play in net for the remainder of the season as the Rangers are in a battle for the playoffs. Bryan McCabe is playing on the third unit with Matt Gilroy and will have to adjust as his playing minutes are lower than they have been in a long time. Ryan Callahan had a four goal game this past week.

OTTAWA

Games this week
vs. Pittsburgh, vs. New Jersey, vs. Tampa Bay

Notes
The Senators play all three games at home this week. Matt Carkner had arthroscopic surgery on his knee this past week and he may not be able to return before the end of the season. Ryan Shannon will get a chance to be a top-six forward the rest of the way and has a goal and six points in his last eight games with a plus-three rating. Craig Anderson has been great for the Senators since his trade from Colorado as he is 6-3-0 and has given up only 13 goals in 295 shots. His GAA in that span is 1.44 while his save percentage is an outstanding .956.

Well, since everyone else is weighing in on the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty, I guess I will too.

It was a hockey hit. Pacioretty was at the wrong place at the wrong time and his head was hit directly into the padded corner of the glass partition at the Bell Centre causing a broken vertebrae and a severe concussion. Maybe we should blame the arena.

Chara is a big man and it is very unfortunate that Pacioretty may lose his career because of it, but it was not a reckless hit to the head or anything else that should warrant a suspension.

I can't say the same of Chara's hit against Mikhail Grabovski when it looked like he slammed the head of the Maple Leafs center and I think he should have been suspended for that hit.

Click here to follow me on Twitter.

Here is The Week Ahead.

WEEK OF MARCH 14-20

4 Games - Columbus, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, Phoenix, San Jose, Toronto

3 Games - Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington

2 Games - Edmonton, Pittsburgh

Boston, Colorado, the New York Islanders, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Washington play three games on the road.

Buffalo, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Nashville, Ottawa and Vancouver play three home games this week.

INJURIES
Max Pacioretty suffered a concussion when smacked into the boards by Zdeno Chara on Tuesday. Click here to check out all the injured players in the NHL.

ANAHEIM

Games this week
vs. St. Louis, @ Los Angeles, vs. Calgary

Notes
The Ducks are a tired team on Sunday when they face a rested Calgary team. Toni Lydman leads the NHL in plus/minus at plus-29. Lubomir Visnovsky has five goals and eight points in his last four games. Saku Koivu returned to action on Wednesday from a groin injury. Jonas Hiller is still out with vertigo but the play of Dan Ellis (4-1-1 as a Duck) has put Anaheim back in the playoff race.

ATLANTA

Games this week
@ New Jersey, vs. Philadelphia, @ Buffalo

Notes
Blake Wheeler is now playing with Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little and has three goals and six points in eight games as a Thrasher. Ondrej Pavelec missed four games with an injured wrist before returning on Wednesday. Ladd has nine goals and 11 points in his last 12 games, while Little has only one goal in his last 19 games but does have 10 assists.

BOSTON

Games this week
@ Columbus, @ Nashville, @ Toronto

Notes
The Bruins play all three games on the road this week. Zdeno Chara did not get suspended for his hit on Max Pacioretty, but there are many people up in arms about the collision. The two teams meet on March 24, and it will be interesting to see if the Canadiens take the law into their own hands at that game although it may be tough against Chara. Rich Peverley will play on the second unit Thursday, replacing Mark Recchi who moves down to the third line. Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask will likely share starts for the Bruins as the 2010-11 campaign reaches its conclusion.

BUFFALO

Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Atlanta, vs. Nashville

Notes
The Sabres play all three at home this week so expect to see Ryan Miller in goal in every game. Jochen Hecht has missed the last four games with an upper body injury. Patrick Lalime has seen 148 minutes of action since November 5 and is unlikely to see any more action this season barring a couple of injuries to Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth. Andrej Sekera was the second star of the week as he had one goal and eight points in four games.

CALGARY

Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Colorado, @ Anaheim

Notes
The Flames play tired teams twice this week while they are a rested club, so that should be a huge bonus for Calgary. They meet Colorado on Thursday after the Avs play in Vancouver the night before and face Anaheim on Sunday after the Ducks play the Kings on Saturday. Olli Jokinen has 31 points in 34 games since Christmas. Jarome Iginla needs 14 points in his last 13 games to reach the 1,000 career point mark. It appears that Brendan Morrison will not be able to return before the end of the regular season because of a knee injury.

CAROLINA

Games this week
@ Buffalo, vs. Toronto, vs. New York Islanders

Notes
The Hurricanes play three times in four nights but coach Paul Maurice stated this past week that Cam Ward would start the remainder of the games, so look for the starting netminder to be between the pipes. The Hurricanes are a tired team on Wednesday when they face a rested Toronto team as Carolina are in Buffalo the previous night. Cam Ward will play the remainder of the season, at least as long as the Hurricanes are still involved, or have not clinched a playoff spot. Rookie of the year candidate Jeff Skinner has five goals and nine points in 17 games since the All-Star break.

CHICAGO

Games this week
vs. San Jose, @ Dallas, @ Phoenix

Notes
The Blackhawks are tired on Monday when they take on San Jose after playing Washington Sunday. The Blackhawks have some injury problems with Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland currently out of the lineup. Michael Frolik has taken over as the third line center in Bolland's absence. Jonathan Toews nine game scoring streak ended on Tuesday but he still has nine goals and 16 points in his last 10 games. Marian Hossa had his eight game points streak end on Wednesday as he had seven goals and 12 points in that streak.

COLORADO

Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton

Notes
The Avalanche are a tired team on Thursday and play a rested Calgary sqaud after the Avs are in Vancouver on Wednesday night. Paul Stastny has seven goals and 20 points in 33 games since mid-December while Matt Duchene has three goals and seven points in 21 games since January 10. No wonder Colorado has won only once since the beginning of February. Peter Mueller (concussion) has been shut down for the remainder of the season.

COLUMBUS

Games this week
vs. Boston, vs. Detroit, @ Minnesota, vs. New Jersey

Notes
The Blue Jackets play three games in four nights, so look for Mathieu Garon to play once in place of Steve Mason. They are rested and at home when they take on Detroit on Thursday after the Red Wings entertain Washington the night before, but the Blue Jackets will be tired and taking on a rested New Jersey team on Sunday. Derick Brassard returned to action on Wednesday after missing eight games with an injured hand. He promptly blocked a shot and is questionable again. Kristian Huselius has missed eight straight games with a lower body injury. Matt Calvert is worth picking up in all but the shallowest of pools.

DALLAS

Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Chicago, vs. Philadelphia

Notes
The Stars play all three games at home this week. They are rested and waiting for San Jose on Tuesday as the Sharks are in Chicago Monday. The Stars finally welcomed Brad Richards back on Wednesday as he missed the previous 10 games with a concussion. Mike Ribeiro took full advantage of the absence of Richards as he has four goals and 10 points in his last 10 games.


DETROIT

Games this week
vs. Washington, @ Columbus, @ Nashville

Notes
The Red Wings play three games in four nights so look for Chris Osgood, if he finally returns to action, to play once in place of Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings will be tired on Thursday when they play a rested Columbus team as Detroit take on Washington the previous night. The Red Wings are rested against the Capitals on Wednesday as Washington are in Montreal on Tuesday. Brian Rafalski has missed six straight games with back spasms. Johan Franzen finally broke his 14 game goalless drought on Saturday. The Red Wings are struggling at home as they are 7-10-2 in their last 19 games at the Joe Louis.

EDMONTON

Games this week
vs. Phoenix, vs. Colorado

Notes
The Oilers play only twice so we recommend benching all your Edmonton players. Nikolai Khabibulin is back but expect to see Devan Dubnyk in net more often. Sam Gagner suffered a severed tendon in his hand and is gone for the season. The Oilers look to be on track to grab the first overall pick again and it is just a matter of time before they become an elite team in the NHL with all their young talent. Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky are also gone for the remainder of the season.

FLORIDA

Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, vs. Toronto, vs. New York Islanders

Notes
The Panthers are rested when they take on the tired Maple Leafs on Thursday as Toronto are visiting Carolina Wednesday. They are also rested on Saturday when they face a tired Islanders squad. The Panthers play all three at home this week. David Booth has three goals and four points in his last three games. Look for Niclas Bergfors to get a big chance to perform with the Panthers after being a healthy scratch in Atlanta for 11 games this season.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week
@ Nashville, vs. St. Louis, vs. Anaheim

Notes
The Kings are rested on Thursday when they take on the Blues as St. Louis play on Wednesday in Anaheim. Jon Quick has stopped 79 of 80 Detroit shots at the Joe Louis Arena this season in winning both games. Dustin Penner has been getting first line minutes alongside Anze Kopitar. Andrei Loktionov underwent season ending surgery to repair his injured left shoulder.

MINNESOTA

Games this week
@ Vancouver, @ San Jose, vs. Columbus, vs. Montreal

Notes
Minnesota play three games in four nights so look for Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom to share the net. The Wild are tired on Sunday when they face Montreal after playing Columbus the previous night. Cal Clutterbuck has started skating again after he took a hit to the head from Trevor Gillies of the Islanders, who found himself suspended for 10 games. Guillaume Latendresse finally returned to action this past week.

MONTREAL

Games this week
vs. Washington, vs. Tampa Bay, @ New York Rangers, @ Minnesota

Notes
The Canadiens play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Alexander Auld to play once in place of Carey Price. The Habs are tired on Friday when they play the Rangers in New York and are rested on Sunday when they are in Minnesota as the Wild play Columbus the previous night. Max Pacioretty suffered a broken vertebrae and a severe concussion when rammed into the boards by Zdeno Chara and will be out of action for a long time. Carey Price was the third star of the week, winning all three games with a .974 save percentage and a GAA of 1.00.

NASHVILLE

Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Boston, vs. Detroit, @ Buffalo

Notes
The Predators play four games this week including three in four nights but coach Barry Trotz has said that Pekka Rinne will play the rest of the way. Steve Sullivan had a procedure for an abductor release last week and will be out of the Nashville lineup for the next four-six weeks. Rinne is 3-1-2 in his last six games and has given up only nine goals on 170 shots.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week
vs. Atlanta, @ Ottawa, vs. Washington, @ Columbus

Notes
The Devils play three games in four nights as well as four times this week so expect to see Johan Hedberg once in place of Martin Brodeur. The Devils are tired on Friday when they play a rested Washington team as New Jersey play the Senators in Ottawa the night before, but will be rested on Sunday when they play a tired Columbus team. Zach Parise (knee) took some shots on goal Wednesday and is making positive strides in his skating as well. Ilya Kovalchuk has six game winning goals over the last month.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week
@ New York Rangers, @ Carolina, @ Florida

Notes
The Islanders are tired on Saturday when they play in Florida after having to travel 674 miles from Carolina the night before. Al Montoya is 6-2-2 this season for the Islanders as New York made a great acquisition in picking him up from the Coyotes. John Tavares has 24 goals and 55 points this season. His minus-17 rating will hurt you, but expect a lot better next season. Matt Moulson leads the team with 28 goals.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Montreal, @ Pittsburgh

Notes
The Rangers are rested and waiting for the Canadiens on Friday as Montreal will take on Tampa Bay the night before. Marc Staal, who missed three games in February, will likely battle with lingering knee pain for the remainder of the season. Look for Henrik Lundqvist to play in net for the remainder of the season as the Rangers are in a battle for the playoffs. Bryan McCabe is playing on the third unit with Matt Gilroy and will have to adjust as his playing minutes are lower than they have been in a long time. Ryan Callahan had a four goal game this past week.

OTTAWA

Games this week
vs. Pittsburgh, vs. New Jersey, vs. Tampa Bay

Notes
The Senators play all three games at home this week. Matt Carkner had arthroscopic surgery on his knee this past week and he may not be able to return before the end of the season. Ryan Shannon will get a chance to be a top-six forward the rest of the way and has a goal and six points in his last eight games with a plus-three rating. Craig Anderson has been great for the Senators since his trade from Colorado as he is 6-3-0 and has given up only 13 goals in 295 shots. His GAA in that span is 1.44 while his save percentage is an outstanding .956.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week
@ Florida, @ Atlanta, @ Dallas

Notes
The Flyers play all three on the road this week. Claude Giroux is having a break out season with 63 points in 67 games this year. Scott Hartnell is having a great fantasy season with 19 goals, 40 points, a plus-10 rating and 130 penalty minutes. Mike Richards and Claude Giroux each have 17 power play and five shorthanded points. Sergei Bobrovsky is 25-11-4 this season with a 2.52 GAA and a .917 save percentage, the same percentage as backup Brian Boucher.

PHOENIX

Games this week
@ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Vancouver, vs. Chicago

Notes
The Coyotes are in Western Canada this week and then return home for a match against Chicago which starts a six game home stand. The Coyotes play three games in four nights so Jason LaBarbera could get one start in place of Ilya Bryzgalov. They are a tired team on Friday when they play a rested Vancouver squad. Rostislav Klesla (head), Ray Whitney (lower body) and Martin Hanzal (lower body) are all out of action. Ilya Bryzgalov has been shaky of late with a 2-3-2 record but finally picked up his sixth shutout of the season on Thursday.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week
@ Ottawa, vs. New York Rangers

Notes
The Penguins only play twice this week so we recommend benching all your Pittsburgh players with the possible exception of Kris Letang. Marc-Andre Fleury is 3-0-1 in his last four but has given up 11 goals in the four games. Dustin Jeffrey has three goals in his last five games. Chris Kunitz returned after a 13 game absence on Tuesday, but the Penguins are still missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is gone for the season and it is starting to look like the same for Crosby.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week
@ Anaheim, @ Los Angeles, @ San Jose

Notes
The Blues play three times in four nights this week so expect to see Jaroslav Halak and Ty Conklin to play as St. Louis play all three in California. They are a tired team on Thursday when they take on Los Angeles after playing the Ducks the previous night. Alexander Steen and Barret Jackman are gone for four-six weeks with a high ankle sprain and a broken index finger respectively. Andy McDonald has seven points in his last four games. Chris Stewart has nine goals and 12 points in 12 games for the Blues, including five goals on the power play.

SAN JOSE

Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Dallas, vs. Minnesota, vs. St. Louis

Notes
The Sharks play three games in four nights so look for Antero Niittymaki (if healthy) to play once in place of Antti Niemi. The Sharks are tired on Tuesday when they are in Dallas after playing in Chicago the night before but are the rested team on Monday when they face the Blackhawks. Dan Boyle has missed the last six games with an upper body injury but has started practicing again. Ryan Clowe has 52 points this season and has three goals and four points in his last two games. Patrick Marleau has five goals and eight points in his last eight games.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Montreal @ Ottawa

Notes
The Lightning play all three games in Eastern Canada this week. Pavel Kubina was suspended for three games for his elbow to the head of Dave Bolland. Steve Stamkos has only two goals and seven points in his last 11 games and has lately been playing the wing with Dominic Moore and Martin St. Louis as linemates. Steve Downie has missed the last three games with a knee injury. Simon Gagne has scored only once in his last 16 games.

TORONTO

Games this week
vs. Tampa Bay, @ Carolina, @ Florida, vs. Boston

Notes
The Maple Leafs play four times this week including three games in four nights so look for Jean-Sebastien Giguere to get one start in place of James Reimer. They are rested when they take on a tired Carolina team on Wednesday but are tired on Thursday when they are in Florida. Since he won his fight against tough guy Scott Hartnell, Keith Aulie has the nickname 'Muhammad'. The Maple Leafs are currently six points out of a playoff spot and this week's action could make or break the team this season.

VANCOUVER

Games this week
vs. Minnesota, vs. Colorado, vs. Phoenix

Notes
The Canucks are at home for all three games this week and are rested on Friday when they host the tired Phoenix Coyotes. Cory Schneider was outstanding on Thursday despite giving up four goals as the Canucks were outshot 48-26 and won 5-4 in a shootout. Christopher Higgins finally made his Vancouver debut in the same game. Alex Burrows has two goals in his last four games but has only four points in his last 12.

WASHINGTON

Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Detroit, @ New Jersey

Notes
The Capitals start a six game road trip this week and are a tired team on Wednesday when they face Detroit after playing in Montreal on Tuesday. They are the rested team on Friday when they play against New Jersey. Mike Green was placed on the long-term injured reserve list and is unable to return until March 22 at the earliest, although he has resumed skating. Alex Ovechkin is starting to return to form and has 16 points in his last 11 games. Nicklas Backstrom missed the first game of his NHL career on Wednesday.

PLAYERS TO LOOK FOR THIS WEEK
Matt Calvert - Blue Jackets
Guillaume Latendresse - Wild
Jeff Halpern - Canadiens
Brian Rolston - Devils
Mikkel Boedker - Coyotes
Tyler Bozak - Maple Leafs

LAST WEEK'S PLAYERS
This is how the players performed through Thursday
G A PPP +/- PIMS
Brad Boyes - Sabres 1 1 1 -2 0
Scottie Upshall - Blue Jackets 0 0 0 -4 0
Steve Ott - Stars 0 1 1 -1 15
Dustin Penner - Kings 0 2 0 +2 0
Eric Brewer - Lightning 0 0 0 -3 0
Jason Arnott - Capitals 0 1 1 0 2