Player Notes

Crawford stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced in Saturday's loss to the Red Wings.
Recommendation: The Wings looked much better in all facets of the game Saturday, limiting the pressure of the Hawks in their defensive zone and outshooting Chicago 30-20 in the winning effort.

Coach Claude Julien said that Redden (undisclosed injury), will likely be a game-time decision for Sunday's Game 2 against the Rangers, the Boston Globe reports.
Recommendation: Redden skated with the team at Saturday's practice, suggesting that he is progressing toward a return. In the absence of veteran blueliners Redden, Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference, youngsters Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski having been filling in for the B's.

Marleau assisted on both San Jose goals as the Sharks edged the Kings 2-1 in Saturday's Game 3 of the teams' second-round series.
Recommendation: He has a 5-3-8 ledger after seven playoff games, with half of those points coming on San Jose power plays. There's no sign that this productivity will abate.

Kane snapped his playoff scoring drought by potting the opening tally in the Hawks' Game 2 loss to Detroit on Saturday.
Recommendation: The goal was only Kane's second since he scored the game-winner in the Hawks' series-clinching victory in the Stanley Cup finals in 2010.

Niemi outdueled LA's Jonathan Quick on Saturday as the Sharks got by the Kings in overtime, 2-1. Niemi stopped 26 shots on the night.
Recommendation: Niemi rose to this ocasion. The Sharks had to have this game, to avoid dropping into a 3-0 hole; and Niemi had to come up big, as Quick put on another dazzling performance. Game 4 is Tuesday, and Niemi will assuredly be in the crease for that contest.

Couture returned to the ice after sustaining a second-period leg injury and delivered the game-winner in overtime as the Sharks edged Los Angeles on Saturay night, 2-1. The win cuts the Kings' series lead to 2-1.
Recommendation: This is the first OT tally of Couture's career, and came on a San Jose power play. The injury cost him most of the second frame, but he played all of the third before delivering the clincher. As long as he's on a line with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, Couture is a solid bet to appear on the scoresheet.

Quick was on his game Saturday, stopping 38 San Jose shots, but his teammates couldn't generate enough offense to close the deal as the Sharks escaped with a 2-1 overtime win.
Recommendation: He's displaying the same form in this postseason that propelled the Kings to the 2012 Stanley Cup. We have no hesitation about commending him to you whenever LA takes the ice.

Zetterberg had a pair of assists, including one on the game-winning tally in the Wings' victory over Chicago on Saturday.
Recommendation: After making a heads-up play in a race to a loose puck in the Hawks' zone, Zetterberg brought the puck behind the Chicago goal line before firing a pass through a defenseman's skates to Brendan Smith at the back door. Aside from his contributions offensively, Zetterberg's value in the series will also come in the form of providing a tough defensive matchup for Hawks captain Jonathan Toews.

Ference (lower body) won't play Sunday against the Rangers, the Boston Herald reports.
Recommendation: Ference, who was injured back on May 10 in Game 5 of the B's first-round playoff series against Toronto, is still not skating, suggesting that his return to action is not imminent.

Howard stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced in Saturday's Game 2 win over Chicago.
Recommendation: After seeing 41 shots fired his way in the series opening loss on Wednesday, Howard had to be happy to see a much more complete effort from the squad in front of him at both ends of the ice Saturday. He'll be in goal for the Wings again when the series heads to Detroit for Game 3.

Toews was taken out of Game 2 as the Red Wings pushed him around in the Blackhawks' 4-1 loss, ESPN Chicago reports.
Recommendation: Maybe this will wake-up Toews who has not potted a goal in seven postseason games this season. He does have three assists in the last three games, but no goals to show for it. "I'm not going to go off and complain about some calls I thought should have been called or whatever, one way or another," Toews said. "If that's the way they're going to play, well, we need to play the same. There's a lot of clutch and grab, a lot of interference. If they're going to let that go, that's something we need to know and maybe do to them a little bit."

Seidenberg (leg) skated with strength and conditioning coach John Whitesides before Saturday's practice, the Boston Herald reports.
Recommendation: Though Seidenberg is doing better, coach Claude Julien noted that he didn't anticipate the blueliner being ready for Sunday's Game 2 against the Rangers.

Hannan missed about six minutes of action early in the second period of Saturday's Game 3 against the Kings after sliding face-first into the boards.
Recommendation: After a brief respite, he returned to action and skated an otherwise normal complement of shifts. There's no indication that he won't be able to go in Tuesday's Game 4.

Stoll (head) is not in the lineup for Saturday's Game 3.
Recommendation: Stoll suffered a head injury after being hit by Raffi Torres of the Sharks. It is unknown how long he will remain out of the lineup.

Greene (lower body) has been scratched from Saturday's lineup for Game 3.
Recommendation: Greene has only played in five games this season and hasn't been in the lineup since Apr. 24. His status going forward remains unknown, but he is not likely to be a major contributor through the remainder of the playoffs.

Bertuzzi will not play in Game 2 against Chicago on Saturday, Detroit News writer John Niyo reports.
Recommendation: Bertuzzi lands on the bench due to the return of Drew Miller, who had been sitting due to a hand injury.

Edler has been suspended for the remainder of the IIHF World Championships for his knee-to-knee hit on Eric Staal, the Vancouver Province reports.
Recommendation: Sweden will have to play without Edler in Saturday's semifinal match against Finland and the following medal game.

Havlat (groin) told the San Jose coaching staff "he's a go" for Saturday's Game 3 against Los Angeles, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports.
Recommendation: We'll make a follow-up note if/when Havlat is officially allowed to play, but it seems that at the very least he's lobbying his coaches to let him on the ice Saturday. It appears as if he'll play.

Kennedy has been scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Game 3.
Recommendation: Kennedy did not play in Game 1 of the series and played just 6:51 in Game 2. He has not played a significant role throughout the playoffs, and it appears that is not going to change going forward.

Anderson will start Game 3 against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Sportsnet.ca's Ian Mendes reports.
Recommendation: Anderson has taken a beating from Pittsburgh in the first two games, allowing a miserable seven goals on just 51 shots. A regular season GAA of 1.69 gives Ottawa a reason to keep the faith in Anderson, however, and his odds of pulling off a win are aided by the return of Jason Spezza (back), who hasn't played since Jan. 27.

Martinez was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Game 3.
Recommendation: The team did not state a reason for the move and has not provided any information regarding his status for Game 4. Martinez has seen his ice time decrease slightly in the first two games of the series, and he played just 11:49 in Game 2.

Miller (hand) has been cleared to play, NHL.com's Brian Hedger reports.
Recommendation: It's not clear whether Miller will play in Saturday's Game 2 against Chicago, but coach Mike Babcock previously implied that Miller would play once medically cleared. We'll watch for confirmation on that.

Staal (third-degree MCL sprain) faces a three-month recovery time but will not need surgery, Tampa Tribune writer Erik Erlendsson reports
Recommendation: It's a significant injury, but the offseason should be enough time for Staal to be ready for the 2013-14 season, which would have been in jeopardy had he suffered a tear. The news is good, in other words.

Carcillo has played in the last three Blackhawks' playoff games heading into Saturday's Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Red Wings.
Recommendation: Carcillo had been in and out of the lineup during the 2013 regular season either because of injuries or as a healthy scratch. He helped his cause to stay in the lineup by collecting an assist on Wednesday in the Game 1 victory over the Red Wings. The more physical team that Chicago faces the more likely that Carcillo will find a spot on the ice.

Spezza (back) says he will play in Game 3 against Pittsburgh on Sunday, NHL.com's Arpon Basu reports.
Recommendation: Spezza is still waiting for technical clearance, which might not get made formal until Sunday, but it nonetheless appears as if he'll be making his return in Game 3. Down 2-0, Ottawa could obviously use his help.