The Montreal Canadiens did something I never expected as they knocked out the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 4-3 win last night in Montreal. With that win, Montreal sweeps Tampa Bay right out of the playoffs. There will be no more potential for Steven Stamkos fantasy points. That has to make some fantasy box pool owners very sad.
With some options out of the equation, it is time to trudge forward with Tuesday night’s three stars. We had four games to choose from and as people know, @XNSports is live tweeting throughout the playoffs.
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Henrik Lundqvist — New York Rangers
Finally a team from the Metro Division held a lead when they scored first. Lundqvist made 31 saves in the 4-1 win as the New York Rangers scored twice early and the goaltender made it hold up. He stopped 24 of 25 shots during the first 40 minutes where he was undoubtedly his busiest. Granted, Lundqvist did get help from a couple posts but hey a little luck goes a long way. The bottom line was he outplayed Ray Emery (who was pulled for Steve Mason). This Game 3 was the Swedish goalie’s best effort of the series by far and away. That is the kind of effort Lundqvist will need if the Rangers want to eliminate the Flyers quickly.
Second Star — Tuukka Rask — Boston Bruins
It might have been the easiest 23 saves that Rask ever made but a playoff shutout counts all the same. Rask only faced seven shots in the third period, including just three scoring chances from Detroit. However, he made every save. Boston, under Claude Julien, just keeps winning Game 3’s. They have only lost one Game 3 during Julien’s tenure. This was a solid shutdown kind of night from top to bottom. Rask even handled the puck quite well and when Detroit got close, he was there to close the door. On this night, Detroit was definitely silenced.
First Star — Patrick Marleau — San Jose Sharks
Timing is everything! Marleau had actually been a bit quiet but after Antti Niemi shut the door in a brilliant overtime sequence, it was Marleau’s turn to bring the Los Angeles crowd down to its knees. When Marleau fired a shot off Slava Voynov‘s stick and in, there was a palpable gasp heard throughout Staples Center. The San Jose forward has had a knack for delivering goals when they are needed. That fourth shot is likely the reason why San Jose advances to Round 2. On a night where offense was spread around, two points (and a +2) is enough along with the clutch overtime goal to take home our top star.
