Chris Nichols

­Chris Nichols is Sportsnet.ca's fantasy hockey writer.

Twitter: @Nichols_NHLPool/ Email: chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com

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The Vancouver Province believes it was probably the only salvageable piece of a lost home-and-home against the Oilers.

Many may not have noticed, but backup goaltender Cory Schneider took over the net from starter Roberto Luongo with 28.2 seconds left. Schneider faced no shots, but the appearance got him within one game of qualifying for the Jennings Trophy, which goes to the team allowing the fewest goals in the regular season.

The Canucks currently lead.

A couple of days ago it didn’t look like Schneider had a chance to get his name on the trophy in the Canucks’ likely Jennings win, but Luongo lobbied the coaching staff to get the rookie enough appearances to qualify.

It’s the kind of gesture that shows how Luongo still leads even though he no longer wears the ‘C.’

“I almost passed out, so I needed a breather anyways,” joked Luongo after facing over four minutes of a 5-on-3 Oilers power play.

“We talked about it and want to find a way to get him to 25 games. Cory says he doesn’t really mind, but it’s really important to me for him to be on there.”

The Canucks have allowed a league-low 183 goals in 80 games, six fewer than Boston, which has three games remaining, so it would take a major meltdown for them not to win their first Jennings Trophy.

With the mini-shift, Schneider has now made 24 appearances this season and needs one more to be recognized along with Luongo.

“It means a lot that he and the coaching staff think I deserve it and they want me on there,” said Schneider.

“From a personal standpoint it’s been more of a team effort this year — defencemen, forwards, Lou. It’s a nice feather in your cap and it means you’ve played great team defence and had good goaltending all season. It’s a nice accomplishment.”

The Province says that Schneider will also start one of the Canucks’ final two games, likely in Calgary for the season finale.

Vigneault made an about-face from Monday when he said it didn’t look like Schneider would get enough games. Apparently, there was some confusion about the qualification for the Jennings.

“We finally figured it out that he needs to step in, whether it’s 30 seconds or more,” said Vigneault.

“Roberto wants that. He knows that Schneids has played some important games for our team this year. Both those guys have worked well together — and first of all we have to win that trophy.”

Eugene Melnyk is getting ready to unveil what’s next for the Senators, according to The Ottawa Sun.

The club’s owner told the Fan 590 in Toronto Tuesday he’s decided what direction he’ll take with Bryan Murray and Cory Clouston, but Melnyk wasn’t willing to reveal whether the GM and coach will be back next season.

But he did point out the club had “got rid of all the bad guys.”

Murray and Clouston’s contracts both expire on July 1. It is almost certain Clouston won’t return.

“I’ve been thinking about this since the beginning of the year, since things started going south for us,” said Melnyk, who will be in Ottawa Thursday for the final regular-season home game, against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I thought that on paper, we had a team that would easily go into the playoffs, the discussion was how deep would we go.

“Something went terribly wrong. To pinpoint that on one thing is impossible. I’ve lost sleep. Bryan has lost sleep and Cory has lost sleep. There’s not one thing you can point to say: ‘A-ha, this is what happened.’ It was the perfect storm, everything that could go wrong did.”

The Sun writes that Melnyk said he has been pleased with the performance of the kids battling for jobs and praised Murray for the difficult decisions he made in sending players packing at the trade deadline.

Asked if he’s made his decision on Murray and Clouston, Melnyk said: “Yup.”

Was he willing to reveal it? “Nope,” said Melnyk.

He then praised Murray.

“It was really tough. It’s unbearable to finally admit you’re a loser,” said Melnyk. “Once you are in that death spiral, it’s over. One month before the trade deadline, we decided we’ve got to pack it in and rebuild.

“Bryan has done an excellent job in doing that. A lot of GMs would say, ‘I’ve got no guarantee I’m around next year, why should I bust myself and try to do something? I’ll do it for somebody else.’ He did the 180 degrees of that. He did the best he could do. He brought in some fantastic talent.”

The article notes Melnyk said he was pleased with Murray signing U.S. college star Stephane Da Costa, acquiring five picks in the June draft and is hopeful the club can “be back in the playoffs next year.”

Told it sounded like Murray would return, Melnyk cautioned the host.

“We gotta be careful. I’m speaking to character as well. We’ve got a lot of good guys,” said Melnyk.

“We’ve got rid of all the bad guys. I’ve put a lot of weight on people who are loyal. That’s hard to find. You’ve got to think before you move in a different direction.”

Finally, The Sun piece notes that Melnyk said he also plans to speak with captain Daniel Alfredsson to get more insight on whether he’ll return next season from a back injury.

“I want to see how he feels. Daniel wants to play. Trust me. This guy’s an animal. Nobody plays with more pain than any player I’ve ever seen. He recovers quicker than any player in living memory that I’ve seen,” said Melnyk.

“It’s completely up to him. It would be great to have him. We’ve got four veterans we’ve kept. They are there to mentor the young guys. Daniel would be phenomenal in that role.”

On a night when the Devils lost 4-2 in Pittsburgh, Fire & Ice believes one of the best players on the ice for either team was rookie right wing Mattias Tedenby.

Playing mostly on a line with Brian Rolston and Patrik Elias, Tedenby played 14:14 and set up Rolston’s goal that brought the Devils within 3-2 4:32 into the third period. Tedenby also set up Ilya Kovalchuk for a scoring chance that could have tied the game later in the period, but Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury came up with a left pad save.

“Probably the best player on the ice for us,” Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. “I thought he was really good. He controlled the puck, made plays. I put Kovy (with him) at a time there. He had a few opportunities. He made good plays.”

On Rolston’s goal, Tedenby took a pass from Elias and stickhandled in the bottom of the left circle before finding Rolston in the high slot for a slap shot that beat Fleury low to the glove side. Rolston credited Tedenby with doing the hard part.

“The kid is tremendously skilled,” Rolston said. “He’s got so many skills and he’s so shifty. Guys can’t even hit him. He made a great play, went in, made an individual effort and just saw me and put it on my tape. I thought he played really well on our line tonight. There’s a lot of talent there.”

Fire & Ice notes that although the Devils didn’t make the playoffs, the progression of Tedenby and the play off fellow rookie Jacob Josefson are two positives from the season the Devils will be able to point to down the road.

“Josefson, he’s a stud,” Rolston said. “He’s going to be a great player for this team for a long to come. As a (20)-year-old, he’s very mature in the way he approaches the game and the way he plays, how he’s responsible defensively and he can be offensive as well. Both guys really have played well for us.”

Tedenby, 21, said he was asked by Swedish officials if he is interested in playing in the World Championships later this month in Slovakia, but won’t know anything for sure until after the season is over Sunday.

Josefson said he has not heard from anyone from the Swedish national team, yet.

"I don't want to hear any [stuff] around here about are we blocking shots the wrong way, or is somebody hitting Henrik too hard -- yes, I'm going there -- or this, that and the other thing," Rangers coach John Tortorella told The New York Post following the loss of Ryan Callahan to a broken right leg he sustained after blocking a *shudder* Zdeno Chara shot Monday night. "We're going to play the way we play."

The Washington Post points out that Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth earned his fifth straight win in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs Tuesday. In his last 13 starts, which includes the game against Tampa Bay on March 7 that he was forced to leave after the first period after a shard of metal flew into his eye, Neuvirth is 10-2-0 and by all appearances the 22-year-old Czech will be Washington’s starter when the playoffs begin next week.

It’s been a somewhat unpredictable season for the Capitals’ goaltenders this year, whether in regard to injuries or how quickly a player like Braden Holtby was able to make himself a factor in the organization’s NHL plan. But over the course of the season, Neuvirth has served as Washington’s workhorse going 27-11-4.

Neuvirth has started the last three games for the Capitals, allowing eight goals on 82 shots during that span, and will likely get one more contest out of the two regular-season outings that remain. Semyon Varlamov should start tonight.

This recent stretch has seen Neuvirth plagued with goals off deflections, like Toronto’s first tally that went off Karl Alzner, but Coach Bruce Boudreau continually emphasizes that the young goaltender is always ready in the game’s critical moments.

Neuvirth makes “big saves when he has to and when the game’s on the line,” Boudreau said. “The first goal was deflected again. I was starting to feel bad for him because and then the other goal and he couldn’t do anything about – [Jeff Schultz] should have had the guy. When [Joey] Crabb had that shot in the third period they had some really good opportunities, he stood his ground and did a great job of controlling rebounds.”

The Post notes that Boudreau hasn’t come out and officially said that Neuvirth will start the playoffs (and to be sure, it remains to be seen how much leeway he gives any goaltender in the playoffs) but given his workload recently and the coach’s comments it’s hard not to believe that is the case.

For Neuvirth, the spring is his time. He has not lost a playoff series in North America in either juniors or the American Hockey League. After the win against Toronto, Neuvirth was asked if he would want a significant amount of rest before the playoffs.

“I don’t know. We’ve still got two more games left and like I said, I felt better today,” Neuvirth said. “I don’t need rest. I want to play and I can’t wait for playoffs.”

The confidence that Neuvirth has rubs off on his teammates as well. Jason Arnott has played with several veteran, well-established goaltenders over the course of his career like Martin Brodeur in New Jersey and Marty Turco in Dallas but one of the biggest benefits of their experience – peace of mind with a steady goaltender in net – is something that Neuvirth has proven able to provide as well.

“He carries himself in a very confident manner in that he goes out and he knows what he has to do to win us games,” Arnott said. “If an easy goal goes in he doesn’t get rattled, he plays the same way, which is a veteran thing to do.”

The Buffalo News indicates that while most of the postgame chatter following Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was about Thomas Vanek's first hat trick of the season, center Tim Connolly was nearly as important to the victory that brought Buffalo to the brink of its second straight playoff berth.

Connolly posted his first three-point game of the season, driving home his 13th goal with a wicked wrist shot at 13:46 of the second period and assisting on Vanek's first two goals.

A minute before his goal, Connolly broke in on Tampa goalie Dwayne Roloson as part of a two-on-one break with Drew Stafford with Buffalo shorthanded. Skating down the left wing, Connolly looked off Stafford and fired a strong wrist shot but Roloson made the save.

"When the shot's there, you take it," Connolly said. "You can always make a play. I went to the glove side the first time but I might have caught him leaning on the second one."

The goal came as Connolly came down the right side on a three-on-two break. Another wicked wrister beat Roloson to the stick side.

"I was looking for Stafford wide but [Tampa winger Steven] Stamkos did a real good job getting back on him," Connolly said. "I had no other choice to shoot there and [Steve] Montador did a great job backing the 'D' off there by driving the middle."

It was Connolly's first three-point game since Jan. 18, 2010 at Phoenix. He has two goals and five assists in his last seven games, and points in six of them.

Connolly said he was impressed by the way Vanek has battled through the frustration of missing many chances and has persevered to post another 30-goal season.

"He finally got rewarded," Connolly said. "The last 10-12 games, he's had a lot of chances, hit a number of posts. Tonight he was rewarded by working hard."

Any time would have been a good time to play, but The Calgary Herald points out this couldn’t be a better time for Brett Carson.

The 25-year-old defenceman becomes a restricted free agent on July 1, so anything the native of Regina and former Calgary Hitmen captain can do in these final two games of the season to build brownie points with the Flames can only auger well for his future and possibly an increase in his $500,000 salary.

“I’ve been here for a month, only got in four games now . . . really only playing in two . . . so I’ve come in, tried to show what I can do in the last four and hopefully get back here next year,” smiled the six-foot-four, 220-pounder following Tuesday’s practice at Max Bell Centre.

Carson took a few shifts as a forward in his first two starts with the team, but as the club continues to push and keep its fingers crossed for some help in a bid to land a playoff spot, he’s been back at his normal position of defence in what could be his final evaluation.

“It was a tough situation because he hadn’t played in awhile, the games as big as they are, but he’s stepped right in and played extremely well,” said boss coach Brent Sutter of Carson’s play in the previous two games, both on the road.

“He’s a guy who makes a really smart play in his own zone as far as moving the puck out of our zone . . . he makes that first play stick to stick, a good positional player and has a good stick.

“He’s got a good understanding of the game, but he’s a young guy and he’ll get better and better the more he plays.”

The Herald writes that Carson, with just 76 games of NHL experience dating back to five games during the 2008-09 campaign with Carolina and another 17 this season, has been partnered with Mark Giordano for the most part. They are, to some extent, similar players inasmuch as they’re both good skaters.

“He’s been working hard to get into the lineup, got his chance the last couple games and I think he’s played really well,” said Giordano. “He’s really solid, makes good plays and is really good defensively.

‘‘He’s a great skater and has a great shot . . . I don’t think many people know he has a really great shot.”

That shot hasn’t landed Carson a point this season, but he just wants to be a good defensive defenceman.

“I’m just going out there and trying to keep it simple, make simple plays and not try to do too much,” said Carson. “I’ve been playing mostly with Gio and that’s pretty easy because he’s such a good player. He’s smart, moves the puck well and uses me if I’m open.

“We’ve been playing a lot with the Iginla line, so as much as you can get the puck to those three guys, the better off you are.”

Carson told The Herald that when the coach is stroking your confidence and comfort levels, it’s a big boost, too.

“He (Sutter) gives me tips here and there and tells me to just go out and play my game and I’ll play some minutes,” said Carson. “When a coach is telling you things like that . . . the biggest thing for a player is confidence . . . so when you’re hearing things like, ‘just go out and play,’ that’s huge.”

The Columbus Dispatch reports that as the 2010-11 season endures its final week, Mike Commodore, the highest paid defenseman in the Blue Jackets organization, has been told he won't play again this season for minor-league Springfield.

That makes two clubs this season that have pulled Commodore from their lineups.

"I would have never thought it was going to be this kind of season," Commodore said. "I expected it to be a great season."

Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel engaged in a nasty exchange with Commodore this season, leading to Commodore asking for a trade in early January. He has been toiling in Springfield since mid-January.

Commodore has barely played with the Falcons - 11 games in 2 months - and a decision was made by Blue Jackets management in recent weeks to end his season prematurely. Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said it was done because Commodore had a series of "bumps and bruises," but also to make room for a slew of young defensemen who need playing time.

Unlike the blow-up with Arniel, Commodore said, this benching makes sense.

"I know where the Columbus organization is coming from and why they'd do it," Commodore said. "I'm fine with it.

"I've been practicing and helping the other D-men here. We have eight other defensemen, and most of them are in their first or second pro seasons, so they need the experience. I get that."

Commodore hasn't played since March 11. He's even stopped traveling with the club.

The Dispatch points out that the Blue Jackets have at least four defensemen prospects in Springfield, but nobody on the coaching staff who's ever played defense. Enter Commodore.

"I've been more of a coach down here lately," he said. "Just little things I notice in games or in practice that they can work on or do differently, and I try to let them know.

"I'm trying to make the most of this. Obviously, this is not what I set out to do; this is not what I envisioned doing with myself at this point in my career. But you make the most of it."

Even though Howson would not commit to it at this early date, all signs point to the Blue Jackets buying out the remaining two years on Commodore's contract this summer. Thus, a plausible reason the Blue Jackets have asked Commodore to have a seat is they don't want him injured. An injured player cannot have his contract bought out.

If the Blue Jackets buy out Commodore, it will cost them roughly $1.15million for the next four seasons - that's two-thirds of the remaining money he's owed spread over two years for each remaining season on the deal. Commodore wouldn't be off the Blue Jackets' books until after the 2014-15 season.

Michigan Live writes that Justin Abdelkader realizes his time on one of the Detroit Red Wings’ scoring lines is fleeting. But the young forward has made a good impression the last two games playing between big forwards Johan Franzen and Todd Bertuzzi.

"Lines change a lot and may still change, but it’s been a lot of fun and I just got to make the most of the opportunity and enjoy it," Abdelkader said. "I’m just going to keep my game the same. Play well defensively, get in on the forecheck and hang onto pucks and get the puck to those guys because they can do good things with it and make plays."

He hopes the experience of playing with skilled players will make him a more versatile, well-rounded player.

"I played a lot of wing this year and now I’m playing center," Abdelkader said. "Just go out there and keep my game simple and work hard."

Eventually, Valtteri Filppula likely will return to the second-line spot that is created when Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are paired together. But coach Mike Babcock said he likes what he’s seen from that line, even though he’ll use several combinations during the final three regular season games, including Wednesday at Carolina.

"Abby’s played real hard," Babcock said. "Val Filppula is a skilled guy for us that we think should probably be in that hole because, to be as good as we can be, we need to be slotted right. And yet Abby’s played real well and he’s been effective for us for a couple games."

Michigan Live notes the Red Wings want Abdelkader to be difficult to play against with his abrasiveness and physical style.

"I think he’s gaining his reputation for that," Bertuzzi said. "He plays hard. He’ll back it up, too. He’s capable of being offensive. Just got to get years under his belt and get his confidence up and he can be a darn good player."

When Babcock elects to play his three biggest forwards together, they hope to get the puck in deep, wear down the defense and make it hard on opposing goaltenders by going to the net.

"That’s an element we’re going to need in the playoffs," Bertuzzi said. "With myself and Mule, we can wear out (the defense) if we continue on with the pressure. And we’re all offensive enough that we can contribute. It’s a matter of playing hard."

Said Franzen: "We cycle the puck pretty good. We got to try to hang onto the puck and be big, keep it away from the other team as much as we can."

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reiterates that the Wild won't be in the playoffs this spring, but a number of young players currently wearing a Wild sweater are getting ready for what they hope will be a long playoff run.

The Houston Aeros -- the Wild's top minor league affiliate -- were one of the surprise teams in the American Hockey League this season. The Aeros, in second place in the Western Conference, have clinched a playoff spot.

Several players currently with the Wild will join the Aeros for the playoffs after the Wild's regular season ends Sunday. That list includes defensemen Jared Spurgeon, Maxim Noreau and Justin Falk and left wing Colton Gillies. Defenseman Marco Scandella, out because of a broken finger, is also on the Aeros' playoff roster.

"It will be exciting to go down there for the playoffs," said Spurgeon, who already has played in 50 games with the Wild this season. "It's fun to be in a playoff atmosphere. Any time you can be a part of a team that's going for a championship, it's exciting."

Spurgeon has solidified his position with the Wild going forward. Scandella was well on the way to doing the same when he was injured. The others on the list have different career arcs.

The Star-Tribune notes that Gillies, for example, was the Wild's first-round draft pick in 2007. The previous organization's front office had Gillies on the Wild roster in 2008, and he played 45 games. Current GM Chuck Fletcher decided Gillies needed more time to develop, and so Gillies spent all of last season and most of this season in Houston.

"At first it was really difficult," Gillies said. "When I first got sent down it was really hard. But now I truly believe it was the best move for me. The coaching has been awesome down there, and I think that has really helped my development.''

All will return having benefited from playing in the NHL, whether it is for most of the season in Spurgeon's case, or for just a few games for some of the others.

"It helps, confidence-wise," Wild coach Todd Richards said. Richards, though, cautioned that the players shouldn't return to Houston overconfident. "It's great they were here and they're playing games. But sometimes you think because you're here it will be easier [in the AHL] and that can set you back."

Overconfident? No. But confident? Yes.

"I don't see any reason why we can't go all the way," Noreau said.

Dave: "Hi Chris,

I've been reading your blog for years now and am wondering when you will be providing us with your predictions. I have to admit, I am curious whether or not you think San Jose can do it (and yes, I remember you said you would never take them again...but 25-4-4 since that 6 game loosing streak). I any case, I digress. I am just curious when you will be providing us with your predictions, since the pools start - for me anyway - next Monday. All the best."

Chris: Haha. Yes Dave, I actually can't wait to see if I pick San Jose to go deep again also. Record aside, they're actually playing so well and are playing PLAYOFF hockey. But it's San Jose. Ugh.

Anyway, the earliest I would have my picks is Monday since we won't likely know every playoff match-up until Sunday night. Things are shaping up that I can have that out for Monday's HH though. How Thursday and Friday's HH shapes up will be key, as you'll soon see. I have certain playoff-related things I need to do annually before the picks come out.

Commish in a league: "Chris, I commish a roto keeper which has built to 15 keeps over 3 years. Each year the rich get richer and vice versa, so I decided to do radical surgery to keep interest and competitiveness. Some of the guys who are lagging are playing less and communicate less. Winning is fun, of course, but not at the expense of the league. For next season there will be two major changes. The first is that we will move from 15 to 11 keepers so the pool of better players will be expanded for lower ranking teams who get earlier picks in the normal draft. Also, the 11 picks will be by position to assure that better players in all positions will be available. Keeps will be exactly 2 C,2 LW, 2RW, 2D, 2G and one Utility who can be of any skater position, but NOT a 3rd goalie. The second major change is that the 3 lowest finishing teams will be allowed to pick 2 players each from the expanded Free Agent pool on September 2. After these players are picked, they can replace 2 players in identical positions from their 11 man keeper list. The last place team will pick first, then the 9th place team, then the 8th place team will get the 3rd and 4th picks, the 9th place team will get the 5th pick and the 10th place team will get the 6th and final pick. I anticipate this supplementary draft will be a one year thing, but reserve the right to repeat it if necessary in future years. The regular draft will be about 10-14 days before the regular season begins as usual. Roster sizes and all other rules will remain identical.

Thought you might like to put this in the blog following your series on building a keeper league."

Chris: Definitely, thanks. You should certainly see some sort of shift in the year-to-year standings by lowering the amount of keepers like that, although I think anything more than five or six keepers will generally mean the same teams are going to rise to the top. Part of that is just good management though and no amount of keepers can overcome an owner who knows how to get the job done.

If you really like the group of owners you have but find the same teams are finishing high up even following this change, you may want to consider lowering down into the five keeper range... maybe where each owner can only keep one guy at each position. That would still allow everyone to hang onto their favourite player, but still basically refresh the proverbial page each fall.

Another alternative is to go even deeper and incorporate some sort of farm system - even a small one - which would allow the bottom teams to collect high-end draft picks without having to rely on them for production for a few years down the line.