THE GOALIE EDGE: 4/5/2014 primepucks.com Sat 4/5/14 11:07 AM

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT THE TIME OF PRINT Two hot matches to start the day with the Philadelphia Flyers heading to Boston to take on Tuukka Rask and the Bruins.  Ray Emery, for the second time in 3 games, will get the call as the Flyers look to put an end to their 3-game losing streak. Doing that against the big, bad Bruins will take a monumental effort as the B's have lost 2 in a row and will look to get back on track as well.   Go with the hometown B's.... The second afternoon affair will pit the Colorado Avalanche against the St. Louis Blues.  Semyon Varlamov will face Ryan Miller and try to make it 6 in a row for the Avs but will have a rough time doing so against a hot Miller who has been lights out since being acquired just before the trade deadline.  The Blues are looking to hold on for the President's Trophy as they sit atop the Western Conference and are tied in points with 111 with the Boston Bruins for the league lead.   The Blues make a statement... After losing five straight games, Washington's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Enter today's opponent, the Metropolitan Division cellar-dweller New York Islanders, who have been relishing the role of spoiler lately, winning 5 of their last 6 games. Braden Holtby will get the start for the Capitals over Jaroslav Halak, given his recent success agsinst the Isles- 3 straight wins and a .953 SP. This will one will be closely contested, but the Caps really need to pull this one out. Holtby wins.... The New Jersey Devils have been hanging in the playoff chase with their recent 3-0-3 surge over the last 6 games, but could have their hands full with a suddenly "hot" Carolina squad. Anton Khudobin has basically wrested away the starting goalie job from veteran Cam Ward with his recent stellar play, turning aside 63 of 65 shots over his last two starts. The Hurricanes have gone 3-0-2 over the last 5, and given that Jersey might be without Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique, I am sniffing an upset win for Carolina... After being pulled in Thursday's loss to Carolina, Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen will be eager to return to his elite form in recent games where he has won 5 of last 7 starts with a 2.01 GAA and a .940 SP. The equally productive Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay is also coming off a uncharacteristic defeat, allowing 3 goals on 24 shots to Calgary. Both goaltenders need to rebound, but only one can prevail. Very much a "tossup" here... With a 7-2-1 run, the Detroit Red Wings have played themselves into the 7th playoff spot and look to further enhance their playoff position with a game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. With Howard winning last night's game, it's Jonas Gustavsson's turn in net. The "Monster" has played only once in the past fourteen games, but that was a huge 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay.  He goes up against one of the hottest goaltenders in the league right now in Carey Price who had last night off.   The Habs should be able to clip the Wings tonight.... Toronto's playoff hopes are on the shoulders of James Reimer who replaces an injured Jonathan Bernier in net for the remainder of the season. The Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets who are going with Ondrej Pavelec in net. Toronto has won two in a row after losing 8 straight in regulation, dropping them out of playoff position.  Something tells me that the Leafs will come out like gangbusters.... Fleury gets the night off as Jeff Zatkoff gets the nod against Ilya Bryzgalov and the Minnesota Wild. "Breeze" has become somewhat of a savior for the Wild as their top three goaltenders all succumbed to injuries.  Tonight is another test for the enigmatic goaltender, but should be a low-scoring affair..... With a win tonight, the San Jose sharks can get closer to the Western Conference leaders but will be facing a Nashville Predators team that looks to have found their game. It's Carter Hutton's turn in net for the Preds with Antti Niemi manning the pipes for the Sharks. The Predators chased a shaky Hiller from the net last night in Anaheim but will face a much steadier goalie tonight..... Henrik Lundqvist leads the way for the New York Rangers as they host the Ottawa Senators. The Sens always seem to give the Blueshirts fits, but tonight it will be quite different at the Garden.  Ottawa will go with Robin Lehner who seems to be more comfortable as the backup than number 1. In place of the injured Anderson, Lehner struggled by losing 6 of 7 during that stretch but has won 2 of his last three when Anderson came back.  Still, the Rangers are hard to bet against at this time... Eddie Lack starts for the Vancouver Canucks who are all mathematically eliminate from playoff contention but some are playing for jobs next season, especially Lack. With Jones getting the start last time out, expect Jonathan Quick (LIKELY) to get back in the crease for the Los Angeles Kings. Quick has won 6 of last 7 starts while Lack has struggled to find consistency in his game.  Go with the Kings. FANTASY MUST STARTS: Tuukka Rask, Boston vs. Philadelphia Braden Holtby, Washington @ New York Islanders Ryan Miller, St. Louis vs. Colorado Antti Niemi, San Jose vs. Nashville Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers vs. Ottawa SLEEPER: Anton Khudobin, Carolina vs. New Jersey DAILY FANTASY PICKS: Steve: (93-63) Anton Khudobin Ray: (90-65) Henrik Lundqvist Mike: (70-50) TBA