THE GOALIE EDGE: 4/8/2014 primepucks.com Tue 4/8/14 2:00 PM

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT The Detroit Red Wings can move closer to their 23rd straight playoff berth by defeating the lowly Buffalo Sabres tonight. Jimmy Howard has won three straight in goal for the Wings, but the team has struggled away from home with a 2-6 record in their last 8 road games. Buffalo's starter Mathew Hackett has lost 4 straight with a 3.90 GAA and a .886 SP during that span, so the Wings should prevail here. The return of star forward Pavel Datsyuk swings the pendulum clearly in Detroit's favor, so expect Howard and the Wings to win handily... There is nothing on the line for either team in the Ottawa- Islander's matchup, even though the Senators are not mathematically eliminated yet. Even though Robin Lehner sparkled in his last start, Craig Anderson gets the call here for the Senators. The Isles have been road warriors over the last 21 games, going 14-5-2 over that stretch. Quite the "tossup" game, so we can't recommend either goalie as viable fantasy options tonight... "King Henrik" Lundqvist has lost 3 of his last 4 starts, but with the Rangers fighting for home ice advantage, we expect Carolina to be in for an uphill climb in MSG tonight. The "Blueshirts" have dominated the Hurricanes at home, winning the last five matchups. The ‘Canes will turn to Cam Ward in goal, but unless their top scoring tandem of Eric Staal and Alex Semin wake up in a big way, Lundqvist should avoid a possible letdown and prevail in this "must-win" situation... Since returning from illness, Sergei Bobrovsky has posted two shutouts in 4 starts for Columbus with spectacular numbers- 1.72 GAA and a .948 SP. With tonight's opponent Phoenix also having a lot riding on the outcome, look for a highly contested, low-scoring affair between the 2 playoff contenders. The way "Super Bob" has been playing for the Blue Jackets, I am predicting another clean slate for the reigning Vezina winner... No Jonathan Bernier for the reeling Maple Leafs means that James Reimer will probably be manning the Toronto crease the rest of the way. Incredibly ineffective to say the least and not the same goaltender ever since his Game 7 "meltdown" against Boston in last year's playoffs, Reimer's chances to gain a road victory at Tampa seems unlikely. Coming off a bad home defeat to Dallas, the Lightning's Ben Bishop should be licking his chops for his matchup against a sinking Toronto team that his team lit up to the tune of 5 goals in their last meeting. Go Bishop... To say Minnesota's Ilya Bryzgalov is "hot" at the moment is a huge understatement, but he still has plenty of detractors in the fantasy hockey world. However, he has landed at the right spot as the Wild offer him a defensive presence that was sorely lacking in Edmonton. Boston will prove to be a formidable foe, but there is a great chance the "B's" will be on cruise control for the remainder of the regular season. I am feeling back-to-back wins for the surging goalie, but expect the Bruins to break his long streak of shutout hockey. Bryzgalov is our premier sleeper pick for tonight's action.. FANTASY MUST STARTS: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers vs. Carolina Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus vs. Phoenix Jimmy Howard, Detroit @ Buffalo Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay vs. Toronto SLEEPER: Ilya Bryzgalov, Minnesota vs. Boston DAILY FANTASY PICKS: Steve: (94-65) Jimmy Howard Ray: (90-68) Henrik Lundqvist Mike: (70-50) TBA