Patrik Laine Remains Day-To-Day

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine (upper body) was back on the ice Tuesday morning but remains day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's Game 5 against the Washington Capitals. Laine has watched his team fall into a 3-1 hole, having missed the last two games, and it's unclear if he can return to the lineup on Wednesday night. […]

Gabriel Vilardi On Track To Return Wednesday

Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi (upper body) is set to make his 2025 postseason debut in Wednesday's Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jets head coach Scott Arniel said that Vilardi is a "full go" for Wednesday's contest. The 25-year-old has been sidelined for 15 games due to an […]

Brandon Hagel Ruled Out For Game 5

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (upper body) has been ruled out for Wednesday's Game 5 against the Florida Panthers. He was injured during Monday's Game 4 in the Battle of Florida, exiting the action after receiving a high hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad was not penalized for the incident in the game […]

Marcus Johansson Returns To Action Tuesday

Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson (lower body) will return to action for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Swedish veteran missed Game 4 due to a lower-body injury. With over 100 games under his belt in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Johansson is an experienced postseason performer, but he has had a […]

Jonas Siegenthaler Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Siegenthaler has played in two games in the series after returning from a lower-body injury, but he may be sidelined again on Tuesday night. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe planned to ease Siegenthaler back into action, but […]

Brett Pesce A Game-Time Call Tuesday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Tuesday's clash against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils have lost several defensemen to injury in the matchup and may be without another one if Pesce isn't ready to play. The 30-year-old has had a decent series against his former team. Through four […]

Frederik Andersen Unavailable Tuesday

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (undisclosed) will miss Tuesday's Game 5 against the New Jersey Devils. He has been labeled as day-to-day after Andersen exited Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. The Hurricanes lose a hot goalie for Tuesday's tilt, as Andersen had posted a 3-1 record in the playoffs with a 1.59 goals-against average […]

Nathan MacKinnon Has Two Points In Losing Effort

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon posted a goal and an assist in Monday's Game 5 against the Dallas Stars but was unable to save his squad from a 6-2 loss. Colorado found itself in a three-goal hole in the second period before goals from MacKinnon and Arturri Lehkonen brought the team back into the game. […]

Martin Necas Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss

Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas collected assists on both of the team's goals during Monday's 6-2 defeat to the Dallas Stars. The Stars jumped to a 3-0 lead, and while Necas' playmaking abilities helped Colorado narrow it to a one-goal game, Jared Bednar's team was no match for the hosts on Monday night. The Avalanche […]

Mikko Rantanen Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win

Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen accumulated three points in Monday's big 6-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche. His former teammates had held Rantanen to just one point through four games, but he returned to form on Monday night with a goal and two assists. Rantanen's first goal of the postseason, scored early in the second […]

Wyatt Johnston Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory

Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston led the way as the team rocked the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 on Monday night. He notched two goals and one assist, bringing his total in the series to five points (two goals, three assists). Johnston scored one of the fastest goals in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, finding the net just […]

Sergei Bobrovsky Returns To Winning Ways

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky saved 18 of 20 shots in Monday's Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping the team to a 4-2 victory. Tampa Bay beat Bobrovsky twice inside 11 seconds in the second period, but the Russian netminder enjoyed a solid bounce-back performance after giving up four goals on 21 shots […]

Anton Lundell Earns Two Points Monday

Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell finished Monday's 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning with two points. He scored the first goal of the contest and provided an assist on Seth Jones' late game-winning goal. The 23-year-old became the sixth player in franchise history to record 30 postseason points. Lundell had been scoreless in the […]

Brandon Hagel Departs Loss Early

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (upper body) left Monday's 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers in the second period. In the middle of the frame, Hagel took a high hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad that wasn't penalized. Hagel was back in the Lightning lineup after serving a one-game suspension for interference on Panthers […]

Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (4/29/25)

Welcome, RotoBallers! My name is Brandon, and I'll be writing both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer. The NHL season has entered the land of Lord Stanley, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - April 29, 2025

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Each night, we will bring you our award-winning NHL DFS Heat Map with expert research and picks for cash games and GPPs. Here are a few notes about the sheet: Blue means ELITE, Green means GO (good for the player), Yellow means value/supplemental play, […]

Johnathan Kovacevic To Remain Out Tuesday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (undisclosed) will not play on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old will be absent for a second consecutive contest after suffering an undisclosed injury in Game 3 of the matchup. Kovacevic has registered two shots, eight hits, and two penalty minutes with a minus-one rating in his first […]

Brenden Dillon Unavailable Tuesday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon (lower body) has been ruled out for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes. New Jersey has lost several blue-liners to injury during the series, and Dillon continues to deal with a lower-body ailment. The absence of Dillon, Luke Hughes (upper body), and Johnathan Kovacevic (undisclosed) has given rookie […]

Luke Hughes Not Ready To Return For Game 5

New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (upper body) has been ruled out for Tuesday's elimination game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hughes has not played in the first-round series since Game 2 and may have made his final appearances for the season if the Devils cannot win Game 5. Dougie Hamilton will continue to lead the […]

Ross Colton Remains Out On Monday

Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton (lower body) will not play in Game 5 against the Dallas Stars on Monday night. This will mark Colton's fourth consecutive absence after he sustained a lower-body injury in the series opener. Luckily for the Avalanche, they have Gabriel Landeskog back in the lineup. He is set to continue in […]

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday

Dallas Stars forward Oskar Back (oblique) will rejoin the lineup on Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. He is good to go for Game 5 after missing the previous contest with an oblique injury. Mavrik Bourque filled in for Back on Saturday but made little impact, finishing a 4-0 loss with two shots, one block, and […]

Miro Heiskanen To Miss Game 5

Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) will not play in Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. His absence will stretch to 37 games. Heiskanen skated on Monday morning but is still not ready to make a comeback from his knee injury. His next chance to return will come on Thursday night when the […]

Anthony Cirelli Good To Go For Game 4

Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (undisclosed) will play in Monday's Game 4 against the Florida Panthers. The 27-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury in the series opener and was not on the ice for the morning skate. However, Cirelli will avoid his first absence of the postseason. Tampa Bay mostly relies on Cirelli to shut […]

Ivan Demidov Has Historic Outing In Game 4

Montreal Canadiens right wing Ivan Demidov recorded two power-play assists in Sunday's 5-2 defeat to the Washington Capitals. Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield benefited from Demidov's playmaking talents, while Lane Hutson also logged assists on both plays. The 19-year-old Russian became the first teenager in franchise history to register multiple points in a playoff contest, […]

Timo Meier Records Two Points Sunday

New Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier was involved in both of the team's goals in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Swiss forward registered a goal and an assist in the second period. Meier's efforts helped New Jersey cut a three-goal deficit to one, but the team once again struggled to match Carolina's […]

Andrei Svechnikov Nets Hat Trick In Game 4 Win

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov recorded his second career postseason hat trick in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. He became the fourth player in franchise history to score in the opening minute of a playoff game and also found the net in the second and third periods. This was a breakout game […]

Leon Draisaitl Caps Off Four-Point Effort With First Postseason Overtime Goal

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl factored in all four goals when the team beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime on Sunday night. He scored his first career postseason goal on the power play in overtime and finished with three assists. Two of the helpers came in the third period when Edmonton erased a […]

Connor Hellebuyck Gets Pulled Again

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was pulled for a second consecutive game as the team struggled to keep pace with the St. Louis Blues in Sunday's Game 4. He lasted 42 minutes in the contest, allowing five goals on 18 shots. Eric Comrie closed out the 5-1 loss by saving all six shots he faced. […]

Alexandre Carrier Fails To Finish Game 4

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (undisclosed) was injured during Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. He did not see any action in the final 13 minutes of play after absorbing a massive hit from Capitals forward Tom Wilson. Carrier also made a brief exit in the opening period. He logged 13:39 of ice time […]