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 […]

Tyler Tucker Makes Early Exit Sunday

St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (lower body) exited early on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets and may face an extended absence. Tucker, who logged the game-winning goal in Sunday's 5-1 victory, appeared to have hurt his right leg late in the third period. He needed help to get off the ice. While there were […]

Frederik Andersen Exits Game 4 With Injury

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen exited Sunday's Game 4 against the New Jersey Devils with an apparent injury. Pyotr Kochetkov replaced Andersen in the crease during the second period after he was involved in a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier. Andersen saved six of seven shots before exiting. The Hurricanes No. 1 has been […]

Jake Neighbours Shines On Sunday With Three Points

St. Louis Blues winger Jake Neighbours notched a game-high three points in Sunday's 5-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets. Neighbours tied the game at one near the end of the first period and collected two assists in the contest. The 23-year-old also had three hits in the game, logging 15:43 of action. The Blues offense […]

Jordan Binnington Makes 30 Saves In Game 4 Victory

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington saved 30 of 31 shots in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues managed to tie the first-round series at two despite falling behind in Sunday's game. Kyle Connor beat Binnington in the first period, but he rebounded well from the setback, finishing with 19 consecutive saves. […]

Patrik Laine Not Expected To Play In Game 4

Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine (upper body) is likely to miss a second consecutive game on Sunday against the Washington Capitals. The Finnish forward did not participate in the morning skate as he continues to recover from an upper-body injury. Laine has recorded one assist, six shots, and a minus-two rating over two games in […]

Sam Montembeault Labeled Day-To-Day

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (lower body) is considered day-to-day. After suffering a lower-body injury in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, he is likely to miss Sunday's Game 4. Montembeault has registered a 2.76 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in the first-round series. Jakub Dobes is set to take over the […]

Aliaksei Protas Considered A Game-Time Decision Sunday

Washington Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas (foot) is considered a game-time decision for Sunday's matchup against the Montreal Canadiens. Protas fully participated in Saturday's practice and could return to action after a nine-game absence. The Capitals have averaged 3.00 goals per game in the playoffs, but Protas could provide an additional boost to the offense. He […]

Logan Thompson A Game-Time Call Sunday

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (lower body) is a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the Montreal Canadiens. The in-form netminder suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 on Friday but might be available to play on Sunday after participating in the morning skate. Thompson has played a big role in Washington's success in the […]

William Nylander Posts Two Assists In Losing Effort

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander finished with two assists as the team suffered a 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. Nylander's efforts helped John Tavares and Oliver Ekman-Larsson score, with the latter extending the game with a goal 5:29 before the end of regulation. Ottawa has had a tough time against […]

Jake Sanderson Keeps Senators Alive With Overtime Winner

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson potted a huge goal in Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, scoring a 4-3 winner in overtime to extend the series. The Senators were in danger of being swept in the first round and gave up a late game-tying goal in the third period. However, Sanderson was […]