Mackenzie Blackwood Records First Postseason Shutout

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 shots en route to his first career postseason shutout in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars. Blackwood had suffered a pair of overtime defeats in the series before putting together a perfect display. Colorado last recorded a shutout in the playoffs in Game 2 of the 2022 […]

Gabriel Landeskog Scores First Goal In Nearly Three Years

Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog was among the goal-scorers in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars, lighting the lamp for the first time since Game 3 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. He netted a one-timer off an assist from Brock Nelson in the second period to put Colorado ahead 3-0 for the night. […]

Ivan Barbashev Gives Vegas Vital Win

Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev registered two points, including the game-winning goal, in Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota was looking to grab a 3-1 playoff series lead for the first time in franchise history, but Barbashev had other plans. He picked up an early power-play assist and scored his first […]

Nikita Kucherov Records Three Assists In Game 3 Win

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov recorded three assists in Saturday's 5-1 victory against the Florida Panthers. The Lightning desperately needed a road win to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole in the series, and one of their leaders stepped up big time in the contest. Kucherov had managed only one point -- a […]

Troy Stecher Cleared For Sunday

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher (undisclosed) will be an option for Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. The 31-year-old has missed five consecutive games due to an undisclosed injury. Stecher recorded seven points (three goals, four assists), 55 shots, 66 blocks, and 35 hits in 66 games during the regular season. Although […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - April 27, 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, […]

Brenden Dillon Out On Sunday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon (lower body) is not ready to return to the lineup for Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. He will miss a third consecutive contest after suffering a lower-body injury in the series opener. Dillon's absence has given Simon Nemec a chance to play in back-to-back games. Following […]

Luke Hughes To Remain Out On Sunday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (upper body) will miss a third consecutive game on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hughes suffered an upper-body injury in Game 1 of the series. Following a trip to the locker room, he was able to finish the contest, but the Devils have since removed Hughes from the lineup. […]

Aliaksei Protas Practices Fully On Saturday

Washington Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas (foot) is on track to rejoin the lineup for Sunday's Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens. He was a full participant in Saturday's practice and could make his first appearance since April 4, when Protas sustained a skate cut on the top of his left foot during a matchup against […]

Gabriel Vilardi A Game-Time Decision For Sunday

Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi (upper body) is considered a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the St. Louis Blues. He was a full participant in Saturday's practice and is closing in on his return. An upper-body injury has kept Vilardi sidelined for 14 games. Before the injury took him out of the lineup, Vilardi […]

Oskar Back A Game-Time Call On Saturday

Dallas Stars forward Oskar Back (oblique) will be a game-time decision for Saturday's tilt against the Colorado Avalanche. The Swedish forward sustained an oblique injury in Game 3 on Wednesday night. He participated in the morning skate but may still sit out the action on Saturday. Skating on the fourth line, Back has recorded one […]

Ross Colton Unavailable Saturday

Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton (lower body) will remain out of the lineup on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. The 28-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the series opener and will miss a third consecutive game. Initially, the team replaced Colton with Miles Wood in the lineup, but Gabriel Landeskog has since entered the frame. […]

Miro Heiskanen Remains Out Saturday

Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) will remain sidelined for Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. The Finnish blue-liner has resumed skating and traveled with the team to Denver, but his absence will extend to 35 consecutive games. Heiskanen's next opportunity to return will be on Monday when the series shifts back […]

Jacob Markstrom Ends Losing Spell Friday

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 of 27 shots, leading the team to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime on Friday night. Markstrom let a 2-0 lead slip in the third period as Carolina scored two power-play goals. However, he was then forced into only three saves before Simon […]

Cole Caufield Collects Two Points In Friday's Win

Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield recorded two points in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. He potted his second postseason goal late in the second period to give Montreal a 3-2 lead and assisted Juraj Slafkovsky on the team's fifth goal in the third frame. It was a shooting barrage throughout the night from […]

Connor McDavid Totals Three Points In Game 3 Win

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid finished Friday's 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings with three points, scoring an empty-net goal and registering two even-strength assists. McDavid became the fourth player in franchise history to record 20 three-point playoff games, joining Wayne Gretzky (39), Jari Kurri (26), and Mark Messier (22). It was an impressive […]

Johnathan Kovacevic Exits Early Friday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (undisclosed) did not finish Friday's Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He logged only 6:00 of ice time in a 3-2 double-overtime win and did not see any action after the first period. The 27-year-old recorded one shot on goal and two penalty minutes with a plus-one rating. Overall, […]

Sam Montembeault Suffers Lower-Body Injury Friday

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (lower body) was forced to exit Game 3 against the Washington Capitals early on Friday. He gave up the crease to Jakub Dobes in the middle of the second period due to a lower-body injury. The night ended with 11 saves on 13 shots for Montembeault. Dobes helped Montreal secure […]

Logan Thompson Exits Loss With Injury

Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson suffered an apparent left leg injury in Friday's Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens. He was forced to leave the contest with 6:37 remaining in regulation after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome. Following an outstanding start to the series, Thompson had a bad night on Friday, allowing five goals […]

Brandon Hagel Suspended For Game 3

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel has been suspended for one game. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Hagel's suspension on Friday night for "an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent" that injured Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov. As a result of the suspension, Hagel will be forced to sit out Saturday's […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - April 26, 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, […]

Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (4/26/25)

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 […]

Aaron Ekblad Available To Return Saturday

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has completed his 20-game suspension and is eligible to return to the lineup for Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Ekblad was suspended on March 10 for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He missed the final 18 regular-season games and the first […]

Aleksander Barkov Questionable For Saturday

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed) is questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Florida Panthers. He was injured on Thursday night in a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay and missed Friday's optional practice. "He hasn't been ruled out yet [for Game 3], and he hasn't been cleared," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov […]

Gabriel Landeskog Set For Larger Role In Game 4

Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog is expected to assume a larger role in Saturday's Game 4 against the Dallas Stars. Making his first NHL appearance since the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, Landeskog skated on the third line in Wednesday's Game 3 loss, logging 13:16 of ice time. He finished the contest scoreless but had a […]

Calvin Pickard To Start Game 3 For Oilers

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard will replace Stuart Skinner between the pipes for Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night. Skinner struggled significantly in the first two games of the series, allowing 11 goals while registering a .810 save percentage. Pickard already saw some action in Game 2, replacing Skinner midway through […]

Jonas Siegenthaler To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3

New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body) is on track to rejoin the lineup on Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. He has not played since Feb. 4 due to a lower-body injury. Initially, the 27-year-old was not expected to play at all in the first-round series. However, Siegenthaler has recovered well, and the […]

Luke Hughes Remains Out On Friday

New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (upper body) has been ruled out for Friday's Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He will miss a second consecutive game in the series due to an upper-body injury suffered in Game 1. Brenden Dillon (lower body) isn't ready to return, either. However, the Devils defense is expected to […]

Patrik Laine A Game-Time Decision Friday

Montreal Canadiens' Patrik Laine (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for Friday's matchup against the Washington Capitals. Laine missed Friday's morning skate after being benched in the third period of Game 2 on Wednesday night. "I know he wasn't on the ice today, we have some guys battling a couple things so I think you'll […]

Sergei Bobrovsky Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his fourth career postseason shutout on Thursday, securing a 2-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning with 19 saves. Although Bobrovsky had limited work, he made several crucial saves, tying Semyon Varlamov for the seventh most postseason shutouts by an active netminder. Dating back to last year's playoffs, Bobrovsky […]