1 day agoNashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg posted an assist on both of his team's goals in their Game 5 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Preds stayed alive in the series with a 2-1 win, pushing the Canucks to Game 6, which will take place in Nashville. Forsberg has been the Predators' best player so far this series, tallying six points (two goals, four assists) in four games, but he's going to need more help if they want to complete the comeback, as Nashville has had major difficulties with scoring in this series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros had a solid performance in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, picking up a 2-1 victory. Saros helped the Preds stave off elimination, stopping 19 of 20 shots in his best outing of the series. The Predators will need their veteran goaltender to keep having performances like this if they want to come back and win this series, as his current .879 SV% isn't good enough to win the team two more games. It has been a low-scoring series so far and the difference could easily be which goaltender is better, so Saros could have to steal a game or two.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had another solid showing in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets, helping the team to a 6-3 win that ended the series. MacKinnon put up a pair of helpers on two Mikko Rantanen third-period goals that sealed the deal for the Avs. He put up a herculean effort in the series, notching nine points (two goals, seven assists) in five games. The Avalanche will now face the winner of the Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoColorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen scored two goals and added an assist in a 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of their first-round series. Rantanen scored both his goals in the third period, with the first breaking a 3-3 tie and the second coming as an important insurance tally. The 27-year-old had a huge first round, posting nine points (two goals, seven assists) while playing on the Avs first line and first powerplay unit. Rantanen, Mackinnon, and Nichushkin looked absolutely dominant for the entire series and will be extremely hard to shut down for any team they come across.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll was at his best in Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins, backstopping the Leafs to a 2-1 overtime victory. Woll stopped 27 of 28 shots, including a few game-savers late in the third and in overtime. The 25-year-old was thrust into a difficult position on Tuesday, as he was asked to start his first game of the playoffs with the team down 3-1 in the series. Ilya Samsonov started the first four games of the series but had some difficulties and was pulled after the second period of Game 4. The Leafs decided to go with Woll for Game 5 and it paid dividends, so they will likely return to him for the remainder of the series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoToronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies kept the team's playoff hopes alive in a 2-1 Game 5 win over the Boston Bruins. Knies pounced on a rebound in front of the net early in overtime and cut their series deficit to 3-2. The 21-year-old was the first rookie to score an overtime-winner in an elimination game for the Leafs, a fact that is hard to believe for a franchise that has been around for over 100 years. Knies now has a pair of goals in the series and should continue to see top-six ice time, even if Auston Matthews returns to the fold.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoCarolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up two points in a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their first-round series. Kuznetsov scored on a penalty shot late in the first to give the Canes a 3-1 lead and then assisted on Stefan Noesen's third-period marker that made the game 5-3 and out of reach for the Islanders. Kuznetsov played most of the series on the team's fourth line, but that isn't much of an insult on a team as deep as the Hurricanes. He was able to post four points in five games even with limited ice time and was a key part of a solid bottom six.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their first-round series, helping clinch a second-round appearance against the New York Rangers. Jarvis was electric in the series, posting seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games. The 22-year-old had a breakout season and is an integral part of the Cane's offensive game as part of their second line and first powerplay unit. He will be an important part of their success, both in these playoffs and for years to come.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoWinnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti will enter the lineup and make his NHL postseason debut on Tuesday in Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche. He will take the roster spot of Vladislav Namestnikov who will miss the game with a fractured cheekbone suffered in Game 4 in Colorado on Saturday. "Obviously, I've wanted to play in the "Whiteout" for a while, and now I'm getting the chance to do that in a huge game," Perfetti said. "It's going to be a lot of fun and I'm just looking forward to it and I'm just going to try and enjoy it and play my game and probably just soak it all in. It's going to be fun." The 22-year-old tallied 19 goals and 38 points on 142 shots on goal across 71 games during the regular season. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will be looking to get back on the right track in Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Colorado Avalanche. It's been a struggle for the Vezina Trophy finalist in the series as Hellebuyck has allowed 19 goals through the first four games of the series, turning in an .870 save percentage in that time while dropping three straight games. Despite taking on the league's No. 1-ranked regular-season offense, Hellebuyck's struggles remain a surprise considering he posted a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage across 60 games. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mitchell Clinton
2 days agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will be back between the pipes for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. There hasn't been a confirmation on Swayman starting but Linus Ullmark stayed out for extra work in Tuesday's morning skate, strongly suggesting Swayman would again be the team's starting netminder. Swayman has dominated the Leafs in this series, stopping 87 of 91 shots (.956 save percentage) in three games, earning the win in each contest. Additionally, the 25-year-old sports a sound 2.60 goals-against average and a sterling .917 Sv% across six regular-season outings against the club's Atlantic Division rival.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fluto
2 days agoNew York Islanders forward Matt Martin will not dress for Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday due to a lower-body injury. Martin missed Game 4 on Saturday and was replaced by forward Simon Holmstrom. "Still the same. Day to day," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said Monday. "He's a leader on our team, so guys want to be around him for sure." The veteran appeared in 57 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign, notching four goals and eight points along with 43 penalty minutes in just 9:19 of ice time per game. He was held off the scoresheet through the first three games of the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoWinnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon (hand) and forward Vladislav Namestnikov (cheekbone) will both be out for Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Colorado Avalanche. Dillon suffered a lacerated hand in an altercation in Game 3 while Namestnikov was struck in the face by a deflected Nate Schmidt point shot in Game 4 in Colorado on Sunday. Defenseman Colin Miller, acquired in a trade with the Devils on March 8, will make his series debut in Dillon's absence while Cole Perfetti will make his NHL postseason debut in place of Namestnikov. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoBoston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk appears to be back in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rear guard didn't stay out late during Tuesday's morning skate while Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jakub Lauko, and Linus Ullmark did. It appears Grzelcyk will take Shattenkirk's spot in the lineup. The 30-year-old didn't appear in either of the two games in Toronto after playing in the series' first two games in Boston. For the season, Grzelcyk tallied two goals and 11 points on 59 shots across 63 games, blocking 76 shots while adding a plus-13 rating to his ledger. The Bruins can win the series with a victory on Tuesday on home ice.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
2 days agoWashington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie is unsure if he will be able to keep playing next season due to recurring issues with his back. Back injuries along with a concussion limited the veteran to just 52 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign. "I'd love to play next year, but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't be -- it's hard putting everyone through the situation," Oshie said on Tuesday. "From my family at home to the team trying to figure out a lineup to young guys getting called up and going down, I'd like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it." Oshie was limited to just 12 goals and 25 points in his 52 games and notched just one assist in the team's first-round sweep at the hands of the New York Rangers.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
RADIO
