1 day agoDallas Stars center Roope Hintz (upper body) remains under evaluation following his early exit from Monday's Game 4 against Colorado. Hintz took only eight shifts and logged 6:35 of ice time in a big 5-1 win. He finished scoreless for the eighth time in 11 games this postseason. The Finnish forward has had a tough time making a mark offensively, but five of his six points in the 2024 playoffs have come in the series against the Avalanche. Radek Faksa, who scored the decisive goal in Game 7 against Vegas in the opening round, might get a chance to re-enter the lineup if Hintz isn't available to play on Wednesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Shawn McFarland
1 day agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will make his 11th postseason start of the year in Tuesday's survival battle against Florida. Sitting in a 3-1 deficit, Boston has to win on Tuesday to extend the series. Swayman started the playoffs in hot form, but he has seen his record drop to 5-5 with three consecutive defeats. The 25-year-old has allowed 3.25 in the series against the Panthers with a .904 save percentage. Florida will once again counter with Sergei Bobrovsky, who carries a fantastic 7-2 record in the 2024 playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Katie Engleson
1 day agoEdmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique (ankle) will miss a second consecutive contest on Tuesday against Vancouver. He's battling an ankle injury, featuring only once in the second-round series. Henrique skated on the first line before getting hurt. The Oilers are in trouble in the matchup, giving up 12 goals and falling 2-1 behind. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch will attempt to shift the momentum in the series with a goalie change on Tuesday. He has also shaken up his lines, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins jumping on the top line to join Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Rishaug
1 day agoEdmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is penciled in for a first-line role in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Canucks. He's replacing Leon Draisaitl, who will get his own line at the start of the game. Nugent-Hopkins is riding a four-game point streak ahead of Tuesday's action. The 31-year-old is among the assists leaders in the playoffs with nine helpers and sits on 10 points overall through eight appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jack Michaels
1 day agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard is set to make his first Stanley Cup Playoffs start on Tuesday against Vancouver. Stuart Skinner has struggled in the series, forcing Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch to consider alternative options. Edmonton heads into Tuesday's matchup with a 2-1 series deficit. Pickard had a solid regular season with the Oilers, posting a 12-7-1 record with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He has lost three of his last four starts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoBoston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (upper body) will remain out on Tuesday against Florida. The Bruins captain skated on Tuesday morning but won't be available for a second straight contest after getting hurt in Game 3 of the series. Boston needs to win in Game 5 for Marchand to have a chance to return this postseason. The team continues to consider him as day-to-day. Danton Heinen entered the lineup in Marchand's place in Game 4, while James van Riemsdyk has seen time on the first power-play unit during his absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas collected two points in Monday's 4-1 victory over the Rangers. He helped Jordan Martinook get the team's third goal and finished off the scoring himself with the net empty. Facing elimination for a second time in the series, Carolina exploded for four third-period goals. Necas had gone three games without any points before getting back on track Monday night. Despite the recent drought, Necas has remained among Carolina's top scorers in the postseason, producing eight points (three goals, five assists) across 10 outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoCarolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov recorded the game-winning marker as the team fought off elimination for a second time with a 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Monday. He potted his fourth goal of the postseason 6:39 into the third period. Kuznetsov appears to enjoy the high-pressure environment, as he was also among the goal-scorers in Game 4. The Russian centerman has begun to build a goal streak after being a healthy scratch in the second game of the series. He's managed six points (four goals, two assists) across nine playoff games this year, skating on the fourth line and the second power-play unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoDallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen took his scoring streak to four games with a three-point outing in Monday's 5-1 win over Colorado. He registered a goal and two assists, setting a new franchise record among blue-liners with his fourth three-point game in the playoffs. The big effort also made Heiskanen Dallas' top scorer in the 2024 postseason. With 11 games played, he's tallied 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Edmonton's Evan Bouchard (13) is the lone defenseman with more points than him.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoDallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston had a dominant performance against Colorado in Game 4 on Monday, finishing a 5-1 road victory with three points. He gave the Stars a 2-0 lead with a short-handed goal and a power-play marker before wrapping things up with an assist in an empty-net situation near the end of the game. Johnstone became only the fourth player in franchise history to register a three-point game in the playoffs before age 21. There had previously been only 10 players in NHL history with at least two multi-goal performances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The youngster from Toronto has had a great postseason campaign, as Johnston sits among the top goal-scorers with seven markers and is averaging a point per game through 11 contests.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews was unable to play in Monday's Game 4 against Dallas due to an illness. He was a late scratch for the contest. Toews has been a key cog in Colorado's success, and the defense clearly struggled without him as the Stars coasted to a 5-1 victory. Through eight appearances this postseason, Toews boasts six points (one goal, five assists) with 13 hits and eight blocks. He's been eating up nearly 24 minutes a night as one of the Avalanche's top rearguards. Sean Walker took Toews' spot on the first defensive pairing on Monday. He had a rough night, going minus-two in 19:28 of action with two blocks and three hits.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colorado Avalanche
2 days agoColorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin has been suspended for six months without pay. The news was announced right before the team's playoff clash with Dallas on Monday. Nichushkin will enter Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players' Association Player Assistance Program, which carries an automatic six-month suspension. Losing Nichushkin is a bitter blow for Colorado. He's tied for most goals in the 2024 postseason with nine markers in eight games. Artturi Lehkonen replaced the Russian winger on the first line in Monday's Game 4.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov has been fined $5,000 for cross-checking Connor McDavid in Sunday's Game 3 of the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. It's the maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement. Zadorov cross-checked McDavid from behind after the final buzzer. Vancouver will be happy to know Zadorov escaped the incident without a suspension, unlike fellow blue-liner Carson Soucy, who will be forced to sit out Game 4 for his involvement in Sunday's end-of-the-game scrum. Zadorov has been a huge force for the Canuck at both ends of the ice this postseason, posting seven points (four goals, three assists) with 14 blocks and 30 hits in nine appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL Player Safety
2 days agoBoston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (upper body) was on the ice Monday morning and will travel with the team to Florida for Game 5 against the Panthers, but he remains day-to-day ahead of Tuesday's Game 5 of the fiery series. Marchand missed the end of Game 3 and was out for Sunday's Game 4 after getting injured in a collision with Florida forward Sam Bennett. He was replaced in the lineup by Danton Heinen, who returned from an undisclosed injury, logging a scoreless 17:18 of action with three shots on goal. Despite dropping out of the lineup, Marchand remains Boston's top scorer in the postseason with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is projected to get the nod for Monday's Game 5 against the Rangers. After opening the series with two defeats, Andersen was taken out of the firing line in Game 3, but he made a winning return to the crease at the weekend in Game 4 and appears ready for another battle. The Danish netminder carries a 5-3 record in these playoffs with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. His numbers have dropped to 3.67 and .874 in the series against the Rangers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chip Alexander
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