4 weeks agoFlorida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk took care of two goals as the team defeated Tampa Bay 5-3 in Game 3 on Thursday. The Panthers star started and finished the scoring, with the latter goal coming in an empty-net situation. He's now the first player in franchise history with three multi-goal games in the playoffs. Tkachuk, who was huge for the team throughout the 2023 postseason, has been in hot form again, racking up five points (three goals, two assists) in the first three games. There are only six other players with multiple goals and assists through the first few playoff games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos continued his good start to the 2024 postseason with another goal in Thursday's 5-3 loss to Florida. The Lightning captain put his team on the board early in the second period, becoming the third player in franchise history to start a playoff campaign with a three-game goal streak. Thursday's strike marks Stamkos' first even-strength goal of the series. Sitting on four points overall, the Lightning captain has put in a big effort to make the series competitive, but Tampa Bay is facing a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoNew York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin struggled in his 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Thursday against Carolina in a 3-2 loss. He coughed up three goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Semyon Varlamov. Looking to shift momentum in the series with his team 2-0 down, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy made a change between the sticks, but it backfired badly. Sorokin managed only two saves before allowing the first goal, and his night finished after he had logged only 27:14 of action. Varlamov stopped all eight shots he faced. The team will likely return to Varlamov for Game 4.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen continued his perfect start to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 29-save effort in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Islanders. He became only the second goaltender in franchise history to open a postseason campaign with three consecutive victories. Andersen has saved 71 of 77 shots in total in the series, frustrating the Islanders with a .922 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average. Combined with the regular season, Andersen is now 16-2-0 in 2023-24. He will look to lead the team to a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoWashington Capitals winger Sonny Milano (undisclosed) missed practice on Thursday ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Rangers. He was reportedly absent for maintenance purposes after averaging 11:33 of ice time across the first two games in the series. Milano has mustered only one shot on goal against the Rangers and hasn't picked up any points while skating on the third line with Max Pacioretty and Hendrix Lapierre. Michael Sgarbossa was on the line during Thursday's practice and could make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut if Milano isn't available on Friday. Sgarbossa had four goals and seven points in 25 games with the Capitals during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sammi Silber
4 weeks agoNew York Rangers forward Filip Chytil (head) has traveled with the team to Washington and could return to action Friday when the two teams continue their first-round battle. The 24-year-old has been out of commission since early November. Before suffering a head injury, Chytil skated in 10 games, posting six assists. He would be a very good addition to an already strong squad that finished the NHL regular season with the best record in the league. Chytil has totaled eight goals and 13 points in 30 career playoff appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mollie Walker
4 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast (upper body) will remain unavailable for Thursday's Game 3 against the Islanders. He suffered an upper-body in the team's regular-season finale and will be forced to skip a third consecutive game. Fast had only one point in his final nine regular-season appearances, but he did well in a limited role with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 73 outings. Fast's next chance to return comes on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Walt Ruff
4 weeks agoNew York Islanders winger Matt Martin is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup against Carolina due to an undisclosed injury. Martin didn't practice on Wednesday after averaging 10:12 of ice time across the first two games of the series. He's been anonymous against the Hurricanes so far, producing only one shot on goal and five hits. Ruslan Iskhakov is expected to jump into the lineup if Martin can't play. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh and got off to a good start in the league by logging one assist in a 5-4 win. Iskhakov bagged 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 69 AHL games this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefen Rosner
4 weeks agoFlorida Panthers center Anton Lundell will skate on the second line in Thursday's Game 3 against the Lightning. He will be filling in for Sam Bennett (upper body), who was injured in the second game of the series. Lundell already saw some action in the spot in Game 2 and collected an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's game-winner in overtime. The Finnish forward contributed 10 points (two goals, eight assists) across 21 games as the Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago and collected 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 78 regular-season outings this term.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: George Richards
4 weeks agoFlorida Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg (illness) will remain out for Game 3 against Tampa Bay on Thursday. He's battling an undisclosed illness and didn't travel with the team. Florida currently has him in quarantine. Kyle Okposo will be entering the lineup on Thursday. The veteran should add some offensive threat to the team after registering 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 67 regular-season games split between Buffalo and Florida. The 36-year-old is getting his first taste of playoff action since having 10 postseason outings with the Islanders in 2015-16.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: George Richards
4 weeks agoThe Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman Alex Vlasic have agreed to a six-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $4.6 million. The 22-year-old was a bright spot for a young and scuffling Blackhawks team despite not contributing much at the offense end of the ice. The 6-foot-6 blueliner notched two goals and 16 points in 76 games on the season but also blocked 148 shots and was only a minus-four on a Blackhawks team that gave up 111 more goals than they scored. A 2019 second-round pick, Vlasic played three seasons with Boston University before making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
4 weeks agoFlorida Panthers forward Kyle Okposo will be back in the lineup for Thursday's Game 3 of the team's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ryan Lomberg (illness) made the trip to Tampa Bay after missing Game 2 but the team needs another day of feeling good before he's allowed to be around the team. Acquired ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Okposo got into just six games with his new team, failing to hit the scoresheet with eight shots on goal in that time. The veteran notched 12 goals and 22 points in 61 games with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the trade. The Panthers lead the Lightning 2-0 entering Thursday's action.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
4 weeks agoToronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (head) has yet to appear in the first three games of the team's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins, and now we may know why. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman writes that multiple sources have told him Nylander is dealing with a migraine so severe that team doctors have tested to see if he had suffered a concussion, but an actual diagnosis has been hard to come by. Nylander has practiced with the team throughout the series and has stayed on for extra work but has not been able to suit up for a game to this point. The Swede skated in all 82 of the team's regular-season games, tallying 40 goals and 98 points in that time. The Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the series with Game 4 coming on Saturday in Toronto.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
4 weeks agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo will slide into the lineup in the stead of injured blue-liner Brett Pesce (lower body) for Thursday's Game 3 of the team's first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders. Pesce sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of Monday's Game 2 victory and is likely out for the remainder of the series. DeAngelo took Pesce's spot on the team's second pairing alongside Brady Skjei in practice. DeAngelo got into just 31 games with the Hurricanes this season, notching three goals and 11 points on 44 shots on goal in that time. A two-time 50-point man, he tallied 11 goals and 42 points as recently as last season while with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Hurricanes lead the Islanders 2-0 in the series entering Thursday's action.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 weeks agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett (hand) will miss at least a week after leaving Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period. Bennett was struck on the hand by a point shot from defenseman Brandon Montour and will not travel for the team's upcoming two games in Tampa Bay. However, the injury is seemingly not as bad as expected, according to Panthers head coach Paul Maurice. "We came to the rink fearing it could be something sinister, something more long-term," Maurice said on Wednesday. "We got great news. It's kind of like getting a phone call saying your car was in an accident. Then, you find out it's just a fender-bender." The Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 following Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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