5 hours agoNew York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad collected two points on Sunday while helping his team to a four-game sweep of the Washington Capitals in their first-round playoff series. The Swede notched two assists on the night, the first of which came on a power play with just 16 seconds to go in the first period. He notched another power-play helper on Artemi Panarin's third-period, game-winning goal just 3:21 in the third period. It was the third straight two-point game for the veteran who finished the series with a goal and six assists through four games. The Rangers will now take on the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders series with the 'Canes sporting a 3-1 series lead with Game 5 set for Tuesday in Carolina.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 hours agoNew York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin tallied the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Washington Capitals, eliminating the Caps in a four-game sweep. The Russian beat netminder Charlie Lindgren with a wrister 3:21 into the third period, notching his second point of the night in the process. It had been a pretty quiet series for Panarin prior to Game 4 as he had just one goal across the first three games and was held off the scoresheet entirely in games two and three. The Rangers will now face either the Carolina Hurricanes or New York Islanders in round two but it will likely be the Hurricanes who hold a 3-1 series lead over New York with Game 5 set for Tuesday in Raleigh.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 hours agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews' status for Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins is up in the air as the pivot continues to deal with an illness. Matthews has played through the issue for the last two games but was pulled by team doctors prior to the third period of Saturday's Game 4 loss. The Maple Leafs now trail the Bruins 3-1 in the series with Game 5 set to go Tuesday in Boston. "Not much of an update there (but) luckily, again, we've got a couple of days here," head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Sunday. "We thought the last couple of days would help us. For whatever reason it's not one of those run-of-the-mill, everyday type of illnesses that sort of come and go." The superstar has three point through the first four games of the series.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 hours agoVancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser notched a hat trick and willed his team to a monumental come-from-behind victory over the Nashville Predators to take a 3-1 stranglehold in the first-round on Sunday. Down 3-1 late in the third period, Boeser got the Canucks within one goal with his second tally of the game with less than three minutes remaining in the game. He then buried the tying goal with just eight seconds left in the final frame, sending the game to overtime before Elias Lindholm scored just 1:02 into the extra frame to hand the Canucks a 3-1 series lead. The outstanding performance carries over from a fantastic regular season that saw the 27-year-old record a career-high 40 goals and 73 points across 81 contests.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 hours agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner posted a shutout on Sunday as the Oilers took a 3-1 stranglehold on the Los Angeles Kings. Evan Bouchard's second-period power-play goal was all the offense in the contest as the Oilers go back home with a 3-1 lead and will look to put the Kings away on Wednesday. Skinner turned aside all 33 shots he faced and the Oilers won despite being outshot 33-13 in the contest. After allowing nine goals through the first two games of the series, the 25-year-old has yielded just a single tally over the last two contests, putting up a .987 save percentage in that time. He posted a 2.62 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage across 57 starts and 59 appearances during the regular season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
21 hours agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck struggled once again as part of a 5-1 loss in Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The veteran allowed four goals on 30 shots (.867 save percentage) and was pulled late in the game in favor of backup Laurent Brossoit. With the effort, the American has now allowed 19 shots over the first four games of the series, posting an .870 Sv% in the process. While the Avalanche led the NHL with 3.68 goals per game this season, Hellebuyck's poor postseason remains a surprise considering he posted a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 Sv% across 60 games in the regular season. The Jets need a win on home ice in Game 5 on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
21 hours agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar both notched a pair of points as part of a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 on Sunday. MacKinnon assisted on both of Valeri Nichushkin's second-period tallies while Makar assisted on Nichushkin's first of three goals before scoring a beauty of his own with just under five minutes to go in the middle frame. MacKinnon now has a multi-point effort in three of the first four games of the series and seven total points in the series. As for Makar, the 25-year-old now has two goals and a hefty eight points across the first four games. Game 5 goes Tuesday as the series switches back to Winnipeg with the Jets needing a win to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
22 hours agoEdmonton Oilers center Derek Ryan will enter the lineup for his 2024 postseason debut on Sunday for Game 4 of the team's best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Kings. He will take the spot of center Sam Carrick on the fourth line. The veteran appeared in 70 regular-season games for the Oilers, notching five goals and 12 points in just 10:12 of average ice time per game. The 37-year-old didn't enter the league until the 2015-16 season and has tallied 81 goals and 203 points across 570 career games. He is skating in his ninth NHL season and also has 41 games of postseason experience under his belt, tallying three goals and nine points in that time.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Nugent-Bowman
22 hours agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was excellent on Sunday, turning aside 26 of 27 shots (.963 save percentage) he faced as part of a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Avalanche now hold a command 3-1 series lead ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday in Winnipeg. The Russian was beaten by Mason Appleton with roughly six minutes to go in the first period but was perfect from there on out. After allowing seven goals in a 7-6 Game 1 loss, the 28-year-old has allowed just five goals over his last three games, posting a .938 save percentage in that time. Georgiev paced the NHL with 38 wins this season, the second straight season in which he led the NHL in that department after posting a league-leading 40 victories a season ago.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
22 hours agoColorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin notched a hat trick in Game 4 on Sunday to help steer his team to a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He gave his team a 2-1 lead midway through the second period before extending the lead to 4-1 with just 24 seconds left in the middle frame. The Russian would then deposit his third goal of the game into an empty net with 13 seconds to go in the contest. The veteran now has a goal in each game this series and a whopping six tallies through the first four games. Add in his two-goal game in the final regular-season contest and Nichushkin now has eight goals over his last five games. The Avalanche lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday in Winnipeg.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
22 hours agoWinnipeg Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov is being treated at the hospital after taking a deflected slap shot off the head during Sunday's Game 4 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Namestnikov needed assistance getting off the ice midway through the third period and, of course, did not return to the game. The veteran has one goal through the first four games of the postseason after tallying 11 goals and 37 points on 95 shots on goal across 78 regular-season contests. The Jets are now on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-1 in the series ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mike McIntyre
23 hours agoToronto Maple Leafs center is dealing with an illness that has hampered his performance over the last two games of the team's first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Matthews on Sunday. "For whatever reason, it's not one of those everyday types of illnesses that sort of come and go. This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and gotten worse when he's on the ice asserting himself," Keefe said. Matthews didn't return for the third period of Game 4's 3-1 loss. The superstar has been held off the scoresheet over the last two games and in three of the four games this season following a regular season that saw him tally a hefty 69 goals and 107 points.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jonas Siegel
23 hours agoLos Angeles Kings netminder David Rittich will be between the pipes for Saturday's Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot has started the first three games of the series but has been lit up for a 5.30 goals-against average and an .861 save percentage so far. "David's [going to] go," Kings coach Jim Hiller said following the morning skate Sunday. "We feel good about that. I thought Cam did a good job, that's not it. David's played really well for us, played well against Edmonton. We'll give him a go." Rittich was indeed excellent for the Kings this season, posting a 2.15 GAA and a .921 Sv% across 24 games (22 starts).
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
23 hours agoWashington Capitals defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen are both on track to return for Game 4 of the team's first-round series versus the New York Rangers on Sunday. Both defensemen have been sidelined by upper-body injuries and have yet to appear in the series. "On track to play tonight, so we'll see how the rest of the day goes. Looking optimistic," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said after Sunday's morning skate. "It should help us a bunch. Two guys that have been in our lineup the majority of the year." Sandin hasn't played since April 7 while Jensen has been out since April 13. The Capitals need a win on Sunday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
23 hours agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Casey DeSmith is not dressing for Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Nashville Predators. The netminder's specific ailment hasn't been revealed but he was perhaps injured when Predators forward Michael McCarron hit him behind the net while he was playing the puck in the second period of Game 3. McCarron received a two-minute minor for interference on the play and was also fined 2K by the league. The 32-year-old turned aside 29 of 30 shots to earn the Game 3 win but it will be 23-year-old Arturs Silovs getting the nod in Game 4 on Sunday. The Canucks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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