18 hours agoBoston Bruins left wing Danton Heinen (undisclosed) remains day-to-day and won't play in Game 3 against the Panthers on Friday. He will miss a fifth consecutive game after suffering an unspecified injury in the first round of the playoffs against Toronto. Heinen collected one assist in five games before getting knocked out of the lineup. Justin Brazeau has taken his spot on the third line, putting in a few impressive performances. He recorded points in back-to-back games before Boston suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat against Florida in Game 2 on Wednesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Conor Ryan
18 hours agoBoston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (finger) has been declared available for Friday's Game 3 against Florida and is expected to replace Parker Wotherspoon on the third defensive pairing. Peeke returns from a finger injury he suffered in the opening-round battle against the Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old recorded three blocks and four hits with a minus-one rating in the first couple of postseason games before getting hurt. Peeke has yet to score for the Bruins since joining the team from Columbus in March but did post two assists in 15 games during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Belle Fraser
18 hours agoBoston Bruins forward Jakub Lauko will be re-inserted into the lineup for Friday's Game 3 against Florida. He's back in Jim Montgomery's plans for the first time since Game 2 against Toronto in the first round. Lauko averaged 10:43 of ice time and went scoreless with five shots on goal and an even rating in the first two playoff games before getting scratched. He managed 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 60 regular-season appearances. The Czech forward is expected to replace Jesper Boqvist on the fourth line on Friday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
18 hours agoEdmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique (lower body) could jump back into action on Friday against Vancouver. He's officially considered a game-time decision for the contest. After averaging close to 16 minutes per game on the top line in Round 1, Henrique was unavailable when Edmonton kicked off the second-round series against the Canucks on Wednesday. Mattias Janmark took over his position next to Connor McDavid, while Connor Brown made his postseason debut on the fourth line. Brown could be the odd man out again on Friday if Henrique returns, although a question mark hangs over Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed), and his absence would result in a significant line shake-up.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Bachelor
18 hours agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) is a game-time call for Friday's Game 2 against Vancouver. He was bothered by cramps in the series opener on Wednesday, missing some time in the second period before returning in the third. Draisaitl didn't skate on Thursday, but it would be a major surprise if he isn't in the lineup Friday night. The German star is enjoying another excellent postseason campaign with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) collected across six appearances. He's had multiple points in five games, notching three goals and five assists on the power play.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Bachelor
18 hours agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett (upper body) is considered a game-time decision for Friday's matchup against Boston. He's on the cusp of returning to the lineup after missing five games. Bennett recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in as many games before suffering an upper-body injury early into the postseason. If he's ready to return in Game 3 on Friday, Bennett is expected to replace either Steve Lorentz or Kyle Okposo in the Panthers lineup. He should resume his duties as the second-line center, with Anton Lundell moving down in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
1 day agoColorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin remained red-hot in front of goal Thursday night in Game 2 against the Stars, scoring his ninth postseason goal in a 5-3 defeat. He joined Pat LaFontaine as just the second player in league history to score in each of his team's first seven games of a postseason campaign. The Russian forward leads the goal-scoring charts with Edmonton's Zach Hyman, who has scored nine times in six games. Nichushkin's work in these playoffs includes one assist, as he sits among six Avalanche players who have averaged at least a point per game in seven contests. More success appears to be guaranteed for Nichushkin & Co., with Colorado averaging a whopping 5.00 goals per game in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen had a productive outing with two power-play goals in Thursday's Game 2 victory over Colorado. He had the Stars' first and third goals in a 5-3 win, joining Brian Glynn as the second blue-liner in franchise history with multiple power-play goals in a playoff game. Heiskanen boasts three goals in total and eight points in nine games this postseason. The Finnish rearguard has been a terrific performer in the playoffs throughout his career, as he has collected 53 points (13 goals, 40 assists) in 75 postseason games -- only Cale Makar (77) and Victor Hedman (69) have scored more points among defensemen since Heiskanen made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in 2019.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Stars center Roope Hintz produced his second career four-point postseason game as the team tied the Western Conference semifinals series against Colorado in Game 2 with a 5-3 victory. Hintz finally got things clicking in the offensive zone after posting only one point through his first eight appearances this postseason. He scored Dallas' second goal and had three assists, including two on the power play. Hintz will head into Saturday's Game 3 boasting the third-most three-point efforts in the playoffs among Finnish players. He moved past Sebastian Aho on Thursday with his seventh such game and now trails only Esa Tikkanen (10) and Jari Kurri (28).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov factored in both goals in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers. He helped Jake Guentzel get the scoring started with his sixth assist of the 2024 playoffs and sent the game past regulation with only 1:36 left to play in the third period, scoring his second postseason goal. The Russian forward posted his third multi-point performance of this year's playoffs. He's averaging a point per game through eight contests, and the Hurricanes will need another big effort from Svechnikov in Saturday's Game 4 as the team faces early elimination.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin provided the game-winning goal as the team grabbed a 3-0 series lead against Carolina on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win. The Russian star also collected an assist in the contest for his third multi-point effort in four games. Panarin has exploded for eight points over a four-game stretch after posting only one point through his first three postseason appearances this year. It was a worrying start from him, but Panarin has now begun to replicate his regular-season form, which resulted in a career-high 120 points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoNew York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck contributed two assists in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win against Carolina to register his third consecutive multi-point outing. He helped Alexis Lafreniere get his third postseason goal in the third period and was also among the helpers when Artemi Panarin finished the game with 1:43 played in overtime. Trocheck has shown off incredible form in the postseason, notching five goals and seven assists. Only Edmonton's Connor McDavid (13) has more points than him, despite Trocheck playing in only seven games. He had scored in five consecutive games before coming up empty-handed with four efforts on goal Thursday night.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoNew York Rangers center Filip Chytil made his long-awaited return to the lineup in Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday, logging 12:02 of ice time in a 3-2 overtime win. After missing six months with a head injury, Chytil had a quiet outing on the offensive front with zero points and one shot on goal but registered two hits. He skated on the third line with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers have enjoyed a perfect 7-0 start to the postseason and should be even stronger now with Chytil, who had six points in 10 regular-season appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoAccording to TSN insider Pierre LeBrun, the New Jersey Devils plan to interview Sheldon Keefe as part of their coaching search. Keefe was relieved of his duties as Toronto Maple Leafs head coach on Thursday. The Ontario native led the Maple Leafs to a 212-97-40 record through four and a half seasons but won only one playoff series. Keefe was fired despite the team agreeing to a contract extension with him last year, which doesn't officially start until the 2024-25 season. Lindy Ruff and Travis Green worked behind the Devils bench in 2023-24. The team finished 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 38-39-5 record.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
2 days agoColorado Avalanche winger Joel Kiviranta (lower body) could be back in action Thursday in Game 2 against Dallas. On Thursday morning, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that "hopefully" Kiviranta will be good to go for the contest. The Finnish winger has been out for three games with a lower-body injury. Before getting hurt, Kiviranta had one assist with three shots on goal in three games while logging 10:14 of ice time on the fourth line in the first round against Winnipeg.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Evan Rawal
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