4 hours 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
4 hours 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
4 hours 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
4 hours agoNew York Rangers center Filip Chytil (illness) isn't expected to feature in Game 5 against Carolina on Monday. After missing Game 4 with an illness, Chytil was back on the ice Monday morning, but he didn't skate on any lines and stayed on late with the likely scratches for the game. Jonny Brodzinski entered the lineup for his 2024 postseason debut in Game 4. He logged 8:49 on the fourth line, finishing with two blocks. Brodzinski is expected to play again on Monday, although Matt Rempe is also an option as the Rangers try to finish off Carolina at Madison Square Garden.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Vince Z. Mercogliano
4 hours agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has been confirmed as the team's starter in the crease on Monday against Dallas. He will look to avoid a third consecutive defeat in Game 4 of the second-round series. Georgiev has dropped a pair of decisions after enjoying a five-game winning streak with the team. He's sporting a 5-3 record for the postseason and has allowed 2.97 goals with a .893 save percentage. The Avalanche have suffered a couple of disappointing results lately, but the team hasn't lost three consecutive playoff games since 2021, putting Georgiev in a good bounce-back spot on Monday night.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Montano
4 hours agoColorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup for Game 4 against Dallas on Monday. He worked on the top power-play unit Monday morning and should slot into a top-six role if he's good to go. Drouin hasn't yet seen any playoff action this year after suffering a lower-body injury in the regular-season finale. Following a disappointing spell in Montreal, the former top-three draft pick came alive in Denver this season, recording a career-high 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 79 appearances. Drouin's return will likely push Zach Parise to the third line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Montano
5 hours agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy has been suspended for one playoff game. The 29-year-old will be forced to miss Game 4 of the second-round series against Edmonton after cross-checking Oilers captain Connor McDavid to the face during a scrum at the end of Game 3 on Sunday. Vancouver loses a big presence at the back, with Soucy boasting 27 hits through nine postseason appearances. He's also occasionally helped out on the offensive end, delivering four assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL Player Safety
11 hours agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner had another shocker in Sunday's 4-3 loss to Vancouver. He managed to save only 11 of 15 shots while spending 40:11 on the ice. Skinner was pulled for Calvin Pickard after two periods and saw a bit more action near the end of the third. The Oilers No. 1 was beaten three times in the first period, and Vancouver scored twice against him on the power play. With three games played in the series and the Canucks now 2-1 up, Skinner boasts an abysmal 0.793 save percentage. The Oilers face a big goaltending decision ahead of Game 4. Pickard had a 12-7-1 record during the regular season and stopped all three shots he faced on Sunday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes recorded his third multi-point postseason game of the year on Sunday, helping the team get past Edmonton 4-3. Hughes dished out a pair of power-play assists to Elias Lindholm. The star defenseman has been inconsistent with his offensive production in the playoffs but is close to averaging a point per game, with eight assists registered across nine outings. Five of the helpers have come with the man advantage. Following Sunday night, Hughes has had points in back-to-back games for the first time in these playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoVancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser recorded a game-high three points as the team defeated the Oilers 4-3 on the road Sunday night. The 27-year-old scored two goals and produced one assist, with the Canucks getting a 2-1 lead in the fascinating series. Boeser did all of his scoring in the first period, notching his assist when Elias Lindholm struck on a power play. The two are only the fourth pair of Canucks teammates over the last 30 years to each score multiple goals in a postseason game. Boeser is riding a four-game point streak and has had a good time throughout the playoffs, notching seven goals and four assists in nine outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoBoston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 3-2 Game 4 loss to Florida. He opened the scoring in the contest with his fourth postseason goal of the year. The Czech superstar hadn't scored a power-play goal since early March, going 27 games without one. Pastrnak has been a point-per-game player throughout his postseason career in the NHL, but he has been limited to only eight points in 11 games this year. The Bruins badly need to see an improvement from him as the team faces elimination in Game 5 on Tuesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoFlorida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues had a second consecutive multi-point outing in Sunday's 3-2 win over Boston. After scoring twice in Game 3, Rodrigues turned into a playmaker in Game 4, logging assists as Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett scored. Before sparking into life, Rodrigues was slumping and boasted only two points for this postseason. He's now on three goals and three assists with nine games played in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov scored the game-winning goal as the team completed a comeback from a two-goal deficit on Sunday against Boston. The Bruins grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period, but goals from Barkov, Anton Lundell, and Sam Bennett put the Panthers 3-1 up in the series. Barkov finished the scoring in the contest with 7:31 played in the third period. His fifth postseason goal of the year helped him to extend his point streak to five games. The Panthers captain registered only two points through the first four playoff games but has exploded for 11 points in five games since.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
11 hours agoFlorida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (face) is expected to be ready for Game 5 against Boston. He left Sunday's Game 4 injured after taking a puck to the face early in the third period. Reinhart, who led the league with 27 power-play goals in the regular season, was heavily bleeding. However Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has no concerns regarding his availability for Tuesday's Game 5. Reinhart hasn't quite replicated his regular-season form in the playoffs, settling for four goals and eight points in nine games. Five of his points were registered in Game 2 and 3 against Boston, and he has scored only once with the man advantage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: David Dwork
1 day agoVancouver Canucks center Nils Aman is set to make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 3 against the Oilers on Sunday. He's in line to replace Phillip Di Giuseppe in the lineup, who was away from the team on Sunday for personal reasons. Aman, a former sixth-round draft pick, skated in 43 games during the regular season, scoring three goals and delivering four assists. The Swedish forward is projected to skate on the fourth line with Teddy Blueger and Sam Lafferty.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Paterson
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