May 22, 2025
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl finished Wednesday's 6-3 defeat against the Dallas Stars with three points. After Draisaitl scored a goal and set up two more, Edmonton appeared to be well on their way to winning Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on the road, but Kris Knoblauch's team blew a 3-1 lead in the third period. It was Draisaitl's sixth multi-point effort this postseason. He has managed 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 12 games, ranking second in scoring behind Dallas' Mikko Rantanen (20). Connor McDavid, who registered two assists on Wednesday, also boasts 19 points for the postseason, and it looks like the Oilers have to lean on their two big guns again to get the job done against the Stars.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 22, 2025
Dallas Stars forward Mikael Granlund recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers overpowered Dallas in the first two periods, taking a 3-1 lead, but the Stars turned the game on its head with three power-play goals early in the third period. Granlund helped Miro Heiskanen to spark the comeback and made it 3-3 himself with 3:49 played in the final frame. The Stars boast a 34.9 percent power play for the postseason, and Granlund has been influential with the man advantage throughout the playoff campaign. He has notched five of his nine points on the power play. With the Oilers killing barely over 60 percent of their penalties, Granlund could find even more joy as the series progresses.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 22, 2025
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen made a big impact with the man advantage in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. With the Stars entering the final frame in a 3-1 deficit, Heiskanen registered a goal and an assist on the power play, helping the team tie the game with under four minutes played in the third. The Finnish blue-liner had his 13th multi-point effort with the team in the playoffs, tying Sergei Zubov for the most by a defenseman in Stars/North Stars history. After missing the start of the postseason due to knee surgery, Heiskanen has quickly found form, averaging a point per game through his first four outings. Three of his points have come on the power play.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 22, 2025
Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin had a three-point night in Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, helping the team start the Western Conference Finals with a 6-3 victory. The former All-Star recorded two goals and an assist, notching two of his points in the third period when Dallas overcame a 3-1 deficit. Although Seguin was largely anonymous in the second-round series against the Winnipeg Jets, he seems to be heating up now, as four of his eight points this postseason have come in his last two appearances. In 14 playoff outings, Seguin has tallied four goals and four assists with 22 shots on goal.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi hopes to stay with the team beyond the 2024-25 season. The 25-year-old is wrapping up a two-year, $6.875 million deal and will be a restricted free agent this offseason. According to Murat Ates of The Athletic, Vilardi has not yet thought about whether he will pursue a short-term or long-term deal with the Jets. His signature certainly won't come cheap, as Vilardi put up career-high numbers across the board in 2024-25, tallying 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points in 71 appearances. He saw regular action on the top line and appears poised to maintain his role if he can sort out a new contract with the team.
--Taavi PailkSource: Murat Ates
May 21, 2025
Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry hopes to sign an extension with the team this offseason. The Jets captain still has one year remaining on a five-year, $16.25 million deal, but wants to sort out his future. Lowry sees himself as a "Winnipeg Jet for life." He has spent his entire 11-year NHL career with the franchise, recording 273 points (121 goals, 152 assists) in 775 games. The 32-year-old had his third consecutive 30-point campaign in 2024-25. While Lowry doesn't add a lot to fantasy teams, he is a beloved player in Winnipeg and fits well on the team, so there is no reason to think he can't secure a new deal with the Jets.
--Taavi PailkSource: Ken Wiebe
May 21, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed) is day-to-day ahead of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. He has missed two games while dealing with an undisclosed injury and may have to sit out another contest on Thursday. Scott Morrow started the Conference Finals in Chatfield's place on Tuesday but had a rough outing in his postseason debut. The 22-year-old ended up with a minus-three rating in just 12:18 of ice time and took a costly delay of game penalty early in the third period, resulting in a power-play goal for Florida. Alexander Nikishin has also played during Chatfield's absence.
--Taavi PailkSource: Ryan Henkel
May 21, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner emerged as a key player in the second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, setting a high standard for himself ahead of the Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars. Skinner helped the Oilers to finish off the Golden Knights with back-to-back shutouts and has recorded the fourth-longest playoff shutout streak in franchise history at 127:20. Furthermore, Skinner was outstanding against the Stars a year ago at the same stage, producing a .922 save percentage and allowing two or fewer goals in five outings during a six-game series. If he can replicate that form this year, the Oilers will have a great chance to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) has traveled with the team but is not expected to play in Games 1 and 2 against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals. The Swedish rearguard has sat out 21 of Edmonton's last 22 games but is nearing his return. Ekholm joined his teammates for a full practice on Monday. However, it appears he will need a little more practice time before he is ready to rejoin the lineup. Troy Stecher could be the odd man out in the Oilers defense once Ekholm is back up to speed and available to return.
--Taavi PailkSource: Tony Brar
May 21, 2025
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown (undisclosed) is considered a game-time call for Wednesday's Western Conference Finals opener against the Dallas Stars. He has missed practice time lately and did not skate on Wednesday morning, which suggests that Brown may not be healthy enough to play. However, the team has not ruled him out yet. The 31-year-old has had a decent postseason, chipping in with four goals and three assists in 11 games. If Brown is unable to play on Wednesday, the Oilers are likely to bring Viktor Arvidsson back into the lineup. Arvidsson has been sitting as a healthy scratch since Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the last round. He has managed one goal and three assists in nine outings this postseason.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho scored the team's first goal in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, ending a five-game stretch without a goal. Aho got the Hurricanes on the board with 16 seconds remaining in the opening period when he directed the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky with his right skate. However, the team had to wait until the 16:19 mark in the third period to score again, and it proved to be too little, too late. While Aho began the postseason in impressive form, he has struggled to find the score sheet since the second-round series against the Washington Capitals, finishing without a point three times in his last six outings. The Hurricanes star went the entire Washington series without registering points in back-to-back games and will hope to break that trend in Game 2 against Florida on Thursday. Despite his recent struggles, Aho has still averaged a point per game this postseason, recording four goals and seven assists in 11 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis dished out two assists in Tuesday's disappointing 5-2 home loss to the Florida Panthers. The Hurricanes were overrun in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but Jarvis' efforts helped the team get a pair of goals, with Sebastian Aho and Jackson Blake finding the back of the net. This marked Jarvis' second consecutive multi-point performance, and he will carry a five-game point streak into Thursday's Game 2. The 23-year-old leads the Hurricanes in assists (eight) and points (12) this postseason with 11 games played.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky once again impressed in Tuesday's Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes, turning aside 31 of 33 shots in a 5-2 road win. The Russian netminder allowed two or fewer goals for a fifth consecutive game, earning his fifth win over his past six outings. Bobrovsky has been absolutely sensational for the Panthers, and if he maintains this level of performance, this could be another short series for the team against the Hurricanes, whom they swept 4-0 in the Conference Finals two years ago. Dating back to that series, Bobrovsky has gone 7-3-0 against Carolina, allowing an average of 1.90 goals per game. He carries a 9-4-0 record this postseason, with a 2.29 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and two shutouts.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov reached a new milestone in Tuesday's 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes, becoming the first player in franchise history to register 70 postseason points. He did so with an assist on a power-play goal from Carter Verhaeghe, which opened the scoring at the 8:30 mark in the first period. Barkov is the seventh Finnish player to put up at least 70 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 11 of his points have come this year, as the Panthers captain has contributed three goals and eight assists in 13 games. Florida's top line has not exactly stood out this postseason, but Barkov's numbers remain solid, and there should be plenty more to come.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 21, 2025
Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues set up two goals in Tuesday's 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. He assisted Aaron Ekblad in the first period and Sam Bennett in the third, with the latter scoring on the power play. Rodrigues has been quiet for most of the postseason run and hasn't scored a single goal with 17 shots on the net, but five of his six assists have come over the past four games. The Panthers already have eight players with double-digit points this postseason, and Rodrigues might soon join them if he maintains his current form.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
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