May 16, 2025
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is expected to lace them up for his 21st NHL season in 2025-26. "My understanding is he's under contract, so he'll be back next year," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said following the team's playoff exit against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin, who will turn 40 in September, will start the final season of a five-year, $47.5 million contract this fall. The Hurricanes limited Ovechkin to just one goal in five games, but the veteran star proved during the regular season that he can still get the job done for Washington and fantasy managers alike. Ovechkin scored 44 goals and 73 points in 65 appearances, breaking Wayne Gretzky's long-standing NHL goals record along the way.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) is expected to return to action during the Western Conference Finals but will not be ready for the first couple of games. "He's day to day and I'm not anticipating him being ready for Game 1 or 2," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday. "But we're optimistic that maybe some time in the third round, he will join us." Edmonton has made it all the way to the West Finals without Ekholm making a single postseason appearance. He has played only once since March 26. When he is ready to return, the Swedish veteran will add experience and two-way quality to the lineup. Ekholm finished the regular season with 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists), 143 shots, and 95 blocks in 65 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
May 16, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard (lower body) will not be ready to rejoin the action for the start of the Western Conference Finals. "Probably not when the series starts, but I would think probably sometime in the same timeline as (Mattias) Ekholm, sometime during the series," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said about Pickard on Friday. "Certainly not Game 1, but sometime in the middle." Pickard, who boasts a perfect 6-0 record in the playoffs, has missed three games with a lower-body injury. Initially, Pickard's injury left Edmonton in a difficult position, as Stuart Skinner struggled badly during the beginning of the postseason. However, Skinner closed out the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights with back-to-back shutouts and must be full of confidence heading into the West Finals.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
May 16, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Pontus Holmberg is expected to re-enter the lineup for Friday's Game 6 against the Florida Panthers. He missed his first action of the postseason on Wednesday night in Game 5, when Holmberg was scratched alongside Calle Jarnkrok, who will also rejoin the action on Friday as a fourth-liner. David Kampf and Nicholas Robertson, who scored Toronto's only goal in Wednesday's 6-1 defeat, will come out of the lineup. Holmberg has contributed only one assist offensively in 10 playoff appearances this year, but he could get a boost by skating with John Tavares and William Nylander. Max Pacioretty, who has previously rolled with the second line, will begin Friday's matchup on the third line.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jonas Siegel
May 16, 2025
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will make his 11th start of the playoffs in Friday's closeout game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Florida will have a very good chance to finish off the Maple Leafs on Friday in Game 6, considering Bobrovsky has heated up in recent outings. In Wednesday's 6-1 win, he fell 1:06 short of shutting out Toronto for a second consecutive game, establishing a franchise record for the longest playoff shutout streak at 143:25. Previously, Bobrovsky had struggled to keep pucks out of his net, registering a .899 save percentage for the playoffs. However, he holds a 7-3 record with a 2.46 goals-against average.
--Taavi PailkSource: Colby Guy
May 16, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will start Game 6 against the Florida Panthers on Friday night. With Anthony Stolarz (upper body) still out of the lineup, Woll will make his fourth consecutive start. Things began well for him against Florida, as Woll celebrated a 4-3 victory in Game 2 of the series, but he enters Friday's battle with a three-game losing streak. The 26-year-old has allowed 12 goals during the skid and gave up five goals in Wednesday's 6-1 loss before being replaced by Matt Murray in the third period. Woll has recorded a 4.02 goals-against average during the playoffs and boasts a .877 save percentage, suggesting that the Maple Leafs will likely need to count on their offense to stave off elimination in Game 6.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Masters
May 16, 2025
Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues (undisclosed) will not play in Friday's Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will be sidelined for a second consecutive game due to an undisclosed injury. Jesper Boqvist has received a big opportunity to log first-line minutes during Rodrigues' absence and was very impressive in Game 5 on Wednesday. The Swedish forward opened his postseason scoring account with a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win. He also made his presence felt physically, delivering eight hits in 15:15 of ice time.
--Taavi PailkSource: Colby Guy
May 16, 2025
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele ended a mini-slump on Thursday against the Dallas Stars, registering a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win. The veteran star had gone back-to-back games without a point before opening the scoring in the second period on Thursday night. He followed it up with a power-play assist on a Nikolaj Ehlers marker early in the third. Much like Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Scheifele hates to travel but thoroughly enjoys home games this postseason. All of his 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the playoffs have come in six games at the Canada Life Centre. In four road outings, Scheifele has been held to four shots on goal and has a minus-four rating.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers netted two goals in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars, helping the team to extend the second-round series to six games. Ehlers fired in a power-play goal early in the third period and had an empty-netter to cap things off. The Danish forward has been Winnipeg's leading man offensively in the series, recording five goals and six points. Ehlers averages a point per game through seven postseason contests; however, he has managed only one point in three games played away from home. Turning his performance around on the road would provide a nice boost for the team, as the Jets now need to secure a win on enemy territory on Saturday in Dallas to extend the series further.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made history in Thursday's 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars, becoming the first netminder in franchise history to record a shutout while facing elimination. He stopped 22 pucks to earn his second shutout of the matchup. Tim Thomas and Mike Richter were so far the only U.S.-born goaltenders to post multiple shutouts in two separate playoff series. It has truly been a Jekyll and Hyde playoff campaign for Hellebuyck, who boasts back-to-back home shutouts but has struggled massively on the road. Next up, the Jets badly need a big away performance from Hellebuyck, as they will be facing elimination again on Saturday in Dallas. Hellebuyck owns a 0-5 road record in the postseason and has allowed 5.84 goals with a .793 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen continued his rock-solid play in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with an 18-save performance in Thursday's series-clinching 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals. Only Anthony Beauvillier managed to beat him in the game at the 13:41 mark in the first period. Andersen has now won three consecutive outings, and amazingly, the Danish veteran has suffered only one regulation defeat in the playoffs. He carries a 7-2 record and has posted a 1.36 goals-against average with a .937 save percentage and one shutout. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Andersen has a chance to record his longest postseason winning streak in 10 seasons.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov registered the game-winning goal in Thursday's 3-1 victory over the Washington Capitals, which sent the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Russian scored from what seemed like an impossible angle, extending his goal streak to three games. He now has eight markers in total for the playoffs, trailing only Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen (9). In 72 regular-season games, Svechnikov contributed only 20 goals, so his puck luck has turned at a great time for the Hurricanes. Over 10 playoff appearances, Svechnikov has also logged one assist while firing 35 shots on net.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 16, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis produced a multi-point effort as the team closed out its series against the Washington Capitals with a 3-1 win on Thursday. The 23-year-old recorded an assist when Andrei Svechnikov broke the tie with 1:59 remaining in regulation, and Jarvis then made the game safe for the Hurricanes with an empty-net goal. Jarvis played a big part in the series win and will take a four-game point streak into the Conference Finals. In total, he has scored four goals and 10 points in 10 games during the postseason, finishing without a point just two times. Jarvis has done a lot of damage on the power play in the playoffs, but each of his last three points has come during even-strength play.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 15, 2025
Washington Capitals center Lars Eller will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Danish veteran has failed to make a significant impact in these playoffs and will come out of the lineup after logging less than 10 minutes of ice time in two of four games versus Carolina. Eller has gone goalless with three shots on net in nine playoff games, registering only one assist. Washington plans to use Connor McMichael as the third-line center in Thursday's contest. He has previously featured as a winger on the second line. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery will shuffle his lines as the team enters desperation mode, needing a victory on Thursday to remain alive in the series.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
May 15, 2025
Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren (personal) may not be in the lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 31-year-old is dealing with a personal matter and might be forced to sit out Game 5 of the second-round series. The Capitals have brought Clay Stevenson up from the minors to potentially serve as the backup to Logan Thompson on Thursday night. While Thompson and Lindgren shared the starts fairly evenly during the regular season, Thompson has been the clear No. 1 in the playoffs. Despite allowing eight goals over the last two games against Carolina, Thompson has performed well in the postseason and is not at risk of losing his starting spot.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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