3 days agoDallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen extended his point streak to three games in Wednesday's Game 4 loss to the Oilers. He picked up an assist as Esa Lindell put Dallas 2-0 up with just 5:29 played, but the Stars crumbled and suffered a 5-2 defeat. Heiskanen was minus-two for the contest while also registering one block. The Finnish blue-liner, who leads all remaining skaters in ice time with 28:06 per game, has been a major two-way force for Dallas all postseason. He has recorded 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 17 games with 38 shots, 40 blocks, and 25 hits.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Stars forward Jamie Benn continued his scoring run with two assists in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Edmonton. He extended his point streak to five games with a pair of early helpers. Benn's prolific run includes three straight multi-point efforts. The 34-year-old has looked great in recent outings, pushing his postseason points tally to 15 (four goals, 11 assists) with 17 games played. Benn's production has been crucial for Dallas in the playoffs, with Roope Hintz missing time due to an injury and Joe Pavelski slumping.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoDallas Stars defenseman Christopher Tanev sustained a lower-body injury in Wednesday's Game 4 loss to Edmonton. He left the game in the second period after blocking a shot with his right foot. The gritty blue-liner logged three total blocks in the contest with no offensive stats across 8:37 of action. In 17 playoff appearances, Tanev has had one point via an assist with 68 blocks and 28 hits. Nils Lundkvist is expected to enter the lineup if Tanev can't play in Game 5 on Friday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
4 days agoFlorida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart skated away with the winning goal after the team tied the Eastern Conference Final against the Rangers with a 3-2 overtime victory on Tuesday. Reinhart decided the game on the power play with only 1:12 played in overtime. That's now three power-play goals in two games for him after Reinhart had scored only once with the man advantage in the 2024 playoffs. He jumped on eight goals on Tuesday and has recorded 12 points in 15 postseason appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov recorded a pair of power-play assists to post his second consecutive multi-point game in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers. He had his first helper in the second period when Carter Verhaeghe scored and picked up another assist on Sam Reinhart's game-winner 1:12 into overtime. Barkov has returned to form after going four straight games without a single point. The Panthers captain has totaled 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 15 games during the team's playoff run.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoNew York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox registered two assists in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Florida. After logging only one point in the previous seven games, Fox helped Vincent Trocheck get a power-play goal in the first period and grabbed another assist early in the third when Alexis Lafreniere found the back of the net. Fox started the playoffs well but has been struggling offensively for a while. All of his seven points in 14 postseason games have come via assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin finished Tuesday's Game 4 loss to the Panthers with two assists. His playmaking helped the Rangers take the game to overtime in a 3-2 defeat. Panarin is averaging a point per game through 14 playoff contests, but he's been quiet in the Conference Finals. Two of the four games in the matchup have ended without any points for Panarin. In fact, Panarin hasn't had points in back-to-back outings since riding a four-game point streak at the start of the second-round series against Carolina.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoNew York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck had another productive playoff outing on Tuesday, scoring a power-play goal in a 3-2 overtime loss to Florida. Trocheck opened the scoring in the contest, potting his eighth postseason goal for his 19th point in 14 games. The 30-year-old has gone scoreless just three times in the 2024 playoffs and will enter Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a three-game point streak. The Rangers saw Trocheck post only one point in seven postseason games a year ago, so it's been a huge improvement from the hardworking centerman this term.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoNew York Rangers right wing Blake Wheeler was back in action in Game 4 against Florida on Tuesday, logging 9:18 of ice time in his first game since Feb. 15. Wheeler replaced Filip Chytil in the lineup after missing over three months with a lower-body injury. He skated on the fourth line, with Jack Roslovic taking Chytil's spot on the top trio. The veteran recorded two blocks, four hits, and two penalty minutes in the contest. Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette suggested Chytil was kept out of the game for load management purposes, so it remains to be seen whether Wheeler can stick in the lineup. But it was great to see him back on Tuesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoThe Seattle Kraken have announced Dan Bylsma as the second head coach in franchise history. He takes the reins from Dave Hakstol after spending the past two seasons working for the Kraken's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Bylsma, who was last behind a bench as a head coach in the NHL in 2016-17, has a 320-190-55 career record in the league. He guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup win during his debut year in 2009 and has also worked for the Buffalo Sabres. Bylsma takes over a team that was one win away from the Conference Final in 2023 but finished the 2023-24 campaign fifth from bottom in the West with a 34-35-13 record.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoThe San Jose Sharks have signed Will Smith, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, to an entry-level contract. He's set to begin his professional career next season, following a dominant campaign with Boston College. Smith, who turned 19 in March, had 71 points (25 goals, 46 assists) in 41 games with the Eagles, earning a host of honors, including the Hockey East tournament MVP award. He has also helped the United States win gold medals at the 2023 World U18 Championships and 2024 World Junior Championships. The Sharks are desperate for some offensive talent, and Smith figures to play a prominent role for the team right off the bat in 2024-25.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoNew York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin will head out for a third consecutive win in Tuesday's matchup against Florida. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner has helped the team to a pair of overtime wins, producing 59 saves across the two games. Going 10-3 in the playoffs, Shesterkin has joined Henrik Lundqvist as only the second Rangers goaltender to post 10 postseason wins multiple times. He's sporting a 2.33 goals-against average for the playoffs and has produced a .925 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoFlorida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will make his 15th postseason start of the year in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Rangers, entering the matchup with a 9-5 record. With Florida suffering heartbreak in back-to-back overtime games, Bobrovsky is in danger of losing three straight outings for the first time in the 2024 playoffs. He allowed five goals and finished with a lowly .783 save percentage in the previous contest but has done well overall for the team. The Russian netminder has allowed 2.31 goals in the postseason with a .903 save percentage and one shutout.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jameson Olive
5 days agoFlorida Panthers right wing Kyle Okposo is expected to rejoin the lineup in Game 4 against the Rangers on Tuesday. He skated on the fourth line Tuesday morning. Steven Lorentz appears to be set for a new look as well in the lineup. Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins will be making way for the two. Okposo hasn't played since Game 5 against Boston in the previous round. The veteran has yet to score in the 2024 playoffs, registering two assists with six shots on goal in eight appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jameson Olive
5 days agoFlorida Panthers winger Vladimir Tarasenko will start Tuesday's Game 4 against the Rangers on the third line. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice shuffled his lines in Game 3, which helped the team produce a third-period comeback, and the new-look attack will remain in place on Tuesday. Tarasenko will skate with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen while Evan Rodrigues moves to the top six. Carter Verhaeghe joins Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the first line. Tarasenko played well with the Panthers during the regular season after joining from Ottawa in March, but he's been anonymous for most of the team's playoff run. The Russian forward is in the midst of a five-game scoring drought, boasting only five points (two goals, three assists) in 14 games overall.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jameson Olive
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