4 days agoEdmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (sports hernia) is in danger of missing Thursday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida. "We haven't decided yet," said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch on Wednesday when asked if Kane will play in Game 3, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. Kane has been battling a sports hernia for most of the season, and his performances have been largely ineffective in the playoffs. The 32-year-old finished Monday's 4-1 loss in Game 2 with a minus-three rating and had a third consecutive outing without a single shot on goal. He's registered only one point in the past nine games and is sitting on four goals and four assists through 20 postseason appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Dan Rosen
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (hip) is expected to be in the lineup when the 2024 Stanley Cup Final continues on Thursday. The 29-year-old was limited in Monday's Game 2 against Florida due to a hip injury, logging only seven shifts and 4:20 of ice time. Nurse wasn't able to practice on Wednesday either. However, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch expects to have him available on Thursday night. Nurse has had a frustrating postseason, contributing only three assists in 20 games on the offensive end. He is also carrying a team-worst minus-15 rating.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Johnston
4 days agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (upper body) participated fully in Wednesday's practice and will travel with the team to Edmonton. Barkov was back on the ice after missing the final 9:28 of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday after taking a high hit from Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said that a final decision on Barkov's availability for Thursday's Game 3 will be taken after the team has arrived in Edmonton. But it looks like the two-time Selke Trophy winner will be good to go for the contest. Barkov has tallied two assists in the Final and is averaging a point per game for the 2024 playoffs, with six goals and 13 assists registered in 19 outings,
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoDallas Stars forward Matt Duchene wishes to extend his stay with the team and is willing to settle for less money to make it happen. "Money is definitely not the No. 1 bucket and never has been for me," Duchene said while talking on The Sweet Spot on Sports Radio 96.7 FM/1310 the Ticket. Duchene added that he hopes to figure out a new contract "quickly" with Dallas. The veteran forward inked a one-year, $3 million deal with the Stars last summer after the Nashville Predators bought out the final three years of his seven-year, $56 million deal with the club. Duchene enjoyed a solid 65-point campaign in Texas, posting 25 goals and 40 assists in 80 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: TSN
6 days agoThe Pittsburgh Penguins hope to keep extension talks with Sidney Crosby "as quiet as possible" this offseason. "The key for us is, because of the importance of it and how much Sid means to the organization and the city, we want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it," Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas told NHL.com at the weekend. "And then hopefully as we get through this summer, get a sense where everybody's at and then let everybody know at the right time." Crosby is set to head into the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million contract, which has a $8.7 million average annual value. The Penguins captain has seen his team miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two consecutive seasons despite him having back-to-back 90-point years. Crosby registered 42 goals and 52 assists in 82 outings in 2023-24, showing he's far from past his best.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoChicago Blackhawks legend Patrick Kane is unlikely to return to the team. Kane, who left the Windy City last year, is set for unrestricted free agency this offseason, but it looks like he won't receive any offers from the Blackhawks. "I think we made some really tough decisions on some longstanding players," said Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson at the recent NHL Draft Combine. "I don't foresee us going back on that." After recovering from hip surgery, Kane skated with the Detroit Red Wings this season, posting 20 goals and 47 points in 50 appearances. The 35-year-old proved that he can still do the business in the league and should draw quite a bit of interest on the open market.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
6 days agoCalgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom could find himself playing for another Canadian franchise next season. Sources have told Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch that the Ottawa Senators have been "one of the most aggressive teams" in chasing Markstrom. The Senators are in desperate need of an upgrade between the sticks after seeing the team record a league-worst .888 save percentage in 2023-24. Joonas Korpisalo, who made 49 starts, finished with a 3.27 goals-against average, and Anton Forsberg, who started 28 times, fared only slightly better, allowing 3.21 goals. Markstrom, who has also been heavily linked with the New Jersey Devils, produced a .905 save percentage this season with a 2.78 goals-against average.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
6 days agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is confident that his squad can do much better than the team's Game 1 performance in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida. "We're a really good hockey team that, believe it or not, can play better than (Saturday) night," Draisaitl said ahead of Monday's Game 2. "We have more. We know that. We can play better. They're going to be better, and I expect us to be better as well." Draisaitl failed to get on the score sheet for only the third time this postseason in Saturday's 3-0 defeat. He came up empty-handed with four shots on goal and logged a minus-one rating in 23:14 of action. The German superstar has gone without a point in back-to-back outings just twice in 2024.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Edmonton Oilers
6 days agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais will be drafted into the lineup for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida on Monday. The 28-year-old steps in for Cody Ceci, who had a bad time as Edmonton opened the Final with a 3-0 defeat. Ceci finished Saturday's game with a minus-two rating across 17:19 of ice time. Desharnais, who last played in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against Dallas, will roll with Darnell Nurse on the second defensive pairing. He has recorded one assist, four shots, 38 blocks, and 39 hits in 15 postseason contests this year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoEdmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane had another scoreless effort in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against Florida on Saturday. He finished a 3-0 defeat with a minus-one rating, amassing three hits with zero shots on goal in 15:22 of action. It was the eighth consecutive game with a goal for Kane, and he boasts only one point over the stretch. The 32-year-old has recorded eight points (four goals, four assists) in 19 playoff games overall this year. Kane has been playing with a sports hernia for most of the season, which is likely the cause of his underwhelming numbers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid went scoreless and finished with a minus-two rating in his Stanley Cup Final debut against Florida on Saturday. The Oilers captain led all skaters with six shots on goal, but there was no way past Sergei Bobrovsky for Edmonton, which suffered a 3-0 defeat. McDavid finished without a point for only the fourth time in these playoffs. He continues to lead the scoring charts, with 31 points (five goals, 28 assists) amassed in 19 contests.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour contributed an assist in Saturday's 3-0 win over Edmonton in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. His seventh helper of the 2024 playoffs made Montour the first blue-liner in franchise history with double-digit points in multiple postseasons. Montour has scored three goals with 38 shots in 18 contests. The 30-year-old makes his presence felt on the defensive end as well, boasting 28 blocks and 38 hits. It's been a productive postseason run for Montour, but his work on the offensive end has been lacking in recent weeks, as he has notched only two points in his last 10 appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov registered two assists as the team started the 2024 Stanley Cup Final with a 3-0 win over the Oilers. Barkov combined with Sam Reinhart to help Carter Verhaeghe open the scoring in the contest with 3:59 played and tallied the lone assist when Eetu Luostarinen iced the game with an empty-netter. This was Barkov's seventh multi-point game of the 2024 postseason. He's up to 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 18 games with 47 shots on goal while also boasting 40 hits.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoFlorida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe scored the first goal of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday against Edmonton, and it ended up as the game-winning marker in a 3-0 victory. Verhaeghe was on target 3:59 into the game. The 28-year-old reached 10 postseason goals for the year, one short of Matthew Tkachuk's franchise record of 11 goals recorded a year ago. It's been a very productive postseason for Verhaeghe, who's averaging a point per game through 18 outings. Additionally, he has recorded 64 shots on goal and 22 hits with 18 penalty minutes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoFlorida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stole the show in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton, producing a 32-save shutout to backstop his team to a 3-0 victory. At 35 years old, Bobrovsky became the oldest netminder ever to open a Stanley Cup Final with a shutout. He's also the first Panthers goalie to finish a game in the Final with a shutout. Bobrovsky has been a key figure during Florida's run to a second consecutive Final, going 13-5 with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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