22 hours agoEdmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique (lower body) isn't expected to play in Game 1 against the Canucks on Wednesday. The veteran has missed multiple practice sessions after the team made quick work of the Kings in five games in Round 1 of the playoffs. Henrique recorded two points (one goal, one assist) against Los Angeles while getting top-line minutes. Mattias Janmark is now poised to join Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman on the first line Wednesday night, with Connor Brown filling the vacated spot in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jason Gregor
23 hours agoVancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson wasn't on the ice for Tuesday's practice session due to an illness. The Canucks are preparing to continue their playoff journey with Game 1 against Edmonton on Wednesday, and Pettersson's absence on Tuesday leaves a question mark hanging over him ahead of the series opener. After notching 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 regular-season games, the Swedish star has been quiet in the playoffs. He had zero goals and three assists in a six-game series against Nashville in Round 1.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Bachelor
23 hours agoDallas Stars winger Mason Marchment (undisclosed) will miss a sixth consecutive game on Tuesday against Colorado. The 28-year-old power forward has resumed skating after suffering an undisclosed injury early into first-round action, but he will be out for at least one more contest. Evgenii Dadonov is filling in for Marchment on the second line. The Russian veteran notched three points (two goals, one assist) in seven appearances in the first round against the Vegas Golden Knights.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce LeVine
23 hours agoDallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (lower body) will remain on the shelf for Tuesday's Game 1 against Colorado. He missed the end of the regular season and didn't see any action in the first round against Vegas due to a lower-body injury. However, Hakanpaa could be ready to return to the Stars lineup at some point during the second-round series. The Finnish blue-liner would add toughness to the team -- he led Dallas with 196 hits in 64 regular-season outings. Hakanpaa was also among the team leaders with 123 blocks while tallying 12 points (two goals, 10 assists).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce LeVine
23 hours agoColorado Avalanche winger Joel Kiviranta (lower body) will remain out for Game 1 against Dallas on Tuesday. The former Star suffered a lower-body injury in the first round versus Winnipeg and will miss a third consecutive game. Before getting knocked out of the lineup, Kiviranta posted one assist in three games while averaging 10:14 of ice time in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's been logging bottom-six minutes all season and shouldn't make a major impact offensively once his back. However, Kiviranta had some success against his former team during the regular season, with two points (one goal, one assist) in four games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Katie Gaus
2 days agoLos Angeles Kings forward Pierre-Luc Dubois looks set to remain on the team for now, with general manager Rob Blake saying there aren't any plans to buy out his contract. There was speculation of a potential buyout for Dubois following a disappointing campaign in Los Angeles. After enjoying back-to-back 60-point years in Winnipeg, Dubois managed only 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games in his first season with the Kings. His struggles continued in the playoffs, where Dubois recorded only one point in a five-game series against the Oilers in the first round. The 25-year-old has the third-highest salary cap hit on the Kings squad with $8 million and is tied to the club through the 2030-31 campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
2 days agoWinnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness has decided to retire from the NHL. His decision comes after Bowness failed to get the Jets past the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing to Colorado in five games. Bowness, who turned 69 in January, worked 38 years behind different benches in the NHL. He held seven head-coaching positions, leading the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. The Jets appointed him as head coach ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Bowness, one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award this season, bows out with a 310-408-48-37 career record as a head coach in the NHL.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoFlorida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been confirmed as the team's starter for Game 1 against Boston on Monday. He'll be looking to get rid of some demons on Monday night after going 0-2-2 against the Bruins during the regular season. Bobrovsky's form wasn't great in the first round against the Lightning, as the Russian netminder allowed 2.78 goals with a .896 save percentage, but he's benefiting from playing behind a red-hot offense. The Panthers produced 4.00 goals per game against their neighbors in Round 1. Bobrovsky would no doubt love to get the same level of goal support against Boston.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
2 days agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is expected to make his sixth consecutive start in Monday's Game 1 against the Panthers. Swayman provided rock-solid play during the first round against Toronto and will be trusted to make a difference again versus Florida. The 25-year-old netminder boasts four wins from six starts this postseason and has allowed 1.49 goals with a .950 save percentage. His form gets a huge test in the second round after Florida averaged 4.00 goals in its first-round series against Tampa Bay. Swayman won his lone regular-season decision against the Panthers 4-3 with an 18-save effort.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Steve Conroy
2 days agoBoston Bruins left wing Danton Heinen (undisclosed) will miss a third straight game on Monday against Florida. The 28-year-old appears close to returning to the lineup and was even considered a game-time call for Saturday's Game 7 against Toronto. However, his comeback won't happen in the second-round opener. Heinen made five appearances in Round 1, picking up one point via an assist. He couldn't score with 11 shots on goal. Justin Brazeau is seeing third-line minutes in his stead. The 26-year-old rookie had one point in three games with four shots on goal against the Maple Leafs in the first round.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Boston Bruins
2 days agoBoston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (personal) will be a game-time decision for Monday's series opener against Florida. Carlo and his wife, Mayson, welcomed their second child in the early hours of Monday morning. He's traveling to join the team in Sunrise, but it's not fully clear if Carlo will be in the lineup. "We're very hopeful. I don't have a determination on that yet," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after Monday's morning skate. Carlo has averaged over 21 minutes a night in the 2024 postseason, picking up two points (one goal, one assist) in seven games with 11 shots on goal, 16 hits, and 16 blocks. Derek Forbort could see his first action since March 2 if Carlo isn't good to go.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jimmy Murphy
2 days agoCarolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho finished Sunday's 4-3 loss in Game 1 against the Rangers with two assists. He helped Jaccob Slavin get an equalizer early in the game and collected his second assist when Seth Jarvis scored the final goal late in the third. The Hurricanes star broke a mini-slump with the effort, having gone scoreless in the final two games of the first-round series against the Islanders. Aho also celebrated a franchise record on Sunday, passing Ron Francis for the most points in series-opening games in Hurricanes/Whalers history. He's on two goals and five points through his first six postseason appearances in 2024.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoNew York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad led the charge as the team opened its second-round series against Carolina with a 4-3 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Zibanejad needed less than three minutes of action at the start of the game to open the scoring and totaled two goals and an assist in the contest. He had all of his points in the first period, collecting two with the man advantage. This was Zibanejad's second career three-point playoff game. After picking up only four points (one goal, three assists) in seven postseason appearances a year ago, Zibanejad has been a changed man in the 2024 playoffs with a team-high 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in five games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoDallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger played his part in Sunday's 2-1 victory in Game 7 against Vegas with 22 saves. Brett Howden found a way past him late in the second period, but Oettinger played a rock-solid game from start to finish. The Stars' No. 1 had a big role in the team's comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the series, allowing only eight goals across the final five games. He finished the series with a 1.95 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Oettinger will need to tame the Avalanche's fierce offense in Round 2. He was 1-2-0 in the matchup during the regular season, giving up nearly five goals per game (4.74).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoDallas Stars center Radek Faksa scored the decisive goal as the team took down Vegas 2-1 in Sunday's Game 7. After missing three games with an undisclosed injury and being a healthy scratch for Game 6 of the series, Faksa popped up with a memorable goal with 44 seconds played in the third period. Faksa's playoff goals don't come around too often, with this being only his ninth postseason marker in 74 appearances. Sunday's goal gave him 20 career postseason points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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