3 days agoVegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill will be between the pipes for Friday's must-win Game 6 against the Dallas Stars. Logan Thompson started the first four games of the series but Hill was in net for Wednesday's 3-2 loss in Game 5. Vegas won the first two games of the series in Dallas but have since dropped three straight and are on the ropes Friday night on home ice. Hill posted a 2.71 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage across 35 regular-season games and turned aside 22 of the 25 shots he faced (.880 Sv%) in Dallas in Game 5. The 27-year-old posted a stellar 2.17 GAA and .932 Sv% in 16 games (14 starts) en route to a Stanley Cup championship last season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Granger
3 days agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews' status for Game 7 of the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins remains uncertain as he deals with an illness. The star pivot has missed the past two games but the Leafs have managed to reel off back-to-back victories to force a series-deciding Game 7 on Saturday in Boston. "Yeah, there's been progress, he skated again here today but no determination on his availability," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. Matthews paced the league with 69 goals during the regular season while adding 38 assists for 107 points and 369 shots on goal across 81 games.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoThe Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Steven Stamkos have begun preliminary discussions on his next contract. The veteran of 16 NHL seasons, all with the Lightning, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 if a new deal is not hammered out. "I had a short conversation with [Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois] after [Game 5]; he reached out to my agent," Stamkos said at Tampa Bay's locker cleanout on Wednesday. "That's all that we have right now, but for sure hopefully there's some discussions and you have to start somewhere, so I'm looking forward to that." The 34-year-old tallied 40 goals and 81 points on 262 shots on goal across 79 regular-season games before tallying five goals in five first-round games against the Florida Panthers.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce (lower body) could be available for the team's second-round series against the New York Rangers, according to general manager Don Waddell. The veteran appeared to suffer a lower-body injury while turning up ice during Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the New York Islanders. "Brett is out of his walking boot, doing things right now," Waddell said on Wednesday. "If everything goes as expected, he shall play games in this round. Maybe not right off the start, but he will play games in this round." The 29-year-old tallied three goals and 13 points alongside 113 blocked shots across 70 regular-season contests. It's unclear when the Hurricanes' series with the Rangers will begin.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett (hand) is expected to return to action for the team's second-round series against either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs, according to head coach Paul Maurice. Bennett appeared to suffer a hand injury after being hit by teammate Brandon Montour's point shot during Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "That's a very real possibility," Maurice said on Wednesday. "He will skate tomorrow for the first time and then I will give you an update before the next series starts." The 27-year-old notched 20 goals and 41 points in 69 regular-season games but added plenty of physicality in the form of 173 hits and 100 penalty minutes. He tallied a goal and an assist before departing Game 2 against the Lightning.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoNew York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox did not skate for the second day in a row on Thursday due to what is being described as maintenance. His status for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Carolina Hurricanes is unclear. "When our players return to the ice, they return to the ice," Rangers bench boss Peter Laviolette said on Thursday. "So, if he's cleared for practice he's cleared for practice." It's worth noting that Fox took a knee-on-knee hit from Capitals blueliner Nick Jensen in Sunday's series-clinching victory. The 26-year-old tallied 17 goals and 73 points in 72 regular-season games but was limited to just a pair of assists across the four-game, first-round series with the Caps.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoNashville Predators defenseman Luke Schenn is hopeful to play in Game 6 of the team's first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks after missing Game 5 with an illness. "Much better today," Schenn said on Thursday. "It seemed like it was more of a 24-hour thing, now just kind of recovering. It's actually a blessing in disguise having two days between games here." Schenn said his illness kicked in after waking up from his pregame nap on Tuesday. The veteran appeared in 63 regular-season games, notching a goal and seven points in that time while providing his usual physicality in the form of 202 hits and 43 penalty minutes. The Preds need a win on Friday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (illness) will not be in the lineup for Game 6 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. The star pivot missed Game 5 due to an illness, and it appears the issue will keep the 26-year-old out again on Thursday. Matthews notched a goal and two assists in a Game 2 win but has otherwise been held off the scoresheet in his other three games played in the series. The Maple Leafs need another win in Game 6 to avoid elimination, as the Bruins lead 3-2 in the series. If Toronto manages to win, Game 7 would be on Saturday in Boston.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
6 days agoNashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg posted an assist on both of his team's goals in their Game 5 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Preds stayed alive in the series with a 2-1 win, pushing the Canucks to Game 6, which will take place in Nashville. Forsberg has been the Predators' best player so far this series, tallying six points (two goals, four assists) in four games, but he's going to need more help if they want to complete the comeback, as Nashville has had major difficulties with scoring in this series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros had a solid performance in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, picking up a 2-1 victory. Saros helped the Preds stave off elimination, stopping 19 of 20 shots in his best outing of the series. The Predators will need their veteran goaltender to keep having performances like this if they want to come back and win this series, as his current .879 SV% isn't good enough to win the team two more games. It has been a low-scoring series so far and the difference could easily be which goaltender is better, so Saros could have to steal a game or two.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had another solid showing in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets, helping the team to a 6-3 win that ended the series. MacKinnon put up a pair of helpers on two Mikko Rantanen third-period goals that sealed the deal for the Avs. He put up a herculean effort in the series, notching nine points (two goals, seven assists) in five games. The Avalanche will now face the winner of the Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoColorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen scored two goals and added an assist in a 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of their first-round series. Rantanen scored both his goals in the third period, with the first breaking a 3-3 tie and the second coming as an important insurance tally. The 27-year-old had a huge first round, posting nine points (two goals, seven assists) while playing on the Avs first line and first powerplay unit. Rantanen, Mackinnon, and Nichushkin looked absolutely dominant for the entire series and will be extremely hard to shut down for any team they come across.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll was at his best in Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Boston Bruins, backstopping the Leafs to a 2-1 overtime victory. Woll stopped 27 of 28 shots, including a few game-savers late in the third and in overtime. The 25-year-old was thrust into a difficult position on Tuesday, as he was asked to start his first game of the playoffs with the team down 3-1 in the series. Ilya Samsonov started the first four games of the series but had some difficulties and was pulled after the second period of Game 4. The Leafs decided to go with Woll for Game 5 and it paid dividends, so they will likely return to him for the remainder of the series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoToronto Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies kept the team's playoff hopes alive in a 2-1 Game 5 win over the Boston Bruins. Knies pounced on a rebound in front of the net early in overtime and cut their series deficit to 3-2. The 21-year-old was the first rookie to score an overtime-winner in an elimination game for the Leafs, a fact that is hard to believe for a franchise that has been around for over 100 years. Knies now has a pair of goals in the series and should continue to see top-six ice time, even if Auston Matthews returns to the fold.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoCarolina Hurricanes center Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up two points in a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their first-round series. Kuznetsov scored on a penalty shot late in the first to give the Canes a 3-1 lead and then assisted on Stefan Noesen's third-period marker that made the game 5-3 and out of reach for the Islanders. Kuznetsov played most of the series on the team's fourth line, but that isn't much of an insult on a team as deep as the Hurricanes. He was able to post four points in five games even with limited ice time and was a key part of a solid bottom six.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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