3 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
3 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
3 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
3 days agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their first-round series, helping clinch a second-round appearance against the New York Rangers. Jarvis was electric in the series, posting seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games. The 22-year-old had a breakout season and is an integral part of the Cane's offensive game as part of their second line and first powerplay unit. He will be an important part of their success, both in these playoffs and for years to come.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoWinnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti will enter the lineup and make his NHL postseason debut on Tuesday in Game 5 against the Colorado Avalanche. He will take the roster spot of Vladislav Namestnikov who will miss the game with a fractured cheekbone suffered in Game 4 in Colorado on Saturday. "Obviously, I've wanted to play in the "Whiteout" for a while, and now I'm getting the chance to do that in a huge game," Perfetti said. "It's going to be a lot of fun and I'm just looking forward to it and I'm just going to try and enjoy it and play my game and probably just soak it all in. It's going to be fun." The 22-year-old tallied 19 goals and 38 points on 142 shots on goal across 71 games during the regular season. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will be looking to get back on the right track in Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Colorado Avalanche. It's been a struggle for the Vezina Trophy finalist in the series as Hellebuyck has allowed 19 goals through the first four games of the series, turning in an .870 save percentage in that time while dropping three straight games. Despite taking on the league's No. 1-ranked regular-season offense, Hellebuyck's struggles remain a surprise considering he posted a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage across 60 games. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mitchell Clinton
4 days agoBoston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will be back between the pipes for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. There hasn't been a confirmation on Swayman starting but Linus Ullmark stayed out for extra work in Tuesday's morning skate, strongly suggesting Swayman would again be the team's starting netminder. Swayman has dominated the Leafs in this series, stopping 87 of 91 shots (.956 save percentage) in three games, earning the win in each contest. Additionally, the 25-year-old sports a sound 2.60 goals-against average and a sterling .917 Sv% across six regular-season outings against the club's Atlantic Division rival.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fluto
4 days agoNew York Islanders forward Matt Martin will not dress for Game 5 of the team's first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday due to a lower-body injury. Martin missed Game 4 on Saturday and was replaced by forward Simon Holmstrom. "Still the same. Day to day," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said Monday. "He's a leader on our team, so guys want to be around him for sure." The veteran appeared in 57 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign, notching four goals and eight points along with 43 penalty minutes in just 9:19 of ice time per game. He was held off the scoresheet through the first three games of the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoWinnipeg Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon (hand) and forward Vladislav Namestnikov (cheekbone) will both be out for Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Colorado Avalanche. Dillon suffered a lacerated hand in an altercation in Game 3 while Namestnikov was struck in the face by a deflected Nate Schmidt point shot in Game 4 in Colorado on Sunday. Defenseman Colin Miller, acquired in a trade with the Devils on March 8, will make his series debut in Dillon's absence while Cole Perfetti will make his NHL postseason debut in place of Namestnikov. The Jets need a win on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoBoston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk appears to be back in the lineup for Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rear guard didn't stay out late during Tuesday's morning skate while Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jakub Lauko, and Linus Ullmark did. It appears Grzelcyk will take Shattenkirk's spot in the lineup. The 30-year-old didn't appear in either of the two games in Toronto after playing in the series' first two games in Boston. For the season, Grzelcyk tallied two goals and 11 points on 59 shots across 63 games, blocking 76 shots while adding a plus-13 rating to his ledger. The Bruins can win the series with a victory on Tuesday on home ice.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
4 days agoWashington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie is unsure if he will be able to keep playing next season due to recurring issues with his back. Back injuries along with a concussion limited the veteran to just 52 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign. "I'd love to play next year, but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won't be -- it's hard putting everyone through the situation," Oshie said on Tuesday. "From my family at home to the team trying to figure out a lineup to young guys getting called up and going down, I'd like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it." Oshie was limited to just 12 goals and 25 points in his 52 games and notched just one assist in the team's first-round sweep at the hands of the New York Rangers.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren (undisclosed) will draw back into the lineup for Game 5 on Tuesday versus the Boston Bruins. The Swede didn't dress for Game 4 on Saturday, as head coach Sheldon Keefe said Liljegren wasn't 100 percent healthy as the reasoning for the scratch. It doesn't appear Liljegren agrees with that notion. "I don't know, I feel good," Liljegren said. "I was a bit surprised (to come out), but it is what it is." Liljegren is expected to take the spot of T.J. Brodie, who drew in for the first time in the series on Saturday. The 2017 first-round pick turns 25 years old on Tuesday and notched three goals and 23 points on 62 shots on goal with another 116 blocks across 55 games this season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is expected to be the team's starting goaltender for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Boston Bruins. Woll didn't take part in the morning skate while both Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones did, suggesting Woll will indeed be between the pipes for his first start of the series. Woll replaced Samsonov for the third period of Game 4 on Saturday and turned aside all five shots he faced in his team's 3-1 loss. The 25-year-old took over the starting role from Samsonov early in the season but suffered a high-ankle sprain in early December and missed nearly three months. He worked to a 2.94 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage across 25 regular-season appearances.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (illness) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's Game 5 contest against the Boston Bruins. The superstar has been dealing with an illness that forced him out of the third period of Saturday's 3-1 Game 4 loss. "Obviously he was on the ice today, so he's working through things to try to make himself available to play," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "No determination at this time." The head coach declined to answer when asked if there is something else other than the illness bothering Matthews. Matthews led the league with 69 regular-season goals but has just a single tally through the first four games of this series.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 days agoNew York Islanders forward Matt Martin (lower body) will not dress for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 34-year-old traveled with the team to Raleigh but will not suit up for Tuesday's contest. Martin has been sidelined for the past two games due to a lower-body issue. "Still the same. Day-to-day," head coach Patrick Roy said on Monday. "He's a leader on our team. so guys want to be around him for sure." Martin tallied four goals and eight points to go along with 43 penalty minutes across 57 games during the regular season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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