1 day agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday's 3-2 Game 2 win against Tampa Bay. He left the contest early in the second period. Before exiting, Bennett scored the first goal of the game and had a power-play assist on a Vladimir Tarasenko strike. Bennett missed 13 games during the regular season, and it looks like he might be forced to sit out some postseason action as well. Florida will re-evaluate him on Wednesday to determine Bennett's status for Thursday's Game 3. Anton Lundell or Eetu Luostarinen could take over as the second-line center if Bennett can't play.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoBoston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (finger) has been labeled as week-to-week after he was hurt in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs on Monday. The 26-year-old was limited to 10:20 of action due to an apparent finger injury and missed the entire third period. Peeke hasn't traveled with the team to Toronto, meaning he will sit for at least two games. Mason Lohrei or Parker Wotherspoon should take his spot in the lineup on Wednesday. Derek Forbort (undisclosed) has also traveled with the team but isn't expected to feature in Game 3.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
2 days agoFlorida Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg is feeling under the weather and won't play in Game 2 against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 29-year-old grinder will be replaced in the lineup by Steve Lorentz. Lomberg posted only seven points (five goals, two assists) in 75 regular-season appearances, but the team will definitely miss his physical presence on Tuesday. In the regular season, Niko Mikkola (198) was the only Panthers skater with more hits than Lomberg (179). He registered four hits and one shot on goal in 6:32 of action in Game 1 at the weekend. Lorentz settled for three points (one goal, two assists) in 38 games during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
2 days agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev will start Game 2 against Winnipeg on Tuesday. The Russian netminder opened the series with an awful performance, but Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar keeps faith in him. Georgiev allowed three first-period goals on eight shots in Game 1 and saved only 16 of 23 shots overall in a 7-6 loss. He kicked off the playoffs with a below-par performance after leading all goalies with 38 wins during the regular season. Georgiev now needs to prove that he can also cope with the postseason pressure.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Montano
2 days agoWashington Capitals defensemen Nick Jensen (upper body) and Rasmus Sandin (upper body) will remain out for Game 2 against the Rangers on Tuesday. Both players missed the end of the regular season with upper-body injuries and still need a bit more time to recover. Jensen misses a third consecutive game, and Sandin's absence stretches to six games. The injuries have left Washington very thin at the back. As a result, Lucas Johansen will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Tuesday. The younger brother of former All-Star Ryan Johansen has posted two points in nine regular-season appearances in the NHL.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Tom Gulitti
2 days agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard (concussion) isn't expected to play on Tuesday against Winnipeg. He's been out for three games with a concussion. Girard contributed with three goals and 15 assists in 58 regular-season appearances while also recording 76 hits and 99 blocks. Caleb Jones will continue to work on the blue line in his absence. Jones logged 11:57 of ice time in Game 1 against the Jets and had two hits with an even rating in a 13-goal thriller. Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Sean Walker all played at least 23 minutes and will do the heavy lifting again at the back on Tuesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Eric Engels
2 days agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will miss Tuesday's Game 2 against Nashville and is considered questionable for the rest of the series due to a lower-body injury. The Canucks No. 1 only recently returned to action after missing five weeks with a knee injury. He saved 20 of 22 shots in Game 1 against the Predators, helping Vancouver to a 4-2 win. Casey DeSmith, who has previously featured just once in the playoffs, will take over the crease while Demko heals. DeSmith has had an up-and-down year in Vancouver and posted a 12-9-6 record during the regular season, allowing 2.89 goals with a .896 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
2 days agoThe Philadelphia Flyers and goaltender Ivan Fedotov have agreed to a two-year contract extension that carries a $3.25 million average annual value. The 27-year-old was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft but didn't join the team until late in the 2023-24 regular season after his campaign with the KHL's CSKA Moscow came to a conclusion. Fedotov struggled in his limited NHL time, posting a 4.95 goals-against average and an .811 save percentage in three appearances but was largely brilliant throughout his lengthy stint in the KHL. He posted a 2.37 GAA and a .914 Sv% across 44 games with CSKA Moscow this season and has been as good as a 2.10 GAA and a .931 Sv% across 32 outings back in the 2019-20 season
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Darren Dreger
2 days agoNew Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier is set to undergo shoulder surgery on Tuesday but is expected to be ready for training camp ahead of next season. The power forward said he also dealt with a double MCL issue and oblique injuries in what amounted to a down offensive season despite leading New Jersey in goal-scoring. Meier tallied 28 goals and 52 points on 207 shots on goal this season after recording 40 goals and 66 points on a hefty 327 shots on goal across 78 games last season. Fellow Devils forward Jack Hughes has also undergone shoulder surgery while he too expects to be ready for next season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoWashington Capitals defenseman Lucas Johansen is set to make his NHL postseason debut on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. The 26-year-old appeared in six regular-season games with the Caps this season, notching an assist in that time, but will get into a postseason contest for the first time in Game 2. "It's pretty exciting. I'm really looking forward to it," Johansen said following an optional skate Tuesday. "We're going to be ready to go tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. It's a pretty cool spot to be doing it for the first time." In addition to his six NHL games, Johansen also appeared in 22 AHL contests, noticing two goals and 12 points in that time. The Caps will look to even the series at one game apiece on Tuesday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce (lower body) is questionable for Thursday's Game 3 of the team's first-round series against the New York Islanders. The veteran suffered a non-contact injury while attempting to join an offensive rush in the second period of Monday's Game 2 win. "We'll reassess," Hurricanes bench boss Rod Brind'Amour said on Tuesday. "We will find out more about Pesce today. So, I think we will wait and see for right now. Don't really want to jump the gun yet." The 29-year-old recorded three goals and 13 points in 70 games this season while adding 113 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating to his ledger. The Hurricanes stormed back to steal a 5-3 victory on Monday, increasing their series lead to 2-0 when the series switches to Long Island on Thursday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (undisclosed) could potentially return to the lineup for Wednesday's Game 3 of the first round against the Boston Bruins. The star winger has missed the first two games of the postseason with an undisclosed injury, but head coach Sheldon Keefe said he could return in Game 3. "There's not much happening for us today except for getting ready to travel, but it's a possibility for us tomorrow, I guess, is all I would say." Nylander tied a career-high with 40 goals this season and posted a career-high 98 points while skating in all 82 regular-season contests. The Maple Leafs tied the series with a 3-2 win on Monday night before the series shifts to Toronto on Wednesday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoLos Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe had a team-high two points in Monday's playoff opener against the Oilers, logging a goal and an assist in a 7-4 defeat. He bagged the team's second goal late in the second period and assisted Pierre-Luc Dubois on the Kings' third with three minutes left in regulation. Kempe now boasts a seven-game postseason scoring streak. He totaled five goals and three assists in six meetings with Edmonton in last year's opening round. Kempe also had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games against Edmonton in the playoffs two seasons ago, so this is a matchup that suits him very well.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoEdmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique bagged a goal and an assist when the team opened its 2024 playoff campaign with a comfortable 7-4 victory over Los Angeles Monday night. Lining up on the first line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, Henrique scored Edmonton's second goal in the middle of the first period and tallied the assist when Hyman put the Oilers 3-0 up early in the second. The veteran hadn't scored a postseason goal since Game 6 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. The 4,333 days between the two Henrique strikes mark the longest stretch without a postseason goal by a player in NHL history. It's an unpleasant record to have, but after going 12 years without a single goal, Henrique should get plenty of joy in front of the net in 2024 with McDavid next to him.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov played his part in Monday's comeback victory against the Islanders with two assists. A poor start put Carolina in a 3-0 hole, but the team found a way to turn the game on its head and grabbed a 2-0 series lead with a 5-3 victory. Svechnikov came up with his first assist when Sebastian Aho tied the game at the 17:45 mark in the third period, and he collected his second helper on Jake Guentzel's empty-net goal. These are Svechnikov's first points of the series. He's sitting on the top line with Aho and Guentzel and should do a lot more damage in the 2024 playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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