3 days agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner posted a shutout on Sunday as the Oilers took a 3-1 stranglehold on the Los Angeles Kings. Evan Bouchard's second-period power-play goal was all the offense in the contest as the Oilers go back home with a 3-1 lead and will look to put the Kings away on Wednesday. Skinner turned aside all 33 shots he faced and the Oilers won despite being outshot 33-13 in the contest. After allowing nine goals through the first two games of the series, the 25-year-old has yielded just a single tally over the last two contests, putting up a .987 save percentage in that time. He posted a 2.62 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage across 57 starts and 59 appearances during the regular season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck struggled once again as part of a 5-1 loss in Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The veteran allowed four goals on 30 shots (.867 save percentage) and was pulled late in the game in favor of backup Laurent Brossoit. With the effort, the American has now allowed 19 shots over the first four games of the series, posting an .870 Sv% in the process. While the Avalanche led the NHL with 3.68 goals per game this season, Hellebuyck's poor postseason remains a surprise considering he posted a 2.39 goals-against average and a .921 Sv% across 60 games in the regular season. The Jets need a win on home ice in Game 5 on Tuesday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar both notched a pair of points as part of a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 on Sunday. MacKinnon assisted on both of Valeri Nichushkin's second-period tallies while Makar assisted on Nichushkin's first of three goals before scoring a beauty of his own with just under five minutes to go in the middle frame. MacKinnon now has a multi-point effort in three of the first four games of the series and seven total points in the series. As for Makar, the 25-year-old now has two goals and a hefty eight points across the first four games. Game 5 goes Tuesday as the series switches back to Winnipeg with the Jets needing a win to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers center Derek Ryan will enter the lineup for his 2024 postseason debut on Sunday for Game 4 of the team's best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Kings. He will take the spot of center Sam Carrick on the fourth line. The veteran appeared in 70 regular-season games for the Oilers, notching five goals and 12 points in just 10:12 of average ice time per game. The 37-year-old didn't enter the league until the 2015-16 season and has tallied 81 goals and 203 points across 570 career games. He is skating in his ninth NHL season and also has 41 games of postseason experience under his belt, tallying three goals and nine points in that time.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Nugent-Bowman
4 days agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was excellent on Sunday, turning aside 26 of 27 shots (.963 save percentage) he faced as part of a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Avalanche now hold a command 3-1 series lead ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday in Winnipeg. The Russian was beaten by Mason Appleton with roughly six minutes to go in the first period but was perfect from there on out. After allowing seven goals in a 7-6 Game 1 loss, the 28-year-old has allowed just five goals over his last three games, posting a .938 save percentage in that time. Georgiev paced the NHL with 38 wins this season, the second straight season in which he led the NHL in that department after posting a league-leading 40 victories a season ago.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoColorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin notched a hat trick in Game 4 on Sunday to help steer his team to a 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He gave his team a 2-1 lead midway through the second period before extending the lead to 4-1 with just 24 seconds left in the middle frame. The Russian would then deposit his third goal of the game into an empty net with 13 seconds to go in the contest. The veteran now has a goal in each game this series and a whopping six tallies through the first four games. Add in his two-goal game in the final regular-season contest and Nichushkin now has eight goals over his last five games. The Avalanche lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday in Winnipeg.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoWinnipeg Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov is being treated at the hospital after taking a deflected slap shot off the head during Sunday's Game 4 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Namestnikov needed assistance getting off the ice midway through the third period and, of course, did not return to the game. The veteran has one goal through the first four games of the postseason after tallying 11 goals and 37 points on 95 shots on goal across 78 regular-season contests. The Jets are now on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-1 in the series ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mike McIntyre
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs center is dealing with an illness that has hampered his performance over the last two games of the team's first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins. Head coach Sheldon Keefe provided an update on Matthews on Sunday. "For whatever reason, it's not one of those everyday types of illnesses that sort of come and go. This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and gotten worse when he's on the ice asserting himself," Keefe said. Matthews didn't return for the third period of Game 4's 3-1 loss. The superstar has been held off the scoresheet over the last two games and in three of the four games this season following a regular season that saw him tally a hefty 69 goals and 107 points.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jonas Siegel
4 days agoLos Angeles Kings netminder David Rittich will be between the pipes for Saturday's Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot has started the first three games of the series but has been lit up for a 5.30 goals-against average and an .861 save percentage so far. "David's [going to] go," Kings coach Jim Hiller said following the morning skate Sunday. "We feel good about that. I thought Cam did a good job, that's not it. David's played really well for us, played well against Edmonton. We'll give him a go." Rittich was indeed excellent for the Kings this season, posting a 2.15 GAA and a .921 Sv% across 24 games (22 starts).
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoWashington Capitals defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen are both on track to return for Game 4 of the team's first-round series versus the New York Rangers on Sunday. Both defensemen have been sidelined by upper-body injuries and have yet to appear in the series. "On track to play tonight, so we'll see how the rest of the day goes. Looking optimistic," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said after Sunday's morning skate. "It should help us a bunch. Two guys that have been in our lineup the majority of the year." Sandin hasn't played since April 7 while Jensen has been out since April 13. The Capitals need a win on Sunday to avoid elimination.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Casey DeSmith is not dressing for Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Nashville Predators. The netminder's specific ailment hasn't been revealed but he was perhaps injured when Predators forward Michael McCarron hit him behind the net while he was playing the puck in the second period of Game 3. McCarron received a two-minute minor for interference on the play and was also fined 2K by the league. The 32-year-old turned aside 29 of 30 shots to earn the Game 3 win but it will be 23-year-old Arturs Silovs getting the nod in Game 4 on Sunday. The Canucks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 days agoThe Winnipeg Jets have recalled forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby from AHL Manitoba and he appeared in the team's morning skate on Saturday. No corresponding move was announced. The 26-year-old flew in immediately to Colorado from Texas where he had been taking on the Texas Stars in the AHL playoffs. Jonsson-Fjallby skated in 26 games with the Jets this season, tallying two goals and five points in that time. He was far from productive with Manitoba where he recorded 12 goals and 30 points across 41 contests. The Jets trail the Avalanche 2-1 in their best-of-seven first-round series after dropping a 6-2 decision Friday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Murat Ates
5 days agoToronto Maple Leafs winger Bobby McMann is processing well with his lower-body injury and the team hopes to see him back on the ice soon, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe. McMann hasn't appeared in a game since April 13 when he left a contest against the Detroit Red Wings early after getting hurt while clearing the puck shorthanded. Following a sluggish start, McMann enjoyed a nice season half to his season, tallying 13 goals over his final 33 games after recording just two goals through his first 23 contests. All told, the 27-year-old recorded 15 goals and 24 points across 56 games as part of his 11:34 of average ice time per game.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
5 days agoNew York Islanders center Mathew Barzal scored in double overtime in Game 4 on Saturday, helping his team avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. The 26-year-old tipped a Robert Bortuzzo shot to beat Frederik Andersen just 1:24 into the second overtime frame, notching his second goal of the game after tying the tilt at one apiece midway through the second period. Barzal had tallied just one assist through the first three games of the series but came up big when his team needed it the most on Saturday. Game 5 of the series goes Tuesday as the series switches back to Carolina.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson is moving down to the fourth line for Saturday's Game 4 versus the Boston Bruins. With William Nylander returning, Robertson is moving from the third line to the fourth line while Connor Dewar will come out of the lineup. While the 22-year-old has been held off the scoresheet through three postseason games, he was a very efficient goal-scorer during the regular season. Robertson tallied 14 goals and 27 points, nice totals not only because they were in just 56 games but in only 11:23 of average ice time per game. He has skated less than 10 minutes in each of the last two games of this series.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mark Masters
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