April 26, 2025
Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi (upper body) is considered a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the St. Louis Blues. He was a full participant in Saturday's practice and is closing in on his return. An upper-body injury has kept Vilardi sidelined for 14 games. Before the injury took him out of the lineup, Vilardi was flying, registering a career-high 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in 71 appearances with 130 shots on goal. Vilardi's return will likely end Alex Iafallo's stint on the top line. During the regular season, Vilardi had two goals on three shots in three meetings with the Blues.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Murat Ates
April 26, 2025
Dallas Stars forward Oskar Back (oblique) will be a game-time decision for Saturday's tilt against the Colorado Avalanche. The Swedish forward sustained an oblique injury in Game 3 on Wednesday night. He participated in the morning skate but may still sit out the action on Saturday. Skating on the fourth line, Back has recorded one assist, one shot, and two hits in the series, averaging 11:29 of ice time. If he can't go on Saturday, the Stars plan to bring Mavrik Bourque back into the lineup. He went scoreless with three shots on goal in Game 1, finishing with a minus-two rating across 10:37 of action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Lia Assimakopoulos
April 26, 2025
Colorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton (lower body) will remain out of the lineup on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. The 28-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the series opener and will miss a third consecutive game. Initially, the team replaced Colton with Miles Wood in the lineup, but Gabriel Landeskog has since entered the frame. The Avalanche captain ended a 1,032-day absence in Game 3 and will remain in the lineup on Saturday, moving up to the second line. Jonathan Drouin, who has registered two power-play assists in the series, will drop to the third line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
April 26, 2025
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) will remain sidelined for Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. The Finnish blue-liner has resumed skating and traveled with the team to Denver, but his absence will extend to 35 consecutive games. Heiskanen's next opportunity to return will be on Monday when the series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5. Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell will continue to eat up big minutes in defense until Heiskanen returns. The former leads all skaters on the team with an average ice time of 31:05 and has also recorded the most points with three (one goal, two assists) in the postseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
April 26, 2025
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 of 27 shots, leading the team to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime on Friday night. Markstrom let a 2-0 lead slip in the third period as Carolina scored two power-play goals. However, he was then forced into only three saves before Simon Nemec ended the contest with 2:36 played in the second overtime. Prior to Friday night, Markstrom had lost four consecutive starts since his last few outings in the regular season. He is now 1-2 in these playoffs, with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. While the Devils have benefited from excellent goaltending by Markstrom, they need to generate more offense to keep pace with Carolina in the series.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 26, 2025
Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield recorded two points in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. He potted his second postseason goal late in the second period to give Montreal a 3-2 lead and assisted Juraj Slafkovsky on the team's fifth goal in the third frame. It was a shooting barrage throughout the night from Caufield, who had 11 of the team's 35 shots on Washington's net. Overall, the young forward has generated 19 shots on goal in the postseason, picking up three points (two goals, one assist) in as many games. Montreal will need Caufield to maintain his form to battle back from a 2-1 deficit in the series.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 26, 2025
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid finished Friday's 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings with three points, scoring an empty-net goal and registering two even-strength assists. McDavid became the fourth player in franchise history to record 20 three-point playoff games, joining Wayne Gretzky (39), Jari Kurri (26), and Mark Messier (22). It was an impressive bounce-back performance from the Oilers captain after he was held scoreless in Game 2. Edmonton trails in the series 2-1, but McDavid has once again crushed it in the postseason, recording two goals and seven assists in three games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 26, 2025
New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic (undisclosed) did not finish Friday's Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He logged only 6:00 of ice time in a 3-2 double-overtime win and did not see any action after the first period. The 27-year-old recorded one shot on goal and two penalty minutes with a plus-one rating. Overall, Kovacevic has a minus-one rating across the series with two shots and eight hits. If Kovacevic cannot play in Sunday's Game 4, the Devils will likely turn to Dennis Cholowski or Seamus Casey.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 26, 2025
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault (lower body) was forced to exit Game 3 against the Washington Capitals early on Friday. He gave up the crease to Jakub Dobes in the middle of the second period due to a lower-body injury. The night ended with 11 saves on 13 shots for Montembeault. Dobes helped Montreal secure a 6-3 win, allowing one goal on eight shots. The Canadiens must rely on Dobes again if Montembeault doesn't recover in time for Sunday's Game 4. The 23-year-old turned heads during the regular season, posting a 7-4-3 record with a 2.74 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage, and one shutout.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 26, 2025
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson suffered an apparent left leg injury in Friday's Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens. He was forced to leave the contest with 6:37 remaining in regulation after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome. Following an outstanding start to the series, Thompson had a bad night on Friday, allowing five goals on 35 shots. His replacement, Charlie Lindgren, gave up one goal on five shots in the final few minutes. Thompson, who went 31-6-6 during the regular season, must recover by Sunday to avoid missing additional time. His absence would be a blow for Washington, although Lindgren is a capable replacement. He finished the regular season with a 20-14-3 record.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 26, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel has been suspended for one game. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Hagel's suspension on Friday night for "an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent" that injured Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov. As a result of the suspension, Hagel will be forced to sit out Saturday's Game 3 of the first-round series between the Lightning and Panthers. This is Hagel's first suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. The 26-year-old had an outstanding 90-point year this season, but has been held scoreless in the first two postseason contests. Conor Geekie and Yanni Gourde are potential candidates to move up in the lineup to fill in for Hagel in the top six.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 25, 2025
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has completed his 20-game suspension and is eligible to return to the lineup for Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Ekblad was suspended on March 10 for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He missed the final 18 regular-season games and the first two playoff contests against the Lightning. The 29-year-old recorded 33 points (three goals, 30 assists), 106 shots, 64 blocks, and 90 hits over 56 regular-season appearances, averaging 23:31 of ice time. Uvis Balinskis is expected to come out of the lineup to make room for Ekblad, who will take a top-four role and join one of the power-play units.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 25, 2025
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (undisclosed) is questionable for Saturday's matchup against the Florida Panthers. He was injured on Thursday night in a 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay and missed Friday's optional practice. "He hasn't been ruled out yet [for Game 3], and he hasn't been cleared," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Barkov on Friday. If Barkov can't play on Saturday, Maurice will likely use Sam Bennett as his first-line center, with Anton Lundell moving up to the second line. Tomas Nosek looks like the most likely candidate to fill the open spot in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 25, 2025
Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog is expected to assume a larger role in Saturday's Game 4 against the Dallas Stars. Making his first NHL appearance since the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, Landeskog skated on the third line in Wednesday's Game 3 loss, logging 13:16 of ice time. He finished the contest scoreless but had a game-high six hits. Now, the Avalanche plan to promote Landeskog to the second line for Saturday's game, and he is also expected to see time on the first power-play unit. Jonathan Drouin dropped down to the third line during Friday's practice.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 25, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard will replace Stuart Skinner between the pipes for Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night. Skinner struggled significantly in the first two games of the series, allowing 11 goals while registering a .810 save percentage. Pickard already saw some action in Game 2, replacing Skinner midway through the third period. He saved two of three shots. During the regular season, Pickard boasted a .900 save percentage, going 22-10-1. He recorded a 2.71 goals-against average. Two of his appearances were against the Kings, and Pickard lost both, allowing a total of seven goals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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