3 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
3 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
3 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
3 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
3 days agoBoston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak scored his 36th career postseason goal in Monday's 3-2 defeat against the Maple Leafs. The Czech star entered the contest with a season-worst six-game goal drought. He went 22 consecutive shots without a goal before getting on the board late in the first period on Monday. Only eight players in Bruins history have scored more playoff goals than Pastrnak, and he's had a lot of success against Toronto throughout the years with eight postseason goals. The series continues in Canada on Wednesday, with Pastrnak sitting on one goal, one assist, and six shots through the first couple of encounters.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi registered a goal and an assist as the team tied the first-round series against Boston with a 3-2 victory on Monday. Domi got the Maple Leafs on the board in the middle of the first frame and registered the primary assist when Auston Matthews hit the game-winner with eight minutes left to play in regulation. Sitting on the first line with Matthews, Domi finds himself in a superb spot to make a big impact in the series.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce suffered a lower-body injury in Monday's Game 2 win over the Islanders and might be shelved for a while. "That's not looking good," said Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour about Pesce's injury postgame. The 29-year-old blue-liner was minus-one across 8:47 of action before leaving the contest on Monday. Pesce doesn't provide a lot fantasy-wise, but he has been a valued member of the team and averaged over 20 minutes of ice time during the regular season as a member of the second defensive pairing. Tony DeAngelo is looking at an opportunity to join the lineup for Game 3 on Thursday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Walt Ruff
4 days agoVegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone got his team off to a good start in their Game 1 win over the Dallas Stars, scoring the first goal of the game in a 4-3 win. In Stone's first game back from a lacerated spleen, he found the back of the net just 1:23 into the contest. The powerplay goal sent social media into a frenzy, as Stone has now come back from injury just in time for the playoffs to begin three times during his Golden Knights tenure, allowing the team to load up at the trade deadline while his salary cap hit sits on injured reserve. Whether this is fair play or some underhanded tactics by Vegas is up for debate, but Stone being a huge addition to their team is certainly not.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoCarolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho was instrumental in the team's comeback 5-3 win in Game 2 over the New York Islanders, scoring the game-tying goal and assisting on the empty-netter that iced the game. Aho tied the game up with just 2:45 remaining in the third period, and the Canes scored again just nine seconds later to put themselves ahead for good. Carolina's top scorer showed why he is one of the most underrated players in the league in Monday's win and is part of the reason why the Hurricanes are a decent bet to go deep in these playoffs.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis posted a goal and two assists in a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 2 of their first-round series. After going down 3-0, Jarvis posted points on the Canes' first three goals. The 22-year-old was a revelation for the Hurricanes this year, posting 67 points (33 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games. If he can continue that level of play in the playoffs, it should give Carolina some of the scoring they will need to advance deeper than they've been able to in recent years. With the comeback win, the Canes grabbed a 2-0 stranglehold on the series.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard helped lift the team to a 7-4 Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, notching four assists. Two of Bouchard's assists came on the powerplay, which was his bread and butter throughout the regular season. He is a huge part of why the team was so successful with the man advantage this year and should play a big role during the playoffs as well. His breakout has transformed the Oilers into an even more dangerous team this year, one that might be capable of going all the way.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid came up big in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, notching five assists in a 7-4 win. McDavid was in top form on Monday, providing two even-strength assists and three more on the powerplay. The Oilers looked unstoppable offensively in this one, with McDavid playing a huge role in that. If they can continue playing this well it is going to be hard to stop them from going on a long playoff run.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoEdmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman went off for three goals and an assist in a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of their first-round series. Hyman opened the scoring in the first period and added another in the second and third for his first career playoff hat trick. The 31-year-old just continues to get better with age, and it looks like he won't be slowing down from his 54-goal regular season. Playing with Connor McDavid also helps and could lead to many more goals during this playoff run for Hyman.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored the game-winning goal and added a pair of assists in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of their first-round series. Matthews dominated this one, adding eight shots and six hits to round out his stat line. He was sprung on a breakaway by Max Domi late in the third and put a sweet move on Boston goalie Linus Ullmark before tucking away the tie-breaking goal. If the Leafs are going to go far in the playoffs for once, they'll need Matthews to continue to be the game-breaker that he was in this game.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoSan Jose Sharks forwards Mike Hoffman, Kevin Labanc, and Alexander Barabanov will all walk as free agents this offseason, according to general manager Mike Grier. It was a difficult season for the trio and the Sharks overall as the team finished dead last with 47 points on the season. Hoffman notched 10 goals and 23 points in 66 games. Labanc's struggles were immense this season as he tallied just two goals and nine points in 46 games, a far cry from the 17 goals and 56 points he tallied in 82 games in 2018-19. As for Barabanov, the Russian tallied just four goals and 13 points in 46 games. All three forwards served as healthy scratches regularly throughout the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Curtis Pashelka
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