May 2, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand missed the postseason due to left thigh compartment syndrome. General manager Julien BriseBois said on Friday that Bjorkstrand required emergency surgery on April 12 after injuring his leg the previous day in a game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Danish veteran was acquired by the Lightning from the Seattle Kraken on March 5. He made 18 appearances with the team, recording five goals and nine points. There is no timetable for his return. The 30-year-old will be in the final season of a five-year, $27 million contract in 2025-26. If he can get back to 100 percent before the start of next season and does not experience any lingering issues from the surgery, Bjorkstrand should enjoy a good campaign on a talented Lightning roster.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
May 2, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman finished the season with a broken foot. Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois revealed on Friday that Hedman broke his right foot in Monday's Game 4 against the Florida Panthers. Despite the injury, Hedman led all skaters in ice time with 26:37 and had two assists in Game 5. The former Norris Trophy winner was wearing a walking boot during his season-ending media press conference on Friday. Hedman's production dipped a bit in 2024-25, but he remained among the highest-scoring defensemen in the league, with 66 points (15 goals, 51 assists) in 79 games. He is expected to be back to 100 percent for the start of next season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
May 2, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel suffered a concussion in Monday's Game 4 against the Florida Panthers, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois revealed on Friday. Hagel was knocked out of the lineup for Game 5 of the series due to a hit from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. It was a disappointing conclusion to a remarkable year for Hagel, who amassed a career-high 90 points (35 goals, 55 assists) in 82 regular-season games. With his 35 goals, he established a single-season NHL record for the most goals scored by a player without registering any power-play goals. Hagel is expected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2025-26 season and has set a high bar for himself moving forward.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
May 2, 2025
St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (lower body) did not skate on Friday morning and is expected to miss a second consecutive game in the first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. The 25-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in Game 4. With him out, the Blues reinserted Ryan Suter back into the lineup for Game 5. Overall, the veteran rearguard has made three appearances in the series, recording four blocks and a minus-two rating while averaging 16:30 of action. Suter's best days are clearly behind him, and DFS managers should look for other options.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
May 2, 2025
Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers (foot) is set to re-enter the lineup for Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. He has been out for seven games due to a foot injury. Ehlers' return comes at a great time for the Jets, who will be without Mark Scheifele (undisclosed) on Friday. He will take up a spot on the second line next to Cole Perfetti and Adam Lowry. The Danish forward has previously struggled to perform in the postseason, notching only 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 37 career playoff appearances. However, Ehlers matched his career high with 39 assists and ended the regular season with 63 points in 69 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen tallied four points -- all in the second period -- during Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The former Avalanche player registered one goal and three assists, tying the NHL record for the most points in a playoff period. Incredibly, Roope Hintz also had four points (two goals, two assists) as Dallas earned a 4-3 lead, marking the NHL's first instance of teammates each recording four points in a playoff period. Rantanen contributed just one assist in the first four games of the series, but he has suddenly kicked into gear with two goals and five assists over the last two contests. He should be highly motivated to maintain his form in Game 7 against the team that traded him in January.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz had a standout game with four points on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, but ended up on the losing side with a 7-4 scoreline. Hintz scored two goals and recorded two assists as the Stars overcame a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead in the second period. However, things unraveled for the team in the final 14 minutes of regulation, as Colorado netted four unanswered goals. Mikko Rantanen also tallied four points in the second period (one goal, three assists), making the two Finns the first pair of teammates in NHL history to each record four points in a playoff period. The Stars will be disappointed that they couldn't close out the series on Thursday night, but Hintz's improvement in form is encouraging ahead of Saturday's Game 7. Six of his seven points this postseason have come over the past two games. Hintz boasts four goals and three assists for the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar finished Thursday's 7-4 win in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars with a goal and two assists. Makar set up Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas for a pair of goals before potting the game's final tally in an empty-net situation. Entering Thursday's action, Dallas had nullified Makar offensively in three consecutive games. The star blue-liner has had a tough time in the series, but all will be forgotten if he can put together another big performance in Saturday's Game 7. Makar has registered five points (one goal, four assists), 25 shots, eight blocks, and eight hits in six playoff games this year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon recorded three points as the team staved off elimination with a 7-4 victory against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Colorado's star forward was quiet for most of the night but sparked into life late in the game. He collected all his points inside the final 11 minutes of play, recording a goal and two assists. MacKinnon was credited with a Stars own goal at the 9:02 mark in the third period, which ended up being the game-winning tally. He then picked up his helpers with the Dallas net empty. This tied MacKinnon for the franchise record for most points in a playoff period. While MacKinnon was held in check by the Stars for most of Game 6, he has enjoyed a good series, picking up 10 points (six goals, four assists) in six games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone contributed a goal and an assist in Thursday's series-clincher against the Minnesota Wild. The 2023 Stanley Cup champions defeated the Wild with a tightly contested 3-2 win, with Stone assisting Jack Eichel on Vegas' second goal and recording the game-winning marker with 3:58 left in regulation. Stone became the second Golden Knights player to score multiple series-clinching goals with the franchise. The Golden Knights captain had a slow start to the postseason but will enter the next round on a three-game point streak. He has tallied two goals and two assists during this scoring run, which are his only points in these playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander had two goals and one assist as the team punched its ticket to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 road victory over the Ottawa Senators. The Swedish star notched a power-play assist on an Auston Matthews goal in the first period and then scored once in both the second and third periods, potting his second goal of the night in an empty-net situation. Nylander, who turned 29 on Thursday, became the first Maple Leafs player with three points in a series-clinching game since Wendel Clark in Game 7 of the 1994 Conference Semifinals. He has been in good form in the postseason, notching a team-high nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games, but will now face a much tougher challenge in a matchup against the Florida Panthers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 2, 2025
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown amassed three points in Thursday's 6-4 series-clinching win against the Los Angeles Kings. He delivered two assists before capping off the score with an empty-net goal. The veteran forward came alive at the perfect time for the Oilers. Brown also produced a two-goal performance in Game 3, but he didn't have any points in the rest of the games. It would be a good boost for the Oilers if they could get a bit more consistency from Brown, who will enter Round 2 with three goals and two assists for the postseason. He has recorded 10 shots and five hits, averaging 14:28 of ice time.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Max Pacioretty will join the second line for Thursday's Game 6 showdown against the Ottawa Senators. The veteran forward missed the start of the postseason as a healthy scratch and has been limited to a third-line role since entering the lineup. He has gone scoreless in three games with five shots, 16 hits, and a minus-two rating while averaging 12:33 of ice time. However, Pacioretty worked well with John Tavares and William Nylander during the regular season, and the Maple Leafs will reunite the trio as the team attempts to close out the first-round series for the third time.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mark Masters
May 1, 2025
New Jersey Devils defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic is dealing with a knee injury that will likely require surgery. He missed the last two games of the team's 4-1 first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. "I'll be out for a decent amount of time," Kovacevic said during his exit interview on Thursday. "I don't anticipate I'll be ready for the start of next year either." Kovacevic had his first season with the Devils after being traded by the Montreal Canadiens. He finished the year with several career highs, recording 17 points (one goal, 16 assists), 99 blocks, and 102 hits in 81 games. The 27-year-old, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, inked a five-year, $20 million extension with the Devils in March.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NJ.com
May 1, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (undisclosed) is expected to return to practice on Friday. The Danish veteran was injured in Game 4 against the New Jersey Devils and was unavailable when Carolina closed out the first-round series with a 5-4 double-overtime win on Tuesday. However, with him set to practice again, there is a strong chance Andersen will be ready for the start of Round 2 against the Washington Capitals. He finished the opening round with a 3-1 record and posted an impressive 1.59 goals-against average with a .936 save percentage. Andersen boasts a strong 10-4-3 career record against the Capitals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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