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
May 1, 2025
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (undisclosed) will not play in Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues on Friday. Jets head coach Scott Arniel announced on Thursday that Scheifele won't travel with the team after getting hurt in Wednesday's 5-3 victory over the Blues. Scheifele sits second on the team with six points (two goals, four assists) in these playoffs. With him out, Vladislav Namestnikov saw action on the top line Wednesday night, opening his postseason scoring account with a goal and an assist. Adam Lowry may also receive additional usage in Friday's game due to Scheifele's absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) will not play in Thursday's Game 6 against the Minnesota Wild. He was injured in the third period of Game 5 and is considered day-to-day. Dorofeyev's absence leaves the Golden Knights without their top regular-season goal-scorer. The Russian forward had a big year with 35 goals, adding 17 assists in 82 outings. In the playoffs, Dorofeyev has contributed one goal and one assist in five games. Due to Dorofeyev's absence, Mark Stone is expected to return to the first line on Thursday, while Victor Olofsson fills the gap in the lineup. Olofsson has made three appearances in the series but has not recorded any points, while being limited to three shots on goal.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
May 1, 2025
Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson (knee) has been upgraded from week-to-week to day-to-day, head coach Pete DeBoer said on Thursday. Robertson suffered a knee injury in the regular season finale but appears to be nearing his comeback. He will remain out for Thursday's Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche. If the team can't finish off the Avalanche on Thursday, it's possible Robertson will be in contention to return to the lineup for Game 7. The prolific winger recorded a team-high 35 goals in 82 regular-season contests, along with 45 assists. Mikael Granlund has seen first-line usage in Robertson's absence but has yet to score any even-strength points in the playoffs, as the Avalanche have limited him to one power-play assist in five games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
May 1, 2025
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) will remain out for Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The star blue-liner is skating with the team but will be kept on the shelf for Thursday's potential series-clincher. Heiskanen hasn't played since Jan. 28, missing three months due to knee surgery. With Dallas' No. 1 defenseman out, the rest of the blue line has stepped up during the first-round series. Thomas Harley and Cody Ceci have both registered multiple points against the Avalanche, while Esa Lindell is tied for sixth in the postseason with 15 blocked shots.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Evan Rawal
May 1, 2025
Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (illness) is trending in the right direction and is expected to play in Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. Gustavsson exited Game 5 early due to an illness. The Wild will face elimination on Thursday night, but Gustavsson has done a good job in the series. He has a 2-2 record with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. Since the final few weeks of the regular season, Gustavsson has been beaten only twice in nine games on home ice, so this series might not be done yet after Thursday's Game 6.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sarah McLellan
May 1, 2025
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday's series-clinching 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He picked up a power-play assist on an early Carter Verhaeghe goal and had the honors of scoring the final goal of the matchup, sending the puck into the empty net. Reinhart averaged over a point per game in the series, finishing with two goals and four assists in five games. A year ago, Reinhart's playoff scoring rate fell short of his regular-season performance, but it looks like it could be a different story in 2025.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Florida Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen recorded a postseason career-high four points as the team finished off the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday night. Luostarinen played his part in the memorable win with a goal and three assists, falling only one point short of the franchise record for the most points in a single playoff game. However, he did establish a franchise playoff record for the most points in a road contest and became the first player in Panthers history to score four points during a potential series-clinching game. This wasn't the first time Florida's third line made an impact this postseason, and the team could make a deep run again if Luostarinen and company continue to provide secondary scoring. Luostarinen finished the first-round matchup with one goal and four assists in five games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome finished Wednesday's 4-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens with two assists. The talented playmaker notched both of his helpers on the power play, with Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson lighting the lamp. Washington needed only five games to take care of Montreal, and Strome stood out in the series since Game 1. He produced three multi-point efforts in the matchup and had nine points (two goals, seven assists). Only three players have been more productive offensively in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dating back to the regular season, Strome is riding an eight-game point streak and has been scoreless only once in his past 14 outings, which should keep his confidence levels high for a tough series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 2.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring on the power play to help the team advance to the next playoff round with a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. The NHL's all-time top goal-scorer found the back of the net off a Dylan Strome faceoff in the middle of the first frame. This was Ovechkin's 30th career postseason power-play goal, tying him with Joe Pavelski and Nicklas Lidstrom for fifth place on the NHL's all-time list. The veteran superstar recorded two power-play goals in total against the Canadiens and finished the series with five points (four goals, one assist) in as many games. Next up, Ovechkin and the Capitals will face the Carolina Hurricanes. During the regular season, Ovechkin had two goals and three points in three games of the matchup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
May 1, 2025
Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor recorded three points in Wednesday's 5-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues, netting the game's first goal and adding two assists. With his fourth career three-point game in the playoffs, Connor tied Blake Wheeler for the most such performances in franchise history. Two of his three-point games have occurred this year, as Connor has been among the top scorers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over five games, he has tallied four goals and four assists, finishing without a goal only once. The Jets may have to rely even more on Connor to generate offense if Mark Scheifele (undisclosed) is sidelined for any period.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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