1 hour agoVegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicholas Hague is out for Wednesday's Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the Dallas Stars, according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. No specific reason was given and Hague is listed as day-to-day. The hulking 6-foot-6 defender doesn't contribute much on offense with two goals and 12 points across 73 games this season but is physical with 153 hits and 43 penalty minutes while he also blocked 111 shots on the campaign. It appears Alec Martinez will jump in and make his series debut on Wednesday. He notched four goals and 17 points with 165 blocked shots across 55 games this season.Source: Elliotte Friedman
1 hour agoBoston Bruins winger James van Riemsdyk will make his series debut in Wednesday's Game 3 of the team's first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The veteran was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series but will replace forward Jakub Lauko to likely skate on the team's fourth line. The 34-year-old tallied 11 goals and 38 points on 142 shots on goal across 71 games this season, his 15th in the NHL. Defensemen Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon will also join the lineup while defenseman Matt Grzelcyk comes out. Fellow defender Andrew Peeke is listed as week to week with a finger injury suffered in Game 2 on Monday.Source: Fluto Shinzawa
1 hour agoFlorida Panthers forward Sam Bennett is set to miss significant time due to an upper-body injury suffered during the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win. Bennett was struck on the hand my a point shot in the second period and left the game. He briefly returned to the bench but went back to the dressing room without taking another shift. Bennett had tallied a goal and an assist prior to exiting. The gritty center tallied 20 goals and 41 points in 69 games this season but he also provided 173 hits, 100 penalty minutes, 171 shots on goal, and a plus-17 rating on the campaign, providing excellent cross-category production for fantasy managers.Source: Andy Slater
2 hours agoToronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander is unlikely to suit up for a third straight game on Wednesday against the visiting Boston Bruins. Nylander stayed out late with the other projected scratches during Wednesday's morning skate, indicating he will remain out after it was believed he was likely to return. Sportsnet's Nick Alberga reported on Wednesday that it is believed the star winger is dealing with a head injury. Nylander skated in all 82 regular-season games but didn't feel right ahead of Saturday's series opener. He tied a career-high with 40 goals and posted a career-best 98 points in his 82 games this season. The Leafs and Bruins are knotted at one game apiece in another first-round postseason matchup.Source: Jonas Siegel
2 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce (undisclosed) is likely sidelined for the remainder of the team's first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders. The veteran left Monday's Game 2 win in the second period after suffering a non-contact injury while attempting to turn up the ice and join an offensive rush. He skated just 8:47 in the eventual 5-3 win. The stay-at-home blue-liner notched three goals and 13 points on 107 shots on goal while blocking another 113 shots across 70 games. The Hurricanes enter Thursday's Game 3 in New York holding a 2-0 lead in the series.Source: NHL.com
2 hours agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko is listed as week to week with an undisclosed injury. The ailment kept him out of Tuesday's 4-1 Game 2 loss to the Nashville Predators and he was originally questionable for the remainder of the series but now it appears he's likely done for the first round. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said that the ailment is not related to the late-season knee injury that cost the American 14 games. "We're going to evaluate him today on something," Tocchet said. "It wasn't the old injury and that's all I've really got for you guys." Demko was excellent this season, posting a 2.45 goals-against average and a 2.45 save percentage in 51 games. Casey DeSmith started and stopped just 12 of the 15 shots he faced in the loss.Source: NHL.com
2 hours agoNew York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin will be the starter for Thursday's Game 3 of the team's first-round series against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The Isles went with Semyon Varlamov for the first two games of the series but the team has been out-scored 8-4 so far in the series. However, Varlamov was the hot hand, posting a 1.85 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage from March 28 to April 15. As for Sorokin, the fellow Russian endured a down season, posting a 3.01 GAA and a .909 Sv% in 55 games, just one season after working to a 2.34 GAA and a .924 Sv% in 62 games while finishing as the Vezina Trophy runner-up behind Boston's Linus Ullmark.Source: NHL.com
5 hours agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar finished Tuesday's 5-2 Game 2 win over Winnipeg with two assists. The Avalanche fell behind twice in the game, but Makar's playmaking helped the team even up the series. Playing only in his sixth postseason campaign, Makar already boasts the fifth-most multi-point playoff games among active defensemen with 15. He's had a fantastic start to action in 2024 with five points (one goal, four assists) in two games, which puts him tied with Edmonton's Connor McDavid at the top of the postseason scoring charts.Source: ESPN
5 hours agoWashington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson recorded a goal and an assist as the team went down 4-3 to the Rangers in Game 2 on Tuesday. He picked up a power-play assist when Dylan Strome scored early in the second period and netted a goal with the man advantage himself in the middle of the third frame. The Capitals now find themselves down 2-0 in the series, but Wilson can be happy with his contributions. He's the only player on the team with multiple points in the series, having tallied one goal and two assists.Source: ESPN
5 hours agoNew York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere helped set up two goals in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Washington in Game 2. Both helpers came in power-play situations, with Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic getting the goals. Lafreniere has played a big role early in the series, registering three assists through the first two games. With Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck skating as his linemates, the stage is perfectly set for the 22-year-old to enjoy even more success as the Rangers take a 2-0 lead to the capital.Source: ESPN
5 hours agoNashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg recorded two points, including the game-winning goal, as the team tied its first-round series against Vancouver with a 4-1 win in Game 2 on Tuesday. Forberg assisted Anthony Beauvillier on the first goal of the game with less than two minutes played before lighting the lamp himself in the second frame. The Swedish star finished the regular season with a three-game goal streak and has opened the playoffs in prolific form as well. The series heads to Music City for Game 3 with Forsberg sitting on three points (one goal, two assists).Source: ESPN
5 hours agoTampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman finished Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Florida with two assists. Hedman's good eye for a pass helped the Lightning erase a two-goal deficit in the game, but the team couldn't escape a second loss in the series. With the effort, Hedman tied Bobby Orr for the 10th most multi-point playoff games in NHL history by a defenseman. It was his 26th such outing. The former Norris Trophy winner will now have a bit of momentum ahead of Game 3 after going scoreless with a minus-two rating in the series opener.Source: ESPN
5 hours agoFlorida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was the hero of the night on Tuesday in Game 2 against the Lightning, scoring a 3-2 game-winner with 2:59 played in overtime. The Panthers blew a 2-0 lead in the contest, but Verhaeghe spared their blushes with a nice back-hander. Verhaeghe now boasts five career overtime goals in the playoffs, which puts him behind only Joe Sakic (8) and Maurice Richard (6) on the all-time list. He also picked up one assist on Tuesday. The former Tampa Bay man has started the first-round series in fine form, producing two goals and three points in the first couple of games.Source: ESPN
5 hours agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday's 3-2 Game 2 win against Tampa Bay. He left the contest early in the second period. Before exiting, Bennett scored the first goal of the game and had a power-play assist on a Vladimir Tarasenko strike. Bennett missed 13 games during the regular season, and it looks like he might be forced to sit out some postseason action as well. Florida will re-evaluate him on Wednesday to determine Bennett's status for Thursday's Game 3. Anton Lundell or Eetu Luostarinen could take over as the second-line center if Bennett can't play.Source: ESPN
21 hours agoBoston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (finger) has been labeled as week-to-week after he was hurt in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs on Monday. The 26-year-old was limited to 10:20 of action due to an apparent finger injury and missed the entire third period. Peeke hasn't traveled with the team to Toronto, meaning he will sit for at least two games. Mason Lohrei or Parker Wotherspoon should take his spot in the lineup on Wednesday. Derek Forbort (undisclosed) has also traveled with the team but isn't expected to feature in Game 3.Source: Elliotte Friedman