2 hours agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers (illness) is expected to return to the lineup for Game 3 against Nashville on Friday. He missed the second game of the series after catching a flu bug. Noah Juulsen came in for Myers on Tuesday and logged 11:24 of ice time on the second defensive pairing. Myers' return will likely push him out of the lineup again. It was a scoreless start to the postseason for Myers in Game 1, but he racked up five hits and three blocks with two shots on goal in 19:08 of action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Adam Kimelman
3 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast (upper body) isn't expected to play in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was injured in the team's regular-season finale against Columbus and hasn't featured in any of the first three games against the Islanders in the first round. The 32-year-old posted six goals and 19 points in 73 regular-season appearances in 2023-24. A year ago, Fast led Carolina with six goals in the playoffs and had nine points across 15 postseason outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Walt Ruff
3 hours agoFlorida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk took care of two goals as the team defeated Tampa Bay 5-3 in Game 3 on Thursday. The Panthers star started and finished the scoring, with the latter goal coming in an empty-net situation. He's now the first player in franchise history with three multi-goal games in the playoffs. Tkachuk, who was huge for the team throughout the 2023 postseason, has been in hot form again, racking up five points (three goals, two assists) in the first three games. There are only six other players with multiple goals and assists through the first few playoff games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 hours agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos continued his good start to the 2024 postseason with another goal in Thursday's 5-3 loss to Florida. The Lightning captain put his team on the board early in the second period, becoming the third player in franchise history to start a playoff campaign with a three-game goal streak. Thursday's strike marks Stamkos' first even-strength goal of the series. Sitting on four points overall, the Lightning captain has put in a big effort to make the series competitive, but Tampa Bay is facing a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 hours agoNew York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin struggled in his 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Thursday against Carolina in a 3-2 loss. He coughed up three goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Semyon Varlamov. Looking to shift momentum in the series with his team 2-0 down, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy made a change between the sticks, but it backfired badly. Sorokin managed only two saves before allowing the first goal, and his night finished after he had logged only 27:14 of action. Varlamov stopped all eight shots he faced. The team will likely return to Varlamov for Game 4.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen continued his perfect start to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 29-save effort in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Islanders. He became only the second goaltender in franchise history to open a postseason campaign with three consecutive victories. Andersen has saved 71 of 77 shots in total in the series, frustrating the Islanders with a .922 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average. Combined with the regular season, Andersen is now 16-2-0 in 2023-24. He will look to lead the team to a sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
19 hours agoWashington Capitals winger Sonny Milano (undisclosed) missed practice on Thursday ahead of Friday's Game 3 against the Rangers. He was reportedly absent for maintenance purposes after averaging 11:33 of ice time across the first two games in the series. Milano has mustered only one shot on goal against the Rangers and hasn't picked up any points while skating on the third line with Max Pacioretty and Hendrix Lapierre. Michael Sgarbossa was on the line during Thursday's practice and could make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut if Milano isn't available on Friday. Sgarbossa had four goals and seven points in 25 games with the Capitals during the regular season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sammi Silber
20 hours agoNew York Rangers forward Filip Chytil (head) has traveled with the team to Washington and could return to action Friday when the two teams continue their first-round battle. The 24-year-old has been out of commission since early November. Before suffering a head injury, Chytil skated in 10 games, posting six assists. He would be a very good addition to an already strong squad that finished the NHL regular season with the best record in the league. Chytil has totaled eight goals and 13 points in 30 career playoff appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mollie Walker
20 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes right wing Jesper Fast (upper body) will remain unavailable for Thursday's Game 3 against the Islanders. He suffered an upper-body in the team's regular-season finale and will be forced to skip a third consecutive game. Fast had only one point in his final nine regular-season appearances, but he did well in a limited role with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 73 outings. Fast's next chance to return comes on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Walt Ruff
20 hours agoNew York Islanders winger Matt Martin is considered a game-time decision for Thursday's matchup against Carolina due to an undisclosed injury. Martin didn't practice on Wednesday after averaging 10:12 of ice time across the first two games of the series. He's been anonymous against the Hurricanes so far, producing only one shot on goal and five hits. Ruslan Iskhakov is expected to jump into the lineup if Martin can't play. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh and got off to a good start in the league by logging one assist in a 5-4 win. Iskhakov bagged 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 69 AHL games this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefen Rosner
20 hours agoFlorida Panthers center Anton Lundell will skate on the second line in Thursday's Game 3 against the Lightning. He will be filling in for Sam Bennett (upper body), who was injured in the second game of the series. Lundell already saw some action in the spot in Game 2 and collected an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's game-winner in overtime. The Finnish forward contributed 10 points (two goals, eight assists) across 21 games as the Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago and collected 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 78 regular-season outings this term.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: George Richards
20 hours agoFlorida Panthers winger Ryan Lomberg (illness) will remain out for Game 3 against Tampa Bay on Thursday. He's battling an undisclosed illness and didn't travel with the team. Florida currently has him in quarantine. Kyle Okposo will be entering the lineup on Thursday. The veteran should add some offensive threat to the team after registering 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 67 regular-season games split between Buffalo and Florida. The 36-year-old is getting his first taste of playoff action since having 10 postseason outings with the Islanders in 2015-16.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: George Richards
23 hours agoThe Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman Alex Vlasic have agreed to a six-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $4.6 million. The 22-year-old was a bright spot for a young and scuffling Blackhawks team despite not contributing much at the offense end of the ice. The 6-foot-6 blueliner notched two goals and 16 points in 76 games on the season but also blocked 148 shots and was only a minus-four on a Blackhawks team that gave up 111 more goals than they scored. A 2019 second-round pick, Vlasic played three seasons with Boston University before making his NHL debut in the 2021-22 season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
24 hours agoFlorida Panthers forward Kyle Okposo will be back in the lineup for Thursday's Game 3 of the team's first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ryan Lomberg (illness) made the trip to Tampa Bay after missing Game 2 but the team needs another day of feeling good before he's allowed to be around the team. Acquired ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, Okposo got into just six games with his new team, failing to hit the scoresheet with eight shots on goal in that time. The veteran notched 12 goals and 22 points in 61 games with the Buffalo Sabres prior to the trade. The Panthers lead the Lightning 2-0 entering Thursday's action.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
24 hours agoToronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (head) has yet to appear in the first three games of the team's first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins, and now we may know why. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman writes that multiple sources have told him Nylander is dealing with a migraine so severe that team doctors have tested to see if he had suffered a concussion, but an actual diagnosis has been hard to come by. Nylander has practiced with the team throughout the series and has stayed on for extra work but has not been able to suit up for a game to this point. The Swede skated in all 82 of the team's regular-season games, tallying 40 goals and 98 points in that time. The Leafs trail the Bruins 2-1 in the series with Game 4 coming on Saturday in Toronto.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
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