3 hours 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
3 hours 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
3 hours 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 hours 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 hours 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 hours 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 hours 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
3 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
3 days agoSan Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture said on Saturday that he is optimistic he can return to full health this fall and plans to begin skating again in July. Couture appeared in just six games in the 2023-24 season after suffering a groin injury while off-ice training prior to training camp. He didn't make his season debut until Jan. 20 against the Ducks, recording an assist, before going pointless across his next five games. He was shut down for the rest of the regular season after a Jan. 31 contest against the same Ducks team. The Sharks finished the regular season dead last in the NHL with 47 points and have the best chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Curtis Pashelka
3 days agoTampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev practiced in a regular jersey for the first time on Saturday after suffering a gruesome leg injury on Feb. 7 against the New York Rangers. The Russian blueliner underwent surgery the following day to stabilize fractures in his left tibia and fibula and resumed skating on March 18. He has been practicing in a noncontact jersey since April 8. However, he is not expected to play in the team's first-round series against the rival Florida Panthers. For the season, Sergachev notched two goals and 19 points across 34 games on the campaign after tallying a career-high 64 points in 79 games last season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoWashington Capitals defensemen Rasmus Sandin and Nick Jensen both practiced in noncontact jerseys on Saturday and are possibilities for Game 1 of their first-round series against the top-seeded New York Rangers on Sunday. Both players have been sidelined with upper-body injuries and skated on their own on Thursday and Friday before joining the team for Saturday's session. "Trending in the right direction," bench boss Spencer Carbery said on Saturday. "Both practiced today and were a part of essentially everything we did on the ice, so it's a good step." Sandin notched three goals and 23 points in 21:07 of average ice time per game while Jensen tallied one goal and 14 points in 19:38 of ice time per game across 78 contests on the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoVegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was a full practice participant on Saturday after undergoing an appendectomy. He is expected to dress for Game 1 of the team's first-round series against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The veteran notched four goals and 33 points on 141 shots on goal while he also blocked a hefty 160 shots across 64 games on the season. Vegas finished in the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, setting up a road matchup with the top-seeded Stars in the first round.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoVegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone (upper body) is a possibility to return for Game 1 of the postseason against the hosting Dallas Stars. The veteran's potential return is once again a curious situation, as Stone missed the remainder of the regular season due to an upper-body injury suffered in a 5-3 loss to the Predators on Feb. 20 but has been physically cleared for contact just in time for Game 1 of the playoffs, just as he was last season after missing the remainder of the regular season with a back injury. The team had him on long-term injured reserve and would not have been able to afford his salary cap hit in the regular season, but there is no salary cap in the postseason. Stone tallied 16 goals and 53 points in 56 games this season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoColorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin will miss the first round of the team's playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets due to a lower-body injury. The veteran left the team's final regular-season game on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers in the second period and did not return. "Super unfortunate. I feel really bad for him," Avalanche center and often linemate Nathan MacKinnon said. Obviously it [stinks] for the team, but for him as a person it's just so sad. Hopefully we get him back sooner than later, but just more motivation, if we can find a way to win this series, that we get some help coming." Drouin enjoyed a bounce-back season with the Avs this year, noticing 19 goals and 56 points across 79 games.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann (lower body) is a possibility for Game 1 of the postseason on Saturday against the Boston Bruins despite not taking part in practice on Friday, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe. He suffered a lower-body injury in an awkward fall while clearing the puck short-handed during a 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on April 13 and did not return to the game. He sat out the team's final two regular-season contests. McMann broke out in the second half of the season, notching 13 goals across his final 33 games after registering just two goals in his first 23 games of the campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
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