8 mins agoLos Angeles Kings goaltender Cam Talbot is the team's confirmed starter for Wednesday's Game 2 against Edmonton. Talbot remains between the sticks against his former team despite struggling in Game 1. The veteran netminder gave up six goals in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Oilers. He finished the contest with 38 saves. Talbot has lost two consecutive starts only twice since the start of March, which should be an encouraging sign for the Kings as they try to even the first-round series on Wednesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Dennis Bernstein
14 mins agoVegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson will look to post a fourth consecutive win in Wednesday's Game 2 against the Dallas Stars. After closing out the regular season with back-to-back victories, Thompson saved 26 of 29 shots in Game 1 against the Stars, helping Vegas to a sweet 4-3 road win. This was Thompson's first career postseason appearance in the NHL after he missed the Golden Knights' cup run in 2022-23 with a lower-body injury. Dallas lost back-to-back home games only three times during the regular season, meaning another winning effort on Wednesday would be a remarkable feat by Thompson.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Granger
23 mins agoDallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger will aim to bounce back in Wednesday's Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had a very rough start to the series, allowing three first-period goals in Game 1. The team eventually lost 4-3 on home ice, with Oettinger producing only 11 saves. The result dropped Oettinger's career postseason record to 13-14. Dallas will need a much better performance from him on Wednesday to keep pace with the defending champions. Oettinger has lost back-to-back starts just twice in 2024.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce LeVine
35 mins agoDallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (lower body) will remain sidelined for Game 2 against the Golden Knights on Wednesday. He hasn't seen any game action since March 16, missing 14 consecutive games. Hakanpaa finished the regular season with 12 (two goals, 10 assists) points, 123 blocks, and a team-high 196 hits in 64 games. Despite struggling at the back and giving up four goals to Vegas in Game 1, the Stars won't make any lineup changes on Wednesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brien Rea
42 mins agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers missed Tuesday's Game 2 against Nashville with the flu. Myers finished the regular season by averaging a point per game across his last five appearances and also performed well in Game 1. He finished as a plus-one for the contest across 19:08 of action, recording two shots, three blocks, and five hits. Noah Juulsen replaced him in the lineup for Game 2. He will likely play again in Friday's Game 3 if Myers can't shake off the flu bug.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Alex Daugherty
4 hours 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
4 hours 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
4 hours 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Andy Slater
4 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jonas Siegel
5 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 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.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
7 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.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 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.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
8 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.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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