2 hours agoColorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin (lower body) resumed skating on Wednesday, and head coach Jared Bednar believes that he could be back in the lineup soon. Drouin has been out of commission since getting hurt in the regular-season finale. The silky forward enjoyed a career year in Denver this season with 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games. Zach Parise has been filling in for Drouin in the top six during the playoffs. The veteran produced goals in back-to-back outings in Game 2 and 3 against Winnipeg in the first round, but he hasn't scored any more points across six postseason appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Vic Lombardi
2 hours agoEdmonton Oilers forward Adam Henrique (lower body) has been officially ruled out for Game 1 against Vancouver on Wednesday. The veteran lands on the shelf after posting two points (one goal, one assist) in five against Los Angeles in the first round. Connor Brown will enter the lineup for his first postseason action of the year. Meanwhile, Mattias Janmark, who finished Round 1 with two assists, will move to the first line. The Swedish forward will have extra fantasy value on Wednesday as he links up with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, who have combined for 20 points this postseason.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
2 hours agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs will make a fourth consecutive start in Game 1 against Edmonton on Wednesday. He took over the crease when Thatcher Demko (knee) and Casey DeSmith were injured at the start of the postseason. DeSmith is now back in the fold, but Demko remains out week-to-week. Most recent reports suggest that the Canucks No. 1 won't be ready to return until Game 5 of the series at the earliest. Silovs impressed in Round 1 against Nashville, winning two of three starts with one shutout, a 1.70 goals-against average, and a .938 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Randip Janda
2 hours agoVancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (illness) returned to the ice on Wednesday morning and will play in Game 1 against Edmonton. The Swedish star missed Tuesday's practice with an illness, which initially left his status iffy for the series opener. Pettersson has been quiet in the playoffs so far, finishing a six-game series in the opening round against Nashville with zero goals and three assists. He will definitely need to up his productivity if the Canucks want to compete for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Bachelor
3 hours agoBoston Bruins center Jesper Boqvist (undisclosed) will be back in the lineup on Wednesday against Florida. The 25-year-old missed the series opener on Monday with an undisclosed injury. Boqvist centers the fourth line for the Bruins and recorded one point with four shots on goal and 22 hits in seven Round 1 games against Toronto. He'll be back on the fourth line on Wednesday with Johnny Beecher and Pat Maroon.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
3 hours agoFlorida Panthers center Sam Bennett (upper body) will remain sidelined for Game 2 against the Bruins on Wednesday. Florida expects to get its second-line center back this week, but Bennett isn't quite ready to return just yet. Anton Lundell will continue to skate on the second line. The Finnish forward has played well in the postseason, collecting points in four of the last five games. Bennett's next chance to return comes on Friday in Game 3 of the series.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy
9 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei continued his prolific playoffs with an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Rangers. He had the primary helper when Dmitry Orlov put Carolina 2-1 up in the first period. Despite the loss, Skjei finished the contest with an impressive plus-three rating and led the team with six hits. His stat line also included six shots on goal, two blocks, and four penalty minutes. With seven games played, Skjei hasn't yet scored in the 2024 playoffs, but he boasts six assists. Cale Makar (12), Evan Bouchard (9), and Victor Hedman (7) are the only blue-liners with more postseason points than him.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes left wing Jake Guentzel netted two goals against the Rangers in Tuesday's 4-3 double-overtime loss. The 29-year-old finally had some luck in front of the net after lightning the lamp only once through his first six postseason outings of the year. Despite the lack of goals, Guentzel has been in fine form in the playoffs, averaging a point per game through seven outings. He's averaging nearly 2.5 shots per game and should be able to boost his goal-scoring rate when the series continues in Raleigh.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoNew York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere struck two goals in Tuesday's 4-3 double-overtime win against Carolina. He doubled the goals tally of his postseason career, opening the scoring with 10:53 played in the contest and notching his second 7:32 into the second frame. Lafreniere had yet to score in the 2024 postseason before Tuesday, but he has played a big part in the Rangers' success. With six games played, the 22-year-old has contributed seven points (two goals, five assists). Lafreniere can post a new career high with a four-game postseason scoring streak in Game 3 against the Hurricanes.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoDallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston scored his fifth postseason goal of the year in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado. The Stars got off to a dream start with three first-period goals, and Johnston squeezed his strike between efforts from Ryan Suter and Jamie Benn. It's his ninth career postseason goal, which puts Johnston tied with Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi for the second most before age 21 among active players. The young Canadian is enjoying very good form at a pivotal stage of the season, averaging a point per game through eight playoff outings. Only Valeri Nichushkin (8) and Zach Hyman (7) have scored more goals than Johnston.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon contributed a goal and assist as the team came from 3-0 down to defeat Dallas 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday. He had his helper when Valeri Nichushkin sparked the comeback with a power-play goal in the second period, and MacKinnon scored himself early in the third to tie the game at three. The Avalanche star now boasts four consecutive multi-point games in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's managed 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in six games overall.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
10 hours agoColorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen played his part in Tuesday's 4-3 comeback win over Dallas with two assists. The Avalanche found themselves in a 3-0 hole after the first period but still found a way to win in overtime. Rantanen collected even-strength assists on the team's second and third goals. It's his third multi-point effort in four games. The Finnish winger boasts 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in six games for the postseason. Only his teammate Cale Makar (12) and Edmonton's Connor McDavid (12) have scored more points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
18 hours agoDallas Stars forward Jamie Benn had a goal and an assist in a disappointing 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. Benn assisted on the Stars' second goal of the game and then scored a goal of his own to put the team up 3-0 late in the first. Unfortunately, that lead wouldn't hold and the Avs would go on to score four unanswered and take Game 1. Benn has five points (two goals, three assists) in eight games this postseason and has done his part as a middle-six option to give the team some additional scoring. Benn and the Stars will look to even up the series on Thursday in Dallas.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoColorado Avalanche winger Miles Wood completed the team's unlikely comeback in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars, posting the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory. Wood was sprung on a partial breakaway, and took care of business by zipping around the Dallas defender and sliding the puck past Jake Oettinger. Wood has been a role player for the Avalanche this year, and sometimes those are the players you need to step up in a game like this. The Avs will look to take a 2-0 stranglehold in the series on Thursday in Dallas.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar led the team to a come-from-behind 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche were down 3-0 heading into the second period of this one, but they stormed back with four straight goals to take it in overtime. Makar was at the forefront, posting a goal midway through the second to put the game within reach and assisting on the first and third Avalanche goals. After posting 90 points in the regular season, Makar has somehow outpaced that so far in the playoffs with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in six games.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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