3 years agoCalgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane produced his best postseason outing of the year on Wednesday, finishing a 9-6 win over Edmonton with three points. He scored the team's second goal just 51 seconds into the game and handed out a pair of assists. Mangiapane was plus-three for the contest and added seven shots and one hit to his tally. The Toronto-born winger, who had 35 goals and 55 points during the regular season, entered the game with only two postseason points, so he badly needed a productive night to remind himself of what he's capable of. Mangiapane's linemates also had a nice start to the series as Blake Coleman scored twice and Mikael Backlund had an assist.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoCalgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk scored a hat trick as the team opened up the second-round series against Edmonton with a 9-6 victory. He got the goals flowing with a power-play marker in the second period and was on target twice in the third to ice the game. Tkachuk became the sixth player in Flames history to score a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the first since Theo Fleury in 1995. The 24-year-old had a huge regular season with 41 goals and 104 points in 82 games, and he's started to heat up in the playoffs as well, recording six of his nine points across the last three games.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid opened the second-round series against Calgary with a four-point effort. He had a goal and three assists in a 9-6 loss. McDavid also ended up with a game-high five hits in 25:33 of ice time. Edmonton's captain has been in immense form during the playoffs and he's now the fifth player in NHL history to get multiple points in seven of his first eight games in a single postseason. McDavid boasts five goals with 13 assists in the playoffs and is also carrying an outstanding plus-nine rating.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis continued his impressive postseason with an assist in Wednesday's Game 1 victory over the Rangers. He combined with Teuvo Teravainen to set up Sebastian Aho for a late game-tying goal. The Hurricanes eventually won 2-1 after Ian Cole became the third blue-liner in franchise history to score an overtime goal in the playoffs. Jarvis had a solid rookie campaign during the regular season with 40 points, and he has continued to get it done in the playoffs as well with six points in eight games. Four of his points have come across the last four games.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday against Calgary. The German superstar appeared to have suffered an ankle injury in Game 6 against Los Angeles last week and his status was uncertain for Game 7, but Draisaitl was in the lineup and even logged over 22 minutes of action. It was a sign that Edmonton's No. 29 is feeling just fine, but he hasn't skated with the team since then, which suggests that he is indeed carrying a knock. Draisaitl was in good form in the first round and ended up recording five goals and nine points. He crushed it during the regular season in the Battle of Alberta with 11 points in four games.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mark Spector

3 years agoCalgary Flames defenseman Christopher Tanev (undisclosed) took part in Wednesday's morning skate and could be available for Game 1 against the Oilers. He missed Game 7 against Dallas in the opening round with an unspecified ailment. Tanev is pointless in the playoffs and picked up only 28 points in 82 regular-season outings, but he's very highly rated among his teammates for his defensive ability and they would no doubt love to have him back in the lineup on Wednesday. The 32-year-old will resume his duties on the second defensive pairing alongside Oliver Kylington if he's deemed healthy enough to play.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Wes Gilbertson

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta will once again be between the pipes as the team starts its second-round series against the Rangers on Wednesday. The Finnish veteran has filled in for Frederik Andersen (lower body) during the postseason, going 3-2-0 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. Andersen last played on April 16 and is doubtful for the whole second round, so Raanta will need to continue to hold down the fort against his former team. The 33-year-old had a perfect home record in the first round against Boston and went 10-2-1 in Raleigh during the regular season, so he should be full of confidence ahead of Game 1.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chip Alexander

3 years agoSt. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington continued his outstanding postseason campaign with a 51-save effort in Game 1 against Colorado. He became the fourth netminder in franchise history to have at least 50 saves in a playoff outing. Sadly Binnington's efforts were in vain as St. Louis lost 3-2 in overtime. Colorado outshot the Blues 13-0 in the extra frame alone, so there's clearly some work to be done for the team. Binnington's playoff record dropped to 3-1-0 for the year. He has posted a 1.94 goals-against average with a .944 save percentage.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoSt. Louis Blue center Ryan O'Reilly scored in a fifth consecutive game on Tuesday, tying the franchise record for the longest postseason goal streak. He opened the scoring in the first period in an eventual 3-2 overtime loss to Colorado. O'Reilly has been very sharp in front of the net during the playoffs, scoring in six of his seven outings. Four of the goals have come on the power play, and he heads into Thursday's Game 2 on nine points. The Blues showed in Game 1 that they can be competitive in the series and O'Reilly should see further success in the matchup.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak played only 10:25 in Tuesday's Game 1 against Florida and wasn't able to complete the contest after getting hurt whilst blocking a shot in the second period. He had a pretty uneventful outing, recording one shot with one block and one hit. Cernak's stats rarely stand out, but he is a very valuable piece of Tampa Bay's defense and eats up a lot of minutes on the first pairing with Victor Hedman. Head coach Jon Cooper didn't have an update on Cernak after the game. Game 2 in the series is scheduled for Thursday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Tom Gulitti

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov opened the second-round series against Florida with a goal and an assist, becoming only the third active player with at least 40 multi-point games in the playoffs. He set up Corey Perry for a power-play goal 16:22 into the second period and scored with the man advantage himself with a little over four minutes left in regulation. Perry also had a goal and an assist as the Lightning scored three power-play goals on their way to a 4-1 victory. Kucherov produced three multi-point efforts in the first round against Toronto and is now on 10 points for this year's playoffs. He's always been a big performer during the postseason and 2022 is no different.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper (eye) will be back in the crease for Tuesday's Game 1 against St. Louis. He hurt his right eye in Game 3 of the first-round series against Nashville and missed the fourth game of the matchup as Colorado completed a sweep. Kuemper made a fine start to the postseason, registering a 1.63 goals-against average with a .934 save percentage against Nashville. The Blues have a hot goalie in Jordan Binnington, so Kuemper is set to play a very important role in the second round.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoFlorida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair will be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Lightning after sitting out Game 6 versus Washington as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old had a wonderful regular-season campaign, but he made a quiet start to the postseason and Florida head coach Andrew Brunette scratched him last Friday. Duclair posted 31 goals and 58 points during the regular season but has recorded only two assists and one shot on goal in the playoffs. He returns to the lineup on the second line, joining Sam Bennett and Jonathan Huberdeau.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colby Guy

3 years agoFlorida Panthers winger Mason Marchment (lower body) won't be available for Tuesday's Game 1 against Tampa Bay. He missed the end of the first-round series against Washington and hasn't recovered well enough to play on Tuesday, although his return should be far away, with the team considering him day-to-day. Marchment had just one point via a goal in four outings in the first round, but he was a major force during the regular season with 47 points in 54 games. The Panthers are definitely more dangerous with Marchment in the lineup and they will hope to have him available in Game 2 on Thursday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: David Dwork

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point (lower body) is considered doubtful for Game 1 against Florida on Tuesday. He suffered a lower-body problem when he had an awkward fall into the boards in Game 7 against Toronto and hasn't been able to practice with the team. Point had four points in seven games in the first-round series and his presence will be a big miss. Nick Paul is set to take his spot as the second-line center on Tuesday. The 27-year-old made a big impact by getting both of the goals in Saturday's 2-1 Game 7 victory. He's also on four points for the postseason.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: tampabay.com