3 years agoCalgary Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau produced the game-winning goal as the team beat Dallas in Sunday's Game 7 3-2 in overtime. He also had an assist in the game and finished the series with his seventh shot on goal 15:09 into overtime. Johnny Hockey had a very slow start in the series but managed to close it with a five-game point streak. He registered two goals and six assists in total while firing off 25 shots. Gaudreau's big performance on Sunday brought us the Battle of Alberta for the second round. Calgary's leading scorer had a whopping eight points in four games against Edmonton during the regular season.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoNew York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox completed the first-round series against Pittsburgh with an assist, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a point in all seven games of a series. He's the fourth defenseman in league history to achieve it. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner had a total of three goals and seven assists in the series. Dating back to the regular season, Fox has gone pointless just once in his last 13 appearances, so the Hurricanes will face a red-hot player in the second round. The two teams met four times during the regular season and Fox had two points in the matchup with a pair of assists.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin scored in overtime against Pittsburgh on Sunday to push his team to a 4-3 victory in the series. The Rangers fell behind twice, but Mika Zibanejad had another big game with three points and Panarin grabbed a 4-3 game-winner on the power play 4:46 into overtime. The Breadman had a very busy night as he produced six shots in total, picked up a pair of penalties, and recorded two hits and one block in 22:53 of ice time. Panarin averaged a point per game in the seven-game series and now boasts 35 points in 37 career games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoDallas Stars forward Luke Glendening (lower body) is a game-time decision for Sunday's Game 7 against the Flames. He got injured In Game 6 when he took a hit from Calgary defenseman Nikita Zadorov and played only 4:20. Glendening carries very little fantasy value, but he's an important member of the Stars squad. The 33-year-old played in all 82 regular-season games and won 58.7 percent of his faceoffs. Glendening will likely continue to skate on the fourth line with Joel Kiviranta and Radek Faksa if he is able to play.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Matthew DeFranks

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (lower body) is considered a game-time decision for Sunday's Game 7 against the Rangers, but he is expected to make the start. Jarry's lower-body problem was reportedly a broken foot and he hasn't played since Apr. 14. With Casey DeSmith (core muscle) also out, third-stringer Louis Domingue has started most of the games in the series so far, and whilst he produced a couple of strong efforts, his work wasn't good enough in the last two games when he gave a total of eight goals. Jarry posted a solid 34-18-6 record in the regular season and registered a 2.42 goals-against average with a .919 save percentage and four shutouts. He will be tasked with helping the Penguins keep their perfect record as a visiting team in Game 7's intact.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Vince Z. Mercogliano

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (upper body) is officially a game-time decision for Sunday's Game 7 against the Rangers. He is free of concussion symptoms and it looks very likely that the Penguins will get their captain back for the contest. Crosby has had a very productive series and posted multiple points in each outing before getting hurt in Game 5. He has bagged nine points in total during the postseason. Evgeni Malkin will go back to centering the second line if Crosby returns and Evan Rodrigues will have to find himself a role in the bottom six.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins forward Brian Boyle (lower body) won't play in Sunday's Game 7 against the Rangers and is considered week-to-week. The well-traveled veteran was hurt early in Game 6 when he logged just 1:25 of action. Boyle has had a decent series against his former team, picking up two points via assists in limited minutes. The team will definitely miss his veteran presence and willingness to put his body on the line in any situation. Friday's Game 6 might have turned out to be Boyle's final game as a Penguin, with the 37-year-old set to become a free agent following the season.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Penguins

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith stopped all 29 shots in Saturday's 2-0 victory against Los Angeles, joining Curtis Joseph as the only netminders in franchise history to produce shutouts in a Game 7. Connor McDavid led the offense with a goal and an assist to finish the first round with 14 points, which marks the third-highest points tally ever in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Smith had an up-and-down ride throughout the series, but he was strong in the finishing part and that's all that matters. The veteran netminder had two shutouts in total in the series and finished it with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point was forced to call it a night early in Saturday's Game 7 against Toronto after suffering a lower-body injury. He took an awkward fall into the boards with 2:49 left to play in the first period and appeared to have hurt his right leg. Point returned to the game in the second period but that was only for one shift. The 26-year-old is a massive piece for the Lightning and everybody will have their fingers crossed that he will be fine for the start of the second round. Point was actually on the bench for the rest of the game after getting hurt, so it's possible that he might have escaped with a minor issue. The series ended with two goals and two assists for Point.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Nick Paul became an unexpected hero in Saturday's Game 7 against Toronto, scoring both of the team's goals in a 2-1 win. He opened the scoring 18:24 into the first period and produced the game-winner 16:32 into the second after Morgan Rielly had knotted things up. Paul had four shots in total in the game and produced one block and two hits in 22:03 of action. The former Senator ended up leading all Lightning forwards in ice time after Tampa lost Brayden Point (lower body) in the first period. Paul ended the series with four points, and he's certainly capable of upping his productivity in the second round if Point is forced to miss any time.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Max Domi produced a big game-winning performance in Saturday's Game 7 against Boston, factoring in all of the team's goals in a 3-2 victory. He became the first player in franchise history to score multiple goals in a Game 7 and pitched up an assist on a Teuvo Teravainen goal. Domi also matched the club record for most points scored in a Game 7. The 27-year-old has been very quiet offensively since his move to Raleigh and he had managed only two points via assists in the first six games against the Bruins.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoToronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares has heated up just in time as the team gets ready for Game 7 against Tampa Bay on Saturday. Toronto's captain picked up only one point in the first three games of the series but has since then added five points to his tally. Tavares even had a two-goal outing in Thursday's Game 6, and it looked like his effort will lead the team into the second round before Tampa turned the game on its head. Despite having a quiet start to the playoffs, Tavares is still averaging a point per game in the series, and he'll look to make a big impact again on Saturday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (upper body) practiced on Saturday ahead of Sunday's Game 7 against the Rangers. He was hurt in Game 5 and wasn't able to help his team in Friday's Game 6 loss. The Penguins have said that the team captain is dealing with an upper-body injury, whilst there have been reports of a concussion. Crosby has played some of the best playoff hockey of his career this year and boasts nine points. Rickard Rakell (upper body) and Tristan Jarry (lower body) were also on the ice at Saturday's optional practice, so the Penguins might get a triple boost for Sunday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (lower body) missed Saturday's morning skate and it's uncertain if he'll be able to play in Game 7 against Los Angeles. The German superstar appeared to have hurt his right ankle in the first period in Thursday's Game 6 but played through it to log 18:25 of ice time. Draisaitl collected his eighth postseason point in Thursday's 4-2 win via an assist. The Oilers will be desperate to have him in the lineup, but it remains to be seen if Draisaitl is able to play and how effective he can be. Defenseman Brett Kulak wasn't at the morning skate either and might also miss the game.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jack Michaels

3 years agoCalgary Flames defenseman Christopher Tanev was unable to complete Friday's Game 6 against Dallas after he was injured in the second period. He was hurt 6:04 into the period when Dallas forward Michael Raffl fell on top of him after scoring. Tanev is a rock at the back for the Flames and his absence will be a huge blow for the team. "It just means everybody has to step up and try to do the things that he does," said Michael Stone after Friday's defeat. "And he does a lot for this hockey team. It's going to take six guys to step up and contribute." Tanev managed to take two more shifts after getting hurt, so maybe he isn't dealing with a very serious issue, but the hard-working blue-liner should be considered questionable for Sunday's Game 7.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Wes Gilbertson