3 years agoFlorida Panthers forward Claude Giroux tallied three points Friday night as the team finished off Washington In Game 6 with a 4-3 win in overtime. The former Flyer polished off his three-point outing with an assist on Carter Verhaeghe's game-winner 2:46 into the extra frame. He also had a goal and an assist in the third period. Giroux had a couple of quiet games in the middle of the series, but he finished things off with five points in two games and had seven points in total. Verhaeghe, who has managed to grab the game-winner in three straight contests, was the only Panther with more points (12).--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoNew York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox made a huge impact with four assists in Friday's 5-3 win over Pittsburgh. He became the first Rangers defenseman to record four points in a potential elimination game. The 24-year-old has had a very prolific series and hasn't yet gone pointless a single time in six games, notching three goals and six assists. Colorado's Cale Makar is the only blue-liner with more points (10) in this year's playoffs. Fox logs massive minutes for the team and should have a big part to play again in Sunday's Game 7.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoNew York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad finally came to life in Friday's Game 6 against the Penguins and tied a franchise record with a three-point period in a playoff game. He had his first goals of the series in the second period and also registered a power-play assist. Zibanejad went on to record another assist 18:32 into the third period on Chris Kreider's game-winning goal. The 29-year-old doubled his postseason points tally with the contest. Zibanejad has been quiet in the playoffs so far, but this could be a breakout game for him, and the team will certainly hope that he left something for Sunday's Game 7 as well.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoWashington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (lower body) will remain on the shelf for Friday's Game 6 against Florida. He's been out since playing only 1;31 in the series opener. The 28-year-old power forward remains day-to-day after skating on his own Friday morning. Wilson's absence has allowed T.J. Oshie to make a big impact in the series in the top six. He leads the team in the playoffs with five goals and has tied a franchise record by scoring power-play goals in three consecutive postseason games. The veteran forward is set to start Friday's contest on the second line, while Conor Sheary will slot into the first line.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Samantha Pell

3 years agoFlorida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Friday's Game 6 against Washington. He missed the morning skate, and according to head coach Andrew Brunette, Verhaeghe picked up some sort of an injury on Thursday, which is a lingering issue. Verhaeghe has been Florida's main offensive catalyst during the postseason and even had five points in Wednesday's Game 5 victory, so the team will be desperate to have him available. Anthony Duclair moved to the top line at the morning skate and is set for a bigger role if Verhaeghe can't play.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Tom Gulitti

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell (upper body) could be back in action on Friday against the Rangers, with the team considering him a game-time decision. He's been on the shelf since getting hurt in Game 1. Rakell put in some work at the morning skate, although he didn't take part in the line rushes, which isn't the greatest of signs regarding his potential return. At least he's close to returning now, though, and the team will need all the help they can get with Sidney Crosby (concussion) unavailable. Rakell joined Pittsburgh from Anaheim in March and made a solid contribution across 19 regular-season outings with 13 points and 38 hits.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Dan Rosen

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has a concussion, multiple sources have told ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan. The veteran star was injured in Wednesday's Game 5 loss against the Rangers and won't play on Friday when the two teams meet up again. Crosby, of course, has a long history of concussions and his status for the rest of the series is uncertain, although the good news is that he skated Friday morning with skills coach Ty Hennes. Evgeni Malkin worked as the first-line center at the morning skate and Evan Rodrigues was promoted to the second line. Rodrigues, who's managed three points in the series so far, also slotted into the top power-play unit. He should be an intriguing piece for Friday's DFS action.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Emily Kaplan

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had a second consecutive three-point performance in Thursday's Game 6 win over Los Angeles, finishing a 4-2 victory with a goal and two assists. He opened the scoring 1:40 into the game before grabbing a couple of helpers late in the third period on goals by Tyson Barrie and Evander Kane. The latter also enjoyed a three-point night with two goals and one assist. McDavid reached 12 points for this year's playoffs, which marks his new record. He will head into Saturday's pivotal Game 7 on three goals and nine assists.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoSt. Louis Blues winger David Perron notched two assists in Thursday's Game 6 victory over Minnesota. He collected both of his helpers with the man advantage as St. Louis secured a 4-2 series win with a comfortable 5-1 victory. Perron had a bizarre run in the matchup as he blew hot and cold. The veteran winger ended up going pointless in half of the games after starting off the action with an immense four-point effort. Overall, Perron picked up a team-high nine points in the series and shared the team lead with five goals. Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly also reached five goals, meaning St. Louis became the first team since Montreal in 1991 to have three players tally five-plus goals in a single playoff series.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Brayden Point made a big contribution in the team's battle to fight off elimination on Thursday, finishing a 4-3 overtime victory against Toronto with a goal and an assist. He bagged a power-play helper when Nikita Kucherov tied the game at 3-3 9:20 into the third period and forced Game 7 with his second goal of the playoffs 18:04 into overtime. Point led all forwards on the team in ice time with 27:33 and made a significant impact on the defensive end as well with three blocks and three hits. The Maple Leafs are now 0-8 in the Auston Matthews/Mitchell Marner era in games where they have had an opportunity to close out a playoff series.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov ended a three-game slump with two goals in Thursday's 5-2 loss to Boston. He scored both of his goals in the third period, finishing off the scoring in the game with a power-play marker. Svechnikov also registered two blocks and three hits, but he was minus-two for the contest and the 22-year-old definitely won't be happy about that. With six games played in the series, Svechnikov leads the team with 17 shots on goal, but he's bagged only four points. The teams have traded home wins throughout the series and Game 7 will be played at Carolina's barn on Saturday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Kris Russell will replace the suspended Darnell Nurse in the lineup on Thursday against Los Angeles. Nurse picked up a one-game suspension for head-butting Kings forward Phillip Danault in Tuesday's Game 5. Russell will play with Tyson Barrie, while Brett Kulak moves up in the lineup to replace Nurse as Cody Ceci's partner. This is going to be the second postseason game of the year for Russell. He's been out of the lineup since finishing a 4-3 loss in Game 1 with a minus-one rating across 9:43 of action. Edmonton is facing elimination and head coach Jay Woodcroft will want to have his best guys out there as much as possible, so we likely won't see Russell a lot in the game.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Rishaug

3 years agoLos Angeles Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson (undisclosed) has finally been officially ruled out for the first-round series against Edmonton. He hasn't seen a single second of postseason action so far and head coach Todd McLellan noted ahead of Thursday's Game 6 that the Swedish winger won't be available at all for the series. The Kings have done just fine without him, and they have a chance to close out the series on Thursday, but the presence of Arvidsson would certainly give them even more quality. The former Predator had 20 goals and 49 points in 66 regular-season games during his debut campaign at the club.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Helene Elliott

3 years agoBoston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk will join the first line for Thursday's vital Game 6 against Carolina, replacing David Pastrnak. The Bruins were limited to just one goal in Tuesday's Game 5 loss and it looks like head coach Bruce Cassidy wants to spread his offensive talent around in the lineup a bit. DeBrusk has spent quite a bit of time on the top line since the turn of the year and he had a successful run on it during the regular season, which included a five-game goal streak. The 25-year-old has managed one goal and two assists in the playoffs.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa

3 years agoBoston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (upper body) will be back in the lineup for Thursday's Game 6 against Carolina. The 28-year-old Swede will replace Matt Grzelcyk, who is banged up and the team wants to give him a bit of time to recover. Lindholm was knocked out of action in Game 2. He'll go back on the first defensive pairing to skate with Charlie McAvoy, who returned from COVID-19 protocols in Game 5. Boston faces elimination in the game, so we can expect the top defensemen to log a lot of minutes unless the Bruins somehow turn this into a blowout.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet