3 years agoWashington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie maintained his good scoring form in Wednesday's Game 5 against Florida, going for two goals in a 5-3 defeat. He tied a franchise record in the first period by scoring a power-play goal in a third straight playoff game and put the Capitals 3-0 up early in the second before things unraveled for the 2018 Cup champs. Oshie is tied for third in the league in goals this postseason with five markers. He's already on six points this after managing only nine in the past three postseasons combined.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoFlorida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was unconscious in Wednesday's Game 5 against Washington, factoring in all of the team's goals in a 5-3 win. He set a new franchise record with five points in a playoff game, tallying two goals and three assists. Verhaeghe's work in 19:24 of action also consisted of three shots, one block and one hit. The 26-year-old has been Florida's most consistent forward in the series, and he now boasts 10 points in the postseason, which puts him tied with Colorado's Cale Makar for the league lead.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel continued his prolific postseason with a pair of goals in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers. He had a game-high six shots on goal in total and saw three further efforts miss the target. Guentzel has scored in all five games in the series and boasts seven markers and eight points. The Penguins franchise record for most goals in a single playoff series stands at nine and is held by Mario Lemieux. Lemieux is also the only player in Penguins history to enjoy longer goal streaks in the playoffs, lightning the lamp in six consecutive games in 1989 and scoring in seven straight outings in 1991 and 1996.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby exited Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Rangers with an upper-body injury. He appeared to have gotten hurt 9:15 into the second period when the Penguins captain took a hit from Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba. Crosby managed to take two shifts after that but missed the rest of the game. He's considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's Game 6. No. 87 has had a spectacular postseason so far with nine points, and he had produced multi-point efforts in every game entering Wednesday's action. The Rangers were on the brink of elimination on Wednesday, but Crosby's absence could change everything in the series.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoDallas Stars forward Michael Raffl will start Wednesday's Game 5 against Calgary on the first line. The Austrian veteran has one goal in the series and should now get more scoring chances. He will be partnered by Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski, who's been the hottest Star in the postseason so far with three goals and four points. The second line will consist of Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, while it appears that Alexander Radulov will be a healthy scratch again and Denis Gurianov will also come out of the lineup. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Matthew DeFranks

3 years agoPittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell (upper body) was at the team's optional morning skate on Wednesday, but he won't play in Game 5 against the Rangers. Rakell was hurt early in Game 1 and is considered day-to-day. His injury was a big blow for the team, but the Penguins have rallied together and can end the series with a victory on Wednesday. Kasperi Kapanen has done a good job as Rakell's replacement on the second line. He's got only two points but is plus-four for the series, which is the best plus/minus rating among all Pittsburgh forwards.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Penguins

3 years agoFlorida Panthers winger Mason Marchment (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Wednesday's Game 5 against Washington. He missed the morning skate with an undisclosed ailment and could now miss his first postseason game of the year as well. Marchment had a very solid regular season with 47 points in 54 games, but he's yet to find his game in the playoffs, bagging one point in four games and picking up a minus-three rating. Carter Verhaeghe has been the most prolific Panther in the playoffs so far and is actually the only forward on the team to average at least a point per game.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Florida Panthers

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse will miss Thursday's Game 6 against Los Angeles due to a suspension. He was handed a one-game suspension for head-butting Kings center Phillip Danault in Game 5. This is Nurse's second career suspension and his first since a three-game punishment in 2016. His absence will obviously be a major blow for the Oilers, who find themselves trailing 3-2 in the series after being 2-1 up. Nurse averages the most minutes per game for the team and has tallied two points in the series with 13 blocks and 10 hits.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoLos Angeles Kings winger Adrian Kempe had the best postseason outing of his career in Tuesday's Game 5 against Edmonton, helping the team to a 5-4 overtime victory with two goals and an assist. He scored his first career playoff goal in the middle of the first period, collected a power-play helper on a Philip Danault goal in the second frame, and delivered the game-winning goal with just 1:12 played in overtime. Kempe also had a game-high nine shots on goal in the contest with one hit in 21:29 of action. This was a massive performance from the Swedish winger, as he more than doubled his points tally for the playoffs. He's now on five points, which ties him with Danault and Trevor Moore for the team lead.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoSt. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko became a hat-trick hero in Tuesday's Game 5 against the Wild, turning a tight game into a comfortable 5-2 win with three third-period goals. This came completely out of the blue, as Tarasenko sat on just one goal and two points in the playoffs before Tuesday's action. It's his second playoff hat trick, with the first one having also come against Minnesota in 2015. It's not been a great series for Tarasenko, but the veteran sniper should get better as long as his team stays in contention for the Stanley Cup. St. Louis can secure a ticket to the second round in the next game on Thursday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoToronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander led the team's comeback charge in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Tampa. He picked up a goal and two assists as the team turned a 2-0 deficit into a lead. Nylander was completely quiet at the start of the series, but he's now recorded five points across the last two games. He had a great year with a career-high 80 points during the regular season and it was only a matter of time before things started clicking for him in the playoffs as well.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo had a big game against the Bruins on Tuesday with a goal and two assists, becoming the first blue-liner in franchise history to record multiple three-point outings in a single postseason. He logged the game-winning goal on the power play and also had one assist with the man advantage. DeAngelo is now on eight points in the series, and he can chase another record next. Jaccob Slavin, who opened the scoring in Tuesday's 5-1 win, holds the Hurricanes record for most points scored by a defenseman in a single series, having finished the first round in 2019 against Washington with nine points.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoBoston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy is set to make a surprise return to the lineup in Tuesday's Game 5 against Carolina after clearing COVID-19 protocols. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the morning skate that McAvoy wouldn't be available for the game and he didn't travel with the team, but the talented rearguard has now arrived in Raleigh via a private jet and is set to join the team for warmups. Getting McAvoy back would be a huge boost for Boston, as he's the team's most talented defenseman who plays in every situation. McAvoy had 56 points during the regular season and has notched two points in three games so far in the playoffs, logging a massive 25:15 per game.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoMinnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov has had no problems whatsoever carrying his regular-season form into the playoffs and he has a chance to set another franchise record in the first-round series against St. Louis. The 2021 Calder Trophy winner has notched five goals during the postseason and needs one more to set a new Wild record for most goals scored in a single playoff series. Marian Gaborik and Wes Walz also had five in 2003 against Vancouver. Kaprizov has scored in three straight games and boasts five goals and six points in total in the series.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoBoston Bruins defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm (upper body) will remain unavailable for Tuesday's Game 5 against Carolina. Both players missed Sunday's Game 4, and Lindholm has been out of commission since getting hurt in the second game of the series. It's a massive blow for the team, although Boston did manage to win on Sunday without the pair. The minutes were shared pretty evenly on the blue line, and we should see something similar on Tuesday. Matt Grzelcyk looks like the most attractive Bruins defenseman for DFS action, as he's jumped to the first power-play unit.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN