2 years agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl continued his superb playoff performances with four assists as his crew finished off Calgary with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 5. He helped to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead and also played a part when the Oilers once more tied the game at four and went on to get the game-winner from Connor McDavid five minutes into the extra frame. Draisaitl has now recorded three-plus points in five consecutive games and sits on 26 points overall in the playoffs with only 12 games played. He is one game shy of tying the longest three-plus point streak in NHL history, which is shared by Jari Kurri, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoNew York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad was the team's only scorer in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Carolina, stretching his goal streak to three games. He found the net 17:06 into the first period on the power play, with Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin setting him up. Zibanejad is also enjoying a nice scoring run with 11 points registered in seven games. He had a slow start to the postseason but managed to turn things around and now leads the team in goals (6) and points (15). The Swedish star needs to deliver the goods next in an elimination game as the Rangers head into Saturday's Game 6 3-2 down in the series.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoCarolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta remained undefeated on home ice in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday, matching a franchise record with a fifth consecutive home win in the playoffs. He didn't have a lot to do a lot either, facing only 17 shots in a 3-1 victory. Raanta has been rock-solid for the Hurricanes this postseason with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage, but whilst he's dominating at the PNC Arena, the Finnish netminder has gone 0-4 on the road. He will hope to break the trend in Saturday's Game 6.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen will set a new franchise record if he manages to pick up at least one point in Thursday's Game 5 against the Rangers. He's opened the postseason with a six-game home point streak and not a single player in franchise history has previously had a point in seven straight home games at the start of a playoff campaign. Teravainen has tallied a total of nine points during his streak and boasts a team-high 10 points overall in 11 playoff outings this year. The Finnish winger has enjoyed playing in front of the Hurricanes fans this spring, and don't be surprised if he puts together another nice performance in Game 5.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook (lower body) will be back in the lineup Thursday against the Rangers. He's been sidelined for eight games. The physical forward had zero points with three shots, nine hits and four penalty minutes in three games before getting hurt in the first-round series against Boston. Steven Lorentz is going to make room for Martinook on the fourth line. The 29-year-old doesn't have much fantasy value, but he will be playing with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Max Domi, and there are definitely worse situations for fourth-liners.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Walt Ruff

2 years agoEdmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane has joined the team in Calgary and will play in Thursday's Game 5 against the Flames. He initially stayed behind to welcome his son Iverson Frank Kane into the world. The controversial winger has been spectacular in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring a league-high 12 goals and piling up 15 points in 11 games. He's scored five goals in the last two games alone, so Kane is on fire right now and could be a difference-maker again Thursday night.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Kristen Shilton

2 years agoSt. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy tallied three assists as the team fought off elimination on Wednesday against Colorado with a 5-4 overtime win. The veteran blue-liner grabbed helpers on both of the team's first two goals when St. Louis started a comeback from a 3-0 deficit and combined with Ivan Barbashev to set up Tyler Bozak for the game-winner 3:38 into overtime. Leddy doubled his points tally for the postseason with the effort. He's been quietly very effective for the Blues, recording a plus-five rating across eight outings. The 31-year-old sits on the first defensive pairing and plays in all situations.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoSt. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas scored his first two postseason goals of the year at the perfect time, helping the team turn a 3-0 deficit against Colorado into a 5-4 overtime win. The 22-year-old notched St. Louis' second after Vladimir Tarasenko had sparked the comeback and scored 56 seconds from the end of regulation to take the game to overtime. Tyler Bozak eventually finished off the job in the extra frame. Thomas' second strike marks the latest ever game-tying goal by a Blues player when facing elimination. He ended a five-game point drought in the contest. It's not been a great postseason so far for Thomas, as he has recorded only five points and has come up empty in eight of the team's 11 games.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram recorded his second consecutive two-point outing on Wednesday, finishing a 5-4 overtime loss against St. Louis with two assists. He picked up both of his helpers on even-strength tallies by Nathan MacKinnon. Bryam has been awfully quiet during the postseason, but he has stepped up following Samuel Girard's season-ending sternum injury. He's jumped on the second power-play unit in Girard's absence, although all four of Byram's recent points have come in even-strength situations. The 20-year-old is now on five points in total for the playoffs in nine games with 21 shots, 23 hits and a plus-eight rating.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoColorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon exploded for a four-point performance Wednesday in Game 5 against St. Louis with three goals and an assist. The Avalanche grabbed a 2-0 first-period lead with MacKinnon's goals and even went 3-0 up, but they ended up dropping the game 5-4 in overtime. MacKinnon completed his hat trick with the team's final goal 17:14 into the third period. The five-time All-Star has been very prolific throughout the playoffs, going pointless just once in nine games and piling up 13 points in total.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

2 years agoWashington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson has undergone knee surgery and will be out of commission for 6-8 months, the team announced on Wednesday. The 28-year-old had a very unfortunate ending to his season when he scored just a few minutes into the team's playoff opener against Florida but had to leave the game soon after with a torn ACL in his left knee. Wilson had a career year during the regular season with 24 goals and 52 points. He also registered 240 hits in 78 outings.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Washington Capitals PR

2 years agoSt. Louis Blues winger Brandon Saad will start Wednesday's elimination game against the Avalanche on the top line. The Blues are 3-1 down in the series and changes are clearly needed to turn things around. Saad takes over from Pavel Buchnevich, who actually had a great run on the first line with five points in three games. The line includes the Blues' top goal-scorer David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly, who recently had a chance to celebrate his new playoff career high with a seven-game point streak. Saad has managed five points in 10 games in the playoffs and this is a great spot for him to boost his numbers.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jim Thomas

2 years agoSt. Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella (lower body) will be back in action Wednesday against Colorado. He will play for the first time since Game 4 of the first round and for only the third time this postseason. The 32-year-old will skate with Justin Faulk on the second defensive pairing. Scott Perunovich and Calle Rosen are coming out of the lineup to make room for Scandella and Nathan Walker. Scandella won't do a lot for fantasy managers, but he will be a good addition for a team that is desperate to stop the leak at the back. He averaged a block per game during the regular season and registered 106 hits across 70 outings.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeremy Rutherford

2 years agoColorado Avalanche winger Andre Burakovsky looks set to be a healthy scratch for a second consecutive game on Wednesday. He was left out of the lineup for Game 4 against St. Louis after he had started the series by going scoreless in the first three games, and it looks like head coach Jared Bednar is in no rush to get Burakovsky back in the lineup. The Swedish winger had a nice 61-point regular season, but he's managed just three points in the playoffs and has been held pointless in six of seven games. Alex Newhook has replaced Burakovsky on the third line.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Boulding

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continued with his good performances in the second-round series against Calgary, tallying two of the team's goals in a 5-3 victory in Game 4. He scored the third-fastest playoff goal in franchise history with just 21 seconds played and picked up the eventual game-winner 16:33 into the third period. Nugent-Hopkins has doubled his postseason points tally in four games against the Flames, reaching 10 points for the year. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are grabbing all the headlines, but RNH has made a significant contribution as well and the Battle of Alberta has been particularly fruitful for him this year. Combined with the regular season, Nugent-Hopkins has now produced 10 points in six games against Calgary.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN