NHL Hockey Player News

Kane revealed on Sunday that he's been dealing with a sports hernia this season and they decided it was best to rest him for the final three games of the regular season. Kane skated on the fourth line in Sunday's practice, so expect him to play a minimal role to begin the series vs. Los Angeles.

Sandin has been out since April 7th due to an upper-body injury but is expected to return on Sunday for Game 1 vs. New York. The 24-year-old appeared in a career-high 68 games with Washington in 2023-24, and had three goals, 23 points, 79 SOG, 24 PIMs and a -13 plus/minus.

Vasilevskiy was a workhorse after making his season debut on November 24th. It was statistically the worst season of his career, as his 2.90 GAA and .900 SV% were the worst marks of his first 10 seasons. Despite the underwhelming splits, Vasilevskiy still won 30 of 52 games, making it the seventh straight season he's won 30-plus games. He struggled in the postseason last year but is 65-42 with a 2.37 GAA and .921 in 110 career playoff appearances.

Pageau missed game 1 due to a lower-body injury that he suffered in the Islanders' season finale vs. the Penguins. If Pageau is available for game 2, expect him to centre the third line, bumping Kyle MacLean back to the fourth line and taking Simon Holmstrom out of the lineup.

Sergachev has been out since February 7th due to a lower-body injury and has unfortunately been ruled out for the remainder of the first round. The 25-year-old appeared in only 34 games this season and had two goals, 19 points, 53 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -16 plus/minus.

Glendening is expected to dress on line four for Game 1 but is still considered a game-time decision on Sunday. The 34-year-old veteran reached double-digit goals (10) for the first time since 2018-19 this season.

Motte appeared in 69 games for the Lightning during the 2023-24 regular season and had six goals and nine points but will be a game-time decision for Game 1 on Sunday. Motte appears good to go but will make a final choice in warmups before committing to his 40th career playoff game.

Lomberg took a seat in the press box for Florida's final game of the season but will return to the lineup as a physical presence for Game 1 vs. Tampa Bay. The 29-year-old fourth-liner enjoyed a strong fourth season in Florida with five goals, seven points, 68 SOG, and 80 PIMs in 75 games played while averaging only 9:32 TOI/GP.

Bobrovsky enjoyed his best season as a Panthers in 2023-24, going 36-14-7 with a 2.37 GAA, .915 SV% and six shutouts. In the playoffs during his first four seasons with Florida, Bobrovsky has gone 18-17 with a 2.93 GAA and .909 SV%.

Nylander played a full 82 games in each of the last two seasons but will miss Game 1 in Boston. There hasn't been much information on what is ailing Nylander or if it will keep him out longer. For now, consider him day-to-day and hope the Maple Leafs provide some clarity on this mysterious situation.

Samsonov had a rocky start to the season but finished the season well, going 9-2-2 with a .905 SV% in his final 13 games. During last year's postseason, Samsonov was 4-4 with a 3.13 GAA and .898 SV%. With Joseph Woll not playing particularly well since returning from injury (.890 SV% in 10 games), the Maple Leafs need to be able to rely on Samsonov in Round 1.

Swayman had a terrific regular season, going 25-10-8 with a 2.53 GAA, .916 SV% and three shutouts in 44 appearances (43 starts). Swayman will start Game 1 vs. Toronto but doesn't have a lot of NHL playoff experience. He's 3-4 with a 2.79 GAA and .901 SV% in eight appearances (six starts) since 2021. Swayman was undefeated vs. Toronto this season, going 3-0-0 with a sparkling 1.30 GAA and .959 SV%.

Holmstrom scored one goal with one assist in the Islanders' season finale after being a healthy scratch in the previous two games. Holmstrom will suit up in the bottom-6 to replace J-G Pageau, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.