NHL Hockey Player News
Martinook left Game 4 on Thursday with a lower-body injury and is questionable to play in Game 5. Aleksi Saarela was recalled from Charlotte (AHL) and will replace Martinook if he can’t play.
Boychuk was forced to leave Game 4 in Pittsburgh with a lower-body injury and will likely miss most of the second-round against the Capitals/Hurricanes. Thomas Hickey is expected to replace Boychuk in Game 1 of the next round.
Neal has struggled to get anything going against the Avalanche, failing to record a point with seven shots and a minus-3 rating. Neal will be replaced by Austin Czarnik on the Flames’ third-line.
Czarnik has been a healthy scratch for the first four games of the playoffs but will replace James Neal on the third line in Game 5. The 26-year-old had six goals and 12 assists (18 points) in 54 games this season.
Smith stopped 49 of 52 shots in the Flames 3-2 overtime loss in Colorado in Game 4. The Flames find themselves down 3-1 heading back to Calgary but Smith has played exceptionally well, posting a .931 SV% through four games.That number is even more impressive when you realize that he is facing an average of 43.3 shots per game and saw 50-plus in back-to-back games in Colorado.
Jordan Martinook was hurt in Game 4 so Saarela has been recalled and could make his NHL debut in Game 5. Saarela was a third-round pick of the Rangers in 2015 and has registered 30 goals and 24 goals (54 points) in 69 AHL games this season.
Andersen allowed five goals on 30 shots in the Maple Leafs 6-4 loss to the Bruins in Game 4. Andersen has been busy in this series, facing 36.3 shots per game through four games—overall he has stopped 133 of the 145 shots (.917 SV%) that he faced through four games in this series. Andersen stopped 74 of 79 shots (.937 SV%) in the two games in Boston.
Kuraly has been sidelined by a fractured hand since March 21st but will replace Joakim Nordstrom in the lineup for Game 5. Kuraly will skate with Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner and comes into play with eight goals and 13 assists (21 points) in 71 games.
Rask allowed four goals on 42 shots in the Burins 6-4 win in Toronto in Game 4. Rask has allowed 11 goals on 139 shots (.921 SV%) in the first four games of the series, resulting in a 2-2 tie. The series now shifts back to Boston, where Rask stopped 59 of 63 (.937 SV%) in Games 1 and 2.
Thornton was suspended for Game 4 but will replace Lukas Radil in the lineup for Game 5, and will skate with Marcus Sorensen and Kevin Labanc. Thornton has a point in each game, scoring one goal on eight shots with two assists through three games in the series.
Vlasic missed Games 3 and 4 but will be back in the Sharks lineup for Game 5. There is no word on who he is expected to play with but there’s a chance he skates on the top pair with Brent Burns. Vlasic, who had one goal and one assist in Game 1, will replace Tim Heed.
Brown will make his season debut in Game 4 of the first-round because Micheal Ferland is out with an upper-body injury. Brown spent the entire season with Charlotte (AHL), where he was tied for fourth on the team in goals (19) and 11th in points (35) through 70 games.
Maenalanen split his season between the NHL and AHL, totalling eight points (4G / 4A) in 34 games with the Hurricanes and 14 points (7G / 7A) in 31 games with the Checkers. Maenalanen was a healthy scratch in Game 1 and 3 but will dress for the second time with Andrei Svechnikov scratched due to a concussion.
Binnington allowed two goals on 39 shots in the Blues 2-1 overtime loss to the Jets in Game 4. Binnington dropped both games in St. Louis but returns to Winnipeg, where he was 2-0 while stopping 50 of 54 shots (.926 SV%) in the first two games of the series. Overall, he has allowed 12 goals on 122 shots (.902 SV%) in the postseason.
Mrazek stopped all 18 shots the he faced in the Hurricanes 5-0 shutout win in Game 3. It was a dominating performance from the Hurricanes and made things easy on their netminder. Mrazek has stopped 61 of the 68 shots (.897 SV%) through three games this series and is on a seven-game winning streak in Carolina, posting a 0.99 GAA, .966 SV% and two shutouts in the process (since Feb.26).
