NHL Hockey Player News

In his second season with the Hurricanes, Mrazek went 21-16-2 with a 2.69 GAA and .905 SV% in 38 starts. Despite the Hurricanes dominating the puck against the Rangers, Mrazek was 0-3 with a 3.44 GAA and .872 SV% in three starts vs. New York. During the 2019 postseason, Mrazek went 5-5 with a 2.73 GAA and .894 SV%.

Many were expecting to see Igor Shesterkin in Game 1 but he was deemed "unfit to play" so the veteran Lundqvist will get Game 1 vs. the Hurricanes. Lundqvist had a ton off success against the Hurricanes this season, going 3-0 while stopping 125 of 132 shots (.947 SV%). In his last playoff appearance (2017), King Henri was 6-6 while posting a 2.25 GAA and .927 SV% in 12 games.

DeAngelo missed Friday's practice and head coach David Quinn has listed him as a game-time decision for Saturday's series opener. If DeAngelo can't play, look for Adam Fox or Jacob Trouba to move to the top power-play unit.

Necas hasn't been on the ice much during the NHL's Return to Play Program but head coach Rod Brind'Amour said that he "looked really good" on Frida and has not ruled him out for Game 1 on Saturday. Monitor Necas' status as the Hurricanes hit the ice for warmups at 11:30 am ET.

Hamilton was set to return from a broken leg before he suffered a new injury in Training Camp 2.0. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour ruled him out for Game 1 vs. the Rangers on Saturday but said he's getting better and would not rule out a potential return during the five-game series.

Makar missed some time during training camp but participated in the final practice before entering the bubble. While speaking with the media on Monday, Makar said "I feel perfect now," which is a great sign for the Avalanche, who begins Western Conference round-robin play on Sunday. Makar had 50 points (12G / 38A) in 57 games during his rookie campaign and had six points (1G / 5A) in 10 playoff games last year.

Pacioretty is battling what was described as a "minor" injury but staying back in Vegas for now makes it seem a little more serious. Head coach Pete DeBoer said that Pacioretty will join the team when he is "healthy and available" but there's no indication how long that will be.

Samsonov did not travel to Toronto and will remain in Washington to undergo treatment. The Capitals expect Samsonov to be healthy for the 2020-21 season, which means Braden Holtby is now their unquestioned starter heading into the playoffs. Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek will battle it out for the backup position.

Crawford missed the start of Phase 3 training camp and it was revealed that absence was because the goaltender tested positive for Covid-19. On Sunday, he was included on the Blackhawks' playoff roster and travelled to Edmonton with the team. Head coach Jeremy Colliton said the team is "trying to get [Crawford] up to speed as quick as we can." It's unclear whether or not Crawford will be ready to start Wednesday's exhibition game vs. the Blues or Game 1 vs. the Oilers on Saturday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the playoff bubble in Toronto on Sunday but Hedman remained in Tampa for a "personal matter." Hedman and Tampa's strength coach will stay back until Friday, at which point both will fly to Toronto and meet back up with the team. Hedman will miss Tampa Bay's exhibition game against the Panthers on Wednesday but will be available for all three round-robin games, general manager Julien BriseBois said.

Hamilton reportedly suffered a new injury, unrelated to the broken leg which forced him to miss the final two and half months of the regular season. Sara Civ of The Athletic reported that Hamilton's absence is "in the realm of weeks not months." This is untimely news as the Hurricanes enter the hub city bubble and get set to face the Rangers on Saturday. Carolina was 11-7-3 (11th in the NHL) after Hamilton was hurt in mid-January.

Crosby has been absent since getting hurt in Monday's scrimmage game. He skated on his own prior to their scrimmage on Thursday but was deemed "unfit to play." On Friday he joined his teammates for practice, which is a good sign that he'll be available for Game 1 vs. the Montreal Canadiens.