Galchenyuk will be playing in his first game since April 9th. He will skate on the Habs second line with Tomas Plekanec and Thomas Vanek. Michael Bournival will take a seat with Galchenyuk back in. He had one goals and two assists in five playoff games in 2012-13.
With Carey Price sidelined for the rest of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Habs will roll with the 24-year-old Tokariski in game 2 vs. the Rangers. Without Price, the Habs are in trouble, but Tokarski played well in a brief stint with the Canadiens this season. He was 2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .946 SV% with Montreal and went 20-16-3 with a 2.38 GAA and .919 SV% with Hamilton in 41 AHL games. He faces the tall task of going head-to-head with Henrik Lundqvist.
The Blues re-signed Brian Elliott to a three-year deal this morning and will roll with Elliott and Jake Allen in 2014-15. In 19 regular-season games with the Blues, Miller went 10-8-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .903 SV%, and followed it with a 2-4 record, 2.70 GAA and .897 SV% in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. Miller as a rental did not work for the Blues, but he is expected to garner a lot of attention this summer.
Galchenyuk has not played since April 9th because of a lower-body injury that he suffered that night vs. the Blackhawks. Galchenyuk recorded 13 goals and 18 assists (31 points) with a minus-12 rating in 65 games this season. If he returns to the lineup tonight, Micheal Bournival is expected to be scratched.
Elliott was set to become a unrestricted free agent in the summer, but this signing means that Ryan Miller will not be back in 2014-15, while Elliott is signed through the 2016-17 season. Elliott was 18-6-2 with a 1.96 GAA and .922 SV% with the Blues this season.
Brassard was injured on a hit from Mike Weaver early in game 1. He is listed as day-to-day, so the severity of his injury is not clear. Dominic Moore played very well in Brassard's spot, recording two assists in 16:36 TOI; he is expected to play there again tonight, with Dan Carcillo coming in.
Lundqvist allowed two goals on 22 shots in the Rangers dominant 7-2 win over the Canadiens in game 1. In game 2 and the remainder of the series, New York will have a decisive edge in goal because Carey Price is out for the rest of the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers become heavy favourites whether it is Dustin Tokarski or Peter Budaj in the Habs' crease.
With Carey Price sidelined for the rest of the Eastern Conference Finals, it looks like the Habs will roll with the 24-year-old Tokariski in game 2 vs. the Rangers. Without Price, the Habs are in trouble, but Tokarski played well in a brief stint with the Canadiens this season. He was 2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .946 SV% with Montreal and went 20-16-3 with a 2.38 GAA and .919 SV% with Hamilton in 41 AHL games. He faces the tall task of going head-to-head with Henrik Lundqvist.
Price was injured in a collision with Chris Kreider in game 1, and will now miss the rest of the series. Head coach Michel Therrien said it best this morning when he said "we lost our best player". This injury is devestating for the Habs, who look to bounce back from a 7-2 loss in game 1. Now their fate rests in the hands of Petee Budaj.
It was been a tough season for Letang. He dealt with a knee injury to start the season, an elbow infection in December and January and then of course his stroke in February. Now Letang's latest injuries to his foot and hand, I'm sure he will be happy to relax his banged up body over the offseason.
Price did not return for the third period in game 1 after he appeared to injure his leg during a collision with Rangers' forward Chris Kreider. Price's absence at the morning skate should not be too alarming. He has skipped morning skates throughout the playoffs and played, he was also one of six players who didn't take part. We will wait to see what head coach Michel Therrien has to say about Price's availability, but we will likely have to wait until pre-game warmups, to find out if he or Peter Budaj starts game 2.
Mitchell has not played since game six of the first round because of an upper-body ailment, but will be back this afternoon in Chicago. Mitchell will replace Matt Greene on the Kings' blueline and is expected to skate with Alec Martinez.
Quick allowed two goals on 27 shots in the Kings huge 6-2 win over the Ducks in game 7. Quick finished the series with a 2.32 GAA and .916 SV% in seven games vs. Anaheim. His 2.72 GAA and .914 SV% in the postseason is not typical Quick numbers, so look for him to improve on those numbers vs. the Hawks.
Crawford stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Blackhawks 2-1 OT win over the Wild in game 6 of round 2. He finished the second round with a 1.97 GAA and .926 SV% which has him ranked first in both categories in the postseason--1.97 GAA / .931 SV%. Crawford won his only start against the Kings this season.
Shaw skated for the first time since sustaining a right-leg injury against the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the second-round series. Asked if Shaw could return sooner rather than later, coach Joel Quenneville said, “it’ll be sooner, but he’s not playing (on Sunday).”
Gustafsson played in only 31 regular-season games and played the final two playoff games after fellow countryman Nicklas Grossmann went down injured. He and Hal Gill were often healthy scratches for the Flyers, who carried eight defensemen for most of the season. Gustafsson was set to become a UFA in the summer.
Mitchell has been out since game 6 of the first round and that could mark his last game of the season if the Kings are bounced from the playoffs tonight. Should the Kings move on, Mitchell has a chance to play in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Quick stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 2-1 win over the Ducks on Wednesday. The win forced game 7 tonight back in Anaheim. Quick has a 2.38 GAA and .914 SV% through the first six games of the series, but has gone 2-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .927 SV% at the Honda Center in the second round. He is 2-0 in game 7's as he takes on John Gibson in his first game 7.
Mitchell has missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury that he suffered in game 6 vs. the Sharks. We don't expect that head coach Darryl Sutter will reveal his status for game seven, but consider him a game-time decision.
Kelly missed the final three games of the regular season and the entire postseason with a herniated disc. Kelly described it as the "worst pain" he has ever felt. Kelly is expected to be ready for training camp as he enters his third season of a four-year deal.
