Lundqvist was pulled after allowing four goals on 23 shots in the first two periods of last night's game 6 loss. Wayne Simmonds scored three of the four on King Henrik so you know the Rangers will be looking to shut him down tonight. Lundqivst will start his fifth career game 7, he is 1-3-0 with an .879 SV% in his first four.
Quick gave up a single goal on 26 shots in a win over the Sharks in game 6. In the first three games of the series Quick had a 5.78 GAA and .852 SV% but in the last three games he has improved immensely posting a 1.33 GAA and .958 SV%. The Kings come into game 7 with all the momentum, but we have seen on many of occasions that anything cane happen in game 7.
Kuemper stopped 21 of 23 shots in a huge 5-2 win over the Avalanche in game 6. Kuemper will start tonight in his first career game 7. Kuemper ranks second in the NHL with a 1.53 GAA and fourth with a .934 SV% this postseason, stopping 99-of-106 shots in parts of five games.
Mitchell was injured on a penalty kill in game 6 and it will keep him out of the important game 7 tonight in San Jose. Mitchell will likely be replaced by Matt Greene.
Vlasic missed game 6 after being elbowed in the head by Kings' forward Jarret Stoll in game 5. He is there best puck moving defenseman, so his loss is a big one, but Matt Irwin filled-in pretty well in game 6. Irwin logged 18:43 of ice-time and was a minus-1, he'll be in again tonight.
Alex Stalock started in goal in game 6 and allowed four goals on 30 shots, so the Sharks will turn to a more veteran goaltender in game 7. San Jose has dropped three in a row after taking a 3-0 series lead, but will look to avoid a complete implosion tonight in game 7. Niemi is 3-2-0 with a 3.90 GAA and .882 SV% this postseason.
Mason stopped 34 of 36 shots in a 5-2 win over the Rangers in game 6 last night. The win forces a game 7 tonight back in New York, one of three game 7's Wednesday. Mason has gone 2-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .939 SV% in three starts in this series, but has never won in Madison Square Garden in his career. Could tonight be the night?
Lundqvist stopped 24 of 26 shots in the 4-2 win over the Flyers in Game 5. Lundqvist has been excellent so far, posting a 1.81 GAA and .926 SV% in the first five games. His strong goaltending has the Rangers one game away from eliminating Philadelphia. In the first two games in Philly, King Henrik has only allowed three goals, while the Rangers have tallied five.
Umberger missed two games in the first round, including game 6 in which the Blue Jackets were eliminated. Columbus showed some promise this season and Umberger will continue to be a part of their growth as he is signed through the 2016-17 season.
Mason allowed three goals on 21 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 5. After a great outing in Game 4, Mason struggled a bit on Sunday and now they are one game away from elimination. Henrik Lundqvist has outplayed Mason and Ray Emery, but the Flyers will need to find a way to crack the 2012 Vezina Trophy winner if they are going to extend their season.
Gill had a tough go in just his seventh game of the season on Sunday. A pass went off of his skate in the Flyers end, which resulted in a goal for Dominic Moore and a 3-0 Rangers lead. Gustafsson will come in having scored 10 points (2G / 8A) with a plus-7 rating in 31 games this season. Gustafsson played very well in seven games during the 2011-12 playoffs. He registered one goal and one assist with a plus-4 rating. He is expected to be paired with Luke Schenn in a must-win game for Philly.
Vitale left early in the third period after he collided with Black Comeau, both players were injured on the play. There is no word on how serious Vitale's injury is, but he has played a key fourth line role for the Penguins. Monitor his status before round 2.
Sutter was injured while killing a penalty in the second period. While Sutter was able to finish his shift, he limped to the bench when it was done and needed assistance heading down the runway. If Sutter’s injury is long-term, it will be a huge loss for the Pens. He was arguably Pittsburgh’s best player in Game 5 and was the catalyst behind their 3-1 win, which set the stage for them to clinch the series tonight.
Varlamov allowed three goals on 32 shots in a 4-3 overtime win in game 5. The Avalanche will look to finish the Wild's season tonight in Minnesota. They get a big boost with Matt Duchene (knee) returning to the lineup. Varly has a 2.33 GAA and .931 SV% in the first five games.
Duchene hasn't played since March 29 because of a knee injury. He missed the final eight games of the regular season and the first five in this best-of-7 series against the Wild, which the Avalanche lead 3-2. Duchene skated on the fourth line with Brad Malone and Maxime Talbot during pregame warmups. It was a different line than he practiced with during the morning skate, when he was between Ryan O'Reilly and PA Parenteau. Duchene led Colorado with 70 points (23 goals, 47 assists) during the regular season.
The exact extent of the injury and recovery will be known following surgery tomorrow. Bishop missed the entire first round with the injury, which was originally believed to be to his elbow. The Lightning were swept, but it likely would have been an entirely different series had Bishop been healthy. He had a breakout campaign this season, look for him to build off of it in 2014-15.
Orpik did not play in game 5 and did not take part in the morning skate, so his absence from tonight's lineup is not a surprise. Robert Bortuzzo will stick in the lineup with Orpik sidelined for a second straight contest.
Bobrovsky stopped 48 of 50 shots, but it was not enough to carry the Blue Jackets to a win, as they lost 3-1 in game 5. Bob has seen a ton a rubber in this series. The Penguins have averaged 38 shots per game and Bob has responded with a 3.00 GAA and .916 SV%. He will look to keep Columbus' season alive tonight as they host the Pens for game 6.
Fleury stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 3-1 win over the Jackets on Saturday. The win moved the Penguins one win away from the second round. They will look to put Columbus away tonight, but there are few things more difficult than putting an NHL team away on the road. Fleury has a 2.78 GAA and .911 SV% in this series.
Stalock relieved Antti Niemi for the second straight game on Saturday. Stalock stopped all 22 shots that he faced after entering the game 22 seconds into the second period. So far he has stopped all 26 shots he has seen in 57:02 of playing time. Tonight, the Sharks get a third crack at putting away the Kings, and it will be with Stalock in goal, making his first career playoff start.
