Stenberg was St. Louis' 2023 first-round pick (25th overall) and signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday. The 18-year-old left-winger just finished his second full season with Frolunda HC (SHL) and had three goals and six points in 31 games played during the 2023-24 season.
Edmonton only ran an optional morning skate ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday but is expected to start as the Oilers look to close out the series. The 25-year-old netminder has played well in the Oilers opening series, with his 3-1-0 record, 2.48 GAA, .919 SV% and one shutout. He will look to propel Edmonton to the next round as he hosts the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, who finished the regular season with the 2nd best penalty kill (84.6%) in the NHL.
Despite stopping 12 of 13 shots against (.923 SV%) in a tough 1-0 loss in Game 4, Los Angeles will turn back to David Rittich on Wednesday for Game 5 vs. Edmonton. The 31-year-old participated in his most regular season games since 2019-20 as he had 22 starts and a 13-6-3 record, 2.15 GAA and .921 SV% during those games. He will look to keep Los Angeles season alive in Edmonton on Wednesday, who led the NHL in shots on goal per game (33.8) during the regular season.
Brett Pesce (lower-body injury) is out of a walking boot. If everything goes as expected, he should play games in Round 2. He may not be ready for Game 1, but the team is hoping to have him available at some point during the series. In his two playoff games before his injury, he had an assist, one SOG and two PIMs while averaging 14:18 TOI/GP.
DeAngelo left Game 5 in the third period after just 14:51 TOI due to an undisclosed injury but is fine and will be good to go if needed for Round 2. The 28-year-old defenseman appeared in three games after replacing the injured Brett Pesce earlier in the round, but failed to pick up a point to go along with his eight SOG and two PIMs.
It was a good sign on Wednesday as Sam Bennett skated for the fist time since his upper-body injury held him out of the lineup and is a high possibility to return for Game 1 of Florida's second series. Bennett appeared in two games in Florida's opening series, and had a goal, an assist, four SOG and two PIMs.
Bichsel spent half the season with Rogle BK (SHL) after leaving Texas (AHL) earlier in the season but has returned and been reassigned to the Stars on Wednesday. The 19-year-old defensemen is Dallas' 2022 first round pick (18th overall).
In a surprise move, Adin Hill was the first goaltender off the ice at Vegas' morning skate and will get his first start of the playoffs in Game 5 as he replaces Logan Thompson. Hill led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup victory in 2022-23, and had a solid 19-12-2 record, 2.71 GAA and .909 SV% in his second year with Vegas. During last year's historical playoff run, he was 11-4-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 SV%.
Khazheyev was Carolina's 2023 fifth-round pick (158th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract starting in 2024-25. The 19-year-old Russian netminder enjoyed a strong season with Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (MHL), with his .927 SV% and 2.19 GAA in 28 games played.
In a surprise move, Adin Hill was the first goaltender off the ice at Vegas' morning skate and will get his first start of the playoffs in Game 5 as he replaces Logan Thompson. Hill led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup victory in 2022-23, and had a solid 19-12-2 record, 2.71 GAA and .909 SV% in his second year with Vegas. During last year's historical playoff run, he was 11-4-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .932 SV%.
Robertsson was St. Louis' 2021 third-round pick (71st overall) and signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday starting in 2024-25. The 21-year-old just finished a split season between Skelleftea AIK (SHL) and Brynas IF (HA) where he played in 39 games played.
Whitecloud will be a healthy scratch for the first time in the playoffs for Game 5 on Wednesday as he is replaced by Ben Hutton in Vegas' lineup. The 27-year-old has averaged 15:51 TOI/GP in the playoffs thus far, but has yet to pick up a point alongside his two shots on goal.
Kolesar will head to the press box as a healthy scratch for Game 5 on Wednesday as he is replaced by Pavel Dorofeyev. The 27-year-old had failed to pick up a point in his four appearances this post season, with his four SOG, and a -1 plus/minus while averaging just 11:03 TOI/GP.
Hutton will draw into the Golden Knights lineup for the first time in this year's playoffs as he replaces Zach Whitecloud in Vegas' lineup for Game 5 on Wednesday. The 31-year-old appeared in two games during last year's Stanley Cup playoff run. He had two goals, eight assists, 67 SOG, 17 PIMs and a +12 plus/minus through 41 games during the regular season.
Dorofeyev has yet to appear in this year's post-season but will make his playoff debut on Wednesday as he draws into the lineup for Game 5. The 23-year-old is expected to draw into Vegas' second line and had 13 goals, 24 points, 97 SOG, 12 PIMs and a +8 plus/minus in 47 games played.
Tyson Barrie will make his playoff debut in Schenn's place. It's unknown at this time if Schenn is dealing with an undisclosed injury or if he is simply a healthy scratch.
With Nashville's season on the line, Barrie will make his playoff debut and his first appearance since March 28th. The British Columbia native had one goal and 14 assists in 41 games this season. Luke Schenn will draw out of the lineup in his place.
With Casey DeSmith and Thatcher Demko both unavailable due to injury, Silvos was thrusted into action in Game 4 on Sunday and performed admirably. He stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced and, thanks to a dramatic hat-trick from Brock Boeser, was able to see Vancouver through to a 4-3 victory in overtime. Silovs and the Canucks enter tonight's action as -120 favourites with a chance to eliminate the Predators.
The Predators will unsurprisingly turn to Saros with their season on the line on Tuesday as they look to claw back from a 3-1 series deficit. Saros had another disappointing performance in Game 4 on Sunday, allowing four goals on just 21 shots as the Canucks came back to secure a dramatic 4-3 victory in overtime. Saros' SV% on the series sits uncharacteristically low at .859, and he will no doubt need to do a lot better than that if the Predators are going to have any chance of getting back in this series.
Down 3-1 in their series with the Colorado Avalance, the Jets will turn to Hellebucyk between the pipes in a must-win contest. Hellebuyck is a leading candidate for the Vezina trophy this season but has struggled in the playoffs. He has allowed four or more goals in each contest, posting an ugly .870 SV% through four games (1-3-0). The Jets enter game five as +106 home underdogs.
