Hayton will make his 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut despite Mammoth head coach André Tourigny declaring earlier in the day that he would not play. The 25-year-old forward 25 points (10G / 15A) in 67 games this season.
O'Brien will take a seat in Game 5 in order to make way for the return of Barrett Hayton (upper-body). O'Brien has one assist in three games in the opening series against the Golden Knights.
Within a few minutes of the second period in Game Four, Vejmelka had already allowed three goals, down 3-0, but Utah stormed back, eventually sending the game into overtime. That said, the 29-year-old Vejmelka allowed the game-winning goal late in the first overtime frame, one of five goals allowed on 36 shots (861 SV%) in the 5-4 loss. Still, the Czech goalie has been mostly serviceable in his introduction to playoff hockey, posting a 2.80 GAA and .899 SV% through four games (2-2). The Mammoth hope to take a 3-2 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights, entering Game Five as +141 road underdogs.
After jumping out to a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Flyers have lost two straight and will hope to close out the series at home in Game Six. Vladar has been serviceable in his two losses, allowing three goals in each game while posting a .857 SV%. The 28-year-old Czech goalie, in his first postseason as a starter, has a 2.03 GAA and .914 SV% in five games (3-2). The Flyers enter Game Six as -120 home favourites.
Geekie will slot in for Nick Paul, who is a late scratch due to an undisclosed injury. It's the first appearance for Geekie since the opening game of the series, where he registered two penalty minutes and zero points in just over eight minutes of ice time.
Paul was a surprise scratch on Wednesday, with the Lightning not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Conor Geekie will draw into the lineup in his place.
D'Astous has not played since suffering an undisclosed injury in Game One on April 19th, but could be nearing a return to the lineup as he was a game-time decision on Wednesday in Game Five. The 28-year-old defenseman was impressive in his first NHL season, averaging 18:45 time-on-ice and scoring 29 points (6G / 23A) in 70 games.
The Habs will roll with Dobes between the pipes for a pivotal Game 5 matchup in Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Dobes allowed 17 goals on 20 shots in Game 4 as the Lightning edged the Canadiens by a score of 3-2 to even the series. The 24-year-old netminder has posted an .883 SV% through the opening four games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dobes and the Habs enter action on Wednesday at +130 on the money line.
Within a few minutes of the second period in Game Four, Vejmelka had already allowed three goals, down 3-0, but Utah stormed back, eventually sending the game into overtime. That said, the 29-year-old Vejmelka allowed the game-winning goal late in the first overtime frame, one of five goals allowed on 36 shots (861 SV%) in the 5-4 loss. Still, the Czech goalie has been mostly serviceable in his introduction to playoff hockey, posting a 2.80 GAA and .899 SV% through four games (2-2). The Mammoth hope to take a 3-2 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights, entering Game Five as +141 road underdogs.
Hayton has not played in over a month due to an upper-body injury, but appears to be nearing a return. The 25-year-old forward averaged 25 points (10G / 15A) in 67 games this season. His next chance to return will be in Game Six.
Heading into Game Two, Hart had won seven straight while posting a tremendous 1.72 GAA and .932 SV%. That said, in Games Two and Three, the 27-year-old Hart battled some adversity, losing both outings while posting an ugly 3.68 GAA and .829 SV%. His struggles continued in Game Four, as he allowed four goals on 31 shots (.871 SV%), but he salvaged a 5-4 overtime victory. Now, with the series tied 2-2, Vegas hopes to take a 3-2 lead and enter Wednesday's contest as -158 home favourites.
Earlier today, Vasilevskiy was named one of the three finalists for the Vezina trophy, but has yet to display his Vezina-calibre form this postseason. The 31-year-old goalie has an unspectacular 2.58 GAA and .882 SV% through four games (2-2-) in this first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens. Looking to take a 3-2 advantage in Game Five, Tampa Bay enters Wednesday's contest as a -154 home favourite.
Matvei Michkov will re-enter Philadelphia's lineup on Wednesday for Game Six, sending Hathaway to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 34-year-old Hathaway has two points (1G / 1A), 22 hits, and 10 penalty minutes through five games this postseason.
Michkov played all but one game this season, scoring 51 points (20G / 31A) in 81 games, but was surprisingly a healthy scratch earlier this week in Game Five. The 21-year-old Michkov has struggled through his first postseason, averaging 10:06 time-on-ice, recording zero points, a -1 plus/minus, and six penalty minutes. Garnet Hathaway will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Michkov's return.
Noah Juulsen will draw into Philadelphia's lineup for Game Six, sending Andrae to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Andrae is averaging 10:20 time-on-ice and has zero points through two games this postseason.
Emil Andrae will be a healthy scratch in Game Six, allowing Juulsen to re-enter Philadelphia's lineup. The 29-year-old Juulsen is averaging 9:35 time-on-ice and has two assists through three games this postseason.
Stuart Skinner was serviceable for the Penguins in the first three games of the series, but after being in a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 series deficit, Head Coach Dan Muse decided to turn to Arturs Silovs in Game Four, and has not regretted the decision. The 25-year-old Silovs has been excellent since taking over the Penguins' crease in the last two games, narrowing the series to 3-2, posting a solid 2.00 GAA and .920 SV%. The Penguins will try to force a Game Seven, entering Game Six as slight +106 road underdogs.
Ostlund recently returned from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for a month, but he only lasted 2:55 time-on-ice in his third game back after exiting with a lower-body injury. The 22-year-old Swedish forward had a solid rookie season, scoring 27 points (11G / 16A) in 60 games. Before his injury, he had two points (1G / 1A) in two playoff games.
Brendan Gallagher will draw into Montreal's lineup for Game Five on Wednesday, sending Kapanen to the sidelined as a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old Kapanen had a solid rookie season, scoring 37 points (22G / 15A) in 82 games, but has been held off of the scoresheet through four games this season.
Oliver Kapanen will be a healthy scratch in Game Five, allowing Gallagher to draw into the lineup for his postseason debut. The 33-year-old Gallagher averaged 12:21 time-on-ice and scored 23 points (7G / 16A) in 77 games this season. He has 33 points (13G / 20A) in 76 career playoff games.
