NHL Player News

Skinner will defend the road crease in Dallas for Game 5 on Friday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner gave up a pair of early goals in Game 4 and then shut the door, stopping 20 shots as the Oilers evened the series at 2-2 with a 5-2 win Wednesday. Skinner has a 2.34 GAA and a .900 save percentage in four games against Dallas in the playoffs.

Tanev (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Game 5 versus Edmonton on Friday, though coach Peter DeBoer is optimistic that Tanev (lower body) will play, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Tanev was injured blocking a shot Wednesday in the second period and was unable to return. Tanev is a stud defensively and if he is unable to go, the Stars will need to fill a big hole on the blue line. Lian Bichsel is poised to make his NHL debut if Tanev is unable to go.

Ekblad recorded an assist in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Rangers in Game 5.

Ekblad was able to bring his six-game pointless streak to a close with his helper Thursday but remains mired in a 29-game goal drought dating back to Feb. 20 versus the Senators. While the blueliner should continue to register plenty of hits and blocks in the postseason, fantasy players probably shouldn't be banking on him suddenly producing points regularly.

Lafreniere scored a goal in the final minute of Thursday's 3-2 loss versus Florida in Game 5.

Lafreniere gave the Rangers life in the final minute of the third period to cut Florida's lead to one, but it wasn't enough to fuel a late comeback. Lafreniere moved into a three-way tie for the team lead in playoff goals with Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. Lafreniere's eighth marker of the postseason Thursday also extended his goal streak to three games, and he has four tallies in that span. Lafreniere has come to develop a prowess for goal scoring during the postseason, but he hasn't registered an assist in seven consecutive contests. The 22-year-old is up to eight goals and 14 points with a plus-1 rating in 15 postseason appearances.

Zibanejad had two primary assists in Thursday's 3-2 loss against the Panthers in Game 5.

Zibanejad's two helpers in Thursday's loss moved him past teammate Vincent Trocheck for the team lead in assists during the postseason. Surprisingly, it was Zibanejad's first two points of the series after logging 14 points in 10 games throughout the first two rounds. The 31-year-old center did not record a shot on goal Thursday, but he had a plus-1 rating in 24:03 of ice time, the most of any Ranger. In 15 playoff contests to this point, Zibanejad has 16 points and a team-leading 13 assists with an even plus-minus rating.

Kreider scored a shorthanded goal and added a helper in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Florida in Game 5.

Kreider registered his first points of the series in Thursday's home loss. The 33-year-old has cooled down significantly after recording 10 points in as many games across the first two rounds of the postseason. In addition to the multi-point effort in Game 5, Kreider had four shots on goal, four hits and a plus-1 rating in 22:04 of ice time. New York will need Kreider at the top of his game if they want to avoid elimination in Game 6 on Saturday. The first-line winger is tied for the team lead in goals during the postseason with eight. He's also added four assists and a minus-4 rating in 15 outings.

Shesterkin turned aside 34 of 36 shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 5.

Shesterkin had another great performance in Thursday's loss, but he wasn't able to steal the win for New York. It's his second consecutive loss after wins in Game 2 and Game 3 of the series. Shesterkin lost consecutive games one other time this postseason against Carolina, and a win followed in that instance. The Rangers will need that trend to continue as they look to stave off elimination in Game 6 on Saturday night in Florida. Overall this postseason, Shesterkin has a record of 10-5 with a 2.36 GAA and a .927 save percentage.

Bobrovsky made 25 saves on 27 shots in Thursday's 3-2 win against New York in Game 5.

Bobrovsky was his usual self between the pipes Thursday, helping the Panthers inch closer to advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 35-year-old has allowed two goals or less in nine of his last 10 appearances. With Florida rarely allowing more than 30 shots on goal during this playoff run, Bobrovsky has been able to perform at an extremely high level. Florida has also consistently been able to provide Bobrovsky with offensive support -- they've scored less than two goals only three times this postseason and have not been shutout. Bobrovsky is 11-5 with a 2.27 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 16 postseason appearances.

Luostarinen notched an even-strength assist in Thursday's 3-2 win against the Rangers in Game 5.

Luostarinen had been held off the scoresheet in seven consecutive outings before helping out on Anton Lundell's third-period tally. Luostarinen added two shots, one block, one hit and a plus-1 rating in 16:15 of ice time. The 25-year-old has been struggling when it comes to finding the back of the net -- he has the lowest shooting percentage among Florida's forwards that have at least 20 shots on goal during the postseason. The Finland native has five points (one goal) and a plus-1 rating in 16 postseason appearances.

Lundell scored his third goal of the postseason in Thursday's 3-2 win over New York in Game 5.

Lundell gave the Panthers the lead just after the midway point of the third period in Thursday's win. He was held off the scoresheet in consecutive contests prior to Game 5. The 22-year-old also had three shots on goal and a plus-1 rating in 14:05 of ice time. Lundell is back to centering the third line after a recent stretch on the second line -- his ice time has decreased as a result over the last two contests. On the positive side, Lundell is averaging 1:11 more of ice time during the postseason in comparison to the regular season, though Florida's numerous overtime games have boosted everyone's playoff ice totals. The middle-six center is tied for fifth in points on Florida during the playoffs with three goals, eight assists and a plus-6 rating in 16 appearances.