News: Marian Hossa (upper body) is in the lineup for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Boston Globe reports.
Analysis: Marian Hossa's pregame session was rather light, but since his body is likely feeling less than 100 percent, the Blackhawks didn't want to take any chances on any sort of aggravation of the injury. He'll be joining Patrick Sharp and Michal Handzus on the Blackhawks' second line.
News: Jonathan Toews will be put back together with Patrick Kane on the same line Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, CBS Sports reports.
Analysis: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is going back to the well again like he did in the previous series against the Kings in the Western Conference finals. Bryan Bickell will again be added to Kane and Jonathan Toews line. In the final two games of the Western Conference finals, Kane registered four goals while Toews added a pair of assists. "They exited the Los Angeles series on a high note," Quenneville said Wednesday. "Hopefully getting back together they can continue that."
News: Patrick Kane will be put back together with Jonathan Toews on the same line Wednesday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, CBS Sports reports.
Analysis: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is going back to the well again like he did in the previous series against the Kings in the Western Conference finals. Bryan Bickell will again be added to Patrick Kane and Toews line. In the final two games of the Western Conference finals, Kane registered four goals. "They exited the Los Angeles series on a high note," Quenneville said Wednesday. "Hopefully getting back together they can continue that."
News: Ryan Murray (shoulder) has not been cleared for contact but expects to be after a visit to the doctor in early July, the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reports.
Analysis: Ryan Murray, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, should be back at full strength in time for the start of the 2013-14 season. There's a chance that he will skip right over the AHL and start his career with the Blue Jackets.
News: David Ullstrom has signed to play in the KHL, according to Islanders Point Blank.
Analysis: David Ullstrom had five points in 20 games for the Islanders this past season and while the numbers are far from great, he was also benched many times in favor of someone like Marty Reasoner who had no future with the team. It's something of a shame that the Isles lost a player as young as Ullstrom without knowing what they really had, but the Isles are also loaded with young talent ready to come up from the AHL and Ullstrom may have realized that making the squad out of training camp was going to be an uphill battle.
News: The Red Wings hope Darren Helm can start skating again in July, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Analysis: Darren Helm's back injury has been a bit of a mystery as he would feel better, start skating, then have another setback. After not playing for months, Detroit hopes the rest will get back the speedy center back to solid health.
News: Danny Briere is expected to be bought out by the Flyers after the Stanley Cup finals, Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia reports.
Analysis: While Danny Briere appears to be in line to be a compliance amnesty buyout (the new CBA allows for two) by the Flyers, the status of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov evidently remains up in the air on that front.
News: The Islanders are one of several teams interested in acquiring King goaltender Jonathan Bernier, according to Newsday. If that's the case, Nino Niederreiter is likely to be among the trade chips sent to Los Angeles.
Analysis: El Nino and the Islanders' brass seem to be better off parting ways, and this could be just the way to do it, benefiting both the Isles (who need a long-term goalie) and Nino Niederreiter (who needs a new organization).
News: Slava Voynov has signed a six-year deal with the Kings that is reportedly worth $25 million, ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The 23-year-old, who notched 25 points in 48 regular season contests, picked up the pace in the playoffs, finishing with six goals and 13 points in 18 games, currently second among blueliners this postseason to Pittsburgh's Kris Letang.
News: Patrice Bergeron went 24-of-28 (86 percent) on faceoffs in Monday's 2-0 Game 3 win over the Blackhawks, ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Patrice Bergeron, who also scored his seventh goal of the playoffs in the game, now has 13 points in 19 postseason games overall. That ties him for fourth among the B's in playoff scoring, and Bergeron's outstanding two-way play continues to be crucial to the team's success.
