News: Martin Havlat (groin) is out for Thursday's game against the Kings, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.
Analysis: This will be the second straight game Martin Havlat has missed due to the groin injury. He remains day-to-day.
News: Adam Burish (hand) could play in Thursday's Game 5 against the Kings, Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports.
Analysis: Adam Burish skated with the regulars at Thursday's morning skate, but has to meet with coaches before a decision is made about whether he will be in the lineup Thursday or not. Even if he plays, a fourth line winger with a broken hand is not a good bet to provide much offense.
News: Jarret Stoll (head) was able to ride a stationary bike Thursday, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.
Analysis: Jarret Stoll is still not skating, but is finally showing some progress after being hit by the Sharks' Raffi Torres in Game 1 of their second round series. He definitely won't play in Game 5 Thursday since he hasn't been cleared for contact yet.
News: Joe Vitale was benched for his performance on faceoffs, and did not miss the past two games because of an injury, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Analysis: Joe Vitale's absence from Games 3 and 4 against the Senators was assumed to be injury-related, but it turns out that his play on faceoffs -- 9-of-21 in the series -- was the determining factor. It is unclear whether Vitale will be back in the lineup for Friday's Game 5.
News: Corey Crawford will start Game 4 against the Red Wings in the Western Conference semifinals despite some murmurs that the team would start Ray Emery, ESPN-AM 1000 in Chicago reports.
Analysis: The murmurs were not that serious. Despite letting three goals on 30 shots in the 3-1 loss to Detroit in Game 3, Corey Crawford has not played that poorly and it has been more the Blackhawks' offense that has been the problem.
News: Brenden Morrow's injury may be to his left arm, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Analysis: Brenden Morrow was apparently favoring his left arm when he left practice Tuesday, but the nature of the injury was never disclosed leading up to Wednesday's Game 4. Morrow missed that game and is likely in danger of missing Friday's Game 5.
News: Ryane Clowe (undisclosed) was not on the ice for pregame warmups before Thursday's Game 4 against the Bruins, the Bergen Record's Andrew Gross reports.
Analysis: Previous reports stated that Ryane Clowe will play, but it appears that is not the case. He has yet to play in the series and has been out for the last two weeks. The Rangers are down 3-0 and facing elimination Thursday night, so Clowe's season may be over.
News: Chris Kreider (face) was on the ice for pregame warmups before Thursday's Game 4 against the Bruins, the Bergen Record's Andrew Gross reports.
Analysis: Chris Kreider left Tuesday's Game 3 early, and didn't practice Wednesday, but it sounds like he'll be in the lineup Thursday night. The Rangers are down 3-0 and facing elimination, so this could be Kreider's last playoff appearance of the season.
News: Brad Richards confirmed that he will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's Game 4 against the Bruins, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Brad Richards has struggled to produce throughout the playoffs, with the report suggesting that the well-compensated center may be a candidate to have his contract bought out by the Rangers after this season.
News: Dennis Seidenberg (leg) was not on the ice for pregame warmups preceding Thursday's Game 4 against the Rangers, the Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa reports.
Analysis: The Bruins are looking to finish off a sweep and will have to do so without the help of Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden (undisclosed). Luckily for Boston fans, the team has found a trio of capable replacements in Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, and Dougie Hamilton. Now that a Bruins victory seems like a foregone conclusion, the team can perhaps focus on getting injured veterans like Seidenberg ready for the Eastern Conference Finals.
