News: Anton Stralman (undisclosed) will not play in Saturday's Game 5 against the Bruins, Newsday's Steve Zipay reports.
Analysis: Anton Stralman will sit for the second game in a row, after taking a hard hit from Boston's Milan Lucic in Game 3. The Rangers have not commented on the extent or nature of the injury.
News: Corey Crawford will start Saturday's Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against Detroit with the Blackhawks trailing 3-1 in the series, according to the Associated Press.
Analysis: This isn't much of a surprise considering Corey Crawford did enough in Thursday's Game 4 loss to Detroit, allowing just one goal in the shutout loss. Chicago is facing elimination on Saturday and Crawford will need to be perfect if the series' previous three contests have been any indication.
News: Kyle Turris factored into both Ottawa goals in Friday's 6-2 Game 5 loss to Pittsburgh that saw the Penguins advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Turris had three goals in the last four games.
Analysis: Kyle Turris finished the playoffs with nine points in 10 games and established himself as one of the team's top forwards heading into next season. He's still young and loaded with potential talent and definitely worth taking a mid-round flier on next fall.
News: Jason Spezza notched an assist on one of Ottawa's two goals in Friday's series-ending Game 5 loss to Pittsburgh in the teams' Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series.
Analysis: Jason Spezza's return to action was a welcomed sight for the Sens, but even the dynamic playmakers' presence was not enough to overcome the Penguins. Spezza played in the series' final three games, his first since the end of January, registering one assist and averaging just over 18 minutes. Expect Spezza to be fully healthy next season and produce at his usual point-per-game level.
News: Craig Anderson allowed six goals for the second-consecutive contest, as Ottawa lost 6-2 to Pittsburgh on Friday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal, giving the Penguins the series win.
Analysis: Craig Anderson had a rough series save for the win in Game 3, as he allowed 12 goals in the last two games against a superior team. Anderson was able to guide the Sens farther than most assumed Ottawa would go and will be a trendy pick next fall as a goalie that's essentially guaranteed to eat minutes and gather wins.
News: Curtis McElhinney signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Blue Jackets, the Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reports.
Analysis: Curtis McElhinney spent the 2012-13 season with AHL Springfield, going 29-16-3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
News: Evgeni Malkin snapped a two-game pointless streak with a goal and an assist Friday night.
Analysis: Even with a mini-scoring drought, Evgeni Malkin has netted four goals and 16 points in the playoffs, one point behind Boston's David Krejci for the league lead.
News: Brenden Morrow (arm) returned to the lineup Friday and scored Pittsburgh's first goal six minutes into the game.
Analysis: Brenden Morrow has been dealing with an arm issue, but he was also in danger of serving as a healthy scratch. He has two goals and four points in 10 playoff contests for Pittsburgh. The winger entered Friday with 27 hits but failed to register a hit against Ottawa for the first time in postseason action.
News: Tomas Vokoun made 29 saves in a 6-2 series-clinching victory Friday night against the Senators.
Analysis: He's now 5-1 in the playoffs, with his only blemish coming in Ottawa's double-overtime Game 3 win. Tomas Vokoun's performance Friday was so expected that he wasn't even named one of the game's three stars. The 36-year-old has given Pittsburgh a calm presence in goal and will likely stay there until he gets hurt or has a bad game. Right now, nothing seems to be able to slow him or the Penguins down. The team will await the winner of the Rangers-Bruins series to play against in the East finals.
News: Kris Letang followed up a four-assist Wednesday with a goal and two helpers Friday night.
Analysis: With 16 points in the playoffs, Kris Letang (3G, 13A) trails David Krejci by one point for the overall league-lead in scoring. Nine of his points, including two goals and seven assists, have come on the power play. The Penguins have won their first two series in six and five games, respectively. Those numbers are good for Pittsburgh but fantasy owners would probably like to wring a few more games (and points) from the offensive juggernaut.
