News: Derek Stepan left the ice under his own power in the first period of Saturday's Game 5 tilt against the Bruins after he took a puck to the face. He returned shortly afterward, and skated 25 shifts in New York's 3-1 loss.
Analysis: He'll have plenty of time to tend to any injury he may have sustained, as the loss eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs.
News: Derek Dorsett amassed 11 penalty minutes in the Rangers' season-ending loss to Boston on Saturday. The penalties included a fighting major and an unsportsmanlike conduct for a first-period duet with Boston enforcer Shawn Thornton.
Analysis: He easily led all Ranger skaters with 28 PIMs in 11 playoff games. But that's what he gets paid for; he's signed for another two years, and New York emphatically needs help in the toughness department.
News: Dan Girardi scored the Rangers' final goal of the season Saturday, cashing in on a first-period power play against Boston. But the New York offense was silent after that, and the Bruins came back for a series-clinching 3-1 win.
Analysis: He's not likely to explode into an offensive force at this point in his career, but he is likely to see plenty of time on the blue line when the Rangers take the ice again in the fall. He's signed through the end of the 2013-14 season.
News: Henrik Lundqvist allowed two Boston goals as the Bruins eliminated New York from the playoffs Saturday with a 3-1 win.
Analysis: The Rangers were going as far as Henrik Lundqvist would take them, but he allowed 15 goals in the five games of this series. His opposite number, Tuuka Rask, was simply better over the five games. Lundqvist is signed through next season, and his extraordinary performance in the regular season all but guarantees that he'll be New York's primary backstop in October.
News: Boston fell behind early in Saturday's Game 5 when Tuukka Rask allowed a first-period power-play goal. But he was flawless the rest of the way as the Bruins surged ahead to take a 3-1 win to close out the series against New York.
Analysis: After a shaky first-round series against Toronto, he put on a dominating performance against the Rangers, posting a GAA of 1.86 and stopping shots at a .936 pace. He now faces the daunting task of stemming Pittsburgh's potent attack in the conference final.
News: Dennis Seidenberg skated 29 shifts in Saturday's 3-1 win over New York. He appears to be healed from the leg injury that had sidelined him since Game 7 of Boston's first-round series against Toronto.
Analysis: He'll benefit further by the likely layoff of a few days before the conference final begins at Pittsburgh.
News: Torey Krug scored on a Boston power play in Saturday's series-clinching 3-1 win over the Rangers. It's his third power-play marker in this series alone.
Analysis: He's making a serious post-season splash after taking the ice just three times in his first two regular seasons. After sitting out the first-round series against Toronto, he played all five contests against New York and has four goals and an assist to show for it. If you can possibly grab him now, he's hot enough to justify a flier pick for the conference final.
News: Gregory Campbell scored twice as the Bruins clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
Analysis: His first tally was the game-winner; the second came in the final minute with New York's net untended. But the goals count, for on-ice and fantasy purposes. The B's now move on to face the Penguins for a chance at the Stanley Cup.
News: Patrick Kane is expected to be on the same line with Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews for the Blackhawks' top line for Game 5 against Detroit of the Western Conference semifinals, ESPN Chicago reports.
Analysis: Patrick Kane has been one of the few bright spots offensively scoring the lone two goals for the team in the last three games. The trio had only seen sparse time together, but has worked well in the past. The Blackhawks need scoring and they are going to try to put three of their top scorers on one line. "They've played together in the past," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "They've played together during the year, a few shifts here and there. I think they like playing together. We'll see how it goes."
News: Patrick Sharp is expected to be on the same line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews for the Blackhawks' top line for Game 5 against Detroit of the Western Conference semifinals, ESPN Chicago reports.
Analysis: The trio had only seen sparse time together, but has worked well in the past. The Blackhawks need scoring and they are going to try to put three of their top scorers on one line. "They've played together in the past," Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville said. "They've played together during the year, a few shifts here and there. I think they like playing together. We'll see how it goes."
