NHL Player News

Fleury (undisclosed) won't play in Game 1 against the Panthers on Sunday, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

Fleury also missed the final five contests of the regular season. During the 2023-24 campaign, he generated one goal, four assists and 40 blocked shots in 24 appearances.

Ekman-Larsson (upper body) will return to action in Game 1 against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Ekman-Larsson sat out Tuesday's regular-season finale after leaving Florida's 3-2 overtime win over Buffalo on April 13. He produced nine goals, 32 points, 123 shots on net, 70 blocked shots and 105 hits in 80 games during the 2023-24 campaign. Ekman-Larsson has chipped in eight points (two goals, six assists) in 25 career playoff outings.

Lindholm recorded an assist, two hits, a plus-3 rating and two PIM in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 1.

Lindholm snapped a five-game point drought with the assist. The 30-year-old defenseman helped out on Brandon Carlo's tally in the second period. Lindholm returned to his career norms in 2023-24 with 26 points, a plus-18 rating, 99 shots on net, 100 blocked shots and 63 PIM over 73 appearances after posting a 53-point season in 2022-23. He'll play in a top-four role throughout the postseason, but he shouldn't be expected to generate consistent offense.

McAvoy notched two power-play assists, four hits and two PIM in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 1.

McAvoy assisted on both of Jake DeBrusk's second-period tallies. Over the last six games, McAvoy has two goals and three helpers. The top-pairing defenseman played a huge role in the regular season but fell short of 50 points (47) for the first time in three years. He added 133 shots on net, 86 PIM, 159 hits, 159 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating over 74 appearances during the 2023-24 campaign.

Carlo scored a goal on three shots, blocked two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 1.

Carlo sat out the Bruins' regular-season finale amid a 16-game point drought. Whether it was an injury or just a mental reset, he was solid in Saturday's playoff opener -- his second-period tally was the game-winning goal. Carlo had 14 points, 140 hits and 140 blocked shots over 76 regular-season outings, in line with his production from previous years. He's mostly on the ice for his defense, so any offense from the 27-year-old defenseman is a bonus.

Romanov posted an assist in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1.

Romanov has earned six helpers over 10 contests since the start of April. The 24-year-old defenseman matched his career high with 22 points during the regular season, adding 157 hits, 171 blocked shots and a plus-23 rating in a top-four role. He's unlikely to put up gaudy scoring numbers, but he can be useful in fantasy formats that reward his physical play.

Pesce logged an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Islanders in Game 1.

Pesce sat out two of the Hurricanes' last three regular-season clashes amid a run of one helper over 17 contests. The 29-year-old got off the schneid with an assist on Martin Necas' empty-netter. This was Pesce's worst scoring year as an NHLer with just 13 points over 70 appearances, but he remains defensively stable and in a top-four role to begin the playoffs.

Skjei registered two assists, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Islanders in Game 1.

Skjei helped out on the first two Hurricanes goals in the contest, including Evgeny Kuznetsov's opening tally on the power play. Skjei was on a five-game assist streak to end the regular season, though he was rested for the final two contests. The 30-year-old had a career-high 47 points with 90 blocked shots and 185 shots on net over 80 appearances this year, so he could offer some all-around fantasy value from the blue line in playoff competitions.

Carlo (undisclosed) is projected to play Saturday in Game 1 versus Toronto, per Eric Russo of the Bruins' official site.

As expected, Carlo will be good to go after sitting out Boston's regular-season finale. He compiled four goals, 14 points, 79 shots on net, 140 blocked shots and 140 hits in 76 appearances during the 2023-24 campaign.

Pietrangelo will be a full participant in practice Saturday after having an appendectomy during his seven-game absence.

Pietrangelo has been out of action since April 2 but appears to be on track to return for Game 1 in Dallas on Monday. He had only four goals -- his lowest total since 2009-10 -- and 29 assists in 64 appearances during the regular season. Once he receives clearance to play, he should return to his spot on the first pairing and could see time on the man advantage.