Player Notes

Staal (eye) was not on the ice for warmups before Saturday's Game 5 against Boston, Newsday's Steve Zipay reports.
Recommendation: Staal is still struggling with his vision, and a return before the end of this season may be unlikely given the 3-1 deficit the Rangers are currently facing.

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 semifinal series.
Recommendation: Spezza's return to action was a welcomed sight for the Sens, but even the dynamic playmaker's 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.

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.
Recommendation: 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."

Toews scored his first goal of the postseason in Saturday's 4-1 win over Detroit. It came on the power play.
Recommendation: He was teamed with Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp to start the game and it seemed to ignite the captain. Line matching also kept him away from Henrik Zetterberg, who had been shutting him down this series. This line matching will be harder in Game 6 in Detroit, but it will be critical if the Hawks are to get to Game 7.

Anderson allowed six goals for the second-consecutive contest, as Ottawa lost 6-2 to Pittsburgh on Friday in Game 5 of its Eastern Conference semifinal, giving the Penguins the series win.
Recommendation: 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.

Crawford made 25 saves in Chicago's 4-1 win over Detroit on Saturday night.
Recommendation: He has now allowed just two goals on 52 shots in his last two games. He'll need to keep up his strong play and hope his mates can continue to score. The Wings lead the series three games to two.

Stralman (undisclosed) will not play in Saturday's Game 5 against the Bruins, Newsday's Steve Zipay reports.
Recommendation: 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.

Keith picked up two power-play assists in Saturday's 4-1 win over Detroit. He now has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 10 games this postseason.
Recommendation: His skating made a real difference all night long and his skill helped light a fire under the Hawks' power play, which had struggled in the last couple weeks.

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.
Recommendation: He'll have plenty of time to tend to any injury he may have sustained, as the loss eliminated the Rangers from the playoffs.

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.
Recommendation: He'll benefit further by the likely layoff of a few days before the conference final begins at Pittsburgh.

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.
Recommendation: He easily led all Rangers 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.

Updating a previous report, while Powe (undisclosed) was out taking pregame warmups, he is not listed in the lineup for Saturday's Game 5 against the Bruins, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
Recommendation: It sounds like Powe is close to being able to take the call if needed, but for now the Blueshirts will go with the same forward lines that beat the Bruins in Game 4.

Boston fell behind early in Saturday's Game 5 when 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.
Recommendation: 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.

Howard made 41 saves in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Chicago.
Recommendation: He was pelted with pucks by the surging Hawks and surrendered more goals than he had since Game 3 against the Ducks.

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.
Recommendation: 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.

Redden (undisclosed) did not take the ice for warmups before Saturday's Game 5 against the Rangers.
Recommendation: Redden was able to practice Friday but is going to miss at least one more game. He is nursing an undisclosed injury and has yet to play in the ongoing series against the Rangers.

Cleary scored the Wings' only goal in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks.
Recommendation: The goal was his fourth of the playoffs and ties him for the team lead in that category.

Lundqvist allowed two Boston goals as the Bruins eliminated New York from the playoffs Saturday with a 3-1 win.
Recommendation: The Rangers were going as far as 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.

Clowe, who has yet to play in the second-round series against the Bruins due to an undisclosed injury, is not in the lineup for Saturday's Game 5, according to Newsday's Steve Zipay.
Recommendation: Brad Richards is also sitting out this one as the Rangers try to stave off elimination one more time. Clowe has been able to play in just two games this postseason.

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.
Recommendation: 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.

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.
Recommendation: 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."

Campbell scored twice as the Bruins clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference final with a 3-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
Recommendation: 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.