Yahoo Sports Fantasy Hockey

  • Leaves Player Assistance Program
    Bear (personal) has been cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports Tuesday.

    Advice: Bear logged 24 games for Washington this season in which he registered one goal and three assists while averaging a career-low 14:54 of ice time. With one year remaining on his contract, Bear should be back with Washington next season, though he may be hard-pressed to force his way into the lineup on a nightly basis. Rotowire.com Today, 11:52 am
     
  • Available to play
    DeSmith (lower body) will return to the lineup in Tuesday's Game 5 home matchup versus Nashville, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

    Advice: Per Batchelor, the starting goaltender for the Canucks will be a game-time decision. Due to the absences of DeSmith and Thatcher Demko (knee), Arturs Silovs made his NHL playoff debut in Game 4, stopping 27 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime victory over the Predators. If DeSmith doesn't start Tuesday, Silovs will probably be between the pipes. Rotowire.com Today, 11:50 am
     
  • Will remain on LTIR next season
    Backstrom (hip) is expected to spend the 2024-25 campaign on long-term injured reserve, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports Tuesday.

    Advice: Backstrom managed just eight games this year before being forced to miss the remainder of the campaign on LTIR. At this point, Backstrom's career appears to be over with the center essentially riding out the final year of his contract. That being the case, Backstrom will eventually retire having played in 1105 contests, all for the Capitals, in which he racked up 271 goals and 762 assists over the course of 17 seasons. Rotowire.com Today, 11:48 am
     
  • Not playing Tuesday
    Namestnikov (face) won't play Tuesday against Colorado in Game 5, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

    Advice: Namestnikov suffered a fractured cheekbone in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 4. He has one goal, four shots on net and eight hits in four appearances this postseason. With Namestnikov unavailable and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby serving as a healthy scratch, Cole Perfetti and David Gustafsson will draw into the lineup for Tuesday's Game 5 matchup. Rotowire.com Today, 10:31 am
     
  • Tending twine in Game 5
    Woll will guard the road net Tuesday in Game 5 against Boston, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

    Advice: Woll will make his first start this postseason after Ilya Samsonov went 1-3 with a 3.31 GAA and an .883 save percentage in the opening four contests of the series. The 25-year-old Woll stopped all five shots he faced during Saturday's relief appearance in Game 4. He posted a mark of 0-2-1 versus the Bruins during the 2023-24 regular season, surrendering 12 goals on 89 shots. The Maple Leafs need a win in Game 5 to force Game 6 back in Toronto on Thursday. Rotowire.com Today, 9:11 am
     
  • Gets starting nod
    Hellebuyck will guard the home crease against Colorado in Game 5 on Tuesday, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

    Advice: Hellebuyck has lost three straight games, so he and the Jets will be facing elimination Tuesday. He's recorded a sub-par .870 save percentage and has allowed 13 goals in that span. Hellebuyck has yet to log a save percentage above .872 in any of the first four games of the series -- he'll likely need to be better in Game 5 in order for Winnipeg to have a chance to force Game 6. Rotowire.com Today, 9:10 am
     
  • Awaiting medical clearance
    Matthews (illness) will be a game-time decision for Game 5 against the Bruins on Tuesday. Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, "We'll see how the rest of the day goes," per David Alter of The Hockey News.

    Advice: Matthews didn't stay on the ice long during the team's game-day skate, raising doubts regarding his availability. Still, if the 26-year-old California native can get the all-clear from the team doctors, he should immediately reclaim both his top-line and No. 1 power-play roles. By Matthews' standards, he has struggled offensively of late with just one goal in his last six outings. Rotowire.com Today, 8:59 am
     
  • Traveling with team
    Kiviranta (lower body) will make the trip to Winnipeg ahead of Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Jets, Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports reports.

    Advice: Kiviranta missed Sunday's Game 4 win over the Jets due to a lower-body issue, but it appears he could be available for Game 5. The 28-year-old winger has picked up one helper and a plus-2 rating through three playoff games this year. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:09 am
     
  • Dealing with fractured cheekbone
    Namestnikov (face) has a fractured cheekbone, but he hasn't been ruled out of Tuesday's must-win Game 5 versus the Avalanche, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

    Advice: It sounds like Namestnikov may put on a full cage and try to gut it out Tuesday, but his status for Game 5 may not be confirmed until the Jets take the ice for pregame warmups. He's picked up one goal, eight hits and a minus-3 rating through the first four games of the Jets' first-round series versus Colorado. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:04 am