Player Notes

Lehner came on in relief during the second period of Friday's Game 2 loss to the Penguins.
Recommendation: Starter Craig Anderson allowed three goals on 21 shots before being yanked in favor of Lehner, who allowed one goal on 21 shots. There's no word yet on who will start Game 3 on Sunday, as the Sens may be looking for a spark with their backs against the wall in the series.

Anderson was pulled in the second period of Friday's Game 2 loss to the Penguin.
Recommendation: Anderson allowed three goals on 21 shots before being yanked in favor of backup Robin Lehner. Lehner allowed one goal on 21 shots, but was saddled with the loss as the fourth goal turned out to be the game winner for Pittsburgh.

Edler has been suspended for the remainder of the IIHF World Championships for his knee-to-knee hit on Eric Staal, the Vancouver Province reports.
Recommendation: Sweden will have to play without Edler in Saturday's semifinal match against Finland and the following medal game.

Stalberg will be a healthy scratch for Saturday's Game 2 against Detroit, NHL.com's Brian Hedger reports.
Recommendation: Stalberg has no known injury issues, so his benching appears to be due to slumping performance and perhaps tensions with the Chicago coaching staff over his playing time.

Richards picked up his seventh assist of the playoffs in a Game 2 win over the Sharks on Thursday.
Recommendation: Richards has hit the scoresheet in four of the last five games now after registering just one point in his first three games of the playoffs.

Marchand notched the game-winner in overtime, while adding an assist in 22:17 of ice time in Thursday's Game 1 of the Bruins' second-round series against the Rangers.
Recommendation: Marchand left Thursday's morning skate in some pain due to an undisclosed injury, but not only did he suit up that evening, he turned in arguably his best effort in the postseason to date.

Boulton signed a one-year contract with the Islanders, according to the Islanders web site.
Recommendation: Boulton is on the team for one reason, and one reason only, and that is to add some toughness to an otherwise soft lineup.

Stuart had a goal and an assist, with a plus-2 rating, in the Sharks loss Thursday.
Recommendation: Stuart isn't known for putting points on the board, only tallying six points in 48 games during the regular season, but he played a big role for the Sharks Thursday.

Adams is in the lineup Friday for Game 2 against the Senators, the team's official website reports.
Recommendation: Adams was absent during Friday's morning skate, but it sounds like it was just for rest than as a result of any sort of injury. He'll likely be ticketed for his usual ice time.

Vokoun will start in net for Friday's Game 2 against the Senators, TSN's Brent Wallace reports.
Recommendation: Vokoun got the win and recorded 35 saves in Game 1 of the second round, but his performance had it's rough spots. Vokoun will be on a short leash going forward, as coach Dan Bylsma could turn to Marc-Andre Fleury at any point.

Latendresse will return to the lineup for Friday's Game 2 against the Penguins, TSN's Brent Wallace reports.
Recommendation: Latendresse, who hasn't played since May 3, will replace Matt Kassian in the lineup Friday. Latendresse recorded six goals in 27 games this season.

Gomez had two assists and a plus-2 rating in the San Jose loss to Los Angeles on Thursday.
Recommendation: Those two assists are Gomez's first points of the postseason. With Raffi Torres, Martin Havlat, and Adam Burish out, Gomez will need to take on a bigger role in the Sharks' offense this series. He has the potential to do so with 101 points in 144 career playoff games.

Handzus missed practice Friday, but Coach Joel Quenneville said he is "fine," the team's official Twitter account reports.
Recommendation: Handzus has not practiced consistently with the team lately, and the 36-year-old is likely sitting out to preserve his energy for Saturday's Game 2.

Torres has elected not to appeal his suspension.
Recommendation: Although many of his Sharks teammates felt the suspension for the remainder of the second-round series with the Kings was excessive, Torres elected to preserve his eligibility for a potential Western Conference finals series. Though not a prolific scorer offensively, Torres' skills as an enforcer will be missed against the Kings.

Benoit will be in the lineup for Friday's Game 2 against the Penguins, TSN's Brent Wallace reports.
Recommendation: Benoit will fill in for Eric Gryba, who is out Friday with an upper-body injury. Benoit has 10 points in 33 games this season.

Thornton had an assist and a single shot Thursday, as the Sharks collapsed in the closing minutes for a loss in Los Angeles.
Recommendation: Thornton has seven points in six games this postseason, but only has a single point and three shots in the series against Los Angeles thus far.

Carter notched his fourth goal of the playoffs and added an assist in a 4-3 win Thursday.
Recommendation: Carter is certainly rewarding those who bet on his scoring success from the regular season carrying over into the playoffs.

Clifford (undisclosed) was on the ice for Friday's practice, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Recommendation: This is a step in the right direction, as Clifford sat out Thursday's Game 2 against the Sharks. His status for Game 3 on Saturday is unknown. Continue to view him as day-to-day.

Rask stopped 33-of-35 shots in Thursday's overtime win over the Rangers in Game 1 of the Bruins' second-round playoff series.
Recommendation: Look for Rask to see all the starts in goal for the Bruins as their playoff run continues. Next up for the team is Game 2, an afternoon tilt at home against the Rangers on Sunday.

Marleau scored and played a huge 21:18 for the Sharks on Thursday.
Recommendation: Marleau is at six points in six games. Though it took over four periods to get a goal, the Sharks seem to have found a way to get pucks past Kings netminder Jonathan Quick and that bodes well for Marleau as the Sharks head to San Jose for the next two games.

Miller (hand) could rejoin the lineup for Saturday's Game 2, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Recommendation: Miller's four-week recovery timetable for his thumb injury has now ended, and although he expressed the injured digit wasn't quite 100 percent, he believes he can play through any minor pain that might exist. Miller's return would add some speed to the lineup and aid the team's penalty kill.

Niemi let in four goals on 31 shots Thursday in Los Angeles, posting a .871 save percentage, his worst of the postseason.
Recommendation: Niemi let in the first shot of the night, but rebounded well until he let two past in 22 seconds during the closing minutes of the game. A return to San Jose for the next two games could help the Vezina-finalist.

Couture had an assist in the Sharks loss Thursday.
Recommendation: The Sharks are leaning on Couture for productivity. He has nine points in six postseason games this season. With the addition of Pavelski to his line and a return to San Jose on the horizon, look for Couture to continue his productivity.

Staal (eye) resumed skating during Friday's practice, the New York Daily News reports.
Recommendation: Staal, who had been practicing most everyday since sustaining the eye injury, had recently stopped skating over the last several days but will now return to his normal routine. He was only able to play in one game of the first-round series against the Capitals but his vision issues continue to persist in the game.

Letang will be in the lineup Friday against the Senators.
Recommendation: Letang missed Friday's morning skate, but it doesn't sound as though any sort of injury is at play here. He'll be part of his usual pairing with Matt Niskanen.