Player Notes

Havlat (groin) is out for Thursday's game against the Kings, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.
Recommendation: This will be the second straight game Havlat has missed due to the groin injury. He remains day-to-day.

Pavelski had an assist and three shots in the Sharks victory Tuesday.
Recommendation: Pavelski is on a tear and with Couture on his line, there's no sign of this stopping. He's been on the ice for 17 goals and only one against this postseason.

Burns opened the scoring Tuesday, adding three shots and 19:20 in ice time in the San Jose win.
Recommendation: That's Burns first point in the series against Los Angeles. He's been less effective for the Sharks in the postseason than during the regular season, averaging .5 points per game.

Couture had a tip-in goal and five shots in the Sharks win on Tuesday.
Recommendation: That's game-winning goals in back-to-back games for Couture. With 11 points in eight games, Couture has been as hot as a player can get this postseason.

Galiardi had an assist nn Tuesday's win over Los Angeles, his first point this postseason.
Recommendation: After finishing the season very strong, Galiardi has all but disappeared from the Sharks' boxscore. His ice-time has shown this as well, dropping into the fifteen-minute range over the last three games.

Alfredsson recorded two points in a Game 4 loss to the Penguins on Wednesday.
Recommendation: The captain's goal and assist weren't nearly enough to stop Pittsburgh from cruising to a 7-3 victory and a 3-1 series lead.

Paille assisted on Boston's first goal and scored the second in Tuesday's 2-1 Game 3 win over the Rangers.
Recommendation: The fourth line of Paille, Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell has been dominant along the boards in this series, and this time it produced some offense. Most often, though, Paille's contributions don't show up in the box score.

Clifford (undisclosed) will play in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Sharks, Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports.
Recommendation: Clifford missed the Kings' previous four games, but he will return to action Tuesday night with the Kings looking to go up 3-1 on the Sharks.

Neil (upper body), who left Sunday's Game 3 victory over the Penguins during the second overtime period, practiced Tuesday.
Recommendation: The report adds that Neil is cleared to play in Wednesday's Game 4, suggesting that the pesky forward could have returned to Game 3 with more time.

Wolski signed a contract with the KHL's Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the Capitals announced Monday.
Recommendation: The Caps signed Wolski last summer. He did not make any playoff appearances and played in just 27 games for Washington this season. After playing with five NHL teams, Wolski has made the move to the KHL at age 27, and he's unlikely to return to North America anytime soon.

The Sabres re-signed Scott to a one-year deal on Monday, the Associated Press reports.
Recommendation: Scott fills a tough-guy role and the buck ends there, as he has a miniscule five points in 180 career games. That said, he has 305 penalty minutes across that time, so you can usually be sure when he's out there that he's ready to mix it up with someone. Scott played 34 games with the Sabres last season and was third on the team with 69 PIMs.

Samuelsson (shoulder) will not be in the lineup for Game 3 on Monday, MLive.com reports.
Recommendation: He's listed as a healthy scratch Monday, so it may simply be a case where head coach Mike Babcock is happy with the lineup he used in the Wings' Game 2 victory on Saturday and does not feel the need to push Samuelsson back into the fold at the current time.

Kane scored a goal on four shots on net in Monday's Game 3 loss to the Red Wings.
Recommendation: Kane didn't score in Chicago's opening series, but has now lit the lamp in back-to-back games, and he has a point in all three games of this series.

St. Louis has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, given each year to the player who has best exhibited the combination of sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and skill. He is up against Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks and Matt Moulson of the Islanders.
Recommendation: He is already a two-time Lady Byng winner (2009-10, 2010-11) and a finalist for the award four other times. This year, he led the NHL with 43 helpers and 60 points in 48 games to win his second-career Art Ross Trophy, all while spending just 14 minutes in the penalty box.