Player Notes

Sutton has retired from the NHL, according to the Edmonton Journal.
Recommendation: Sutton has battled a multitude of injuries over the past couple of seasons which certainly played a big part in his decision to retire. He leaves the NHL having played in 676 games, 38 goals, 112 assists, and 1,185 PIMs.

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.

Stralman will likely be unavailable for Thursday's Game 4 against the Bruins, Newsday reports.
Recommendation: In the second period of Tuesday's Game 3, Stralman took a hard hit from Boston's Milan Lucic and was forced to leave the game. The exact nature of the injury has not been disclosed, but it doesn't sound like Stralman will suit up Thursday. In his absence, Steve Eminger will likely move up to pair with Michael Del Zotto.

Karlsson notched two assists in the Senators' 7-3 loss to the Penguins on Wednesday.
Recommendation: With the Pens now up 3-1 and the series heading back to Pittsburgh for Game 5, Karlsson and his teammates will need to play a whole lot better to avoid elimination Friday.

Boychuk scored a goal in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.
Recommendation: Boychuk, who had just one goal and six points in 44 regular season games, now has four goals in 10 playoff contests to date, which gives him 10 goals in 55 career postseason games overall. While Boychuk earns most of his keep with his rugged presence -- he leads the playoffs with 37 blocked shots and is tied for fifth with 41 hits -- on the Bruins' blueline, it's not a complete fluke that he has found a scoring touch, given that he possesses a booming shot.

Letang racked up four assists in Wednesday's Game 4 win over the Senators.
Recommendation: Letang was on the ice for both the Senators' first period goals, but ended the night with four points after the Pens exploded for six goals in the final two periods.

Poti said he will not be returning to the Capitals, stating that he never felt he was in the Caps' plans this season.
Recommendation: Poti returned to the NHL this season after missing two years due to a fractured pelvis and multiple groin injuries. Poti is confident in his ability to play next year, despite being limited to 16 games this year due to neck and back injuries.

Greene (lower body) will play in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Sharks, Helene Elliott of the LA times reports.
Recommendation: Greene has not played in a game since Apr. 24, but he will take the ice Tuesday night as the Kings aim to go up 3-1 against the Sharks.

Demers (foot) will not play in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Kings, CSN's Kevin Kurz reports.
Recommendation: The Sharks were hoping that Demers would be able to play in their second-round series, but he will remain sidelined for the time being.

Beauchemin underwent successful reconstructive surgery on a ligament in his right knee last Thursday, the Globe and Mail reports.
Recommendation: The 32-year-old played for a month with the torn ligament in his knee, but following the Ducks' elimination from the playoffs last week, he decided to go under the knife. Beauchemin, who put up 24 points (6G, 18A) and a plus-19 rating during the regular season, hopes to return in time for the start of next season.

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.

Hannan missed about six minutes of action early in the second period of Saturday's Game 3 against the Kings after sliding face-first into the boards.
Recommendation: After a brief respite, he returned to action and skated an otherwise normal complement of shifts. There's no indication that he won't be able to go in Tuesday's Game 4.

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.

Martinez was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Game 3.
Recommendation: The team did not state a reason for the move and has not provided any information regarding his status for Game 4. Martinez has seen his ice time decrease slightly in the first two games of the series, and he played just 11:49 in Game 2.

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.

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.