Fantasy Hockey

Matthews (illness), who was pulled from Game 4 against the Bruins on Saturday, was not in attendance for Monday's practice session, Joshua Kloke of The Athletic reports.

Matthews has produced points in just one of his last six appearances, though he racked up one goal and two helpers in that contest. The 26-year-old center's absence shouldn't come as a significant surprise considering he is trying to recover from a seemingly long-term illness that he tried to push through in Game 4. Without Matthews in the lineup, John Tavares could be given the first-line center role while Max Domi would likely move up to the No. 1 power-play unit. At this point, Matthews should be considered questionable ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday.

Mittelstadt registered an assist and five shots in Game 4 in a 5-1 victory over Winnipeg on Sunday.

Mittelstadt has been solid in the postseason, generating five points, 15 shots and five hits in four playoff contests. In his 22 games for the Avs since being acquired at the trade deadline, the 25-year-old center has produced offensively with five goals and 10 assists, though just one of those points has come with the man advantage.

McDavid logged a power-play assist in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Kings in Game 4.

McDavid continues to be a big playmaker for the Oilers, with a goal and nine helpers through four playoff contests. He's earned eight of his 10 points with the man advantage, with the Oilers vastly overpowering the Kings while a man up. McDavid has added 10 shots on net, nine hits and a plus-1 rating in the postseason while playing in his usual top-line role.

Draisaitl recorded a power-play assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Kings in Game 4.

Draisaitl has eight points over four playoff outings, and six of those points have come with the man advantage. He set up Evan Bouchard's second-period marker Sunday, which was enough to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead in this first-round series. While Draisaitl's 5-on-5 offense has been lacking, he continues to be a reliable scorer while seeing big minutes in the top six and on the power play.

Protas posted an assist in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 4.

Protas picked up two assists, eight shots on net, four hits and a plus-1 rating over four playoff contests. The 23-year-old forward took a step up in 2023-24 with 29 points, 113 shots on net and 49 blocked shots over 78 regular-season outings. Protas should continue to fill a full-time NHL role in 2024-25 after signing a five-year extension with the Capitals back in January.

Strome recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 4.

Strome helped out on a Martin Fehervary goal in the first period. The helper was Strome's second point in four playoff outings, to go with nine shots on net, six hits and a minus-1 rating. The 27-year-old center often saw top-six minutes in 2023-24, earning a career-high 67 points (22 on the power play) with 169 shots on net, 61 blocked shots and a minus-13 rating over 82 regular-season contests.

Brazeau (upper body) will be an option for Game 5 versus Toronto on Tuesday, per Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe.

Brazeau was initially not expected to be available until the second round but was a full participant in Monday's practice. He sat out the final six games of the regular season and Boston's first four playoff outings. Brazeau had five goals, seven points, 31 shots on net and 43 hits in 19 NHL appearances during the 2023-24 campaign. If he does draw into the lineup for Game 5, the 26-year-old forward will probably occupy a bottom-six role.

Martin (lower body) won't play in Game 5 against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Martin, who didn't practice Monday, will miss his second straight contest. He has been credited with two shots on goal, three blocked shots, seven hits and 16 PIM in three outings this postseason. Simon Holmstrom or Ruslan Iskhakov will replace Martin in the lineup for Game 5.

Wagner was recalled from AHL Colorado on Monday.

Wagner will likely serve as an emergency depth option, rather than actually getting into the lineup against the Jets for Game 5 on Tuesday. With the Eagles eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs, Wagner may not be the last player added to the Avs' roster ahead of Tuesday's matchup.

Lomberg won't play Monday in Game 5 against Tampa Bay despite being cleared to return from an illness, according to Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Lomberg participated in the morning skate after partaking in Sunday's practice but needs a bit more time to get back up to game speed. He picked up four hits in 6:32 of ice time in Game 1 before missing three straight contests. Lomberg had five goals, seven points, 80 PIM and 179 hits in 75 outings during the 2023-24 regular season.

Moore couldn't put one past the keeper despite registering five shots on goal in Sunday's 1-0 Game 4 loss to Edmonton.

Moore and the Kings couldn't figure out Oilers' netminder Stuart Skinner, who recorded his first shutout since Dec. 28 versus the Sharks. Through the first four postseason contests, the 29-year-old Moore has notched just one point, a far cry from his career-best regular season in which he set new highs in goals (31) and points (57). If the Kings are going to climb out of their 3-1 series deficit, Moore is going to have to start contributing offensively.

Lafreniere notched a power-play assist in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Capitals in Game 4.

Lafreniere set up a Jack Roslovic empty-netter to help the Rangers secure the 4-0 sweep over the Capitals. During the first round, Lafreniere produced four assists, seven shots on net, eight hits and a plus-1 rating over four contests. The winger had a career-high 57 points, including six on the power play, and 217 shots on net over 82 regular-season appearances this year.

Schmidt scored a goal on one shot in a 5-1 defeat to the Avalanche in Game 4.

Schmidt scored for just the third time this year, a significant drop off from the previous campaign in which he generated seven goals during the regular season. At this point, fantasy players probably shouldn't be expecting the 32-year-old Minnesota native to produce offensively with any regularity, making him a fringe fantasy option in postseason contests.

Stanley registered an assist in Sunday's 5-1 Game 4 loss to Colorado.

Stanley earned his first point since March 17 versus the Blue Jackets, a stretch of 11 appearances without getting on the scoresheet. The 25-year-old blueliner was a healthy scratch for Game 3 but found his way back into the lineup following the injury to Brenden Dillon (hand).

Makar scored a goal on three shots and picked up an assist in Sunday's Game 4 win over the Jets.

Makar has points in six straight games, racking up a combined three goals and eight assists, including five power-play points. During the regular season, the defenseman notched a career-high 90 points but still finished second behind Quinn Hughes for the NHL lead. If the Avs make a deep run into the postseason, Makar could be in contention for the Conn Smythe trophy, especially if he continues to produce at this level.

Bouchard scored a power-play goal on two shots and blocked two shots in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Kings in Game 4.

Unlike previous games in this first-round series, offense was at a premium. Bouchard's goal was the only one of 13 Oilers shots to get by David Rittich, but Stuart Skinner made sure that was enough for Edmonton to go home ahead 3-1 in the series. The 24-year-old Bouchard has a goal, five helpers, 14 shots on net and nine blocked shots through four playoff outings, with four of his six points coming on the power play.

Alexeyev recorded an assist and two hits in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 4.

Alexeyev set up a Hendrix Lapierre goal in the second period. The helper ended Alexeyev's 19-game point drought, though it was encouraging to see him in the lineup regularly down the stretch. The 24-year-old blueliner had just three points with 48 hits, 59 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating over 39 regular-season contests. Alexeyev is under contract for 2024-25, so he'll have a chance to compete for a bottom-four role with the Capitals in training camp.

Fehervary scored a goal on three shots and added six hits in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 4.

Fehervary ended up with three points, eight shots on net, 16 hits and nine blocked shots over four playoff outings. He's typically more known for his defensive work, so this shouldn't be seen as a sign of a potential 2024-25 breakout. The 24-year-old blueliner put up 16 points, 188 hits, 109 blocked shots and a minus-7 rating in 66 regular-season appearances this year.

Varlamov will be between the road pipes for Game 5 against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

As expected Varlamov gets the nod after having put together a strong showing in the previous outings in which he stopped 42 of 44 shots on net. At this point, the 36-year-old Varlamov figures to continue trying to stave off elimination for the Isles as long as he can.

Bobrovsky will get the starting nod at home against the Lightning in Game 5 on Monday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bobrovsky will be looking for a bounce-back performance after conceding six goals on 32 shots (.813 save percentage) in Game 4 on Saturday. It was the veteran netminder's first regulation loss in his last eight outings dating back to the regular season, having gone 6-1-1 over that stretch. Despite the subpar outing in Game 4, Bobrovsky, who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist Monday, was never really in danger of losing the starting job.

Skinner recorded a 33-save shutout in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Kings in Game 4.

The Oilers looked like the worse team for the first time in the series, but Skinner stepped up to deliver his first playoff shutout and his third win in four first-round games. The 25-year-old was able to make an Evan Bouchard power-play goal hold for the win Sunday. Skinner has given up 11 goals over four games versus the Kings, and he'll likely be in goal again for Wednesday's Game 5 in Edmonton.

Rittich stopped 12 of 13 shots in Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Oilers in Game 4.

Rittich got the start after Cam Talbot struggled in the first three games of the first-round series. Rittich was solid, though Game 4 was controlled by the Kings, who couldn't find a goal against Stuart Skinner. Rittich was 13-6-3 with a 2.15 GAA and a .921 save percentage over 24 regular-season appearances. The 31-year-old may get another chance to start in Game 5 on Wednesday, though the Kings are in must-win mode down 3-1 in the series.

Lindgren allowed three goals on 22 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers in Game 4. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Lindgren went 0-4 in the playoffs, ending the Capitals' postseason run in the first round. He allowed 14 goals on 103 shots during those four contests, putting a sour taste on an otherwise solid campaign that saw him post a 25-16-7 record, a 2.67 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 50 regular-season appearances. Lindgren is under contract for one more season, so he should have at least a timeshare role on lock for 2024-25.

Shesterkin stopped 23 of 25 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Capitals in Game 4.

Shesterkin had no problem guiding the Rangers to a first-round sweep over the Capitals, allowing just seven goals during the series. He's won six straight games dating back to the regular season. Shesterkin will now get a little time to recharge as the Rangers await their second-round opponent, which will be either the Hurricanes or the Islanders.