Fantasy Hockey

Mittelstadt earned three assists, fired three shots on goal, went plus-3 and added two PIM in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Mittelstadt helped out on goals by Zach Parise, Artturi Lehkonen and Ross Colton. This was Mittelstadt's first multi-point effort in an Avalanche sweater. He's earned 14 points over 21 contests since he was traded from the Sabres at the deadline, and he's consistently held down a second-line job.

Colton scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Colton is riding a five-game point streak with two goals and three assists in that span. He has a goal and two helpers during the playoffs, and he's added seven shots on net, 11 hits and a plus-1 rating over those three contests. He remains in a third-line role, but he poses a threat as a depth scorer when the Avalanche's offense is humming as it has been in this series (17 goals over three games).

MacKinnon scored a on goal eight shots and added an assist in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Both of MacKinnon's points Friday were on the power play, and he's now at five points (three with the man advantage) through three playoff contests. The superstar center has added 14 shots on net, three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating. MacKinnon's career year didn't stop at the end of the regular season, and he should continue to be one of the top scoring threats in the postseason.

Suzuki was recalled from AHL Springfield on Friday.

Suzuki has 14 goals and 30 points in 51 outings with Springfield in 2023-24. Although he'll join the Hurricanes for the time being, the 22-year-old is not expected to play for Carolina during the postseason.

Faksa (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's Game 3 clash with Vegas, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Faksa has gone pointless in eight straight games, including the Stars' two postseason clashes against the Golden Knights. Ty Dellandrea could see his first ice time since April 6 against Chicago on Saturday if Faksa is officially ruled out.

Bourque was called up from AHL Texas on Friday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

The Stars had a pair of injuries Wednesday in Game 2 against the Golden Knights, as Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa each suffered undisclosed injuries. The Stars are down to 12 healthy forwards ahead of Game 3 versus Vegas on Saturday, necessitating the recall of Bourque. Bourque made his NHL debut April 6 in Chicago, managing two shots on goal in 10:56 of ice time. He led the AHL in scoring during the regular season with 77 points and is tied for the early lead in AHL playoff scoring with two goals and two assists in a pair of games.

Rantanen notched two power-play assists, three shots on goal and two PIM in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Rantanen has been all playmaker in the postseason with five helpers over three contests. He's added six shots on net, nine hits and a plus-1 rating while playing in his familiar roles on the top line and first power-play unit. Rantanen has two goals and five assists during his five-game point streak, which he'll look to keep rolling in Sunday's Game 4.

Parise scored a goal on three shots, went plus-3 and added four hits in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Parise has scored in three of the last four games, including each of the last two contests in this first-round series. The winger has added eight shots on net and 10 hits while seeing top-six usage this postseason. Parise's retiring at the end of the Avalanche's playoff run, so he can be expected to empty the tank in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Lehkonen scored a goal on five shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Lehkonen has scored in three straight games and has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. Five of those points, as well as 16 shots on net and six hits, have come over three playoff outings. The 28-year-old winger is making the most of his top-six role and power-play time to put up strong scoring numbers.

Nichushkin scored a power-play goal on three shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Nichushkin has a goal in every playoff contest so far, and he's added 11 shots on net, seven hits and a minus-1 rating. Dating back to the regular season, the winger has five goals and an assist during a five-game point streak. He was on the top line Friday and should remain productive in that role if he stays there, though Zach Parise has also gotten looks in that spot.

Marchment (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's Game 3 versus Vegas, according to Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine.

Marchment was injured in the third period during Wednesday's Game 2 and did not return. The Stars recalled Mavrik Bourque on Friday, giving the team an insurance policy in case Marchment or Radek Faksa (undisclosed) is unable to play Saturday.

Nylander (undisclosed) said "I don't know" when asked Friday if he was playing in Game 4 versus Boston on Saturday, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports.

Nylander was a full participant at practice Friday, including on the first power play. The Maple Leafs are really missing Nylander, who has sat out the first three games of the series. Nylander ended the regular season with 40 goals and 98 points in 82 games. He should be considered a game-time decision ahead of Saturday's tilt in Toronto.

Girard recorded an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Girard missed four games with a concussion, but he returned with 21:05 of ice time in Friday's contest. He also snapped the 10-game point drought that led into his absence, assisting on a Ross Colton tally in the third period. Caleb Jones was scratched to make way for Girard, who should hold down a top-four role.

Makar notched a power-play assist, five shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Makar has a goal, five assists, 11 shots on net and eight blocked shots through three playoff contests. He's on a five-game point streak as well, with nine points in that span, including four on the power play. Makar's roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit see him logging a ton of ice time, so there's no reason to think his offense will drop off much during the postseason.

Toews scored a shorthanded empty-net goal on two shots and added an assist in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Toews earned his first multi-point effort in six games. The defenseman helped out on an Artturi Lehkonen tally in the third period before depositing the empty-netter. In addition to three points, Toews has three shots on net, seven hits, four blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through three playoff contests.

Stastney (upper body) will not return to Friday's game against the Canucks.

Stastney logged just 6:36 before suffering an injury Friday. He's been held without a point in five straight games dating back to the regular season. An update on his status should be available before Game 4 on Sunday.

Girard (concussion) is in the lineup for Game 3 against Winnipeg on Friday, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.

Girard will return after missing the last four games. The 25-year-old was held without a point over his final 10 appearances in the regular season. He tallied three goals and 18 points in 59 games this season.

Van Riemsdyk (upper body) will not return to Friday's game against the Rangers.

Van Riemsdyk took a huge hit against the boards that resulted in an interference penalty by Matt Rempe. Van Riemsdyk immediately left the ice and returned to the locker room. He logged 3:27 of ice time prior to getting injured. An update on his status should be available before Game 4 on Sunday.

Georgiev stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Georgiev appears to have gotten himself back on track, allowing just four goals on 54 shots over the past two games, both being Avalanche wins. He had a rough second period Friday, but the Avalanche's offense took over in the third. Now that he has consecutive wins for the first time in over a month, there should be less chatter of head coach Jared Bednar switching away from Georgiev going forward. Game 4 is Sunday in Colorado.

Skinner will get the starting nod for Game 3 in Los Angeles on Friday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Skinner has struggled so far this postseason, coughing up nine goals on 63 shots in two games. Including his final start of the regular season, he's 1-2-0 with an unsightly .829 save percentage over his last three outings. Skinner went 13-10-2 with an .894 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA in 27 road appearances during the regular season.

Talbot is expected to start at home against Edmonton in Game 3 on Friday, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.

Talbot has struggled against the Oilers, allowing 10 goals on 75 shots (.867 save percentage) over two playoff contests. Edmonton ranked fourth offensively with 3.56 goals per game in the regular season, so the Oilers are likely to continue to give the veteran goaltender trouble, especially because Talbot's been floundering for a while now. He has a 2.92 GAA and an .897 save percentage over his past 17 outings dating back to March 7.

Shesterkin is slated to start on the road against Washington in Game 3 on Friday, according to Seth Orlemann of USA Today.

Shesterkin won the first two contests of the series while stopping 42 of 46 shots (.913 save percentage). The Capitals ranked 28th offensively with just 2.63 goals per game in the regular season, so it's not surprising that they haven't given Shesterkin much trouble in the first round. That said, the series moving to Washington might help the Capitals, who were 22-12-7 at home compared to 18-19-4 on the road during the 2023-24 campaign.

Hellebuyck will defend the road crease in Colorado for Game 3 on Friday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Hellebuyck struggled in the opening two games of the series, allowing 10 goals on 77 shots. Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Colorado snapped Hellebuyck's six-game winning streak. He was 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 60 regular-season appearances. The Avalanche have had no problem finding the back of the net thus far, they'll hope to continue that trend as the series shifts to Colorado for Games 3 and 4.

Annunen (illness) will back up Alexandar Georgiev on Friday for Game 3 versus Winnipeg, per Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.

Annunen missed the first two games of the series with an illness, but he's now feeling well enough to sit on the bench as Georgiev's backup Friday. Annunen went 8-4-1 with a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 14 regular-season appearances.