Ice Chips: Caps 30-goal scorer Protas may make playoff debut in Game 3
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Washington Capitals
Forward Aliaksei Protas is a possibility to play in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, according to head coach Spencer Carbery.
Protas, 24, missed the first two games of the series with a foot injury that that also caused him to miss the last six games of the regular season.
The 6-foot-6 centre had been skating with the team in a regular practice sweater.
Protas was a key offensive force for the Capitals this season, recording 30 goals and 66 points in 76 games.
Montreal Canadiens
Forward Patrik Laine was the only member of the Canadiens missing from their morning skate prior to Game 3 of their first-round matchup with the Washington Capitals with a maintenance day.
Laine, 27, only played 10:10 during the Candiens' 3-1 loss in Game 2 after he was benched for the third period by head coach Martin St. Louis.
The 6-foot-4 winger has an assist in the series while averaging 11:42 of ice time with a minus-2 rating.
Laine recorded 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games during his first season with the Canadiens.
Washington has a 2-0 series advantage over Montreal with the series shifting to the Bell Centre for Game 3 on Friday.
Edmonton Oilers
Calvin Pickard was in the Oilers' starting net during the team's morning skate on Friday, according to TSN's Ryan Rishaug.
Stuart Skinner was in during the Oilers' losses in Games 1 and 2 to the Los Angeles Kings, recording a 6.11 goals-against average and .810 save percentage.
Pickard appeared in 36 games with the Oilers this season, going 22-10-1 with a .900 save percentage and 2.71 GAA.
The Oilers used these lines during their morning skate:
Draisaitl - McDavid - Hyman
Podkolzin - Nugent-Hopkins - Arvidsson
Kane - Henrique - Brown
Perry - Janmark - Frederic
Nurse - Emberson
Walman - Kulak
Klingberg - Bouchard
Pickard
New Jersey Devils
Head coach Sheldon Keefe is "optimistic" that defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler will be in the lineup in Game 3 of their first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday,
Siegenthaler, 27, has been out of the lineup since Feb. 4 with a lower-body injury and needed a procedure done in order to help correct the injury,
The 6-foot-2 left-shot defenceman had two goals and nine points in 55 games this season while averaging 19:36 of ice time with a plus-9 rating.
Additionally, Keefe confirmed that defencemen Brenden Dillon and Luke Hughes will not be available to the Devils in Game 3.
Hughes and Dillon also missed the Devils' 3-1 Game 2 loss to the Hurricanes with undisclosed injuries.
Hughes last appeared in Game 1 where he had two shots on 22:20 of ice time with a minus-1 rating.
He recorded seven goals and 44 points in 71 games in the regular season while averaging 21:09 of ice time.
Dillon skated 8:53 of ice time in Game 1 without recording a shot.
The 6-foot-4 defenceman appeared in all 82 games this season, recording two goals and 16 points while averaging 18:35 of ice time with a plus-8 rating.
Carolina holds a 2-0 series advantage over the Devils with the series shifting to the Prudential Center in New Jersey for Game 3 on Friday.
The Devils used these lines during Friday's morning skate:
Carolina Hurricanes
Goaltender Frederik Andersen was given the morning off but is expected to start against the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday.
Andersen, 35, is 2-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average with a .960 save percentage after two postseason games.
The 6-foot-4 netminder appeared in 22 games this season, going 13-8-1 with a .250 GAA and .899 save percentage.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Yanni Gource and Anthony Cirelli were both absent from Friday's practice but are expected to be available for Saturday's Game 3 against the Florida Panthers.
Gourde, 33, skated 13:42 in Tampa Bay's 2-0 loss in Game 2, recording one shot.
The 5-foot-9 centre recorded seven goals and 31 points in 57 games split between the Seattle Kraken and Lightning this season.
Cirelli left the Lightning's 6-2 loss in Game 1 after 6:21 of ice time with an undisclosed injury.
The 6-foot-1 centre had 15:09 of ice time with four penalty minutes in Game 2.
Cirelli recorded 27 goals and 59 points in 80 games this season.
The Lightning used these lines during Friday's practice:
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings assigned forward Liam Greentree to the AHL's Ontario Reign on Friday.
Greentree, 19, was drafted 26th overall by the Kings in 2024 and completed his third season with the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires.
The 6-foot-2 winger finished third in OHL scoring with 49 goals in 119 points in 64 games this season. He added 14 goals and 24 points in 11 playoff games.
Florida Panthers
Defenceman Aaron Ekblad will return to his spot on the top pairing of the team's defensive corps as he gets set to return to from his suspension in Game 3 of their first-round series.
Ekblad, 29, was suspended 20 games at the end of the season for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program that went into the playoffs.
The 6-foot-4 right-shot defenceman recorded three goals and 33 points in 56 regular season games while averaging 23:31 of ice time.
Captain Aleksander Barkov has not been ruled out for Game 3 of the Panthers' first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to head coach Paul Maurice.
Barkov was forced to leave the game as a result of the hit, missing the final 10:09 of the Panthers' win in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series Thursday night. Barkov remained down on one knee briefly after the play before skating off and making his way to the dressing room.
The incident occurred in the third period when Hagel drilled Barkov up high, sending him down hard and into the boards. Barkov did not have the puck and Hagel left his feet while delivering the hit. Hagel was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play.
While Barkov has not been ruled out, he also has yet to be cleared to play in Game 3.
The 6-foot-3 centre has three assists in the series and recorded 20 goals and 71 points in 67 games during the regular season.
Colorado Avalanche
Forward Gabriel Landeskog moved up to the second line Friday at Colorado Avalanche practice and also took reps with the first power play unit, reports TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun.
Landeskog skated alongside Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin during the session.
Landeskog sat out the first two games of the team's opening-round series against the Dallas Stars but returned for Game 3 Wednesday night. He skated on the third line alongside Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta.
The 32-year-old Swede, who had missed each of the last three seasons while recovering from various knee procedures, had six hits and one blocked shot in 13:16 of action.
The Avalanche lost Game 3 2-1 in overtime on a winner from Tyler Seguin. Game 4 will go Saturday night in Denver with the Stars leading 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Minnesota Wild
Forward Marcus Johansson is considered questionable for the Wild's Game 4 matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights, according to head coach John Hynes.
Johansson, 34, had 11:09 of ice time in the Wild's 5-2 win in Game 3 where he had a minus-1 rating.
The 6-foot-1 centre has an assist in three playoff games in this series. He also recorded 11 goals and 34 points in 72 games this season.
Hynes told reporters that Johansson is still being evaluated and winger Liam Ohgren is an option to replace him in the lineup.
Ohgren was drafted 19th overall by the Wild in 2022 and recorded two goals and five points in 24 games this season.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights used these lines during Friday's practice, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: