Fantasy Hockey

Chytil (head) has been activated off long-term injured reserve and is expected to play in Game 3 against Carolina on Thursday, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today.

Chytil had six assists in 10 regular-season contests, but he hasn't been in the lineup since Nov. 2 because of the injury. He's projected to serve on the third line alongside Alexander Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko Thursday. Matt Rempe is set to be a healthy scratch for the first time in the 2023-24 postseason.

Henrique (lower body) is questionable for Game 2 against Vancouver on Friday, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic on Thursday.

Henrique was described as "day-to-day" by coach Kris Knoblauch. The 34-year-old missed Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Vancouver due to the injury. He has a goal and two points in five playoff outings this year. Leon Draisaitl's (undisclosed) status for Friday's contest is also in question, so if Henrique is available, but Draisaitl isn't, then Henrique might slide into the second-line center slot. Connor Brown will likely play if at least one of those two players is out, but he will probably be a healthy scratch if Henrique and Draisaitl are both able to play.

Draisaitl (undisclosed) is day-to-day and questionable for Game 2 against Vancouver on Friday, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports Thursday.

Draisaitl dealt with a cramping issue during the second period of Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Canucks, though he was able to return in the third frame. However, the 28-year-old forward then missed Thursday's morning skate, per Tony Brar of Oilers TV. Draisaitl's value to the Oilers can't be overstated. He has five goals and 12 points through six playoff outings. If he's unable to play and Adam Henrique (lower body) returns after missing Game 1, then perhaps Henrique will serve as Edmonton's second-line center. However, if neither forward is available, then Ryan McLeod might be moved into that top-six role.

Draisaitl recorded a pair of assists in Wednesday's 5-4 Game 1 loss to Vancouver. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Draisaitl was dealing with cramps in the second period before returning in the third.

Draisaitl managed just 16:43 of ice time due to his cramping issue, his lowest total during a game this postseason. Still, the world-class center has registered at least a point in all six playoff contests, racking up a combined five goals and seven helpers, including eight power-play points.

Nugent-Hopkins registered two assists in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to Vancouver in Game 1.

Nugent-Hopkins earned his third multi-point showing in the span of four contests. He's up to a goal and eight points in six playoff appearances this year. Nugent-Hopkins should continue to serve in a top-six capacity and on the Oilers' first power-play unit. His position with the man advantage is of particular importance to his production -- four of his eight points in the postseason have been recorded on the power play, including one of his assists in the series opener versus the Canucks.

Bennett (upper body) will make the trip to Boston ahead of Friday's Game 3 versus the Bruins, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Bennett practiced with the extras Thursday, and if he's able to get on the ice with the main squad for Friday's morning skate, there's a chance he'll be available for Game 3. Bennett picked up two points through the first two games of the Panthers' first-round series versus Tampa Bay before suffering his upper-body injury.

Kiviranta (lower body) is expected to play in Thursday's Game 2 against Dallas, per Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now.

Kiviranta missed the previous three contests because of the injury. He has an assist in three playoff outings this year and finished the regular season with three goals and nine points in 56 appearances. Kiviranta is set to play on the third line alongside Miles Wood and Ross Colton in Game 2. Chris Wagner will be a healthy scratch due to Kiviranta's return.

Drouin is making progress in his recovery from a lower-body injury, but there's still no timetable for his return, Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette reports Thursday.

Drouin recorded 19 goals and 56 points in 79 regular-season outings in 2023-24. However, he hasn't been available in the playoffs due to the injury. If Drouin is able to return during the postseason, he will probably serve in a top-six capacity.

Kiviranta (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 2 against Dallas, according to Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.

Kiviranta has missed the Avalanche's past three contests due to the injury. He had three goals and nine points in 56 regular-season outings. Kiviranta has also registered an assist in three playoff appearances this year.

Marchment (undisclosed) will return to the lineup for Thursday's Game 2 versus the Avalanche, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Marchment will likely return to a middle-six role following his six-game absence. The 28-year-old winger racked up 22 goals and 53 points through 81 games during the regular season.

Garland scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 5-4 victory over Edmonton in Game 1.

Garland completed Vancouver's four-goal comeback late in the third period, beating Stuart Skinner off the rush for the game-winner. It's the first goal and third point for Garland through seven games this postseason. He had 20 goals and 47 points in 82 regular-season games while working primarily in a bottom-six role.

Lindblom signed a contract with Brynas IF of the SHL on Wednesday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Lindblom appeared in just one game for the Sharks in 2023-24, so it's not surprising to see him head to his native Sweden to continue his professional playing career. At this point, the 27-year-old is unlikely to return to the NHL in the future.

Hakanpaa (lower body) is not in the lineup for Thursday's Game 2 versus the Avalanche, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Thursday's absence will be Hakanpaa's 22nd in a row. The 32-year-old defenseman should be considered out indefinitely until he is cleared to return.

Soucy collected two assists in Wednesday's 5-4 victory over Edmonton in Game 1.

The Canucks were down 4-1 after Zach Hyman scored at 13:11 of the second period, but Soucy helped out on the next two markers to get the comeback started. Although the 29-year-old Soucy was noteworthy offensively against the Oilers, that's a rare occurrence for him. He had just six points (two goals) in 40 regular-season contests in 2023-24, and his last multi-point effort came Nov. 2 when Vancouver earned a 10-1 victory over San Jose. He has three assists in seven playoff outings this year.

Pesce (lower body) has yet to resume skating and is out indefinitely, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports Thursday.

Pesce didn't make the trip with the team to New York and could now be in danger of missing the remainder of the best-of-seven series with the Rangers. Without Pesce in the lineup, Tony DeAngelo figures to see the biggest uptick in ice time, including minutes with the man advantage. Prior to getting hurt, Pesce was stuck in a 38-game goal drought during which he notched just seven helpers, so fantasy players shouldn't be expecting a ton of offensive output from the defenseman if and when he's cleared to play.

Stastney (upper body) was sent to AHL Milwaukee on Thursday.

Stasney missed the last three games of the Predators' first-round series loss to Vancouver due to an upper-body injury, but his demotion to the minors suggests he's now healthy. The 24-year-old defender picked up four points through 20 top-level appearances during the regular season.

Zadorov logged a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Oilers in Game 1.

Zadorov scored the tying goal 13:47 into the third period, beating Stuart Skinner with a one-timed slap shot before adding an assist less than a minute later on Conor Garland's game-winner. The 29-year-old Zadorov's been productive in the playoffs, tallying three goals and five points in seven games despite skating on Vancouver's third pairing. He totaled six goals and 20 points in 65 regular-season contests between the Canucks and Flames.

Montour tallied a goal and two assists in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Bruins in Game 2.

Montour picked up a pair of assists in the second period before putting the finishing touches on the Florida victory with a shorthanded goal in the third, poking a feed from Aleksander Barkov past Linus Ullmark. The 30-year-old Montour now has two goals and six points through seven playoff contests after logging 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 66 regular-season games.

Oettinger will guard the home goal versus the Avalanche in Thursday's Game 2, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Oettinger failed to protect a 3-0 lead in Tuesday's Game 1, but he'll get the chance to bounce back. The 25-year-old is 4-4 with a 2.15 GAA and a .915 save percentage through eight playoff outings. He has lost three of his four appearances against Colorado this season.

Shesterkin will guard the road goal versus the Hurricanes in Thursday's Game 3, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin is 6-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .929 save percentage over six playoff contests. He earned a 28-save shutout win in his lone appearance in Carolina during the regular season, and he's gone 4-1-0 with 13 goals allowed over five total contests versus the Hurricanes in 2023-24.

Georgiev will tend the twine on the road in Game 2 against Dallas on Thursday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports

Georgiev is riding a five-game winning streak during which he's posted a 2.12 GAA and .921 save percentage. Even though the 28-year-old backstop stumbled in Game 1 of the Avalanche's first-round matchup with Winnipeg, coach Jared Bednar has stuck with Georgiev and will likely continue to do so even if he stumbles again. As such, fantasy players probably shouldn't expect to see Justus Annunen anytime soon.

Kochetkov will get the starting nod at home versus the Rangers in Game 3 on Thursday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Kochetkov will make his first appearance in goal for the Canes since April 14 against the Blackhawks, a stretch of eight games on the bench. While the team did split the workload between the 24-year-old backstop and Frederik Andersen down the stretch, if Kochetkov does secure a win in Game 3, he should probably be considered a lock to start Game 4 as well.

Silovs stopped 14 of 18 shots in Wednesday's 5-4 victory over the Oilers in Game 1.

It was a rough start to the game for Silovs, who allowed four goals on Edmonton's first 14 shots. However, the Oilers mustered only eight shots over the final two frames as the Canucks rallied with four unanswered goals to claim a 5-4 series-opening win. Silovs has won three of four starts in the postseason, posting a .908 save percentage. Look for him to remain in net for Vancouver in Game 2 on Friday.

Skinner allowed five goals on 24 shots in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Canucks in Game 1.

Skinner held Vancouver to one goal through most of the first two periods before Elias Lindholm cut the lead to 4-2 late in the second. Skinner then allowed three more tallies in the third in the eventual one-goal defeat. The 25-year-old Skinner has been shaky at times this postseas - he's posted an .893 save percentage through his first six playoff games. Nonetheless, Skinner will likely remain between the pipes for the Oilers in Game 2 on Friday.