Fantasy Hockey

Faksa (undisclosed) will be an option for Friday's Game 6 matchup with Vegas, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Even with Faksa cleared to play, he is far from a lock to take a spot in the lineup from Ty Dellandrea or Craig Smith. If the 30-year-old Faksa does suit up, it figures to be in a bottom-six role where he figures to offer mid-range fantasy value, at best, given his limited offensive upside.

Matthews (illness) skated Friday but is still questionable heading into Game 7 against the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, "There's been progress ... but no determination on his availability," per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

Matthews' availability almost certainly won't be confirmed until closer to puck drop Saturday, so fantasy players will likely have to take a wait-and-see approach. Despite not having the world-class center in the lineup, Toronto has managed to win back-to-back games to force a Game 7. If cleared to play, Matthews figures to unseat Max Domi on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit.

Henrique wasn't at practice Friday due to a lower-body injury, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Henrique is pointless in four straight games while recording a mere two shots to go with 20 hits. The Oilers are not expected to be back in action until Tuesday, so the veteran center will have plenty of time to recover. Still, it will be a situation for fantasy players to monitor heading into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Geekie scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6.

Geekie tallied in the final second of the game, but it only served to break up Joseph Woll's shutout. Through six playoff outings, Geekie has two goals, one assist, nine shots on net, 15 hits and an even plus-minus rating. The 25-year-old continues to feature in a top-six role, though his offense hasn't matched that usage.

Johnston earned a pair of assists in a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Johnston has been fantastic in the postseason, racking up three goals and three assists, including two power-play points, in five contests. The 20-year-old center avoided the sophomore slump during the regular season, setting new personal bests in goals (32), assists (33) and shots (216).

Nugent-Hopkins earned a pair of assists in a 4-3 victory over the Kings in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Nugent-Hopkins has managed just two shots over his last four games, failing to find the back of the net along the way, but he's chipped in five helpers over that stretch. In fact, dating back to the regular season, the veteran center has scored only one goal in his previous 10 appearances.

Marchment (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup for Game 6 in Vegas on Friday, according to Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News.

Marchment will miss his fourth straight contest, after he was hurt in Game 2. Marchment ended the regular season with 22 goals, 31 assists, 108 hits and a plus-22 rating in 81 appearances for the Stars. Marchment should be considered day-to-day and could return as early as Sunday for Game 7, if necessary.

Drouin (lower body) is still absent from practice Friday, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports.

Drouin missed all five games of the opening round versus Winnipeg and has yet to make an appearance at practice. The 29-year-old had his best offensive season as an NHLer in 2023-24, picking up 56 points in 73 games, including 19 points on the power play. Drouin saw plenty of time on the top line, alongside Nathan MacKinnon. Look for Valeri Nichushkin -- who had seven goals in five games during Round 1 -- to remain on the top unit in place of Drouin.

Martin (lower body) is expected to undergo an MRI in the coming days, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports Friday.

Martin was sidelined for the final two postseason contests due to his lower-body issue. Unless the MRI results come back with something more serious, the team may not provide much of an update heading into the offseason. Even if there is a long-term concern that carries into the 2024-25 campaign, Martin's lack of offensive upside means a potential absence is unlikely to impact the majority of fantasy players.

Van Riemsdyk logged an assist and two hits in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6.

Van Riemsdyk has earned two points, five shots on net, three hits and a plus-1 rating over four games since he entered the Bruins' lineup. The 34-year-old winger is still seeing limited usage in the bottom six, so he's unlikely to produce steady offense moving forward, though he also gets time on the second power-play unit.

Knies produced an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and three blocked shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Knies has picked his offense up in recent games, earning all three of his postseason points over the last four contests. He's been in a top-six role since Auston Matthews (illness) exited Toronto's lineup. Knies has added 12 shots on net, 22 hits, nine blocked shots and a minus-1 rating through six playoff outings.

Nylander scored twice on five shots, added three hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Nylander opened the scoring late in the second period and scored again in the third, which proved to be a valuable insurance tally. The 28-year-old had been held off the scoresheet in his previous two outings after missing the first three games of the playoffs due to an undisclosed issue. He's added 13 shots on net, five hits, four PIM and a plus-2 rating while seeing top-six usage during the postseason.

McAvoy delivered 11 hits in a 2-1 Game 6 loss to Toronto on Thursday.

McAvoy may be adding some physicality to the lineup with his hits but is stuck in a nine-game goal drought. The defenseman did notch five helpers, including three with the man advantage, over that stretch. Still, the Bruins have managed just two goals in their last two games and will need more offensive output to come out on top in Game 7 on Saturday.

Mayfield, who suffered a fractured ankle in the season opener, should be ready for the 2024-25 campaign, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports Friday.

Mayfield told reporters that his ankle injury never fully healed, which forced him to undergo surgery in February. Despite his ankle problem, the veteran blueliner still appeared in 41 games this year, recording five assists, 70 hits and 36 shots in 41 contests.

Shattenkirk recorded an assist in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6.

Shattenkirk was scratched for Game 5 on Tuesday, but he checked back in for Matt Grzelcyk in this contest. The helper was Shattenkirk's first point in the postseason to go with three shots on net, six hits and two blocked shots over five appearances. The 35-year-old blueliner is stuck on the third pairing, so he shouldn't be counted on to make significant contributions on offense.

Liljegren registered an assist and three hits in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Liljegren snapped a nine-game point drought with the helper. During that time, he missed eight games with an upper-body injury and was a healthy scratch once (in Game 4 on Saturday. The defenseman's place in the lineup is mostly secure, but it's not a guaranteed spot. He matched his career high with 23 points while adding 62 shots on net, 92 hits and 116 blocked shots in 55 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.

Rielly recorded two assists, four hits and five blocked shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Rielly helped out on both of William Nylander's goals in the game. Through six playoff outings, Rielly has three assists, 15 shots on net, 16 hits, 11 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating. The 30-year-old defenseman continues to see significant minutes on the top pairing, but he hasn't been as efficient on offense as he was during the regular season. Rielly had 58 points and 173 shots on goal over 72 regular-season contests.

Roy notched a pair of helpers in a 4-3 defeat to Edmonton in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Roy was able to bring a six-game pointless streak to a close with his two helpers but it wasn't enough to stave off elimination for Los Angeles. Unless the Kings can come to an agreement soon, the blueliner is set to be an unrestricted free agent July 1. Roy should have plenty of offers if he goes to the open market after reaching the 20-point mark for the third consecutive campaign.

Hill is set to start at home against Dallas in Game 6 on Friday, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hill will get a second straight start after saving 22 of 25 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Wednesday. He had a 19-12-2 record, 2.71 GAA and .909 save percentage in 35 regular-season outings in 2023-24. Vegas needs to earn a win against Dallas, which has scored 2.80 goals per contest in the playoffs this year, to avoid elimination.

Dell was reassigned to AHL Ontario on Friday.

Dell was recalled at the start of the playoffs, as the Kings third-string netminder. He was 7-4-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 12 AHL appearances this season.

Silovs was the first goalie to leave the ice Friday, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports, indicating he'll tend the twine for Game 6 on the road against the Predators.

Silovs will make his third straight appearance in goal for the Canucks, having gone 1-1 with a 2.57 GAA and .904 save percentage in his previous two outings. Despite just 11 games of NHL experience, coach Rick Tocchet will stick with the 23-year-old Silovs ahead of Casey DeSmith.

Swayman stopped 24 of 26 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 6.

Swayman has lost back-to-back games, but he still hasn't given up more than two goals in any of his five first-round starts. William Nylander had both tallies Thursday, scoring in the final minute of the second period on a deflected shot and adding another goal late in the third. With the Bruins facing Game 7, it's unclear if head coach Jim Montgomery will stick with Swayman or switch to Linus Ullmark on Saturday.

Woll stopped 22 of 23 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Woll has won back-to-back starts, stopping 49 of 51 shots in that span. The 25-year-old nearly had his first postseason shutout Thursday, but a Morgan Geekie goal in the final second spoiled it. Woll is almost certain to start Saturday's Game 7 in Boston after pulling the Maple Leafs back from the brink following Ilya Samsonov's poor start to the series.

Knight was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Thursday, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Knight has spent the entire 2023-24 campaign in the minors with the Checkers, logging action in 45 regular-season contests in which he posted a 25-14-5 record and .905 save percentage. Even with his promotion, Knight shouldn't be expected to get into any games, primarily serving as an emergency option behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.