NHL Player News
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Josh Doan RW | BUF
Sabres' Josh Doan: Two helpers in Game 4 win
Doan notched two assists, one on the power play, in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens on Tuesday in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs.
The 24-year-old winger had a hand in tallies by Mattias Samuelsson in the first period and Zach Benson in the third frame. Doan extended his point streak to five games in the process. Through 10 postseason contests, he's collected two goals and nine points. Doan will try to stay hot as the series shifts back to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday.
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Tage Thompson C | BUF
Sabres' Tage Thompson: Two-point effort Tuesday
Thompson notched one goal and one assist, both on the power play, in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs.
With Buffalo down 2-1 in the second period, Thompson tied the game up on a fluky goal. His dump-in attempt took a strange bounce off the corner boards and went in off a startled Jakub Dobes. The 28-year-old Thompson also helped set up Zach Benson for the winner early in the third period. Thompson has delivered back-to-back multi-point performances. Through 10 games this postseason, he's racked up four goals and 11 points. He'll look to stay locked in as the series shifts back to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday.
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Zach Benson LW | BUF
Sabres' Zach Benson: Pots PP winner on birthday
Benson scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Canadiens in Game 4.
The young winger celebrated his 21st birthday in style. Benson got the puck in front of Jakub Dobes during a third-period power play and slipped a backhander past the Montreal netminder to break a 2-2 tie. Benson has gotten onto the scoresheet in four of the Sabres' last five games. Through 10 playoff contests this year, he has collected four goals and seven points. He'll look to stay hot as the series shifts back to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday.
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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G | BUF
Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Nabs win in return to crease
Luukkonen made 28 saves in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 4 on Tuesday.
In his first appearance since Game 2 of Buffalo's opening-round series against Boston, Luukkonen surrendered two first-period tallies, one on a Montreal power play, before locking things down. He was superb while giving his team a chance to mount a comeback and tie the series at 2-2. The performance will likely keep Luukkonen between the pipes for Game 5 back in Buffalo on Thursday. Through three postseason games, the 27-year-old netminder has a 3.37 GAA and .871 save percentage.
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Mason McTavish C | ANA
Ducks' Mason McTavish: Supplies two helpers in Game 5
McTavish notched two assists, including one on the power play, and added six shots on net and three hits in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
McTavish has been back in the lineup for the last two games after getting scratched twice earlier in this second-round series. This was his first multi-point effort of the postseason. The 23-year-old has a goal, five assists, 23 shots on net, 22 hits and a plus-2 rating over nine appearances. McTavish may be needed to slide over to center if Ryan Poehling (upper body) misses time following his early exit Tuesday.
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Cutter Gauthier LW | ANA
Ducks' Cutter Gauthier: Adds two more helpers
Gauthier notched two assists, including one on the power play, and added four shots on goal and two hits in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
Gauthier's known for his shooting, but he's showing off his playmaking with five helpers over his last two games. The 22-year-old winger set up goals by Beckett Sennecke and Olen Zellweger in this contest. Gauthier is up to four goals, eight assists, 37 shots on net, 34 hits and a minus-1 rating over 11 contests this postseason. The intensity of the playoffs hasn't been too much for him, which is a good sign for his status as a core piece of the Ducks' lineup going forward.
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Olen Zellweger D | ANA
Ducks' Olen Zellweger: Forces overtime Tuesday
Zellweger scored a goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
Zellweger has a goal and an assist over his first two playoff outings. He's added three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 22-year-old defenseman is filling in as a bottom-four option for now, but he's making a decent case to stay in the lineup for Game 6, which is a must-win situation for the Ducks to keep their season going.
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Beckett Sennecke RW | ANA
Ducks' Beckett Sennecke: Goal streak at four games
Sennecke scored a power-play goal on four shots and added three hits in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
Sennecke has scored in four straight games, and his last two goals have come on the power play. The winger opened the scoring at 12:36 of the first period in this contest, but the Ducks didn't maintain the lead for long. Sennecke is now at five goals, one assist, 29 shots on net, 15 hits and a minus-5 rating over 11 playoff outings.
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Lukas Dostal G | ANA
Ducks' Lukas Dostal: Loses Game 5 in overtime
Dostal stopped 29 of 32 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
Dostal was able to keep things close throughout regulation, but the Ducks hardly had any possession in a brief overtime period. Pavel Dorofeyev scored 4:10 into the extra session to give the Golden Knights the pivotal win, which means Dostal and the Ducks will be staring down elimination on home ice in Game 6 on Thursday. Dostal is now 6-5 this postseason with a 3.36 GAA and an .878 save percentage, and he's allowed three goals in each of the last three games.
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Rasmus Andersson D | LV
Golden Knights' Rasmus Andersson: Gathers helper in Game 5 win
Andersson logged an assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks in Game 5.
This was just the second assist over 11 playoff games for Andersson. The defenseman has filled a regular top-four role with power-play time, but the offense hasn't come for him. He's added 20 shots on net, 19 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a plus-1 rating this postseason. Prior to this postseason, he had earned 14 points across 27 playoff games in three runs with the Flames.