Montréal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs will look to close things out at Scotiabank Place in game seven against the Canadians.
The Maple Leafs will like be without John Tavares, but he did take part in the morning skate. We do know that Jake Muzzin is out tonight with Rasmus Sandin drawing in.
William Nylander continues to lead the way for Toronto and is the primary player to use in this lineup. We know that Matthews and Marner could blow up at any time, but we really haven't seen it from them this series, but if it's going to happen it's going to happen while they are at home where the last change can be leveraged. Alexander Kerfoot is the only player on Toronto(other than Nylander) who has hit the point per game mark and could be a useful value play.
On Defence, with Muzzin out Reilly is your most dependable commodity. He leads all Toronto defencemen in blocks, shots, and points.
In goal, Jack Campbell is a cash gameplay tonight. He has played well and is one of the safer plays tonight with Toronto at home.
For the Canadians, I would largely look to avoid their players. Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson can both put shots on goal in volume, and I expect them to crash the net and try to get some cheap goals on Toronto with how much Montréal has struggled to score.
Not much has changed on defence, if you're shooting for upside you can look at Jeff Petry , and Shea Weber , both are a threat to get points and are willing to shoot in volume. If you're aiming for value look at Ben Chiarot who has 17 blocks in six games.
In goal, Carey Price could be a difference-maker in GPP's. He made 41 saves in Montréal's game six win, and I expect him to see a lot of shots in this game as well, especially with the Leafs being able to get extra energy from their first crowd of the season.
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins
The Islanders will look to even up this series tonight against the Bruins in Boston.
Looking at injuries tonight, the Islanders come in with a clean bill aside from Anders Lee who isn't expected to return. Boston will be without Kevan Miller , and Craig Smith is a game-time decision.
Anthony Beauvillier has been the most consistent scorer so far for the Islanders, he has eight points in seven games, and he scored in game one. As expected with the Islanders it has been a team effort, and with this game in Boston I would continue to look at their second and third lines for productivity. Which puts players like Brock Nelson , Jean-Gabriel Pageau , and Josh Bailey in play for them.
On the backend, Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock are the primary targets. Both are blocking lots of shots, and are providing enough points to exceed their values most nights.
We won't know who is going in goal for the Islanders until game time, but either Ilya Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov are viable GPP plays on goal.
Coming off a hat-trick in game one, David Pastrnak should see very high ownership. So use him in cash games, and consider him in your GPP contests, but you shouldn't hesitate to use him. When it comes to stacking with Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron is the player I would look to. He has been more productive from a points and shots perspective than Brad Marchand . However, Marchand does have points in four of his last six games.
On defence, I would be looking at Charlie McAvoy . he has six points in his last six games, to go along with 10 blocks. If you are looking for value you can also look at Brandon Carlo who leads all Bruins players in blocks.
Tuuka Rask has been as good as any goalie in these playoffs, and when the Bruins are at home they are tough to beat. That being said he is a cash play only for me tonight, as he likely won't see more than 25 shots.
Player News
Tanner Gordon will start the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Tigers.
Gordon will take the ball for Thursday’s nightcap at Coors Field and is not a recommended streaming option for fantasy purposes. The 27-year-old righty finished last year with a calamitous 8.65 ERA across eight starts for the Rockies.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
Zach Eflin (lat) will return this weekend to start against the Angels.
Eflin got through Wednesday’s bullpen session without any issues and has been cleared to take the ball this weekend against the Angels. The 31-year-old righty has been out since early April recovering from a low-grade lat strain. He’s worthy of a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues, even if he doesn’t offer astronomical strikeout upside.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 and knocked in his 33rd run of the season in the Giants’ 3-1 defeat of the Cubs on Wednesday.
The early home barrage is long over, but Flores is still fourth in the league in RBI, even as his .737 OPS puts him 200-500 points behind the three guys above him (Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernández and Aaron Judge). After 37 games this season, he’s almost halfway to his career high of 71 RBI, which he achieved in 151 games in 2022.
Robbie Ray pitched six innings of one-run ball Wednesday to beat the Cubs and move to 5-0.
He fanned five and walked two. Ray’s strikeout, walk and exit velocity numbers this season are all worse than his career marks, yet here he is 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s definitely a sell-high candidate, but it is entirely possible his peripherals will improve and that he’ll remain a fine starter going forward. Pitching in San Francisco definitely helps with the home run ball, which is one big thing working in his favor. He’s set to face the Diamondbacks next time out.