Miska led the University of Minnesota-Duluth to the Frozen Four this past season, going 27-5-5 with a .920 save percentage, 2.20 goals-against average, and five shutouts in his freshman campaign.
Prior to joining Minnesota-Duluth, Miska spent time with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL and the Penticton Vees of the BCHL.
At just 6-foot-1, Miska is considered undersized for a goaltender nowadays.
The Coyotes don't appear to have a deep prospect pool between the pipes, and Miska's likely to start with the team's AHL affiliate.
Methot's been out of action since March 23, when a slash from Sidney Crosby took off part of his finger, subsequently drawing plenty of attention from around the hockey world.
In 68 games this season, Methot recorded 12 assists, and averaged 19:49 of ice-time.
Miller left Game 1 after a knee-on-knee collision with Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki.
Joe Morrow, a key return in the trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas, will slot into the lineup for Miller, forming a defense corps that is projected to look like this, according to the team:
In addition to Miller, the club is also missing Brandon Carlo (upper body) and Torey Krug (lower body) from the back end. Luckily, the 19-year-old McAvoy shined in his NHL debut in Game 1, logging over 24 minutes of ice time.
Dupont also reported that center David Krejci will miss a second consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Ryan Spooner will again serve as the club's second-line center.
Dangle, snipe, celly. Well, not all of these celebrations were necessarily preceded by a dangle and a snipe, but all of these goals were meaningful enough to warrant an exuberant reaction. The following celebrations are listed in no particular order.
Kassian only scored seven goals during the regular season, so he might have had this celebration saved in his back pocket for a while. Despite how electric Rogers Arena was after this goal, Kassian was able to maintain his composure with a well-executed kneeling fist pump.
Parise displayed great improvisation by following up his one-legged invisible high-five with the always fantastic jump-into-the-glass. Unfortunately for hockey fans, this is the closest it gets to the NFL's "Lambeau Leap."
Schwartz's celebration was calm, cool, and collected. The crouching jab followed by the casual twirl to share the moment with teammates is always a fan favorite.
Alexander Radulov, Canadiens
Alex Radulov wins it in OT for the Habs. And has an amazing celebration, as is tradition. pic.twitter.com/wuZRMcL8c4
Radulov's celebration was completely unplanned and had zero coordination, yet it was still fantastic. The whole feeling of "I just scored the biggest goal of my life and have no idea what to do with myself so I'm just going to crazily skate around until I get mobbed by my teammates" is an instant classic.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs present an opportunity for hard-working, under-the-radar players to make a name for themselves on the national stage. Here are five players who have made surprising contributions early in the postseason.
Joel Edmundson, Blues
Edmundson has played 136 regular-season games and scored four goals. In two playoff games this year, he's scored twice - including a game-winner.
In addition to his sudden offensive prowess, the defenseman rounds out a top four that's logged big minutes for the Blues thus far in the postseason. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has also chipped in with six blocked shots.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
Zack Kassian, Oilers
If you didn't catch the Oilers-Sharks game on Friday night, you probably missed the best game of Zack Kassian's career. The forward played with tons of energy, delivering bone-crushing hit after bone-crushing hit. These two stuck out the most:
Not to bury the lede, but Kassian also notched a shorthanded, game-winning goal in the 2-0 victory. If the former first-round pick continues to wreak that kind of havoc on the ice, he'll make it a very uncomfortable series for the Sharks.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Penguins
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Fleury is the lone household name on this list, but certainly nobody expected him to be a playoff hero.
After Matt Murray was injured during warmups for Game 1, Fleury stepped in for the Penguins and stopped 31-of-32 shots. He followed up this performance by stopping 39-of-40 shots in Game 2.
Fleury experienced his fair share of struggles on the road this season (.887 save percentage, 3.58 goals-against average), so it will be interesting to see if he can continue his playoff heroics as the series shifts to Columbus.
Paul Byron, Canadiens
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Byron enjoyed a breakout season for the Canadiens, scoring 22 goals and adding 21 assists. That production has carried over to the postseason, as he has a goal on four shots thus far.
Despite his slight 5-foot-9, 160-pound frame, Byron has provided physicality for Montreal. His 15 hits tie him with Boone Jenner for the most in the playoffs.
Kris Russell, Oilers
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Russell might be the most unsung of all unsung heroes. He has yet to find the score sheet through two games, but leads all players with 11 blocked shots through two contests - and shot-blocking becomes crucial during the postseason.
In addition to his willingness to lay his body on the line, Russell played the third-most minutes among Oilers defensemen in Game 1 and the fourth-most in Game 2.
After losing his stick during a Clark Cup Playoff game, Tarek Baker of the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers channeled his inner Andrea Pirlo to deliver an amazing kick pass to set up his teammate for an easy goal. Give him credit for putting his best foot forward.
There is no word as to whether Baker watches English Premier League, Bundesliga, or LaLiga to take notes on how to execute the perfect cross.
The Columbus Dispatch is reneging on its attempt to rattle the most prolific hockey player of a generation.
The newspaper announced Friday that fans can pick up a crying "Sid the Kid" mask for Game 3 between the Blue Jackets and Penguins, but according to Aaron Portzline, who writes for the publication, the Dispatch has decided to scrap the idea.
Down 2-0 in the series, Columbus isn't in much of a position to throw shade, especially at Crosby, who recorded three points in Game 2, and has more playoff goals than the Blue Jackets organization.
Goaltending - you can't go far in the playoffs without it, and to say Jake Allen has rebounded from a midseason swoon would be an understatement.
The St. Louis Blues netminder endured a roller coaster campaign, with the low point coming in January, where Allen was pulled in three consecutive contests and subsequently given a brief leave of absence from the club to clear his head.
However, since head coach Mike Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock and Martin Brodeur took over as the Blues' goalie coach, Allen's transformed into a confident, No. 1 option in goal.
Two games into the postseason, Allen has stood on his head, allowing two goals in two road wins over Minnesota, including a 51-save effort in Game 1.
Allen's managed to parlay a magnificent final month of the regular season into the playoffs. In his final 10 starts, Allen went 7-2-1, and from March 1 onward, the 26-year-old was tied for second among all goalies in wins (10), save percentage (.942), and goals-against average (1.72).
It's fair to infer the Blues' team success goes as far as that of their goaltending, and two games into the postseason, so far so good.
Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.
Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Saturday, April 15 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockeyand apply to 5v5 situations):
Dynamic Duos
C Evgeny Kuznetzov (62K) & RW Justin Williams (46K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): After averaging about 15 minutes of ice time for the regular season, Williams and Kuznetsov played almost 20 minutes a piece in Washington's 3-2 OT victory in Game 1. Williams was the star of the show, notching two goals with Kuznetsov providing an assist on Williams' second tally. Toronto G Frederik Andersen is an uninspiring netminder.
C Ryan Getzlaf (79K) & RW Patrick Eaves (40K), Ducks (vs. Flames): Calgary took seven minor penalties in the series opener - an inappropriate number for playoff hockey. But as the most penalized team in the regular season, their lack of discipline isn't out of character. Getzlaf and Eaves spent much of Anaheim's power-play time together in Game 1, with Getzlaf notching a PPG himself. An abundance of special teams minutes lends itself to tremendous upside.
Goalie Breakdown
TARGET - Rekka Rinne (75K), Predators (at Blackhawks): Rinne posted a shutout in Game 1, stopping all 29 shots he faced. Repeating that performance will be tough. While Rinne isn't the goalie he once was, he still has the ability to shut teams down when hot. The Finnish netminder posted a .943 SV% in his final nine starts of the season and looks locked in after silencing the Blackhawks in Game 1.
FADE - Brian Elliott (75K), Flames (at Ducks): Calgary's propensity to put themselves in the penalty box obviously works against Elliott. Two of Anaheim's three goals in Game 1 came with the man advantage. For the regular season, Calgary ranked 12th on the penalty kill, while Anaheim ranked 17th on the power play. Elliott's save percentage dipped to .897 on the road this year.
Bargain Plays
C Ryan Spooner (34K), Bruins (at Senators): C David Krejci will not play in Game 2, giving Spooner the opportunity to center Boston's second line between Drew Stafford and David Backes. Spooner played 16 minutes in Game 1 with four of those minutes coming on the man advantage. Spooner isn't overly aggressive with the puck, averaging just under two shots per game for his career. Look for a helper or two, instead.
LW Viktor Arvidsson (36K), Predators (at Blackhawks): Arvidsson netted the lone goal in Nashville's Game 1 victory. After a wicked breakout year, the playoff spotlight clearly didn't affect him in Game 1, as Arvidsson notched four shots on goal, two hits, and two blocks in 16 minutes. Getting a team's top offensive threat at this price is a steal.
Top Fades
C Derick Brassard (51K), Senators (vs. Bruins): Brassard saw three fewer minutes than his season average of 17 in Game 1. Coming off his worst offensive season in three years, fewer minutes isn't a recipe for success. Other options like Auston Matthews and Ryan Kesler can be had for less in Squad Up.
C Nick Schmaltz (25K), Blackhawks (vs. Predators): After playing about 15 minutes a night for the final three months of the season, Schmaltz was relegated to relative anonymity in Game 1, playing just 10 minutes. He failed to register a shot and had just one hit on the night, as well. With Artem Anisimov back in action and playoff hockey leading to shorter benches, Schmaltz's opportunity is quickly collapsing.
Contrarian Options
D Dmitry Orlov (35K), Capitals (vs. Maple Leafs): The Washington defense was an active bunch in Game 1, combining for 22 of Washington's 41 shots. On his own, Orlov registered four shots, three blocks, and four hits in 25 minutes. As Washington's most heavily used defenseman in Game 1, Orlov's workload and all-around contributions give him a healthy floor of production.
C Leo Komarov (25K), Maple Leafs (at Capitals): Komarov's physicality plays well in formats that reward Hits. After racking up eight hits, two shots, and two blocks in Game 1, Komarov further showcased how he can contribute even when not landing on the scoresheet. At the minimum price, he's bound to return solid value thanks to his style.
