Overview
- After Game 2 in Raleigh, a Philadelphia Inquirer report said Noah Cates was carted down a hallway holding a walking boot sized for his right foot, and the team offered no update on his status.
- Cates’ availability for the next game is in question, creating a hole at center on a roster already short on natural options down the middle.
- The 27-year-old has four points in eight playoff games, works both the power play and penalty kill, and most recently centered Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov in a middle‑six role.
- Internal fixes discussed in coverage include moving Trevor Zegras back to center, keeping rookie Denver Barkey at center, and choosing depth wingers such as Garnet Hathaway or Carl Grundstrom to round out the lineup.
- Winger Owen Tippett, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, is being watched as a possible return that could add scoring punch if Cates cannot play.