Protas (foot) will join the Capitals on the road for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday, respectively, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports.

Protas' return is far from guaranteed -- he may just be traveling in order to skate with the team -- but it's certainly a step in the right direction. The 24-year-old center has missed the Caps' last eight contests due to his foot injury. Prior to getting hurt, the Belarusian was rolling offensively with 16 points in his last 16 outings, including a pair of shorthanded goals.

McLaughlin, along with forwards Brian Halonen, Mike Hardman, Nathan Legare, defensemen Topias Vilen and Colton White and netminder Isaac Poulter, was recalled from AHL Utica on Thursday.

McLaughlin saw action in two games for the Devils this year after being acquired from Boston in a minor-league swap at the trade deadline. None of the aforementioned players should be expected to play in a postseason game, barring a string of injuries, but instead will get practice time at the NHL level after the Comets were eliminated from postseason contention.

Strome scored a goal in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Canadiens in Game 2.

Strome scored what ended up being the go-ahead goal at the 4:47 mark of the second period, exactly 60 seconds after Connor McMichael's equalizer. The 28-year-old playmaker should remain a driving force on offense for the Capitals throughout the playoffs and has four points in the first two games of the series, tallying one goal, three assists, four shots, two hits and a plus-2 rating.

McMichael scored two goals, including an empty-netter, in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Canadiens in Game 2.

McMichael evened things up for the Capitals shortly after Christian Dvorak broke the deadlock in the second period, and he closed the scoring with an empty-netter in the final seconds of the contest. McMichael scored 26 goals across 82 regular-season appearances. While his decrease in production down the stretch was a concern for fantasy managers heading into the playoffs -- he recorded just one goal in his final 12 regular-season contests -- this might be the spark he needs to remain productive as a top-six forward and member of the second power-play unit.

Cirelli (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision ahead of Thursday's Game 2 matchup with the Panthers after head coach Jon Cooper told reporters, "We'll see if he can take warmups and, if he is cleared to play, he'll play," per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun.

Cirelli had been working with the second line and No. 2 power-play unit prior to getting hurt in Game 1 on Tuesday, so look for him to resume those roles if given the all-clear. If not, Nick Paul is poised to take the top-six spot at even strength, playing alongside Jake Guentzel.

Dvorak scored a goal while racking up two shots, a hit and a blocked shot in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Capitals in Game 2.

Dvorak opened the scoring at the 1:16 mark of the second period with a backhand that went past Logan Thompson, but that would be all the offense the Canadiens would muster. This goal snapped a four-game scoring drought for the 29-year-old center, but the Canadiens shouldn't rely on Dvorak to carry the team offensively. He recorded 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 82 regular-season appearances.

Draisaitl scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Kings in Game 2.

Draisaitl was able to get the Oilers on the board at 13:54 of the second period. After a 6-5 loss in Game 1, Draisaitl was moved up to play with Connor McDavid for this contest, but the usual magic didn't spark this time around. Draisaitl has three points, six shots on net, a plus-3 rating and three hits over two playoff contests. He may still be feeling some after-effects from an undisclosed injury that kept him out of the last seven regular-season games.

Danault logged a power-play assist and two hits in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers in Game 2.

Danault helped out on a Brandt Clarke tally in the first period. The assist was Danault's third point over two playoff outings after his heroic two-goal effort in Game 1. The center is filling a middle-six role and should provide decent secondary scoring while also offering elite defensive work against the Oilers' top players.

Byfield scored a goal on three shots, added two PIM and logged four hits in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers in Game 2.

Byfield gave the Kings a 2-0 lead with his tally early in the second period. While he's listed in a middle-six role, Byfield has topped 22 minutes of ice time in both postseason contests so far. Dating back to April 7, he has six goals and four assists over seven appearances, so he has plenty of momentum early in the playoffs. He had 23 goals, 54 points and a plus-16 rating over 81 regular-season outings.

Kopitar scored a power-play goal and distributed three assists in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers in Game 2.

One of Kopitar's helpers also came on the power play. The center has five points, two hits, two blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over the first two games of the postseason. Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have been playing at an elite level together for much of the year, and the addition of Andrei Kuzmenko has only strengthened the Kings' top line. Kopitar may have to do a bit more defensive work with the series shifting to Edmonton for the next two games.