Mike Smith Gets The Nod On Wednesday

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith will get the nod for the team's season opener on Wednesday against Vancouver. The veteran netminder will look to build on a very strong campaign. He went 21-6-2 last season with a 2.31 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage and three shutouts, making Mikko Koskinen's numbers look silly. With Brock […]

Marc-Andre Fleury Looks To Impress Against Avalanche

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is set to face the Colorado Avalanche in Wednesday's season opener. The Flower is the first goalie since Dominik Hasek to be traded as the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and he'll surely have a point to prove in Chi-Town. He gets a chance to impress straight away with Colorado rated […]

Darcy Kuemper Starts Life In Colorado Versus Chicago

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper will take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the season opener on Wednesday. The former Coyote will make his team debut, hoping to get the same support Philipp Grubauer got from the team during his excellent spell in the Avalanche crease. Kuemper won only 10 of 27 outings last season, but […]

Thatcher Demko Faces Oilers Wednesday Night

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will start the season off with a tough matchup against Connor McDavid's crew on Wednesday. The San Diego, California native had an inconsistent campaign last season but managed to produce a solid .915 save percentage with a 2.85 goals-against average and one shutout, finishing the year with a 16-18-1 record. […]

Brock Boeser Will Miss Season Opener

Vancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup for Wednesday's season opener against Edmonton. The 24-year-old traveled with the team and skated Wednesday morning but didn't take part in the line rushes. The Canucks have two more games to come this week and it's possible Boeser will be ready to play […]

Dylan Strome Will Be A Healthy Scratch For Season Opener

Chicago Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome will have to wait a bit more for his season debut, as he won't be in the lineup when the team starts the 2021-22 campaign on Wednesday against Colorado. The former third-overall pick had a great year for the Blackhawks in 2018-19 with 51 points in 58 outings, but he's […]

Connor Hellebuyck Starts Season With Very Favorable Matchup

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck starts the 2021-22 campaign on Wednesday against a team whom he has dominated throughout his career. The 28-year-old boasts a 7-1-1 record against the Ducks with a 2.19 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and two shutouts. Hellebuyck had a disappointing finish to last season in the playoffs, but it […]

John Gibson Tries To Stop Jets Wednesday Night

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson will face the Winnipeg Jets in Wednesday's season opener. It looks like he'll be in for another long season as the Ducks are expected to struggle once more. Things were really ugly for Gibson last season when he got to celebrate just nine victories in 35 appearances. The 28-year-old ended […]

Alex Ovechkin Is A Game-Time Decision For Wednesday

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (lower body) is a game-time decision for Wednesday's clash with the Rangers. The Great Eight got hurt in the team's preseason finale last week and could join long-time partner in crime Nicklas Backstrom (hip) on the sidelines. However, Ovechkin was on the ice for Tuesday's optional practice and also […]

Vitek Vanecek Starts Season For Washington

Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek will be the masked man for the team's first game of the season on Wednesday against the Rangers. Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette has two strong options between the pipes with Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov, but it's the Czech netminder who gets the first opportunity to impress. The 25-year-old, who […]

Mitchell Marner Is A Game-Time Decision For Season Opener

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Wednesday's season opener against Montreal after he collided with Wayne Simmonds in Tuesday's practice and left the session early. The signs look pretty positive that he'll play, but we won't know for sure before the warm-ups start. Toronto is already without Auston […]

Jake Allen Takes On Toronto In Season Opener

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the team's season opener on Wednesday. This will be the first of many starts for the 31-year-old early in the season, as Carey Price (personal) is currently away from the team. Allen had a pretty solid debut season for Montreal in 2020-21, […]

Steven Stamkos Starts Season With Two Helpers

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos collected two assists as the team opened the season with a 6-2 home loss to Pittsburgh. The defending champions looked sluggish all night and only got on the scoreboard inside the final minutes of the game. Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn produced the goals. Other than the assists, Stamkos […]

Kris Letang Hands Out Two Assists

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had a productive season debut on Tuesday, finishing a nice 6-2 road win over the Lightning with two assists. He picked up the helpers on goals by Dominik Simon and Teddy Blueger. His stat line also included one shot, one block and one hit in 25:16 of ice time. The […]

Tristan Jarry Looks Good In Season Opener

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry had 26 saves and almost registered a shutout in Tuesday's 6-2 win at Tampa. The hosts ruined Jarry's shutout bid with 5:37 left to play, scoring with six skaters on the ice. Jarry had an awful start to the season last campaign and things ended ugly for him in the […]

Jack Campbell Starts Season For Toronto

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell is scheduled to start the team's season opener on Wednesday against Montreal. The 29-year-old had a spectacular campaign for Toronto last season, setting the team's record for consecutive wins (11) and ending up taking only five losses in 22 appearances. He registered a 2.15 goals-against average with a .921 […]

Mitchell Marner Leaves Tuesday's Practice Early

Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner didn't finish Tuesday's practice and he'll be re-evaluated ahead of the team's season opener on Wednesday. The 24-year-old speedster was tripped by Wayne Simmonds and took a hard fall. Toronto starts the season with a back-to-back set right off the bat, so it would be awful to lose […]

Ryan Strome Should Be Fine For Wednesday

New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome (upper body) missed Tuesday's practice, but he should be game-ready when the team opens the season on Wednesday at Washington. Strome meshed very well with Artemi Panarin last season and ended up producing a nice 49-point campaign in 56 games. He's set to start the season with the Russian […]

Semyon Varlamov Travels With Team But Isn't Ready For Thursday

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (undisclosed) will travel with the team to Carolina, but he isn't expected to play on Thursday. Hard-hitting winger Matt Martin is also among the traveling squad but isn't game-ready either. Varlamov split time with Ilya Sorokin last season as both Russian netminders enjoyed a very good campaign behind a […]

Jason Robertson Not Expected To Play In Season Opener

Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (upper body) looks set to miss the team's season opener on Thursday against the Rangers. The 22-year-old skated in four preseason games, but he's missed the last couple of practices and is now listed day-to-day. Robertson had a fabulous rookie campaign last term with 17 goals and 45 points […]

Seattle Gets Three More Players Back From COVID-19 List

The Seattle Kraken have received further good news ahead of their season opener on Tuesday, with Joonas Donskoi, Jared McCann and Jamie Oleksiak all expected to play. The trio was on the COVID-19 protocol list, but it looks like they have now received the all-clear to feature against Vegas. Marcus Johansson was first off the […]

Andrei Vasilevskiy Looks To Continue Domination Over Penguins

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will start the season opener on Tuesday against Pittsburgh. The 2019 Vezina Trophy winner is carrying a very strong 8-3-0 career record against the Penguins and he's nicely placed to improve it further, with Pittsburgh's star centermen Sidney Crosby (wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (knee) both unavailable. Vasilevskiy posted a […]

Nathan MacKinnon Won't Play On Wednesday

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon has been ruled out of Wednesday's season opener against Chicago. General manager Joe Sakic has admitted that MacKinnon tested positive for the coronavirus. Head coach Jared Bednar has also returned a positive test and will miss the season opener. MacKinnon is asymptomatic and Colorado hopes that he might be ready […]

Marcus Johansson OK To Go On Tuesday

Seattle Kraken forward Marcus Johansson has been cleared to play in the team's first-ever regular season game on Tuesday against the Golden Knights. Four Kraken players -- Calle Jarnkrok, Joonas Donskoi, Jared McCann and Jamie Oleksiak -- remain on the COVID-19 list. With the team short-handed, Johansson should feature heavily and he'll aim to bounce […]

Mattias Janmark Remains On COVID-19 List As Season Starts

Vegas Golden Knights forward Mattias Janmark won't be in the lineup for Tuesday's season opener against Seattle. The 28-year-old was added to the COVID-19 list at the start of the week and it's unknown when he will be ready to play. The former Dallas Star split last season between Chicago and Vegas, providing good depth […]

Philipp Grubauer Set To Start First Kraken Game

Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer will be the starter in the team's first-ever regular-season game on Tuesday at Vegas. The German netminder was an elite goalie option in fantasy hockey last term while playing behind a very strong Colorado team and 2021-22 is set to be a completely different story for him, but Grubauer should […]

Robin Lehner Starts Against Seattle On Tuesday

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner will get the nod for Tuesday's clash with the new Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. The Swedish netminder logged only 19 games last season, with Marc-Andre Fleury showcasing top form, but the Flower is in Chicago now, and it gives Lehner a chance to make the crease his own. The […]

Evan Rodrigues Fills Top-Six Role In Season Opener

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues will start the season as the second-line center due to injuries to Sidney Crosby (wrist) and Evgeni Malkin (knee). He's joined on the line by Jason Zucker and Kasperi Kapanen for the season opener on Tuesday against Tampa. Jeff Carter will center the top line, which also features Danton Heinen […]

Nathan MacKinnon Questionable For Season Opener

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon was added to the COVID-19 list on Tuesday and is questionable for the team's season opener against Chicago on Wednesday night. Of course, joining the COVID-related absence protocol doesn't automatically mean that the player has contracted the virus himself, so there's a chance MacKinnon will get the all-clear come game-time. […]

Nicklas Backstrom Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (hip) was added to the long-term Injured Reserve on Tuesday. The Swedish veteran missed the preseason and still isn't ready to go. Tuesday's move means that he will miss at least the first 10 games of the season. Backstrom was close to averaging a point per game in 55 outings […]