Tyler Bertuzzi A Game-Time Decision Saturday

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Tyler Bertuzzi is a game-time decision for Saturday's contest against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Bertuzzi has been slowed by an illness of late but skated on Saturday morning. Head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that the veteran is still no sure thing to play Saturday evening. The Leafs signed Bertuzzi to a […]

Ilya Samsonov Likely To Start On Saturday

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov is likely to start on Saturday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. The Russian netminder made four straight starts before Joseph Woll started Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Washington Capitals. It's been a nice run for Samsonov after he was briefly sent to the minors earlier in the year as […]

Aleksander Barkov To Sit Out Again Saturday

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov will miss his second straight game on Saturday due to a lower-body injury. The Panthers captain sat out a 3-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday and will not participate in a tilt with the high-octane New York Rangers on Saturday. Barkov has tallied 18 goals and 66 points […]

John Marino To Return On Saturday

New Jersey Devils defenseman John Marino is set to return for Saturday's contest against the Ottawa Senators. The veteran blueliner has missed the past two games and four of the last five due to an upper-body injury. "I've been in and out with injuries lately, but the guys have been playing well and I just […]

Tom Wilson Hit With Six-Game Ban

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended six games for a high stick to the face of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor during a 7-3 loss on Wednesday. Wilson received a double minor on the play. "That's a huge impact," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said Friday before the suspension was announced. "I […]

Premium: NHL DFS Picks, Stacks, Goalies Analysis for March 23, 2024 (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. We have a relatively small seven-game slate tonight and, at first glance, there aren’t a lot of spots we want to attack. The pool on the Heat Map is limited, as we don’t need to push ourselves into poor matchups simply for […]

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Hockey Picks (3/23/24): Today's Top NHL DFS Lineups

Welcome, RotoBallers! If you do not know me, my name is Brandon and I write both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer, respectively. If you have not checked those out, make sure you do! It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - March 23, 2024

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Each night, we will be bringing you our award-winning NHL DFS Heat Map with expert research and picks for cash games and GPPs. Here are a few notes about the sheet: Blue means ELITE, Green means GO (good for the player), Yellow means value/supplemental […]

Karel Vejmelka To Start Friday Versus Kraken

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka is getting the starting nod for Friday's home game against the visiting Seattle Kraken. The 27-year-old has been alternating starts with Connor Ingram of late but he has been the better goaltender over his last handful of starts after Ingram had overtaken the No. 1 job earlier in the season. […]

Jani Hakanpaa Out For "The Near Future"

Dallas Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (lower body) is set to miss "the near future" after sustaining a lower-body injury in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on March 16. "He's shut down for the near future here," head coach Peter DeBoer said. "He's having some tests done and things like that, so we'll […]

Jack St. Ivany Expected To Make NHL Debut Friday

Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Jack St. Ivany is expected to make his NHL debut when the club visits the Dallas Stars on Friday. The blueliner will take the place of fellow rearguard Ryan Graves who is with his family for the birth of his first child. "Pretty surreal," St. Ivany said Friday. "They told me […]

Joel Eriksson Ek Could Play On Saturday

Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) could possibly return for Saturday's contest versus the St. Louis Blues. The veteran pivot has missed the past four games after getting injured against the Arizona Coyotes on March 12. He skated on Friday, but his participation was limited after he skated on his own prior to […]

James van Riemsdyk Could Play Saturday

Boston Bruins left winger James van Riemsdyk (illness) practiced on Friday and could return to the lineup on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The veteran has missed the past two games. "We haven't made final decisions," Montgomery said. "He's feeling better but we'll see how he feels tomorrow." The 34-year-old is in his first season […]

Brad Marchand Likely To Play Saturday

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is likely to suit up for Saturday's contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. The veteran didn't skate on Friday in what was called a maintenance day. "Most likely [going to play]," Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery said. "I'm not going to say 100 percent. But most likely." The Bruins star has […]

T.J. Oshie, Aliaksei Protoas Remain Out Friday

Washington Capitals forwards T.J. Oshie and Aliaksei Protas will both remain sidelined for Friday's game against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Both players skated on Friday morning but will both once again sit out as they did for Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The oft-injured Oshie has once again dealt with injuries this […]

Dylan Larkin Misses Practice, To Be Available Saturday

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin did not practice on Friday due to an illness but will be available for Saturday's road game against the red-hot Nashville Predators. The Red Wings captain missed nearly three weeks due to a lower-body injury but returned to score two goals in a 6-3 win over the New York […]

Mitch Marner Won't Play Next Two Games

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (ankle) is progressing well but won't play the next two games, according to head coach Sheldon Keefe. The playmaker has been out since falling awkwardly while attempting a shot on goal in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on March 7. The 26-year-old has recorded 25 goals and […]

Cam Thiesing Signs Entry-Level Deal With Islanders

The New York Islanders have signed college free-agent forward Cam Thiesing to a two-year, entry-level contract. Thiesing will not be joining the Islanders this season. The 22-year-old is currently playing for Ohio State University, where he recorded nine goals and 16 points across 31 games as a junior in the 2023-24 campaign. Through his first […]

Tyler Bertuzzi Misses Practice Friday

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi was absent from Friday's practice after dealing with an illness of late. Bertuzzi was limited in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Washington Capitals due to a reported illness. His status for Saturday's game against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. After scuffling for a large chunk of the season, the veteran […]

Jacob Markstrom Expected To Return Saturday

Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (lower body) is expected to start Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks. The 34-year-old has been out since March 9 due to a lower-body injury. "He has been (our MVP)," defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "He's been our backbone. He's a leader for us. It starts with him. I feel us […]

Dan Vladar To Miss The Rest Of The Season

Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar (hip) will miss the remainder of the season but is expected to be ready for next season. "It's obviously unfortunate for 'Vladdy'," Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "I think he's been dealing with that (injury) for quite a while. He's a warrior about it. The one thing we do have […]

Free NHL Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (3/22/24)

It's Friday night, and nothing feels better than lining our pockets heading into the weekend. Playoff races are white-hot across the league as the regular season winds down, and desperation is at a boiling point. Let's get in on the fun. Attention, fellow sports bettors! We have some exciting news to share as we are […]

Kevin Lankinen Ends Three-Year Shutout Drought

Nashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen put in a big performance in his 14th start of the season on Thursday against Florida, posting a 33-save shutout in an impressive 3-0 road win. It's his first shutout since March 25, 2021, when Lankinen also blanked the Panthers as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators' backup […]

Connor McDavid Logs Four Assists In Big Win

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had another multi-point outing on Thursday versus Buffalo, recording four assists in an 8-3 victory. He joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Paul Coffey as the fourth player in NHL history to have four-plus assists in at least five games in a single season. Even if he sits out the […]

Luke Hughes Racks Up Three Power-Play Assists

New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes had it going on with the man advantage all night against Winnipeg on Thursday, finishing a 4-1 victory with three power-play assists. Jack Hughes scored a pair of goals, and Nico Hischier also benefited from Hughes' fantastic job on the power play. He's the first rookie defenseman to tally […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - March 22, 2024

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Each night, we will be bringing you our award-winning NHL DFS Heat Map with expert research and picks for cash games and GPPs. Here are a few notes about the sheet: Blue means ELITE, Green means GO (good for the player), Yellow means value/supplemental […]

Artemi Panarin Nets Seventh Career Hat Trick

New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin continued his fruitful season with his seventh career hat trick as the team defeated the Bruins in Boston 5-2 on Thursday. Panarin scored the first two goals for the Rangers and capped off his third hat trick of the season with a late empty-netter. He's only the second […]

Lukas Dostal Dazzles With Shutout Versus Blackhawks

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal starred with a 29-save shutout against the Blackhawks on Thursday in a 4-0 win. He fended off 12 shots in the first period alone before the Anaheim offense started to click in the season. Dostal became the third rookie netminder in Ducks history to post a shutout, following in the […]

Leo Carlsson Sustains Another Injury

Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson failed to complete Thursday's 6-0 win over Chicago due to a lower-body injury. He left the game in the second period following a collision with Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic. Carlsson was forced to exit after logging 11:38 of ice time. This was only his third game since returning to the […]

Dylan Larkin Returns With Two Goals

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin scored two goals in his return from a lower-body injury Thursday versus the Islanders. After missing eight contests, Larkin served up his fourth multi-goal game of the season, helping the team to a vital 6-3 win. Larkin logged 16:32 of action and had three total shots while finishing with […]