Stuart Skinner Exits Early On Thursday

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (concussion) was removed from Thursday's contest by a concussion spotter. The 26-year-old only missed the final five minutes of the contest. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status leading up to their next game on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. Before exiting, Skinner stopped 13 of the 16 […]

Connor McDavid Departs With Lower-Body Injury

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (lower body) exited Thursday's contest with a lower-body injury. McDavid departed during the second period in clear pain. Before exiting, he tallied one helper and held a +1 rating. Fantasy managers should closely monitor his status heading into their next contest on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. No. 2 center […]

Marc-Edouard Vlasic Unavailable Against Hurricanes

San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (upper body) will sit out Thursday's matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. After making 10 consecutive appearances, Vlasic will drop out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury. Due to health issues, Vlasic has made only 17 appearances for the Sharks this season, recording two assists and 29 blocks. […]

Zach Benson Unlikely To Play Thursday

Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (illness) will likely exit the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. He is not feeling well and is set to sit out his seventh game of the season. The 19-year-old has notched 10 goals and 23 points in 60 appearances this term. In his absence, Jack Quinn […]

JJ Peterka Cleared To Return Thursday

Buffalo Sabres winger JJ Peterka (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. He has missed the past three games due to a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old will head back to the first line, teaming up with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. These three have been Buffalo's […]

William Karlsson Good To Go Thursday

Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (lower body) is poised to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins after the team activated him from long-term Injured Reserve. He last played on Jan. 20, missing 20 games. Vegas is set to pair Karlsson with Nicolas Roy and Reilly Smith on the second line. […]

Thatcher Demko Dresses As Backup Thursday

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (lower body) will return to the lineup on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues, dressing as the backup to Kevin Lankinen. Demko has been out of action since Feb. 8 due to a lower-body injury. Now that he is once again considered game-ready, Demko could return to the net on […]

Andrei Svechnikov Doubtful For Thursday

Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov (upper body) will likely remain sidelined for Thursday's matchup against the San Jose Sharks. Svechnikov returned to practice on Monday, raising hopes that he would be ready to rejoin the action against the Sharks; however, the Russian forward is considered doubtful for Thursday's game. Tyson Jost is set to keep […]

Leon Draisaitl Likely Out On Thursday

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) is expected to miss Thursday's matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. He is dealing with a minor injury, and the team considers him day-to-day. So far this season, Draisaitl hasn't missed any action, totaling 49 goals and 101 points in 68 games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will likely move up in the […]

Casey DeSmith Starting On Thursday

Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith will get the starting nod on Thursday evening against the Tampa Bay Lightning. DeSmith has been deployed as the clear No. 2 netminder in Dallas, as Jake Oettinger has seen the majority of starts. Since the start of February, DeSmith has appeared in just five contests. During this stretch, he […]

Sergei Bobrovsky Facing Columbus On Thursday

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will get the starting nod on Thursday evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 15 shots during his last start and will look to bounce back this evening. Before that poor outing, Bobrovsky held a strong 4-1 record with a .949 save percentage and a 1.21 […]

Jeff Petry Traveling With The Team

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry (undisclosed) will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. However, Petry is not expected to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Golden Knights but could return on Monday against the Utah Hockey Club. The 37-year-old has been sidelined since the first week of January. Through […]

Nick Jensen Not Playing On Thursday

Ottawa Senators defenseman Nick Jensen (lower body) will remain sidelined on Thursday evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Jensen has missed the previous two contests due to this injury. Jensen will look to return to action on Saturday when the Senators travel to New Jersey to face the Devils. While Jensen remains out this evening, fantasy […]

Erik Gustafsson Does Not Practice On Thursday

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson (undisclosed) was not able to practice on Thursday. Gustafsson suffered this injury during their contest on Tuesday evening and could be in danger of missing their next game on Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he may need to miss […]

Alexander Romanov Not Expected To Play On Thursday

New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (illness) is still not feeling "100 percent" and will likely remain sidelined on Thursday evening when the Islanders face the Montreal Canadiens. Romanov was unable to play in their last contest and is trending toward missing his second-straight contest. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up […]

Premium: NHL DFS Picks, Stacks, Goalies Analysis for March 20, 2025 (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. I aim to help you narrow your plays to get the most bang for your DFS buck. Be sure to check out all of our NHL articles and NHL DFS tools, including our daily NHL Heat Map. NHL Premium members can find […]

Today's NHL DFS Lineup Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (3/20/25)

Welcome, RotoBallers! My name is Brandon, and I'll be writing both The First-Serve and The Kick-Off for tennis and soccer. It is the return of the NHL season, which means it's time to sharpen our skills and partake in NHL DFS! As always, I'll give you the best tools to succeed and the info you […]

Matt Boldy Strikes Twice In Victory

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy found the back of the net twice during their victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday evening. Boldy would score his first goal in the opening frame during 5-on-5 play. Later in the contest, Boldy would score the empty-netter to put the game out of reach. This outing snapped […]

Filip Gustavsson Shuts The Door On Kraken On Wednesday

Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped all 34 shots he saw en route to defeating the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday evening. The Kraken held the advantage in the shot total, but Gustavsson was able to lead the way. This outing extended his winning streak to two games. During this stretch, Gustavsson has only allowed one […]

Auston Matthews Extends Goal Streak To Three Games

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored in his third-straight contest on Wednesday evening against the Colorado Avalanche. Matthews would find the back of the net on the power play in the opening frame. Over his past three contests, Matthews has found the back of the net four times, including three times on the power […]

Joseph Woll Stands Tall Against Colorado

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll stopped 38 of the 39 shots he saw en route to defeating the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday evening. Woll's lone blemish came in the second frame when Colorado wing Valeri Nichushkin scored his 18th goal of the season on the power play. Woll would then stop all 11 shots […]

Chandler Stephenson Suffers Injury On Wednesday

Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (undisclosed) was unable to finish Wednesday's contest against the Minnesota Wild. Stephenson logged just over 11 minutes of ice time before exiting and did not participate during the third period. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to their next on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. Before […]

Marco Rossi Exits Early On Wednesday

Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi (lower body) exited Wednesday's contest early. Rossi logged three minutes of ice time before exiting the contest. During this short stint, Rossi tallied one shot on goal with one hit. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to their next contest on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. […]

NHL DFS Picks and Heat Map (Premium Content) - March 20, 2025

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. Each night, we will bring 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 play, […]

Shea Theodore Takes Full Contact In Practice

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (arm) took another step closer to his return to the lineup on Wednesday. According to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Theodore was full-contact in Wednesday's practice. Theodore wore a grey jersey, skating alongside healthy scratch Ben Hutton, indicating that he will not rejoin the lineup on Thursday […]

Cole Sillinger Closing In On Return

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (shoulder) could be available to return to the lineup this week. He has missed eight games due to a shoulder injury. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Blue Jackets head coach Dave Evanson did not dismiss the possibility of Sillinger's return to action this week. His next chance to make […]

Sean Monahan May Return To Action This Week

Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan (wrist) is close to returning to action, possibly as soon as this week. He participated in practice with the main group on Wednesday, and Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason has not ruled out Monahan rejoining the lineup before the week ends. After the practice session, Monahan said that […]

Filip Gustavsson Takes On Kraken Wednesday

Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson will start on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken. He will take the crease for the 47th time this season, trying to improve a 26-15-4 record. Gustavsson has posted four shutouts while registering a 2.57 goals-against average with a .915 save percentage. The Wild No. 1 has been one of the […]

Mackenzie Blackwood Expected To Face Maple Leafs

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to be in the crease for Wednesday's big clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Scott Wedgewood has impressed with four consecutive wins, but the Avalanche go back to Blackwood on Wednesday, who had his own four-game winning run end with a 2-1 shootout defeat against the Minnesota Wild […]

Joseph Woll Starts First Leg Of Back-To-Back Wednesday

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is set to start in Wednesday's matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. The Maple Leafs have two games in two nights and will likely turn to Anthony Stolarz in Thursday's clash against the New York Rangers. Although Woll hasn't seen much action lately, he has performed admirably when called upon. […]