April 18, 2025
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) has taken home the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal-scorer in 2024-25. He finished at the top of the pile for the first time in his career, potting 52 goals in 71 contests. The German superstar missed the final seven regular-season games due to an undisclosed injury, but still comfortably ended up as the league's top goal-scorer, with William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs finishing second on 45 goals. Draisaitl lit the lamp in 42 of his 71 outings and set a single-season NHL record with six overtime goals. He now also holds the NHL record for the most games missed (11) in a season by a Rocket Richard Trophy winner. Over the course of the campaign, Draisaitl added 54 assists to his tally, finishing with 106 points. This marks his fourth consecutive season with at least 100 points, and his sixth overall.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 18, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in 2024-25. He finished the regular season with 121 points (37 goals, 84 assists) in 78 games, five more than Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, who also lost the scoring race to Kucherov last year. Overall, the Tampa Bay superstar captured the Art Ross Trophy for the third time, becoming the 10th player in NHL history to win it as many times. Kucherov was on the score sheet in 65 of his 78 appearances, producing multiple points 33 times and three-plus points on 17 occasions. He had 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) on the power play, which is also a league-high mark for the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 18, 2025
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust potted two goals as the team ended a disappointing campaign with a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. He had a quick answer for Connor McMichael's goal in the first period and gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the second with a power-play goal. The two-goal effort helped Rust reach the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. There will be no playoff hockey in Pittsburgh for a third consecutive year, but 2024-25 was an outstanding campaign individually for Rust, who recorded a career-high 65 points (31 goals, 34 assists) in 71 outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 18, 2025
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin ended the season on a high note, stopping all 27 shots he faced in Thursday's 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner collected his sixth shutout of the season, matching his career high. Shesterkin will have at least something to celebrate from a frustrating season, which he concluded with a 27-29-5 record. He posted a career-worst 2.86 goals-against average and had a .905 save percentage, also his worst-ever mark in the NHL. The Rangers must build a better team around Shesterkin to fully benefit from his talents.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 18, 2025
Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens capped off the 2024-25 regular season with a three-point performance in Thursday's 7-5 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. He recorded the team's second goal and provided two assists in the contest. Two of Cozens' points, including his goal, came during the power play. He also had two assists in Tuesday's overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, allowing him to enter the playoffs with positive momentum. The 24-year-old finished the regular season with 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 82 games. His scoring rate improved significantly after moving to Canada, totaling five goals and 16 points in 21 outings with the Senators.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 18, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov amassed three points in Thursday's season finale against the Buffalo Sabres, tallying two goals and an assist in a 5-4 loss. He got things started with a power-play goal in the first period. Michkov relied heavily on the power play to get points on the board early in his rookie campaign, but ultimately, only 17 of his 63 points came with the man advantage. The 20-year-old finished tied for second in points among rookies with San Jose's Macklin Celebrini, while Michkov led all first-year players with 26 goals. It was a solid debut season for the Russian, and there should be plenty more to come from Michkov in the future.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 18, 2025
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk (undisclosed) logged only 10:37 of ice time on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes as he returned from an eight-game absence. The power forward, who missed a couple of weeks due to an upper-body injury, sat out the final period of play in a 7-5 victory. Fortunately, it was announced after the game that Tkachuk exited for precautionary reasons. The Senators captain should be good to go for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. Tkachuk will make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in the contest. During the regular season, Tkachuk posted only one point in three meetings with the Maple Leafs. He closed the campaign with a team-high 27 goals and tallied 55 points in 72 appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 17, 2025
Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (rest) will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The versatile blue-liner rested on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Chychrun also recently missed time due to an illness and has played in only one of the last four games. On Thursday, he should receive a heavy workload to help him get back into game shape, as the Capitals are going with only five defensemen. Chychrun ranks third among all blue-liners with 20 goals and has totaled 47 points in 73 games this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bailey Johnson
April 17, 2025
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson (rest) will miss Thursday's finale against the Kings, ending his 100 percent appearance record in 2024-25. The year was a mixed bag for Andersson, as he matched his career high with 11 goals but finished with 31 points, his lowest total in four seasons. He is also set to finish with one of the league's worst plus/minus ratings, having gone minus-38 over 81 games. The Flames defense will also miss Jake Bean (rest) and Joel Hanley (rest) on Thursday, allowing Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz to get their first taste of NHL action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
April 17, 2025
Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau (rest) is expected to miss Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames have nothing left to play for, and some players, including Huberdeau, will be held out of the lineup for rest purposes. Following a couple of disappointing 50-point campaigns, Huberdeau improved in 2024-25, finishing the year with 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 81 games. However, he still needs to do much more to justify his eight-year, $84 million contract, the largest in franchise history. With Huberdeau out on Thursday, Aydar Suniev is set to make his NHL debut on the first line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
April 17, 2025
New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (undisclosed) will not play in the team's regular-season finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. This means Pulock ends his 2024-25 campaign with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists), 97 shots, 155 blocks, and 100 hits in 74 games. The season has been tough for the team, and Pulock was mediocre all year. Adam Pelech (undisclosed) also won't play against the Blue Jackets, and Alexander Romanov (illness) may remain out, meaning we will see more of Scott Perunovich and Scott Mayfield. Mike Reilly and Adam Boqvist are filling the gaps in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Gross
April 17, 2025
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (rest) will re-enter the lineup on Thursday as the team wraps up its regular season schedule with a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Sanderson missed his second game of the season on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks when he was rested. 2024-25 has been a breakout campaign for Sanderson, who has tallied 55 points (11 goals, 44 assists) in 79 outings. With Thomas Chabot (rest) and Artem Zub (rest) leaving the lineup on Thursday, Sanderson should have plenty to do against Carolina alongside Nick Jensen (rest), who is returning from a two-game absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
April 17, 2025
Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (rest) will not play on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old will get some time off to rest ahead of the postseason. Chabot will step out of the lineup while riding high on an impressive six-game point streak, during which he has collected three goals and seven assists. For the season, Chabot has notched 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists) in 80 contests. Artem Zub (rest) will also sit out Thursday's game, while Jake Sanderson (rest) and Nick Jensen (rest) will return to the fold.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Julian McKenzie
April 17, 2025
Ottawa Senators forward Claude Giroux (rest) will rejoin the lineup for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ottawa rested Giroux for Tuesday's matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. This marked his first absence of the year. Giroux has had a decent 50-point campaign, recording 15 goals and 35 assists in 80 outings. He will return to the top line on Thursday, joining Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, and is projected to work on the second power-play unit. 18 of Giroux's points this season have come with the man advantage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
April 17, 2025
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk (upper body) will end an eight-game absence on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Senators captain aims to get some rhythm before the postseason starts, promising to "play 100 percent." Tkachuk leads Ottawa with 29 goals and 227 hits, while being tied for third with 55 points in 71 games. The Senators plan to have all their big guns out for the regular-season finale, meaning Tkachuk will skate alongside Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux on the first line and will be the net-front presence on the first power-play unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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