April 11, 2025
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (upper body) has a chance to return to the lineup on Friday against the Calgary Flames and is considered a game-time decision. He has skipped two games with an upper-body injury. Declan Chisholm has filled in for him at the back. Middleton has been an effective two-way performer all season, amassing 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists), 95 shots, 155 blocks, and 98 hits in 66 contests. He is averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time a night for the campaign and is likely to take on his normal workload if he feels ready to return.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michael Russo
April 11, 2025
San Jose Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta (lower body) will return to action on Friday night against the Edmonton Oilers. This will be his first appearance since Jan. 23. The veteran blue-liner has missed 27 games due to a lower-body injury. Rutta will be a replacement for Mario Ferraro (lower body), who was ruled out for the rest of the season on Thursday. San Jose's banged-up blue line will receive much-needed help in the shape of Rutta, but he is unlikely to be a factor in fantasy hockey. This season, Rutta has posted only eight points (two goals, six assists) in 51 outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Curtis Pashelka
April 11, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (head) will be back in the lineup on Friday against the San Jose Sharks. He will serve as Calvin Pickard's backup. The Oilers plan to give Skinner two starts over the final four regular-season games. Skinner has been out of action since March 26 due to a head injury. Pickard has performed well in his absence, and Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has stated that the starting goaltender for the playoffs has yet to be determined. Skinner has posted a 24-18-4 record during an up-and-down campaign, allowing 2.91 goals with a .894 save percentage and two shutouts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Nugent-Bowman
April 11, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) will rejoin the lineup on Friday against the San Jose Sharks. He has been cleared to return after missing seven games due to an undisclosed injury. Following Connor McDavid's comeback on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues, Ekholm is the second key player to return from injury for the Oilers ahead of the postseason. The team also hopes to have Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed) back before the end of the regular season. Ekholm will team up with Ty Emberson on the second defensive pairing and is set to skate with the second power-play unit. The Swedish rearguard has totaled 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) in 64 contests, along with 143 shots and 95 blocks.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (rest) has not joined the team for its two-game road trip over the weekend. This marks the end of the regular season for him, as Colorado wants to give Makar some rest before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. Makar is set to finish the campaign as the league's highest-scoring defenseman, sitting on a career-high 92 points (30 goals, 62 assists) through 80 games. Josh Manson (upper body) and Ryan Lindgren (upper body) will also sit out this weekend's back-to-back against Los Angeles and Anaheim, which will increase the fantasy value of Devon Toews, Samuel Girard, and Sam Malinski.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed) has officially been ruled out for the final two games of the regular season. He won't travel with the team for games on the road against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. Due to an undisclosed injury, MacKinnon was removed from the lineup for Thursday's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks, and he was initially regarded as doubtful for the weekend's road trip. The team is resting MacKinnon to ensure he remains fresh for the playoffs. The Colorado attack is also currently without Jonathan Drouin (lower body) and Ross Colton (undisclosed), giving extra fantasy value to Brock Nelson, Martin Necas, and Joel Kiviranta.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala scored twice during their 6-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday evening. Fiala scored both of his goals on the power play. These two strikes put Fiala over the 30-goal mark for the second time in his career. The 28-year-old is not just one goal away from matching his previous career-high (33) he scored during the 2021 campaign with the Minnesota Wild. Over his past four games, Fiala has scored four goals. However, before this recent surge, Fiala was riding a four-game scoreless streak. Fantasy managers should continue to view him as a must-start option in all formats as he continues this impressive stretch. He will look to stay hot on Saturday afternoon against the Colorado Avalanche.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill stopped 24 of the 25 shots he saw en route to defeating the Seattle Kraken on Thursday evening. The shot total remained even throughout the contest, but Hill was able to step up when called on. His lone blemish came in the second frame when Seattle center Jared McCann beat him with a wrist shot for his 22nd goal of the season. After taking a loss on Thursday, April 3, to the Winnipeg Jets, Hill has won each of his previous two starts. During this stretch, he has held a strong 1.50 GAA with a .935 save percentage. Over his last nine contests, the 28-year-old has held a 7-2 record with a 2.08 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Hill remains a must-start option in all formats over the final week of the campaign.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Vancouver Canucks left wing Kiefer Sherwood tallied two points during their 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday evening. Sherwood did all of his damage in the second period. He first tallied the primary helper on Jake DeBrusk's 26th goal of the season. Later in the frame, he would find the back of the net, which served as the eventual game-winner. Sherwood has now tallied at least one point in each of his previous four games and a goal in each of his past two. Over his last 14 contests, Sherwood has enjoyed a strong stretch of performances, tallying 15 points with five goals over this stretch. Through a career-high 75 games, Sherwood has enjoyed a strong campaign, scoring 19 goals and adding 21 helpers. He will look to stay hot against the Wild on Saturday evening.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor scored twice during their 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday evening. Connor did all of his damage in the final frame. He scored both goals during 5-on-5 play. This was a critical victory for the Jets as they look to clinch the top spot in the Central Division. These two goals put him at the 40-goal mark for just the second time in his career. The other time he achieved this was in 2021 when he scored a career-high 47 goals. Over his last seven contests, Connor has tallied eight points, with three of them being goals. Through 79 total games this season, the 28-year-old has found the back of the net 40 times and added 54 helpers. He remains a must-start option and a top play in DFS tomorrow, facing the Chicago Blackhawks.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin tallied three points during their demanding 9-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday evening. In the opening frame, Panarin tallied the primary assist on Vincent Trocheck's power-play goal. Later in the frame, he would find the back of the net on a snapshot. Then, in the third period, Panarin would score his second goal of the contest with another snapshot. Over his last seven contests, Panarin has been quite busy on the scoresheet, scoring six goals and adding six helpers. Panarin has tallied three of these helpers on the power play and logged 24 shots on goal over this stretch. Through 77 games, Panarin has tallied 87 points. He remains a must-start player as the Rangers look to keep their playoff hopes alive on Saturday against the Hurricanes.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 11, 2025
Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson scored the game-winner during Thursday's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes. This victory clinched Washington as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Wilson found the back of the net in the second period on a wrist shot. This outing extended Wilson's point streak to two games. Over his last 12 games, Wilson has tallied nine points (four goals) and added 23 penalty minutes, 36 hits, and 19 shots on goal. Through 77 games this season, the 31-year-old has enjoyed another productive campaign, scoring 33 goals and adding 30 helpers. Wilson has also logged 224 hits, 163 shots on goal, and added 64 blocked shots, which gives him value in category formats. Fantasy managers should expect Wilson to remain in a top-six role.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
April 10, 2025
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rutger McGroarty (lower body) has been ruled out for the rest of the season. He suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday's win over the Chicago Blackhawks and will not be available for the final three regular-season games. This is an unfortunate blow for the young winger, as McGroarty had started to see time with Sidney Crosby on the top line. He made his first eight NHL outings in 2024-25, producing one goal and two assists. There is a possibility that McGroarty can recover in time to help the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the AHL playoffs. On Thursday, the Penguins announced that four other forwards -- Tommy Novak (lower body), Blake Lizotte (undisclosed), Noel Acciari (undisclosed), and Matt Nieto (undisclosed) -- are also out for the remainder of the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 10, 2025
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) will not return to the lineup this season. He has been out of action since hurting his shoulder during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said on Thursday that there is just not enough time for McAvoy to be cleared by the medical staff. The same applies to forward Mark Kastelic (upper body), who last suited up on March 20. It was a disappointing campaign for McAvoy, who did not reach the heights he had attained in previous years, posting 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 50 games. Henri Jokiharju has stepped into the first defensive pairing in McAvoy's absence, with Mason Lohrei seeing increased power-play usage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
April 10, 2025
Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (personal) will be active on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. His status was initially uncertain for the contest after Zadorov missed Wednesday's practice to deal with a family matter. The Russian blue-liner will work with his regular partner Henri Jokiharju on the first defensive pairing. While Zadorov's offensive efforts have resulted in only 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 78 games this season, he has managed a plus-21 rating on a struggling team. Zadorov boasts 104 blocks and a whopping 210 hits for the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Fluto Shinzawa
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