1 month agoNew Jersey Devils goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen sustained a lower-body injury in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to Nashville. He gave up an early goal to Jack Hughes and left the game after logging only 8:39 of ice time. Jake Allen stopped 29 of 30 pucks as his replacement. Kahkonen is set to undergo additional evaluations on Monday, which will determine his availability for Tuesday's contest against Toronto. The Finnish netminder has had a rough one in 2023-24, going 7-23-3 in 32 starts with the Devils and Sharks. He has allowed 3.72 goals with a .897 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoColorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has landed in concussion protocol. He was injured on Friday versus Edmonton and sat out Sunday's 7-4 loss to Dallas. Colorado also played without Miles Wood (lower body) on Sunday. Zach Parise stepped up to fill a top-six role. The veteran, who's posted nine points (four goals, five assists) in 26 games for the Avalanche, will have extra fantasy value until Rantanen's return. The Finnish star skated Sunday morning, but it's unclear when he will be able to jump back into action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoNew York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov posted his third shutout of the season with 41 saves in Saturday's 2-0 win over Nashville. The Russian veteran saw a lot of the puck but had a perfect game to improve to 11-6-4. Playing as Ilya Sorokin's backup, Varlamov has registered five wins across his last seven starts. His goals-against average for the season stands at 2.72, and Varlamov has posted a .916 save percentage. Sorokin has won each of his last two starts, so the Islanders goalies have heated up just at the right time. The team has climbed to third in the Metropolitan Division, with five games left to play.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoSan Jose Sharks forward William Eklund scored all of his team's goals in Saturday's 3-2 overtime triumph over St. Louis. He registered a pair of power-play goals in the second period and finished the game in overtime with 1:02 left to play. At 21 years and 177 days old, Eklund became the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to score a hat trick. The rookie from Sweden is finishing the campaign strongly and has been kept off the score sheet just once in the past eight games. Eklund has totaled 15 goals and 25 assists in 74 games for the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoPittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson notched three assists in Saturday's entertaining 5-4 victory over Tampa Bay. He helped Sidney Crosby on his 40th goal of the campaign early in the contest, set up Evgeni Malkin at the start of the second period, and wrapped up his hat trick of assists when Michael Bunting scored the game-winning goal at the 14:32 mark in the third frame. Karlsson jumped on 51 points with the effort, having dished out 42 assists in 77 games. The former Norris Trophy winner was off his game in March but has started strongly this month. Karlsson will have a chance to get to four games with his point streak in Monday's matchup versus Toronto.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoLos Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe maintained top form in Saturday's 6-3 win over Vancouver, posting two goals and an assist. He had a pair of early power-play points and completed the scoring with a short-handed tally. Kempe is riding a five-game point streak, and this marks his fifth multi-point outing in 10 games. He's reached the 70-point plateau for the first time in his career, with 27 goals and 44 assists through 72 games. The Kings have a very favorable schedule to finish off the campaign, so Kempe should get a further boost to his points total across the final few games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoSt. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk sustained an upper-body injury in Saturday's contest against San Jose. He didn't appear for the third period after being involved in a fight with San Jose's Luke Kunin. Faulk racked up 17 penalty minutes in the contest. He also had three shots, one block, and one hit across 13:20 of action. The 32-year-old has averaged 0.5 points per game, notching two goals and 28 assists in 60 outings. There are also 83 hits and 104 blocks on his account, so Faulk would be missed at both ends of the ice if he's out for a stretch.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Matthew DeFranks
1 month agoSt. Louis Blues winger Jake Neighbours couldn't finish Saturday's game against San Jose due to an upper-body injury. He logged 10:10 of action before absorbing a hit from San Jose's Luke Kunin, which knocked Neighbours out of the game. St. Louis heads back on the ice Sunday versus Anaheim, and Neighbours should be considered questionable for the game. If he can't play, the Blues would be without one of their top goal-scorers. Neighbours' development has been one of only a few bright spots for St. Louis in 2023-24, as the 22-year-old has scored 27 goals and 38 points across 77 outings. His injury could give Sammy Blais a chance to rejoin the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Matthew DeFranks
1 month agoCalgary Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington couldn't finish Saturday's Battle of Alberta against Edmonton, exiting the contest late in the third period. He was hurt in a collision with teammate Nazem Kadri. Kylington logged 17:19 of ice time but didn't register any meaningful stats other than two penalty minutes. The Swedish blue-liner, who missed the entire 2022-23 season for personal reasons, has had five points (two goals, three assists) in 28 games during his comeback campaign with 44 blocks. Nikita Okhotiuk could get a place in the lineup if Kylington needs a bit of time to heal.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Eric Francis
1 month agoThe San Jose Sharks have signed college free agent Collin Graf to an entry-level contract that begins for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign. The 21-year-old will turn pro after two seasons at Quinnipiac University and one at Union College in the NCAA. Graf tallied 43 goals and an impressive 108 points across 75 games over the last two seasons with Quinnipiac after he posted 11 goals and 22 points across 37 games as a Freshman with Union in the 2021-22 season. He will become a key part of the Sharks' rebuild as they sit dead last in the NHL with a 17-50-8 record on the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: TSN Hockey
1 month agoPhiladelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier will not be available to the team for at least the next two games due to an upper-body injury. The center remains day to day and did not travel with the team for a game against the Sabres on Friday and the Blue Jackets on Saturday. "Little nicked up now, hopefully we'll get him back here and get him going down the right road," Flyers bench boss John Tortorella said on Friday. Couturier was injured when he fell hard into the board during a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders on Monday. The Flyers sit third in the Metropolitan Division but the Islanders, Capitals, and Penguins all sit within two points with the Capitals owning a game in hand.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoVegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (knee) is nearing a return to action but will not be in the lineup for Friday's road game against the Arizona Coyotes. The veteran is back to practicing with the team in a regular jersey after initially skating on his own after he underwent knee surgery to replace loose cartilage on Feb. 12 while still a member of the San Jose Sharks. Hertl was acquired in a March 8 blockbuster trade from the Sharks. The 30-year-old has recorded 15 goals and 34 points on 113 shots on goal across 48 games this season, all with the Sharks. The Golden Knights enter Friday's action sitting third in the Pacific Division with a 42-25-8 record, three points back of the second-place Oilers, but also just a single point ahead of the fourth-place Kings while holding a game in hand.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoOttawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot could return from a lower-body injury this weekend, according to interim head coach Jacques Martin. The team hosts the New Jersey Devils on Saturday before traveling to Washington to take on the Capitals on Sunday. Chabot hasn't appeared since departing a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on March 27. "Thomas is getting close," Martin said. "I think he's had some good skates yesterday and today." The eight-year NHL veteran has recorded eight goals and 28 points across 44 games on the season, missing time due to various ailments. The Senators are set to miss the postseason again in 2023-24 as they sit 13 points back of the Islanders for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is likely out for the remainder of the regular season due to an undisclosed injury suffered in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. He skated just 7:16 in the 5-3 loss before departing. Ekblad has been limited to just 51 games this season as he missed time to begin the season due to injuries suffered during Florida's run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring. "This is not new and it's not unknown to us, what it is," Panthers bench boss Paul Maurice said. "He's a real good handle on how long it's going to take and he's progressing really well today from it, so we're getting there. We're going to miss him." The former No. 1 overall pick has recorded four goals and 18 points in his 51 contests this season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoDallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin may come out of the lineup for rest when the team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Seguin suffered an upper-body injury on Feb. 22 and missed the team's next 11 games. He could come out to manage his workload as the Western Conference-leading Stars look to embark on a deep postseason run. "It's management between the sports science and the trainers and [coaches]," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Friday. "Depending on how he's feeling, obviously back to backs you have to think about whether you want to play him." The veteran has posted 23 goals and 50 points on 143 shots across 64 games on the season, his 14th in the NHL.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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