1 month agoTampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli suffered an undisclosed injury in Thursday's 7-4 victory over Montreal. He grabbed a pair of assists before getting hurt and finishing with 8:51 of ice time. The 26-year-old has saved some of his best performances of the season for the crucial part of the year, and Cirelli would be badly missed by the team if he needs to take some time off to recover. In the past six games, Cirelli has recorded four goals and three assists. He needs only a couple of more points to set his new scoring record, having posted 19 goals and 24 assists through 75 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Chris Krenn
1 month agoPhiladelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (shoulder) will miss the team's upcoming back-to-back set. He hurt his shoulder on Monday versus the Islanders and won't be in the lineup on Friday when Philadelphia faces Buffalo and in Saturday's matchup against Columbus. The Flyers captain has also sat out some action as a healthy scratch recently. He's been in an ugly slump since February and has had a disappointing campaign with 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) in 70 games. Bobby Brink is set to replace Couturier in the lineup on Friday and is projected to skate on the second line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NBC Sports Philadelphia
1 month agoMinnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson will start the first half of the team's back-to-back games on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Gustavsson is coming off a four-appearance stretch where he is 2-0-1 and has allowed just three goals on 92 shots. The Wild are clinging onto their playoff lives right now and need every point they can get, so starting their hottest goaltender makes sense. It'll be a tough matchup for Gus, as the Avs have the second-highest goals for in the league. Fantasy managers will have to play it smart tonight and decide whether the potential for a win is worth the risk of Gustavsson getting blown up.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Jessi Pierce
1 month agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (undisclosed) is likely out for a while after suffering an undisclosed injury against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Head coach Paul Maurice said that he expects Ekblad back for the playoffs, which makes it sound like the injury will hold the 28-year-old out for at least a few games. The defensive stalwart hasn't been much of an offensive threat this year, posting just 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 51 games, but he has been a strong force on defense and will be a tough loss for the Panthers.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Florida Panthers
1 month agoOttawa Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun (undisclosed) left practice early on Thursday and will be a game-time decision against Florida. Chychrun was shaken up late in practice and head coach Jacques Martin was unsure on whether he would be able to play tonight. The blueliner has been on a roll lately, notching six points (four goals, two assists) in his last five games. He has also been a part of the first powerplay unit of late, so if he is out the Sens would need to find a replacement. Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto are the most offensively talented players on the Sens' second unit, so one of them would make sense. Either way, Chychrun's absence would be a tough blow for fantasy players in their championship or semi-final this week.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: TSN 1200
1 month agoLos Angeles Kings goaltender David Rittich will patrol the crease on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. This was expected, as Cam Talbot started Wednesday in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Rittich has been up and down over his last four appearances, recording two shutouts but allowing four goals against in each of the other two games. That being said, Big Save Dave is an absolute must-start tonight against the league's worst team. Grab him if you need goalie stats.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Dennis Bernstein
1 month agoFlorida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (illness) will be back in the lineup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators after missing the team's last contest due to an illness. The 26-year-old will look to pull himself and his team out of a slump, as Tkachuk has posted just two assists in his past five games, and the Panthers have lost eight of their last 10. Expect Tkachuk to return to his line with Nick Cousins and Sam Bennett, a group that should cause a ton of chaos come playoff time. He will also be on the first powerplay unit and should immediately be tossed back into fantasy lineups.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: Florida Panthers
1 month agoVegas forward Tomas Hertl (knee) will not make his debut with the team on Friday. It appeared as though Hertl was on track for a Friday return from his knee issue after taking part in morning skates, but head coach Bruce Cassidy said he is not quite ready. An update on his status should come out soon and he is likely to be slotted into the lineup at some point soon if everything is progressing well. Hertl had 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 48 games with the San Jose Sharks this year prior to the trade, and will become a top-six option for the Golden Knights in the playoffs.
--Matt Garon - RotoBallerSource: SinBinVegas
1 month agoCalgary Flames winger Andrei Kuzmenko had multiple points in a third consecutive contest as he scored twice in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Anaheim. He netted in even-strength situations in the second and third periods. Kuzmenko also recently produced a two-goal effort against St. Louis, and he had two assists on Saturday versus Los Angeles. The Russian winger now boasts 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 21 games with the Flames since joining from Vancouver. He continues to be very inconsistent, but Kuzmenko will have a chance to establish a new season high with a four-game point streak if he has another productive outing on Thursday against Winnipeg.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoAnaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry was finally back to his best in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Calgary, finishing with three points. He ended a seven-game run without a goal and produced two assists. Entering Tuesday's action, Terry had gone scoreless in six of his past seven outings. He's had a long wait to hit the 50-point mark for the season. The 28-year-old has totaled 20 goals and 32 assists in 70 games. Terry will hope to have points in back-to-back games for the first time since February when the Ducks meet up with Seattle on Friday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoPittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin picked up three points as the team had an impressive comeback victory against New Jersey on Tuesday. The Penguins were starting at a 3-1 defeat before exploding for five goals in the third period and winning 6-3. Malkin had two of the markers and also registered a power-play assist. He joined Mario Lemieux (74), Jaromir Jagr (33), and Sidney Crosby (24) as the fourth player in franchise history with 20-plus career three-point periods. Malkin's productivity has been lacking over the last couple of months, but he's done well in the most recent four games, with four goals and two assists recorded. Across the entire campaign, the veteran star has totaled 23 goals and 59 points in 75 contests.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoBuffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was one of the catalysts in Tuesday's 6-2 triumph over Washington, completing the contest with a goal and two assists. He scored his 18th goal of the season on the power play and delivered a pair of even-strength assists for his ninth career three-point outing. Dahlin has set a new career high in goals scored this season and is on track for a 60-point campaign, having also collected 38 assists in 75 appearances. However, the Swedish blue-liner has been inconsistent with his work on the offensive end lately, going scoreless in five of his last eight outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoVegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault established a new franchise record in Tuesday's 6-3 victory over Vancouver by posting his eighth three-point outing of the season. He scored the team's second goal and handed out a pair of assists, including one on the power play. Marchessault did all the work during the team's four-goal opening period. With 41 goals in the bag, the 33-year-old needs only three more markers to also set a new Vegas record for most goals scored in a season. Marchessault has added 25 assists to his account in 75 games as the highest-scoring Golden Knight in 2023-24.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad exited Tuesday's contest against Montreal early with an undisclosed injury. He took only 11 shifts and logged 7:16 on the ice. This was only the fourth game back from a lower-body injury for Ekblad, who also missed a large chunk at the start of the campaign following offseason shoulder surgery. The team might now have to cope with his absence again. Health issues have limited the 28-year-old to 51 appearances in 2023-24. He's had 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) with 98 shots, 85 hits, 59 blocks, and a plus-27 rating. Tobias Bjornfot and Josh Mahura are candidates to replace Ekblad in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Florida Panthers
1 month agoAnaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over Calgary. He managed to score in a second consecutive game before being forced to exit the contest after logging 6:32 of ice time. The young forward has had multiple health issues lately, which has badly affected his form. McTavish was Anaheim's top scorer through the first half of the season, but he's gone scoreless in 12 of his last 16 appearances. In 64 games across the campaign, McTavish has tallied 19 goals and 23 assists. Frank Vatrano could rejoin the top six if McTavish is headed for another spell on the sidelines.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Derek Lee
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