2 months agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe will sit out on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils due to maintenance. The Leafs' blueline has been ravaged with injuries throughout the season but McCabe has largely been healthy throughout the campaign, appearing in 71 games to this point. He has tallied a career-high eight goals and 28 points in that time while averaging a career-high 20:44 of ice time per game. He has added a whopping 213 hits, 125 blocked shots, 54 penalty minutes, and a plus-19 rating to his ledger. He scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 months agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) will return to the lineup for Thursday's contest against the visiting New Jersey Devils. The veteran blue-liner has missed the past eight games after getting injured on a blocked shot in a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 24. "It was definitely frustrating but we have so many solid defensemen that can jump in and they've been playing solid so definitely makes it a little easier, but it's never fun watching hockey," Edmundson said. He added if it were the playoffs, he would have played through the injury, but both he and the team decided to proceed with caution. Acquired in a trade from the Capitals on March 7, Edmunson has 14 hits, 11 blocks, and two penalty minutes in seven games since joining the Leafs.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 months agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored a power-play goal and had an even-strength assist in Wednesday's 5-1 victory over the Golden Knights. Edmonton went out without Connor McDavid (lower body) but had no trouble taking down the reigning Stanley Cup champs, with Draisaitl at the forefront. Having gone scoreless just once in his past 12 appearances, Draisaitl has recorded his fifth 100-point campaign in six years. Through 77 games, he's helped the Oilers' cause with 41 goals and 63 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoEdmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finished Wednesday's 5-1 win over Vegas with two assists. He registered an even-strength helper on Zach Hyman's goal in the second period and bagged a power-play assist when Leon Draisaitl scored in the third. After slumping for a couple of weeks, Nugent-Hopkins has looked fantastic in recent games. He has ended a season-worst five-game scoring slump with five points (one goal, four assists) across the last two games. The two big nights have pushed Nugent-Hopkins to 66 points (18 goals, 48 assists) with 76 games played.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoSt. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou scored two goals as the team defeated Chicago 5-2 on Wednesday. He potted a pair of quick goals at the start of the game to boost his season's total to 29. The 25-year-old has also collected 36 assists across 79 outings. Kyrou's productivity has dipped in 2023-24, but he has made a late scoring surge. The Blues forward boasts four goals and three assists in the past four games, matching his longest scoring streak of the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoVancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson scored a power-play goal in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime defeat against the Coyotes to stretch his point streak to four games. He was on target late in regulation, saving the Canucks a point in an entertaining game. Pettersson has enjoyed a prolific campaign with 88 points (34 goals, 54 assists) in 79 games, but he's had only one point streak longer than four games. There are three contests left for him to get past the 90-point mark for a second consecutive year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes recorded three assists in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Arizona. The prolific outing helped Hughes get past the 90-point mark. He's had 91 points in 79 games with 17 goals and 74 assists. Brian Leetch and Phil Housley are the only U.S.-born blue-liners to collect more points over a single season in NHL history. Nine points have come for Hughes during a red-hot April, as he's also scored four goals in five appearances this month.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoArizona Coyotes left wing Dylan Guenther produced a special performance in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win against Vancouver with four points on his 21st birthday. The talented winger registered a goal and three assists. There had previously been only two players in NHL history to pick up as many as four points on their birthday aged 21 or younger. Guenther has been on a heater lately, scoring three goals and picking up four assists in five April appearances. He's notched 15 goals and 16 assists in 42 appearances across the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoChicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno will miss Wednesday's contest against the St. Louis Blues due to personal reasons. He will, however, rejoin the lineup for Friday's contest against the Nashville Predators. The 36-year-old has had a nice impact in his first season in Chicago, tallying 17 goals and 37 points across 70 games, his best offensive production since the 2016-17 season while with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was not only rewarded with a two-year, $9 million contract extension but he was also named the team's captain while providing leadership for young phenom Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks sit 31st in the NHL standings with 51 points on the campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Ben Hope
2 months agoChicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek will be between the pipes when he hits the road to take on the St. Louis Blues. It's his sixth start over the last eight games as he will take over from youngster Arvid Soderblom who dropped a 4-0 decision in the team's last game against the Minnesota Wild. It's been a respectable season for Mrazek considering the weak team he plays behind as he sports a 3.01 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage across 53 outings (50 starts), going 18-28-4 in that time. His 7.13 goals saved above average rank 21st of 71 qualified netminders, according to Hockey Reference. The club has a decent shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year as they sit second-last in the NHL with 51 points with five games to go.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Ben Pope
2 months agoArizona Coyotes netminder Connor Ingram is the likely starter on Wednesday when the team takes on the Vancouver Canucks on the road. Coyotes head coach Andre Tourigny has stated the plan is to rotate Ingram and Karel Vejmelka for the remainder of the season but Ingram was always labeled to start this game once Vejmelka was announced as the starter for last night's 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken. The 27-year-old took over the starter's role midway through the season but hasn't been as sharp of late. For the season, he sports a 2.86 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage across 47 appearances (45 starts). However, he leads the NHL with six shutouts on the campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Craig Morgan
2 months agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs will once again be between the pipes for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Arizona Coyotes. It's the first time in his young career that Silovs has made consecutive starts as he has out-played the struggling Casey DeSmith of late. The 23-year-old has won all three of his starts this season, working to a quality 2.00 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage that time. Add in his work from last season and the youngster sports a 2.47 GAA alongside a .908 save percentage across the first eight starts of his career. The Canucks will look to extend their three-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Paterson
2 months agoSt. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer will be between the pipes for Wednesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. While Jordan Binnington has continued to get the bulk of the starts for the Blues, Hofer has been the superior netminder. He has yielded just 11 goals over his last five starts while posting a .926 save percentage in that time. For the season, the 23-year-old has posted a 2.74 goals-against average alongside a .913 save percentage across 28 games (25 starts), going 13-12-1 in that time. The Blues' playoff hopes are on life support as they sit five points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference but Vegas sports a game in hand.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Lou Korac
2 months agoThe Minnesota Wild have recalled forward prospect Liam Ohgren from the AHL's Iowa Wild and he could make his debut on Friday versus the Vegas Golden Knights. The 20-year-old was the club's first-round pick, No. 19 overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft. He played 26 games for Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Hockey League this season, tallying 12 goals and 19 points in that time. He then made the move overseas and has skated in three games with Iowa but has failed to record a point. The Wild are giving looks to younger players at this point as they will miss the postseason considering they are nine points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with just four games left.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 months agoDaily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli is reporting that the NHL has scheduled two versions for the 2025 NHL draft, one with the Coyotes in Arizona and another with the team relocating to Salt Lake City. The 'Yotes have long been rumored to be on the move as they continue to struggle to build a new arena. Scottsdale mayor David Ortega recently had some harsh words regarding the team purchasing land neighboring Scottsdale. "The prospect of a rookie developer to buy Arizona State Trust Land with absolutely no infrastructure on the Phoenix side of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road intersection at the doorstep of Scottsdale is not feasible, or welcome." The Coyotes are currently playing their home games at Mullet Arena, the 5,000-seat home of Arizona State University.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Frank Seravalli
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