2 months agoNew Jersey Devils winger Timo Meier played a part in three goals as the team picked up an impressive 6-5 win over Toronto Thursday night. Meier scored a couple of goals and had one assist, collecting all points in power-play situations. Thursday's outing marked the end of a three-game scoring drought for Meier. However, he has played well over the latter half of the season, scoring the most goals (16) along with Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov since March 1. The Swiss star has produced 27 goals across the entire campaign, adding 24 assists in 67 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 months agoNew York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is under evaluation for an upper-body injury. He was hurt early into Thursday's encounter with Montreal, exiting the action after logging only 1:28 of ice time. Losing Dobson for an extended period would be an awful blow for the playoff-chasing Islanders. He's had a huge career year with 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in 79 appearances, sitting just outside the top six in defensemen scoring. Dobson is also the team leader with 180 blocks and has recorded 84 hits. Ryan Pulock and Sebastian Aho will get heavier workloads over the final three regular-season games if Dobson is out of the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
2 months agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is getting a rest on Thursday when the team takes on the hosting Dallas Stars. The American netminder has started eight of the last nine games but will give way to backup Laurent Brossoit on Thursday. Hellebuyck could be in line for his second career Vezina Trophy as he has posted a 2.42 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage across 58 appearances, going 35-19-4 in that time. Additionally, his 29.25 goals saved above average are by far the best in the NHL ahead of second-place Thatcher Demko and his 18.59 GSAA, according to Hockey Reference. For his part, Brossoit has posted a healthy 2.10 GAA and a .925 Sv% across 21 outings (20 starts), going 13-5-2 in that time.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mitchell Clinton
2 months agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren (upper body) could be available to the team prior to the postseason. The blue-liner suffered an upper-body injury in a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on March 26 and has not appeared since. He joined his team's optional morning skate prior to Thursday's contest against the very same Devils team. The Maple Leafs have four games remaining in the regular season. "It's not ruled out. There's a chance," head coach Sheldon Keefe said in regards to whether Liljegren could return prior to the playoffs. "Probably it would just be those last two games that would be good in consideration, but it's possible." The Swede has recorded three goals and 23 points in 52 games as he missed significant time with a high-ankle sprain suffered earlier in the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
2 months agoNew York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin is getting some rest on Thursday when the club takes on the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. The Russian netminder has started four of the last five games but will give way to backup Jonathan Quick, who has been excellent with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 26 appearances, actually outplaying Shesterkin on the season. For his part, Shesterkin has posted a 2.65 GAA and a .910 save percentage across 53 starts, going 34-17-2 in that time. The Rangers enter Thursday's action one point ahead of the Dallas Stars for first place in the NHL standings with three games remaining for each team.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Vince Z. Mercogliano
2 months agoTampa Bay Lightning goaltender Matt Tomkins is getting a rare start between the pipes for the team on Thursday against the visiting Ottawa Senators. It's just the fifth NHL appearance for the 29-year-old in his NHL career and the first on home ice. He has struggled in his brief NHL tenure, posting a 3.56 goals-against average and an .883 save percentage across his first four appearances in The Show. He has been better with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, posting a 2.53 GAA and a .904 Sv% across 29 appearances on the season. Jonas Johansson is currently injured, paving the way for Tomkins to spell starter Andrei Vasilevskiy on Thursday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Gabby Shirley
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
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