1 month agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs have moved veteran center John Tavares to the third line in an effort to give the long-time NHLer some lesser matchups from the opposition. After a hot start, Tavares hasn't been nearly as productive at the offensive end of the ice as he sits with a still-solid 40 points across 52 games on the season, a notable drop from the 80 points he notched in as many games a season ago. Although he has five points in five February games, Tavares struggled with just two goals and four points in 13 January contests. He figures to center the red-hot Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson on Wednesday in Arizona while Max Domi will retain his spot in between Tyler Bertuzzi and William Nylander on the second line.Source: David Alter
1 month agoThe Pittsburgh Penguins sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division and are reportedly willing to deal any player that isn't part of their core. That likely means the oft-rumored Jake Guentzel is going to stay despite his pending free-agent status while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and likely Bryan Rust will not be moved. Of the non-core group, forward Reilly Smith seems most likely to be dealt. Acquired in a trade with the Golden Knights prior to the 2023-24 season, Smith has endured a down season that has seen him tally just 10 goals and 23 points in 47 games, well below the 56 points in 78 game pace he put forth just last season. Fellow forward Rickard Rakell is another name that could be moved. The veteran has tallied just five goals alongside 16 assists in 41 games this season.Source: Pierre LeBrun -- TSN
1 month agoArizona Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka is the starting netminder for Wednesday's game against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. While Connor Ingram has stepped up and out-played Vejmelka this season, it's the latter's work against the Leafs in his career that most likely earned him the starting nod on Wednesday. The 27-year-old owns a 3-0-0 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage across three appearances in his career against Toronto. However, this season has once again largely been a struggle as he enters Wednesday's contest sporting a 3.51 GAA and .893 Sv% across 25 appearances on the season, going 6-14-2 in that time. He last appeared on Sunday in a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.Source: Leah Merrall
1 month agoThe New York Rangers have signed forward Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year contract worth $1.575 million. The pact carries an average annual cap hit of $787,500K. The 30-year-old is in his fourth season with the Rangers and has already set new career-highs with 15 points and 37 games on the season along with 62 shots on goal and 11:28 of average ice time. He has suddenly become an important part of the Rangers as he is logging third-line minutes down the middle at even strength while also getting some limited time on the club's second power-play unit, a group rarely used behind a loaded top group. With Filip Chytil out for the season, Brodzinski is likely to continue to log third-line minutes but the Rangers will certainly aim to upgrade that spot prior to the March 8 NHL trade deadline.Source: NHL.com
1 month agoWashington Capitals center Nic Dowd (upper body) is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered during Tuesday's win over the New Jersey Devils. He left after the first period and did not return. A bottom-six, defensive-minded pivot, Dowd has tallied a decent eight goals and 16 points across 45 games in his sixth season in Washington. He is also a plus-eight on a Capitals team sporting a minus-32 overall goal differential. The 33-year-old's ice time currently sits at a career-high 15:27 per night, as the Capitals have lost depth down the middle with both Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov out of the lineup indefinitely. The Caps currently sit at 25-21-8, good for sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.Source: NHL.com
1 month agoNew York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey are both listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries. Neither winger practiced on Wednesday despite skating in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the visiting Dallas Stars. Panarin is in the midst of another monster season for the Blueshirts as he has recorded 32 goals and 75 points across 56 games as part of his 20:10 of average ice time per night. He has tallied one goal and seven points over his last three games as the Rangers have won eight straight games. Vesey has had a solid season in a bottom-six role as he has tallied 12 goals and 18 points in just 12:26 of ice time per game. The Rangers are in action next Thursday on the road against the rival New Jersey Devils.Source: NHL.com
1 month agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor kept his recent scoring surge going with a three-point effort in Tuesday's 6-3 victory over Minnesota. He had a pair of power-play assists and an even-strength goal, registering a third consecutive multi-point game. The streak has followed an ice-cold stretch, which saw Connor add to his points tally in only one of eight games. The recent improvement puts Connor back to averaging close to a point per game for the season, with 20 goals and 17 assists recorded in 38 appearances. Connor's linemate Gabriel Vilardi has also heated up with a three-game multi-point streak, and the two will be let loose against the league-worst Chicago team next.Source: ESPN
1 month agoWashington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin produced a big three-point effort in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Devils, scoring twice and adding an assist. The Capitals captain posted a pair of even-strength points before finishing off his night in the office with a power-play goal. The big effort took his point streak to nine games, which is Ovechkin's longest scoring run since the 2019-20 campaign. He's looked like a completely different player lately, producing eight goals in eight games after having the same number of goals with his first 43 outings of the campaign. Ovechkin has recorded 41 points (16 goals, 25 assists) in 51 games for the season, with 20 coming since the start of last month.Source: ESPN
1 month agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (lower body) returned from a one-game absence with a quick goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime victory against Ottawa. After missing Saturday's clash with the Lightning due to a lower-body injury, Ekblad needed only 19 seconds of action to open the scoring in Tuesday's game. It's the second-fastest goal ever to begin a contest by a Panthers defenseman. Ekblad also had a pair of blocks on Tuesday while logging 20:32 of ice time. It's been a struggle for Ekblad offensively for quite some time, as he's gone scoreless in 13 of his last 16 appearances. However, his composed work on the defensive end has resulted in him registering a plus-21 rating in just 38 games. He has 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) for the season and has tallied 60 hits and 47 blocks.Source: ESPN
1 month agoMinnesota Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian sustained an upper-body injury in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Winnipeg. He appeared to have been hurt late in the first period when Bogosian blocked a shot from Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers. The veteran had two blocks in total across 7:05 of action in the game. The Wild will miss his presence on the defensive end if Bogosian needs to take some time off to heal. He has tallied 83 hits and 53 blocks across 44 appearances. Offensively, Bogosian has contributed one goal and eight assists this season. Alex Goligoski and Jon Merrill are the candidates to enter the lineup in Bogosian's potential absence on Friday versus Edmonton.Source: Minnesota Wild PR
1 month agoWashington Capitals center Nic Dowd suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over New Jersey. He exited the action after the first period, finishing with 6:20 of ice time. Dowd entered Tuesday's clash with a three-game point streak and has done well on a struggling team all season. He's highly valued for his defensive capabilities and boasts 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 45 appearances with a team-best plus-eight rating. Nicolas Aube-Kubel is in line to step into the lineup if Dowd is forced to sit on Thursday versus Tampa Bay.Source: ESPN
1 month agoLos Angeles Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson played only 17 seconds on Tuesday against Columbus, exiting the game with a lower-body injury. Arvidsson appeared to have hurt his left leg. This is a very unfortunate blow for the Swedish forward, as Arvidsson was making only his fourth appearance of the season. He returned from back surgery a week ago. The 30-year-old has registered two assists with 12 shots in the limited action. Quinton Byfield could be back in the top six on Thursday versus Nashville if Arvidsson can't play.Source: Dennis Bernstein
1 month agoVegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone failed to complete Tuesday's game against Nashville due to an upper-body injury. The Golden Knights captain was ruled out early in the third period and finished with 13:14 of ice time. Stone is very injury-prone, and you always fear the worst when he's knocked out of the lineup. He hasn't missed any games this season, recording a team-high 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 56 games. More info on Stone should be available on Thursday ahead of Vegas' clash with Toronto.Source: Nick Walters
1 month agoDetroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen has agreed to a four-year, $12.8 million extension with the club. Rasmussen is getting a nice pay rise as he completes a three-year, $4.38 million deal this season. The 24-year-old has skated in 55 games with the Red Wings in 2023-24, posting 11 goals and 12 assists. He's second on the team with a plus-11 rating and third with 92 hits. Rasmussen has spent the last couple of games on the first line, although he has been anonymous lately on offense and hasn't picked up any points in four straight outings.Source: ESPN
1 month agoNew York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren (face) will be in the lineup on Tuesday against Dallas. The Rangers lost Lindgren in their previous game against the Islanders when an opposition stick bloodied him, but he's ready to go on Tuesday after having 10 stitches to fix his face. He will assume his regular role on the first defensive pairing next to Adam Fox. Lindgren plays a solid defensive game and has contributed two goals and eight assists offensively in 53 games.Source: Mollie Walker