1 month agoCalgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom (lower body) is expected to start Saturday's game against the Vancouver Canucks. The 34-year-old has been out since March 9 due to a lower-body injury. "He has been (our MVP)," defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "He's been our backbone. He's a leader for us. It starts with him. I feel us as a D-core feel super confident when he's in the net." Markstrom will enter Saturday's contest with the high-octane Canucks sporting a 2.68 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage across 41 appearances, going 22-17-2 in that time. The Flames also announced on Friday that backup Dan Vladar will undergo season-ending hip surgery, while prospect Dustin Wolf will remain with the Flames on an emergency basis.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoCalgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar (hip) will miss the remainder of the season but is expected to be ready for next season. "It's obviously unfortunate for 'Vladdy'," Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar said. "I think he's been dealing with that (injury) for quite a while. He's a warrior about it. The one thing we do have here is depth at goaltender." The 26-year-old worked to a 3.62 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage across 20 outings (19 starts) this season, going 8-9-2 in the process. He last appeared on March 12 while Dustin Wolfe has started the past two games with both Vladar and No. 1 netminder Jacob Markstrom sidelined, although the latter could return Saturday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoNashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen put in a big performance in his 14th start of the season on Thursday against Florida, posting a 33-save shutout in an impressive 3-0 road win. It's his first shutout since March 25, 2021, when Lankinen also blanked the Panthers as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators' backup is now riding a four-game winning streak. Lankinen has done great behind Juuse Saros all year, going 10-4-0 with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had another multi-point outing on Thursday versus Buffalo, recording four assists in an 8-3 victory. He joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Paul Coffey as the fourth player in NHL history to have four-plus assists in at least five games in a single season. Even if he sits out the rest of the campaign, McDavid would still finish with his third-highest scoring total. He's had 112 points across 65 games, scoring 26 goals and delivering 86 assists. 18 of his points have come during McDavid's 10 March appearances as the Oilers captain continues to chase down the top spot on the league's scoring charts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoNew Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes had it going on with the man advantage all night against Winnipeg on Thursday, finishing a 4-1 victory with three power-play assists. Jack Hughes scored a pair of goals, and Nico Hischier also benefited from Hughes' fantastic job on the power play. He's the first rookie defenseman to tally three-plus power-play assists in a single game since his brother Quinn Hughes in 2019. Throughout the season, Hughes has done most of his damage on the power play, with only 17 of his 38 points coming during even-strength play. He's tied with Minnesota's Brock Faber for the second-most points among first-year players.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin continued his fruitful season with his seventh career hat trick as the team defeated the Bruins in Boston 5-2 on Thursday. Panarin scored the first two goals for the Rangers and capped off his third hat trick of the season with a late empty-netter. He's only the second player across the last 10 years to get as many as three hat tricks in a single season for the Rangers. The big effort on Thursday gave Panarin a new career high at 97 points. He's also crushed his previous career-best mark with 41 goals and has amassed 56 assists in 70 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoAnaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal starred with a 29-save shutout against the Blackhawks on Thursday in a 4-0 win. He fended off 12 shots in the first period alone before the Anaheim offense started to click in the season. Dostal became the third rookie netminder in Ducks history to post a shutout, following in the footsteps of John Gibson and Ilya Bryzgalov. The 23-year-old has produced more than a few outstanding performances over the course of the season, but unfortunately, there's not a lot of quality playing in front of him. Dostal continues to carry a losing record with 11-19-1 and has allowed 3.46 goals with a .901 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoAnaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson failed to complete Thursday's 6-0 win over Chicago due to a lower-body injury. He left the game in the second period following a collision with Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic. Carlsson was forced to exit after logging 11:38 of ice time. This was only his third game since returning to the lineup from a concussion. With a couple of previous lower-body injuries also making a mark, Carlsson has been limited to only 43 outings during his rookie campaign. He's notched nine goals with 15 assists. Carlsson's exit from the lineup could give Max Jones a new opportunity to work in the top six, though Trevor Zegras (ankle) would be his natural replacement at center. The latter is close to returning from injury.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
1 month agoDetroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin scored two goals in his return from a lower-body injury Thursday versus the Islanders. After missing eight contests, Larkin served up his fourth multi-goal game of the season, helping the team to a vital 6-3 win. Larkin logged 16:32 of action and had three total shots while finishing with a plus-two rating. The Red Wings captain has been productive throughout the campaign and is moving with a point-per-game pace. Through 56 appearances, Larkin has registered 28 goals and 28 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 month agoToronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is likely to start Wednesday's road game against the Washington Capitals. It's the second game of a back-to-back for the Maple Leafs after dropping a 4-3 decision to the Flyers on Tuesday in Philadelphia. It's Woll's first start since March 7 as Ilya Samsonov has started the last four games. Woll initially took over the No. 1 job from Samsonov when the latter struggled early in the season but a high-ankle sprain suffered in a Dec. 7 win over the Ottawa Senators sidelined him for nearly three months. He owns a 2.89 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 18 games (16 starts) on the season, including an .881 Sv% in three starts since returning.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoThe San Jose Sharks have signed former NHLer Akim Aliu to an American Hockey League tryout deal with the San Jose Barracuda, according to general manager Mike Grier. "We wanted to give him an opportunity to see what he can do," Grier said. The 30-year-old hasn't appeared in the NHL since skating five games with the Calgary Flames in the 2012-13 season and has just seven career NHL contests under his belt with two goals and three points alongside 26 penalty minutes in that time. He last played professional hockey in the 2019-20 season with Litvinov HC in Czechia. He currently sits as chair of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, a group of current and former NHLers fighting racism in hockey.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Frank Seravalli
1 month agoToronto Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie will serve as a healthy scratch for Wednesday's road game versus the Washington Capitals. Blueliner Conor Timmins will enter the lineup in his place. Brodie skated 21:28 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The veteran's play has taken a notable dip in the 2023-24 season, as have his underlying numbers. He hasn't scored a goal in his last 99 games, has recorded 18 helpers, and picked up 139 blocked shots across 66 games this season. The Maple Leafs enter Wednesday's tilt sitting third in the Atlantic Division with a 38-20-9 record on the season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
1 month agoMontreal Canadiens forward Joshua Roy will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed injury. The 20-year-old was injured during Tuesday's overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers after skating 12:21 in the contest. The rookie has appeared in 23 games for the Habs this season, tallying four goals and nine points on 34 shots while averaging 12:08 of ice time per game. Roy has also had a nice season with the AHL's Laval Rocket, posting 13 goals and 32 points across 40 games in his first professional season. He tallied 46 goals and 99 points in 55 games with the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix last season. The Canadiens sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 25-31-12 record on the campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 month agoDallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin (lower body) will be back in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Arizona Coyotes. The veteran has missed the past 11 games due to a lower-body injury. "In a season, you feel great for maybe 15-20 games and the rest is just kind of part of the season, and playoffs is a whole different story," Seguin said. The 32-year-old has recorded 20 goals and 45 points across 58 games on the season, firing 129 shots on goal in that time while putting forth a plus-nine rating. The Stars enter Wednesday's contest sitting third in the competitive Central Division with a 41-19-9 record, two points back of the first-place Winnipeg Jets.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 months agoNew Jersey Devils forwards Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer each scored a pair of goals as the Devils beat the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins by a 5-2 score on Tuesday. Mercer opened the scoring with his 18th just 5:35 into the opening frame before Meier restored a lead with his 20th late in the second period. Mercer added his 19th 9:14 into the third period followed by Meier's 21st with just over three minutes remaining. Both of Meier's tallies came on the power play. With the win, the Devils improved to 33-32-4 on the season, good for sixth in the Metropolitan Division and six points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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