November 29, 2025
Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (undisclosed) will be back in action on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. He has missed nine games due to an undisclosed injury. Nugent-Hopkins' return will be a welcome boost for the 10-10-5 Oilers. The veteran is averaging a point per game for the season, sitting on five goals and 11 assists in 16 outings. He has practiced on the third line this week and will join Edmonton's first power-play unit. Most of Nugent-Hopkins' points this season have come with the man advantage, as he has tallied two goals and seven assists on the power play. Seattle has the NHL's third-worst penalty-killing percentage, which could help Nugent-Hopkins make a big impact in Saturday's matchup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 29, 2025
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson entered concussion protocol after getting hurt in Friday's 5-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The 25-year-old exited the game in the third period after being bloodied by an elbow from Devils forward Timo Meier. Samuelsson mainly works as a stay-at-home defenseman, but he has reinvented his game in recent weeks, posting three goals and three assists over a seven-game stretch. For the season, Samuelsson has recorded 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 22 games. He needs only three more points to set his new scoring record. Unfortunately, Samuelsson may have to wait a while to get the job done. Zach Metsa is expected to come into the lineup as Samuelsson's replacement.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 29, 2025
New York Islanders right wing Kyle Palmieri (lower body) was injured during Friday's clash against the Philadelphia Flyers. He got hurt in the second period, exiting a 4-3 shootout loss with one assist. So far, Palmieri has played in all 25 games this season for the Islanders, scoring 18 points (six goals, 12 assists). He is tied with Jonathan Drouin for the most assists on the squad. The Islanders return to work on Sunday against the Washington Capitals and will likely re-insert Maxim Tsyplakov back into the lineup if Palmieri can't play. Tsyplakov shouldn't be considered a fantasy option, as he is having a miserable campaign with only one goal in 15 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: New York Islanders
November 29, 2025
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (upper body) will miss 2-3 weeks, the team announced Friday. He sat out a second consecutive game when the Ducks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Ville Husso made his first start of the season, stopping 23 of 27 shots in a 5-4 shootout victory. Husso is set to share the goaltending duties with Petr Mrazek until Dostal returns. Mrazek is 3-3-0 for the campaign and holds a .881 save percentage with a 3.69 goals-against average. Both backups have struggled for Anaheim, but the team's hot offense may still keep them in the win column in the upcoming games. The Ducks have averaged 3.63 goals per game, ranking second in the league, only behind the Colorado Avalanche (4.00).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
November 28, 2025
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (upper body) will be on the shelf for a third consecutive game on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. An upper-body injury has paused Marchenko's season after he posted a team-high 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 22 games. In Marchenko's absence, Kent Johnson will head out on the top line Friday night. A spot next to Dmitri Voronkov and Adam Fantilli boosts Johnson's fantasy value, although he has been having a torrid time this season. The 22-year-old has finished 14 of his last 15 appearances scoreless, recording five points (two goals, three assists) in 23 games for the campaign.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 28, 2025
Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz (lower body) will be unavailable for six weeks. The veteran suffered a lower-body injury on Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars. Losing Schwartz is a big blow for the 11-6-6 Kraken, as he has been the team's leading scorer this season. In 23 appearances, Schwartz has recorded eight goals and 15 points. Jared McCann, who returned from a 17-game absence on Wednesday, is set to replace Schwartz in the top six. Meanwhile, Kaapo Kakko (lower body) is nearing his return and may be available as soon as Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 28, 2025
Chicago Blackhawks winger Andre Burakovsky (undisclosed) is expected to rejoin the lineup on Friday against the Nashville Predators. He has recently battled an undisclosed injury, missing three games. The Blackhawks will use Burakovsky on the first line and the second power-play unit. During the campaign, Burakovsky has tallied five power-play points and 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) overall in 18 games. The 30-year-old, who has recorded four multi-point efforts in his past 10 outings, is enjoying a good bounce-back season after finishing with only 37 points last term.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 28, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (illness) isn't available for Friday's matchup against the Washington Capitals, TSN's Mark Masters reports. The Swedish star will miss his fourth game of the season due to illness. Nylander has been held scoreless just twice all season, as he leads the Maple Leafs with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 20 games. With him out, Dakota Joshua will join the lineup on Friday. Joshua has made minimal impact in fantasy, posting five points (two goals, three assists) and 69 hits in 22 outings. Nylander could miss multiple games, as the Maple Leafs have a meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins scheduled for Saturday night, leaving him little time to recover from his illness.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Masters
November 28, 2025
Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman (lower body) will return to the lineup for Friday's tilt against the Colorado Avalanche. He has missed four games due to a lower-body injury. It has been a tricky season for Hartman, who has tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in 20 outings. In his last seven outings, he has managed to find a way to the score sheet only once. On Friday, Hartman will center the third line, as the Wild's frontline continues to miss Marco Rossi (lower body), Vladimir Tarasenko (lower body), Vinnie Hinostroza (lower body), and Marcus Foligno (lower body).
--Taavi PailkSource: Minnesota Wild PR
November 28, 2025
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk (thumb) has been activated from Injured Reserve and will end a 20-game absence on Friday against the St. Louis Blues. The Senators captain registered three assists, 10 shots, and 10 hits in three games before injuring his thumb against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 13. He will replace Lars Eller in the top six, with the Danish veteran set to center the fourth line on Friday. Tkachuk, who grew up in St. Louis, has posted eight points (four goals, four assists) in 11 career games against the Blues, but has finished three consecutive road outings in the matchup scoreless.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
November 28, 2025
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson signed a five-year, $30 million extension on Friday. The 31-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Now, the Canadiens have locked him up through the 2030-31 campaign. Matheson joined the Canadiens in 2022 and has contributed significantly on both ends of the ice. This season, Matheson has tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 22 outings, along with 26 shots, 48 blocks, and 18 hits. He leads all skaters on the team with 24:50 of ice time per game. While he isn't getting any younger, Matheson remains a solid piece for fantasy teams.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
November 27, 2025
Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk (thumb) is set to return to action on Friday against the St. Louis Blues. The Senators captain announced his plan to return on the "Wingmen" podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Matthews Tkachuk (groin) of the Florida Panthers. "We have to check some boxes but everything looks good for Friday," Tkachuk said. Tkachuk underwent thumb surgery on Oct. 16 after making only three appearances this season. On Friday, Tkachuk is likely to land straight back on the top line and the first power-play unit.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
November 27, 2025
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (groin) has resumed skating but is still without a set timeline for his return. Tkachuk provided the update on the "Wingmen" podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother, Brady Tkachuk (thumb) of the Ottawa Senators. Before the start of the season, Panthers general manager Bill Zito announced that Tkachuk will be out until "December-ish." Despite being without Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov (knee), the Panthers have remained competitive, averaging over 3 goals per game (3.09). Veteran Brad Marchand is playing out of his skin and is currently on track to record his second career 90-point season.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
November 27, 2025
Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun scored the second goal in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets to push his point streak to nine games. It's the current longest active point streak in the league. Additionally, Chychrun holds a four-game goal streak, becoming only the second Capitals blue-liner in 25 years to score in four consecutive games. Chychrun has finished three of his last five appearances with multiple points. This has boosted his tally for the season to 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) with 24 games played, which places Chychrun tied for third among defensemen in scoring. Chychrun has been in sensational form this month and can match a franchise record for the longest point streak by a defenseman in Friday's meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
November 27, 2025
Boston Bruins winger Matej Blumel (lower body) is expected to be out for "a bit" after he was hurt during Wednesday's 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports. Blumel played only a couple of minutes in the contest, exiting with a lower-body injury. The Czech forward has recently held a top-line spot but is still looking for his first points of the season after making four appearances. Before he made his season debut earlier this month, Blumel averaged a point per game in the AHL. Tanner Jeannot, who posted the game-winning goal on Wednesday, might slot into the top six until Blumel returns.
--Taavi PailkSource: Conor Ryan
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