2 days agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard will likely be between the pipes for Wednesday's game against the hosting Arizona Coyotes. The 32-year-old has done solid work for the Oilers when called upon this season, posting a 2.41 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage across 21 outings (19 starts), going 12-6-1 in that time. The Oilers are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division with a 49-25-6 record but it is yet to be determined who they will face in the first round of the postseason. Currently, it's the Vegas Golden Knights but the Los Angeles Kings sit just one point behind Vegas with one game to go for each club.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Mark Spector
2 days agoTampa Bay Lightning goaltender Matt Tomkins will be between the pipes for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. It's just the sixth appearance of the season for the 29-year-old who has turned in a 3.19 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage across his first five appearances in the NHL, all coming this season. Lightning backup Jonas Johansson is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury while the teams will rest Andrei Vasilevskiy for the series opener against the rival Florida Panthers on the weekend. The Lightning took home the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 44-29-8 record on the season,
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Eduardo A. Encina
2 days agoNew Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will head to Czechia to play for Team USA at the upcoming World Hockey Championship. The 20-year-old enjoyed a big-time rookie season from the blueline, registering nine goals and 47 points on 135 shots while skating in all 82 regular-season games. Unfortunately, the Devils didn't get much in terms of goaltending and ended up finishing 10 points back of the Washington Capitals for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Luke's brother and teammate, Jack, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery but should be good to go for training camp next season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Amanda Stein
2 days agoNew York Islanders forward prospect Ruslan Iskhakov could make his NHL debut on Wednesday when the team hosts the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The Isles recalled the 23-year-old from AHL Bridgeport on Wednesday which could lead to his NHL debut with the club locked into the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division and perhaps looking to rest a forward or two before they clash with the Carolina Hurricanes in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Iskhakov has tallied 18 goals and 50 points across 69 games with Bridgeport this season, nearly identical to his 17 goals and 51 points across another 69 games with the team last season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Gross
2 days agoNew Jersey Devils forward Timo Meier said he dealt with a double MCL injury in his knee early in the season while also suffering from an oblique injury later in the year. Perhaps the ailments are an explanation for a down offensive season for the 27-year-old whose production took a significant decline this season. Meier tallied 40 goals and 66 points on a hefty 327 shots on goal across 78 games between the Sharks and Devils last season but fell to 28 goals and 52 points on 207 shots on goal across 69 games this season, his first full season with the Devils. New Jersey finished 10 points back of the Washington Capitals for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Amanda Stein
2 days agoThe Montreal Canadiens have exercised a two-year option on head coach Martin St. Louis, meaning the bench boss will coach the team for the next three seasons. St. Louis had one year remaining on his contract prior to having his two-year option exercised. The former NHL star finished his second full season at the helm after being hired on Feb. 9, 2022, replacing former Habs coach Dominique Ducharme. The Canadiens finished the season with a 30-36-16 record, good for 15th in the Eastern Conference. The 48-year-old played in 1,134 career NHL games and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoDallas Stars forward Evgenii Dadonov (lower body) will return to the lineup for the club's regular-season finale against the visiting St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. The veteran has missed the past 29 games after suffering a lower-body injury in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 10. "I'm excited to play, but at the same time a little bit worried. It's been a long time," Dadonov said. "Not sure exactly what to expect, but I feel good and should be fine. I hope [after] a couple of shifts, I get into the game." The 35-year-old has tallied 12 goals and 23 points across 50 games on the season. The Stars can win the Western Conference by securing a single point on Wednesday.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 days agoMinnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension with the Wild for the 2024-25 season. The 39-year-old contemplated retirement following the end of the team's regular season but decided to return for one more year. The 2024-25 season will be his final campaign in the NHL. "I've been asked a lot by fans, media, friends, what's next for me," Fleury said. "It's good that this is settled and I don't have to talk about it for another year. Next year will be last also. Excited to get this done." The veteran turned in a 2.98 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage across 39 games (35 starts) in the 2023-24 season while his 561 career wins sit second all-time.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoMontreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson recorded his first career NHL point during Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Huston tallied an assist on the club's fourth goal of the game, 12:26 into the third period. While the Wings tied it late and eventually won the contest in a shootout, they were eliminated from the postseason due to a Washington Capitals win over the Philadelphia Flyers. The 20-year-old blue-liner recently signed an entry-level deal with the Habs after dominating to the tune of 15 goals and 49 points across 38 games with Boston University this season. He collected 30 goals and 97 points with the Terriers across two seasons before turning pro.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoAnaheim Ducks forward prospect Cutter Gauthier is expected to make his NHL debut on Thursday when the team visits the Vegas Golden Knights. The 20-year-old signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Ducks on Sunday and practiced with the team in Anaheim on Tuesday. Gauthier's college career with Boston College came to a conclusion with a 2-0 loss to the University of Denver in the NCAA championship game in Minnesota on Saturday. "It's been a dream for my whole life. Just getting here, I've gotten chills," Gauthier said. "Getting into the airport and getting settled here, meeting all the guys. It's been a really cool experience so far." Gauthier was dealt to the Ducks earlier in the season in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale after informing the Philadelphia Flyers, who took him fifth overall in 2022, that he did not intend to sign with the team.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoThe Winnipeg Jets clinched the No. 2 seed in the Central Division on Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the visiting Seattle Kraken. The Jets moved three points ahead of the third-place Colorado Avalanche with the win with both clubs having one more game on their regular-season schedule. The Jets host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Prior to the season, the Jets' 2023-24 fortunes seemed up in the air with star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and captain Mark Scheifele scheduled to hit free agency at season's end but the team seemed to gain some momentum when both players agreed to identical eight-year, $59.5 million contracts just days before the season began.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoThe Washington Capitals have claimed the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference thanks to a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. The Capitals were in a win-and-in scenario thanks to holding the tiebreaker over the Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. The Flyers, needing a regulation win to have a chance at a postseason berth, were forced to pull their goalie late in the game in an attempt to win in regulation but Capitals forward T.J. Oshie scored into the empty cage with roughly three minutes remaining in the game. The Capitals will now face the New York Rangers who took home the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 114 regular-season points.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoThe Florida Panthers clinched the Atlantic Division title on Tuesday with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, combined with a Boston Bruins loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers trailed the Maple Leafs by a 2-0 score after the first period but rallied with four second-period tallies followed by an empty-netter in the third period to clinch the 5-2 win and the division. The Bruins dropped three of their final four games to drop to the No. 2 seed in the division. The Cats and Bolts most recently met in a vicious series in the 2021 postseason, resulting in a 4-2 Tampa Bay win en route to their second straight Stanley Cup victory. The date and time for the series opener is yet to be determined.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoThe Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in the first round of the postseason. The Bruins lost to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, while the Maple Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers, giving the Panthers the Atlantic Division title and a first-round matchup with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning. The Maple Leafs and Lightning clash for their regular-season finales on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. The two clubs have had a pair of close encounters in their recent playoff history, with Boston winning a trio of seven-game series' in 2013, 2018, and 2019. Game 1 between the two clubs is expected to take place on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 days agoColumbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves will make his fourth consecutive start in Tuesday's regular-season finale against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The 23-year-old has been given a strong look down the home stretch of the regular season with Elvis Merzlikins sidelined with a lower-body injury (although returning to back up Tuesday). He's had a tough assignment playing behind a very poor Blue Jackets club as he owns a 3.55 goals-against average but also a solid .906 save percentage in eight games (seven starts), going 2-6-0 in that time. He could see an increased role next season with Merzlikins asking for a trade earlier this season and likely on the move this offseason.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Svoboda
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