4 days agoToronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann will not play in the club's final two regular-season games due to a lower-body injury suffered during Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. McMann fell awkwardly while clearing the puck short-handed and was slow to get up and get to the bench. He then went to the dressing room and did not return. His status for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is unclear. The 27-year-old has become a key piece for the team this season, notching 15 goals and 24 points across 56 games in 11:34 of average ice time per game. However, he also has 13 goals and 17 points across 33 games since the start of February and has recently been skating on the team's second line.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jonas Siegel
1 week agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit recorded an impressive 24-save shutout against the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars on Thursday, backstopping his squad to a 3-0 road win. Brossoit picked up his 21st start of the season as Winnipeg gave Connor Hellebuyck a well-deserved rest. The 31-year-old has filled in for Winnipeg's No. 1 admirably all season, posting a 14-5-2 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. Brossoit has had three shutouts in total for the campaign, which have all come in his last five starts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoDetroit Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond outscored everybody in Thursday's highly entertaining matchup against Pittsburgh, netting a hat trick and adding an assist in a 6-5 overtime loss. Raymond averaged a point per game through the first few outings of the month and found a way to take his performance to an even higher level on Thursday in a crucial clash between two teams that are desperately trying to secure a postseason berth. It's been a good bounce-back campaign for the 22-year-old, who has gone from a 45-point guy to a player who has a chance to finish the campaign with 70 points. In 79 appearances, Raymond has tallied 29 goals and 39 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby made his way into the top 10 on the NHL's all-time scoring list on Thursday with a three-point performance in a vital 6-5 overtime win against Detroit. He finished the contest with a goal and two assists as the Penguins kept their playoff hopes alive. Crosby reached 1,591 points (591 goals, 1,000 assists), pushing Phil Esposito out of the top 10. He will have his eyes next on Joe Sakic, who collected 1,641 points in his career. The Penguins captain continues to make scoring look easy even as a 36-year-old and is on the cusp of recording his eighth campaign with at least 90 points, having notched 41 goals and 48 assists in 79 outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoFlorida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made no favors to his old team in Thursday's matchup against Columbus, stopping 25 shots to register his sixth shutout of the season in a 4-0 win. Bobrovsky joined Arizona's Connor Ingram and Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry at the top of the league's shutouts list. Two of his shutouts have come in his past three appearances. Following some very inconsistent campaigns, Bobrovsky has stayed strong throughout 2023-24 to post an impressive 35-16-7 record. He has allowed 2.38 goals with a .914 save percentage. Only Colorado's Alexandar Georgiev (38) has given more wins to fantasy managers this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
1 week 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
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