3 days agoTampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov celebrated his sixth career hat trick as the team opened the 2024-25 campaign with an impressive 4-1 road win against Carolina. The Hurricanes grabbed the lead in front of their fans in the first period, but Kucherov had no intention of leaving the arena without a victory and produced three goals over the final nine minutes of play. He put the Lightning ahead with a power-play tally and completed his hat trick with a pair of empty-net goals. Kucherov also had a power-play assist in the game, helping Brayden Point tie the game early in the second period. Only Steven Stamkos (13) and Martin St. Louis (8) now have more hat tricks with the Lightning than Kucherov, who looks poised for another great year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 days agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers exited Friday's 3-2 shootout loss against Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. He was involved in an awkward collision with Flyers forward Joel Farabee early in the first period and needed help to get off the ice. Myers couldn't put any weight on his right leg. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet didn't have an update on Myers after the game. The 34-year-old is a big piece of the Canucks defense in more ways than one. Standing at six-foot-eight, Myers is an intimidating figure, but he occasionally helps out the offense as well. He tallied 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) in 77 games last season while racking up 136 blocks and 110 hits. Vincent Desharnais will likely enter the lineup if Myers lands on the shelf for the next game on Tuesday versus Tampa Bay.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
3 days agoDallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque (lower body) could be ready for his season debut this weekend. After sustaining a lower-body injury in training camp, Bourque was unavailable for Thursday's season opener against Nashville. However, he was able to skate on Friday, and Stars head coach Pete DeBoer is hopeful that the 22-year-old can feature in a game over the weekend. Dallas faces the Islanders on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday. The Stars are already looking stacked up front, but Bourque's addition will give the offense a further boost. He was the AHL's top scorer last season with 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Lia Assimakopoulos
3 days agoColumbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (wrist) went through full practice on Friday and should be ready for his season debut soon. The 31-year-old has been recovering from wrist surgery and missed Thursday's season opener against Minnesota. However, he could be back in action as soon as Saturday when the Blue Jackets face Colorado on the road. Danforth posted 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games last season. He practiced on the fourth line on Friday but could end up in a much more significant role, as the Blue Jackets have already lost multiple forwards to injuries.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Svoboda
4 days agoColorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (upper body) will be out for at least two games. On Friday, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar revealed that Drouin is troubled by an upper-body injury. Drouin put in a big shift in Colorado's season opener against Vegas on Wednesday, logging 21:25 of ice time. But he was also injured in the contest, leaving Colorado without another important offensive piece. Drouin joins Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) on the sidelines. He will be out for Saturday's clash with Columbus and Monday's matchup against the Islanders. Nikolai Kovalenko looks set to fill in for Drouin on the top line after skating there in Friday's practice.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Corey Masisak
4 days agoWashington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (personal) returned to practice on Friday. He left the team at the start of the week for personal reasons. It's good to know Thompson is back with the Capitals ahead of their season opener. He will be pushing Charlie Lindgren for playing time in 2024-25. Lindgren has been confirmed as the starter for Saturday's curtain-raiser against New Jersey. Thompson could see his first action of the year on Tuesday against his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights. He won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023 and had a 25-14-5 record with the team last season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Katie Adler
4 days agoSan Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini is being evaluated for a lower-body injury. The top pick of this year's draft battled a lower-body injury during preseason but was able to make his NHL debut on Thursday night against St. Louis. Celebrini tallied a goal and assist while logging 17:35 of ice time. However, he missed practice on Friday and is now doubtful for Saturday's clash versus Anaheim. Mikael Granlund took over the first-line center spot in Friday's practice and could remain in the role for Saturday's game. Granlund would have extra fantasy value as a top-line center. He led the Sharks in scoring last season and kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a power-play assist in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
4 days agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen will start between the sticks in Friday's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Finnish netminder gets a chance to make his team debut after Arturs Silovs struggled to keep the puck out of the net in Wednesday's season opener against Calgary. The Canucks have kicked off the season without their regular starter Thatcher Demko (knee), who remains without a timeline for his return. Lankinen boasts a 45-43-12 career record in the NHL. He has previously seen the Flyers two times, going 1-1-0. Lankinen is expected to bring home the first victory of the season for Vancouver on Friday, with the bookmakers having the hosts as an odds-on favorite for the matchup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Batchelor
4 days agoVancouver Canucks center Pius Suter (upper body) will make his season debut in Friday's clash with Philadelphia. He was forced to sit out Vancouver's season opener against Calgary on Wednesday with an upper-body injury. Suter will slot into the third-line center role, bumping Aatu Raty to the fourth line. Nils Aman will exit the lineup. Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland, who combined for two points versus the Flames, will skate on Suter's wings. The Swiss forward has been fairly productive in a limited role throughout his NHL career, averaging 0.41 points per game. He boasts five points (one goal, four assists) in eight career outings against the Flyers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brendan Batchelor
4 days agoPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler (knee) won't play in Friday's season opener against Vancouver. He has failed to recover from a knee injury that Seeler sustained in a preseason game. The Flyers have played him on Injured Reserve retroactively to Oct. 1. Emil Andrae and Erik Johnson are options to replace Seeler in the lineup on Friday. Neither player is a particularly attractive fantasy option, although Andrea has done well offensively in the minors. He registered 32 points (five goals, 27 assists) in 61 AHL appearances last season. However, the 22-year-old has gone scoreless in his prior four NHL outings.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jonathan Bailey
4 days agoTampa Bay Lightning left wing Jake Guentzel (undisclosed) will make his team debut on Friday versus Carolina. The prolific winger suffered an undisclosed injury in practice at the start of the week but has shaken off the ailment ahead of Tampa's season opener. It's a special matchup for Guentzel, who finished the 2023-24 campaign with the Hurricanes. He had an impressive run with the team, scoring eight goals and 25 points in 17 regular-season appearances. Guentzel will surely be eager to show the Hurricanes what they are missing. He'll be paired with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point on the top line and should soak in plenty of power-play action as a member of the first unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Eduardo A. Encina
4 days agoDallas Stars right wing Logan Stankoven bagged a hat trick of assists in Thursday's 4-3 win over Nashville. He tallied assists on all of Dallas's first three goals, including a power-play marker. The 21-year-old became the second rookie in franchise history to record three points in a season opener. Stankoven did the damage in just 12:29 of action. He started on the top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz but was only used for around 10 minutes during even-strength play. Partly due to the limited playing time, Stankoven failed to register a single shot on goal. However, it was still an impressive performance from the talented forward, who looks to have a very bright future in the league.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoPittsburgh Penguins winger Anthony Beauvillier scored with both shots on goal in Thursday's 6-3 win against Detroit. The Penguins fell behind to an Alex DeBrincat goal early in the game, but Beauvillier gave his team a lead by the time the fourth minute of the second period came around. Beauvillier produced a plus-three rating skating on the first line with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. The 27-year-old has struggled for consistency throughout his NHL career, but he looks set for a very successful campaign next to Crosby, who had assists on both Beauvillier goals in Thursday's win.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoLos Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar produced a game-winning performance in Thursday's season opener against Buffalo, scoring all three goals in a 3-1 win. The Kings pulled off a third-period comeback, with Kopitar scoring his seventh career hat trick. He tied the game with an even-strength marker right at the start of the period, hit a power-play goal with 1:38 remaining in regulation, and capped things off with an empty-netter. Kopitar became the seventh player in NHL history to open a campaign with a natural hat trick. The Kings captain has been close to reaching the 30-goal plateau a couple of times in recent seasons and might finally do it in 2024-25, judging by his goal-scoring form in the first game. He should be good for 40-plus assists as well.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 days agoSan Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini enjoyed a prolific NHL debut on Thursday, picking up two points in a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis. He opened the scoring with seven minutes played and tallied an assist on a Tyler Toffoli goal near the end of the first period. At 18 years and 119 days old, Celebrini became the third-youngest player in NHL history with a multi-point outing in his debut. Celebrini logged 17:35 of ice time, with 1:44 of it coming on the power play, and finished with an even rating while firing off two shots on goal. It was the perfect start to Celebrini's NHL career, but tougher challenges are definitely up ahead for him.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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