9 hours agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (undisclosed) will remain behind as the team kicks off the new week with road contests against Philadelphia and New Jersey. Ekblad is battling an unspecified ailment and has missed two of the past three games. Tobias Bjornfot played against Boston instead of Ekblad on Friday, with Dmitry Kulikov moving to the first defensive pairing. Uvis Balinskis logs time on the first power-play unit with Ekblad out, while Nate Schmidt also gets increased usage with the man advantage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jordan McPherson
9 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal has heated up recently and will enter Sunday's clash against Anaheim with a three-game goal streak. He can become the third player in franchise history to have a goal streak of at least four games at age 36 or older. Staal's current hot spell includes his fourth career hat trick, and the veteran has scored five times in the past three contests. He is also on a four-game point streak. Staal, who has tallied nine goals and 14 assists in 43 games across the season, last recorded a five-game point streak in December 2022.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
9 hours agoVegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is scheduled to make his 27th start of the campaign in Sunday's matchup against Minnesota. He returns to the crease after Ilya Samsonov faced the Rangers on Saturday night. Hill has had a good season, amassing a 17-7-2 record with a pair of shutouts. His goals-against average stands at 2.60, and Hill has registered a .903 save percentage. However, the Vegas netminder has struggled a bit lately, dropping two of his past three starts. In his last outing, Hill allowed three goals on 20 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Islanders. Minnesota has won seven of its last nine games, making this a tricky matchup for Hill.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Danny Webster
10 hours agoPittsburgh Penguins left wing Michael Bunting (undisclosed) will not play in Sunday's contest against Tampa Bay. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters ahead of the game that Bunting was involved in a car accident outside of PPG Paints Arena. Luckily, everyone involved in the incident is okay, but Bunting will be kept out of action on Sunday. Following a slow start to the season, Bunting has found his stride since the beginning of last month, posting 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 18 games. He has tallied 13 goals and 25 points in 43 contests across the season. Philip Tomasino (lower body) was activated from Injured Reserve on Sunday and will replace Bunting in the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michelle Crechiolo
10 hours agoPittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (upper body) was placed on Injured Reserve Sunday. The team activated Philip Tomasino (lower body) from the Injured Reserve in a corresponding move. Malkin will sit out a fourth straight contest as the Penguins host Tampa Bay on Sunday. Cody Glass has been skating as the second-line center with Malkin out of the lineup, though Tomasino's return gives the team an added option up front. Tomasino has been absent for three games. The 23-year-old has notched four goals and seven points in 16 games with the Penguins since moving from Nashville to Pittsburgh on Nov. 25.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Penguins
10 hours agoCarolina Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (upper body) appears ready to rejoin the lineup on Sunday against Anaheim. Per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour believes Gostisbehere will be good to go for the contest. The offensive blue-liner has missed eight games due to an upper-body injury. Gostisbehere has tallied 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) in 35 games this season, scoring 18 points on the power play. Anaheim holds the league's fifth-lowest penalty-killing percentage, which puts Gostisbehere in a strong position to enjoy a productive return to the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Henkel
10 hours agoNew York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) is considered day-to-day. After being a game-time decision, Romanov ended up sitting out Saturday's matchup against Utah, but he isn't expected to miss extended time. Romanov has yet to score in 30 outings this season, but he has contributed nine assists on the offensive end. Additionally, he boasts 65 blocks and 73 hits for the campaign. Scott Mayfield saw increased usage on the second defensive pairing with Romanov out on Saturday. The Russian blue-liner will have his first chance to return on Tuesday versus Ottawa.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ethan Sears
17 hours agoMinnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 36 of the 37 shots he faced en route to defeating the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening. The Wild were heavily outshot in this contest but the 40-year-old netminder was able to deliver a victory. William Eklund was able to beat Fleury on a backhand shot late in the second frame. Fleury has now won each of his previous three starts. He has posted a stellar .952% SV and a 1.50 GAA during this span. Across 14 games this season, Fleury holds a 9-3-1 record with a .910% SV and a 2.54 GAA. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Fleury to operate as the clear No.2 option behind Filip Gustavsson, but he does carry upside in favorable matchups in DFS and shallow formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoEdmonton Oilers right wing Vasily Podkolzin tallied a goal and an assist during Saturday's victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Podkolzin scored in the opening minute of the second frame on a snap shot. Later in this period, Podkolzin would tack on the secondary assist on Adam Henrique's sixth goal of the season. In this contest, Podkolzin also added three shots, two hits, two blocks, and a +2 rating. Over his past eight contests, Podkolzin has only tallied five points (two goals, three helpers) but has averaged two shots on goal and two hits in each contest during this span. Despite playing on the second line alongside Leon Draisaitl, Podkolzin remains a high-upside, target in DFS at a low salary as he continues to score at an inconsistent pace.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice during their victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday evening. Ehlers would open the scoring in the first period with a wrist shot. Later in the third, Ehlers would tack on his second tally with the empty-netter to put the game out of reach. Ehlers also tallied three shots, three hits, and two blocks in this contest. Over his previous 11 contests, Ehlers has totaled 11 points (five goals, six helpers) while averaging just over two shots on goal per game. Overall, the 28-year-old has tallied 36 points over 35 games this season and is on track to post his second-straight 20-goal campaign. Fantasy managers should continue to start him in all formats as he continues this near-point-per-game production.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoDallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced en route to defeating the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout on Saturday evening. This performance extended his winning streak to five games. Oettinger's lone blemish came in the second period when Patrick Laine scored on the power-play. He stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout. This was Oettinger's first time allowing one goal or less over his previous three games. During his five-game win streak, the 26-year-old has posted a .923% SV and a 1.94 GAA. Before this stretch, Oettinger lost his previous three contests and held a 3.41 GAA. Fantasy managers should continue to view Oettinger as a high-end option, as he plays behind one of the strongest defensive units in the sport. He should also be considered a solid option in all DFS competitions in all matchups.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoWashington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced en route to defeating the Nashville Predators on Saturday evening. The Capitals were heavily outshot in this contest, but the 27-year-old netminder was able to lead the way. His lone mistake came in the second period as Filip Forsberg would score his 11th goal of the season on the power-play. Thompson entered in relief on Friday evening as Charlie Lindgren (upper body) exited with an injury. Thompson has won each of his previous six starts and should be expected to operate as the clear No.1 option in the Washington crease with Lindgren on the injured reserve. Hunter Shepard will serve as the backup.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
18 hours agoPhiladelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny tallied four assists during Saturday's 6-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Konecny tallied two primary assists in the opening frame, one on the power-play. He tallied his third assist on Owen Tippett's 12th goal of the season in the second period. In the third, Konecny would tally his fourth point on the power-play for the second time with the primary assist on Matvei Michkov's goal. This performance extended his current point streak to three games. Over his past ten contests, he has tallied 13 points (four goals, nine helpers) while averaging two shots on goal per game. Fantasy managers should continue to start Konecny in all standard formats as he continues to see top minutes in the Philadelphia offense.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoSan Jose Sharks center Alexander Wennberg (illness) will not play against Minnesota on Saturday. He's forced to skip his first game of the season after catching an illness bug. Wennberg has contributed eight goals and 12 assists in 44 games while working as a middle-six forward. Nikolai Kovalenko (upper body) and Klim Kostin (lower body) are also out on Saturday, meaning the Sharks attack will have a different look. Luke Kunin is expected to replace Wennberg as the third-line center, while Collin Graf will jump on the second line. The 22-year-old has notched two assists through his first four appearances of the season this month.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sheng Peng
1 day agoColumbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (illness) will hop back into the lineup for Saturday's clash against St. Louis. Sillinger sat out Saturday's meeting with Seattle due to an illness. His absence allowed his older brother, Owen, to make his NHL debut. Columbus reassigned Owen Sillinger to the minors on Friday, so the two brothers must wait for a chance to play together in the big league. Sillinger will return to second-line duty, taking up a position alongside Kent Johnson and James van Riemsdyk. The 21-year-old has recorded 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) across 40 games in 2024-25, but Sillinger has been cold lately, adding to his tally just twice in his past nine appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Dave Maetzold
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