12 hours agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen will be the starting goaltender for Thursday's regular-season finale against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. The Avs will give No. 1 netminder Alexandar Georgiev a breather ahead of a first-round matchup with the Winnipeg Jets. For the season, Annunen has been excellent when called upon, working to a 2.35 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage across 13 outings, 11 of which were starts. The Avalanche will take on the Jets after finishing third in the difficult Central Division but will not rest any other players, according to head coach Jared Bednar.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Boulding
12 hours agoCalgary Flames netminder Dustin Wolf will be between the pipes for Thursday's contest against the visiting San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old has appeared in 16 games for the Flames this season, turning in a 3.30 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage while going 6-7-1 in that time. He has been excellent with the American Hockey League's Calgary Wranglers, however, turning in a 2.43 GAA and a .923 save percentage across 35 games. Wolf is firmly the goaltender of the future in Calgary but Jacob Markstrom still has two years and a $6 million annually left on his contract.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
12 hours agoSan Jose Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley will be between the pipes for Thursday's series finale on the road against the Calgary Flames. Cooley and Mackenzie Blackwood have shared the crease of late but it will be the 26-year-old getting the nod on Thursday. It was a tough outing his last time out as Cooley yielded eight goals on just 22 shots (.636 save percentage) in a 9-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers. It's been a tough go for the youngster in his brief NHL tenure this season as he sports a 4.37 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage in five games of work. He also struggled to a 3.77 GAA and an .891 Sv% across 14 games with Rochester in the AHL before a move into the San Jose organization.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Curtis Pashelka
13 hours agoPittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby will discuss a contract extension with the team as he will be on the final season of a 12-year, $104.4 million deal with the team in the 2024-25 season. The average annual value of that deal was a unique $8.7 million, an homage to his No. 87 and his birth year in 1987. "Obviously, I'm going to talk to [general manager Kyle Dubas] and have a conversation with him," Crosby said. "We'll see. I think it's just something I'll have a conversation with him about." The future Hall of Famer led the Penguins with 94 points in his 19th NHL season. The Penguins fell just shy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2023-24 campaign, finishing three points back of the Washington Capitals for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
13 hours agoPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen has undergone surgery to repair a triceps tendon rupture. The veteran blueliner hasn't appeared in a game since Feb. 10 against the Seattle Kraken and endured a career-worst offensive season in the 2023-24 campaign. In his age-29 season, Ristolainen recorded just one goal and four points across 31 games in an injury-shortened season. He had maxed out with six goals and 45 points across 79 games while with the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016-17 season but his production at the offensive end of the ice has dropped dramatically in recent seasons. The Finn is expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jordan Hall
1 day agoNew Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton (pectoral) said he could perhaps have made it back to the lineup for the postseason, but the club was unable to qualify for the playoffs. The blue-liner has missed the past 62 games of the regular season due to a torn left pectoral muscle suffered in a Dec. 1 contest and missed the remainder of the regular season. "I've been skating and stuff, so the plan was kind of to target playoffs," the blue-liner said. "But unfortunately we don't have that chance. It was hard not being out there with the guys, win or lose, going through it with them. It definitely makes you realize you can't take things for granted." The veteran's season will end with five goals and 16 points across 20 games for the under-performing Devils in the 2023-24 campaign.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 day agoTampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was able to notch his 100th assist of the season on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, matching Connor McDavid, who did it this season while he became the fifth player in NHL history to reach the milestone. Kucherov's assist came on a Tampa Bay power play in which he sent a pass to teammate Brayden Point, who fired a slot shot past Leafs goaltender Martin Jones. The Russian's season will end with 44 goals and 144 points across 81 games on the season as he embarks upon a first-round series against the cross-state Florida Panthers in Round 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
1 day agoToronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews was unable to reach the 70-goal plateau in the club's series finale on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The superstar entered the game with 69 goals and 357 shots on goal, and even hit a crossbar, but he was unable to be the first 70-goal scorer in 31 years. The 26-year-old ends his regular season with 69 goals and 107 points across 81 games while adding 89 hits, 91 blocks, and a plus-32 rating to his ledger. The Maple Leafs are locked into a first-round matchup with the No. 2 seed Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which starts Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: David Alter
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
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