December 15, 2025
Minnesota Wild defenseman David Jiricek (lower body) was unable to finish Sunday's 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. He had a fine outing, recording a plus-two rating, but a lower-body injury limited Jiricek to 12:52 of ice time. The Czechia blue-liner made his 14th appearance of the season. He has been a non-factor in fantasy hockey, going scoreless so far. Matt Kiersted is likely to fill Jiricek's spot in the lineup if he isn't available for Tuesday's tilt against the Washington Capitals. Kiersted only recently made his season debut and doesn't offer anything from a fantasy perspective.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 15, 2025
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson (undisclosed) was injured during Sunday's 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins. He collected a power-play assist in the game before leaving the action in the second period. The injury comes at a bad time for the Swedish veteran, as he has heated up in recent games. Over the last four contests, Johansson has contributed three goals and three assists. Across the season, he has posted 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 33 games. Johansson skates on the second line and the second power-play unit. The team currently has an extra forward in Hunter Haight, who may enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 14, 2025
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium made his team debut in Sunday's 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils, contributing a goal and an assist. He left a strong impression on Canucks fans, helping Vancouver get a couple of power-play goals in the first period. With this performance, Buium became the first defenseman in franchise history to notch multiple points in the opening period of his debut. Buium logged 2:33 of action with the man advantage and played a total of 19:50. He had two shots on goal, blocked one shot, and handed out one hit. All season, the bulk of Buium's offensive output has come on the power play, with 10 of his 16 points scored in those situations. The 20-year-old currently shares the rookie lead in power-play points with Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
December 14, 2025
St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway (lower body) could be forced to miss time after getting hurt at Sunday's practice. He suffered a lower-body injury and needed to be helped off the ice. The Blues will continue their season on Monday against the Nashville Predators. Holloway has so far featured in all 33 games this season, posting 17 points (eight goals, nine assists). He has been a disappointment in fantasy hockey for most of the campaign, finishing five of his last seven appearances pointless. Alexei Toropchenko (leg) is expected to return to the lineup on Monday and might replace Holloway against Nashville.
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN
December 14, 2025
Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson will guard the crease in Sunday's matchup against the Boston Bruins, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports. He gets a chance to log his third start in four games after Jesper Wallstedt beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Saturday. Gustavsson seems to have established himself as the clear No. 1 in Minnesota again. He carries a 9-8-3 record for the season and has posted a 2.64 goals-against average with a .907 save percentage and two shutouts. Beating the Bruins won't be easy, as David Pastrnak's crew ranks seventh in the league with a scoring average of 3.28 goals per game.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jessi Pierce
December 14, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi will start Sunday's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 27-year-old rookie will look to continue his excellent season with another win on Sunday. In his most recent start against the Washington Capitals, Bussi became the fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach 10 career wins, accomplishing this in just his 11th appearance. He has won each of his last eight starts. Bussi has recorded one shutout while allowing 2.07 goals with a .910 save percentage. The Flyers have one of the league's weakest offenses, averaging 2.83 goals per game, making this a very favorable matchup for Bussi.
--Taavi PailkSource: Carolina Hurricanes
December 14, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (upper body) has been cleared to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been out for four games due to an upper-body injury. York will take Ty Murchison's spot in the lineup. For the season, York has averaged two blocks per game, while posting one goal and 11 assists in 23 outings on the offensive end. The 24-year-old ranks second on his team with an average ice time of 23:31. On Sunday, York is expected to play a major role again as the Flyers seek revenge for Saturday's shootout loss against Carolina.
--Taavi PailkSource: Philadelphia Flyers
December 14, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin (lower body) will rejoin the lineup on Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports. Following a 29-game absence due to a lower-body injury, the team activated Slavin from Injured Reserve. Slavin has made only two appearances this season and didn't register a point in either of the outings. Joel Nystrom will make way in the lineup for Slavin after he was reassigned to the minors on Sunday. While Slavin's return is big news for the Hurricanes, he is not expected to make a significant impact in fantasy hockey.
--Taavi PailkSource: Chip Alexander
December 14, 2025
Boston Bruins winger Viktor Arvidsson (lower body) is not expected to be in the lineup on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe reports. The Swedish veteran sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday's win over the Winnipeg Jets. Arvidsson has played well in a limited role this season, recording 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 25 outings despite averaging only 14:15 of ice time. He has skated on the third line and the second power-play unit. Jeffrey Viel or Michael Eyssimont is expected to fill Arvidsson's spot in the lineup on Sunday.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jim McBride
December 14, 2025
Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (upper body) won't play in Sunday's contest against the New Jersey Devils, Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports. Pettersson has made only two appearances this month, missing time due to an upper-body injury. With Quinn Hughes now out of the picture, Pettersson sits at the top of Vancouver's scoring charts, posting 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 28 contests this season. David Kampf has played a larger role during Pettersson's absence, although he hasn't made an impact offensively. On Sunday, Marco Rossi (lower body) could enter the frame if he is cleared for action.
--Taavi PailkSource: Thomas Drance
December 14, 2025
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin (upper body) will sit out a second consecutive game on Sunday versus the Boston Bruins, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports. The Swedish veteran is dealing with an upper-body injury and was replaced in the lineup by David Jiricek in Saturday's win over the Ottawa Senators. Brodin has recorded a team-high 66 blocks in 30 games, while picking up nine points (three goals, six assists). Jiricek logged over two and a half minutes of power-play time on Saturday, but he still failed to pick up his first point of the season. Another change is coming on the Wild blue line against Boston, as Quinn Hughes is expected to make his team debut.
--Taavi PailkSource: Joe Smith
December 14, 2025
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) was limited to 13:30 of ice time in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders. He missed the third period, leaving the Lightning without another blue-liner. Victor Hedman (shoulder), Ryan McDonagh (undisclosed), and Erik Cernak (undisclosed) all missed Saturday's game. Lilleberg's offensive contributions have been limited to two goals and four assists in 32 games this season. However, he is second on the team with 53 hits and averages a block per game. Due to Tampa's current injury situation, Darren Raddysh, J.J. Moser, and Charle-Edouard D'Astous are logging big minutes on the blue line.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 14, 2025
San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith (undisclosed) made an early exit against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. San Jose also lost Philipp Kurashev (upper body) during the contest but still produced a spectacular comeback, winning 6-5 in overtime after trailing 5-1. Smith has struggled to make an impact in recent games, but he has had a great sophomore campaign overall. In 33 outings, Smith has contributed 12 goals and 17 assists. San Jose is carrying Zack Ostapchuk as an extra forward, but the team may need to call up a player from the minors if both Smith and Kurashev are unavailable on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
December 14, 2025
Vegas Golden Knights winger Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) scored a power-play goal in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets but wasn't able to finish the game, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The Russian forward missed the third period, logging only 11:04 of ice time. Dorofeyev is tied for the most goals on his team with 13 goals, adding eight assists across 31 appearances. Vegas will be off until Wednesday night, giving Dorofeyev a good amount of time to recover. Still, it's uncertain if that will be sufficient for him to avoid missing his first game of the season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Danny Webster
December 13, 2025
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Haydn Fleury (concussion) has been cleared for action, Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reports. He has missed 14 games while dealing with a concussion. The Jets may bring Fleury back into the lineup on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals. Fantasy managers can ignore Fleury due to his limited skill set. In 15 outings this season, Fleury hasn't scored a single point, while blocking 26 shots from the opposition and delivering 20 hits. The 29-year-old may end the calendar year with just a single point in regular-season play -- an assist recorded during a 3-2 overtime victory against the Edmonton Oilers on March 20.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mike McIntyre
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