2 weeks agoSan Jose Sharks center Will Smith will sit out Sunday's clash with New Jersey. The Sharks continue to manage his workload, and Smith comes out of the lineup after playing in the past five contests. The 19-year-old has been largely ineffective during his rookie campaign, recording two goals and one assist in 12 appearances. Givani Smith enters the lineup on Sunday, adding some muscle to San Jose's fourth line. Alex Wennberg will take up the third-line center duties, looking to keep his recent improved form going. The Swedish forward has notched five of his seven points in the last six games.Source: Sheng Peng
2 weeks agoMinnesota Wild defenseman Declan Chisholm will be a healthy scratch against Chicago on Sunday. The young blue-liner heads to the pressbox despite producing assists in back-to-back games. Overall, Chisholm has tallied three assists in 10 appearances this season. Chisholm's spot in the lineup will go to Jon Merrill, who makes only his second appearance in six games. Merrill has logged one assist in 10 games. He will add more defensive ability and physicality to the Wild lineup but won't provide any value to fantasy managers.Source: Sarah McLellan
2 weeks agoThe Columbus Blue Jackets have claimed defenseman Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Nashville Predators. Fabbro, a former first-round pick, was waived by Nashville on Saturday after he became redundant on the team. The 26-year-old has featured just six times this season, last skating on Oct. 28 versus Tampa Bay. Fabbro has no points to show for his efforts this season and amassed a minus-three rating while averaging 13:06 of ice time. He figures to play a larger role with the Blue Jackets, although it's safe to leave Fabbro on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoColumbus Blue Jackets right wing Kevin Labanc will be a healthy scratch on Sunday versus Anaheim. He will exit the lineup after posting six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games. Labanc was on fire during the preseason and enjoyed a productive start with the Blue Jackets, but he has gone scoreless in back-to-back games while logging limited ice time. James van Riemsdyk will rejoin the action against the Ducks after sitting as a healthy scratch on Saturday versus Los Angeles. The 16-year veteran has produced two goals and four points in 11 appearances this season. He is no longer at his best, and fantasy managers should avoid van Riemsdyk.Source: Jeff Svoboda
2 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid led the way on Saturday evening as he tallied three points in their victory over the Vancouver Canucks. McDavid would tack his first point of the evening on an assist on Leon Draisaitl's opening goal. Later in the third, McDavid would score his fourth goal of the campaign on the man-advantage and then tally his second assist of the evening on Brett Kulak's goal. This was McDavid's fourth multi-point effort of the season and first since returning from the ankle injury he sustained during the last week of October. In total, the superstar has tallied just 13 points in 12 games with +4 rating. However, despite his slow start, Saturday's performance suggests he is rounding into form. Fantasy managers should always keep McDavid in their lineup and he remains a top DFS play in any matchup.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoNashville Predators right wing Filip Forsberg found the back of the net two times on Saturday evening en route to defeating the Utah Hockey Club. Forsberg opened the scoring on the power-play off a snap shot which beat Utah netminder Connor Ingram. Later in the second, the 30-year-old would tack on his second tally of the evening unassisted. This outing snapped a three-goal game drought. Through his first 15 games this season, Forsberg has tallied 13 points (eight goals, five assists) with a -5 rating and 60 shots on goal. Fantasy managers should continue to lock the winger into their lineups for the remainder of the season as he remains Nashville's top goal producer despite their underwhelming start.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros stopped all 26 shots he faced en route to defeating the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday evening. This victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Saros. In addition, this was his second shutout of the young campaign. The 29-year-old now sits with an underwhelming 4-7-1 record but a solid .911 SV% and a 2.61 GAA. Even though the Predators have fallen below expectations through the first month of the season, fantasy managers should continue to lock Saros in their lineup as he is putting them position to win on a daily basis. His next start is tentatively lined up on Monday evening when he will face high-scoring Colorado Avalanche.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoToronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander tallied his 11th goal of the campaign and an assist in their victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday evening. Nylander would score the eventual game-winner in the second frame on the man-advantage. Then, in the final frame, Nylander would tally an assist on John Tavares' power-play goal. The 28-year-old now sits tied with the most goals in the NHL with 11 alongside Nikita Kucherov and Sam Reinhart. Over his past seven games, Nylander has tallied six goals and five assists with six of those points coming on the power-play. Fantasy managers should continue to lock Nylander into their lineup as he is an elite scorer who is on pace to average 1+ points-per-game for the third-straight season.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoNew York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick led the way for the Rangers on Saturday evening as he posted an impressive 37-save shutout to defeat the Detroit Red Wings. The Rangers were heavily outshot but their veteran netminder was able to keep them in the game. The 38-year-old has made only four appearances this season (three starts) as Igor Shesterkin has dominated time in the crease. During this span, Quick has posted a strong 3-0 record with a .964 SV% and a 1,17 GAA. Shesterkin struggled in his last start as he surrendered a season-high five goals which could open the door for Quick to see more opportunities in the crease. For now, fantasy managers in shallower formats should view Quick as a solid streaming option but could be worth stashing in deeper formats as he could be in line for an increase in playing time.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoWashington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin found the back of the net twice in Saturday's victory over the St. Louis Blues. Ovechkin would score the eventual game-winner early in the second frame off assists from Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome. Later in the third, the 39-year-old would tack on his second tally, this time on the power-play. Ovechkin now sits with an impressive 10 goals through his first 14 games of the season. Since scoring only two in his first 7 games, Ovechkin has gone to tally eight in the past seven games with a total of 13 points during this span. The veteran winger should remain locked into all fantasy lineups as an elite goal producer as he inches towards the NHL record.Source: NHL.com
2 weeks agoColumbus Blue Jackets left wing James van Riemsdyk will be a healthy scratch on Saturday versus Los Angeles. The veteran has struggled to make a mark and was also a healthy scratch for one game earlier in the month. He has collected four points (two goals, two assists) in 11 appearances. Zach Aston-Reese will replace van Riemsdyk on the fourth line. The 30-year-old has matched van Riemsdyk's offensive numbers this season, but Aston-Reese plays a more physical game and has produced a higher number of shots on goal.Source: Jeff Svoboda
2 weeks agoWashington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (upper body) has been activated from Injured Reserve ahead of Saturday's battle with the Blues, indicating he's ready to return to the lineup. Chychrun missed a fifth consecutive game as Washington suffered a 4-2 defeat against Pittsburgh on Friday night. Alexander Alexeyev has filled in for him and will likely exit the lineup on Saturday when Chychrun returns. Chychrun's return will also affect Martin Fehervary and Rasmus Sandin, resulting in less ice time for both players. With eight games played for his new team, Chychrun has notched four points (two goals, two assists) with 14 shots on goal, nine blocks, and seven hits.Source: Sammi Silber
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson (upper body) will play against Columbus on Saturday. An upper-body injury limited Anderson to 14:20 of ice time in Thursday's 4-2 loss to Vancouver, but he has recovered quickly. Anderson's role on the blue line has grown throughout the campaign, with the 25-year-old averaging close to 22 minutes of action. He has recorded six points (two goals, four assists), 18 shots, 22 blocks, and 25 hits across 15 outings. Anderson has gone pointless in eight of his last nine appearances but finds himself in a good matchup on Saturday, as the Kings are considered big -233 favorites against Columbus.Source: Zach Dooley
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Kings winger Tanner Jeannot will begin a three-game suspension on Saturday against Columbus. He was handed the suspension for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser in Thursday's 4-2 loss. Running into trouble isn't anything new for Jeannot, as he has amassed a league-high 36 penalty minutes this season. Scoring-wise, Jeannot has contributed only one goal and one assist in 15 outings. The Kings have summoned Samuel Helenius from the minors to take Jeannot's spot on the fourth line Saturday. Helenius has picked up three points (two goals, one assist) in eight AHL appearances this season. Jeannot will be eligible to return to action next Saturday against Detroit.Source: ESPN
2 weeks agoVancouver Canucks right wing Brock Boeser (upper body) will not play on Saturday against Edmonton. He is still being evaluated after a hit from L.A. Kings forward Tanner Jeannot knocked Boeser out of action Thursday night. It's a bad loss for the Canucks, as Boeser leads the team with six goals and is tied for the second-most points with 11. Boeser skated with Jake DeBrusk and J.T. Miller on the first line. There's been a line shake-up ahead of Saturday's action, which will pair Miller with Pius Suter and Conor Garland. Nils Hoglander will move up in the lineup and join DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson on the second line.Source: NHL.com