2 weeks agoMontreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (upper body) will miss Saturday's game against the Islanders. Guhle has been left nursing an upper-body injury following Thursday's matchup against Los Angeles and didn't travel with the team to New York. He is considered day-to-day. The 22-year-old has played well to start the year, producing four points (one goal, three assists) and a team-high 20 blocks in five games. Mike Matheson (upper body) was also hurt on Thursday, so the Canadiens' top four at the back could have a very different look at the weekend. Logan Mailloux and Jayden Struble are the options to fill for the injured players, while Lane Hutson, Justin Barron, and David Savard must be ready for extra work.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Eric Engels
2 weeks agoAnaheim Ducks center Isac Lundestrom (upper body) will not be available for Friday's meeting with the Avalanche. He got hurt Wednesday night versus Utah and is considered day-to-day. The 24-year-old has worked as Anaheim's fourth-line center this season, scoring one goal in three games. With Frank Vatrano (personal) also absent on Friday night, Ross Johnston and Jansen Harkins look set to enter the lineup. The two will add muscle to the Ducks team, but they cannot be counted on to contribute offensively.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoAnaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano (personal) will not play against Colorado on Friday after he was added to the non-roster list. He will miss the contest to attend the birth of his third child. Vatrano was Anaheim's top scorer last season with 60 points (37 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games but is off to a quiet start in 2024-25. Through three games, Vatrano sits on zero goals and one assist. The team has recalled Jansen Harkins from the minors, and he could make his season debut in Friday's contest. Harkins has never been productive offensively at this level and should be ignored by fantasy managers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoColorado Avalanche left wing Miles Wood (upper body) will play against Anaheim on Friday. Wood has said he's "good to go" for the game despite leaving Wednesday's matchup against Boston with an upper-body injury. This is great news for the Avalanche, whose frontline has been decimated by injuries. Wood has logged one goal with eight shots in four games this season. He's set to skate on the fourth line in Friday's game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Evan Rawal
2 weeks agoSan Jose Sharks center Will Smith will be a healthy scratch for Friday's visit to Winnipeg. The Sharks complete a back-to-back, and the rookie is getting the night off after he logged 19:09 of ice time in Thursday's 4-2 loss to Chicago. Smith previously hadn't even cracked the 14-minute mark this season. "It's part of the plan (for him)," Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said about sitting Smith. "(It is) nothing to do with performance, just part of the plan. He'll be out tonight." Smith, the fourth pick of the 2023 draft, has failed to register any points in his first four career appearances. Givani Smith will fill the open spot in the lineup on Friday. Fantasy managers can safely ignore Smith, as he boasts only 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 155 career games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Max Miller
2 weeks agoSan Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (upper body) will not be in the lineup against Winnipeg on Friday. The young winger was able to play through an upper-body injury on Thursday versus Chicago but will take some time off to rest on Friday after admitting that he isn't 100 percent. Eklund has started his sophomore campaign strongly, posting three assists in four games with 11 shots on goal. Danil Gushchin could be Eklund's replacement on the first line in Friday's matchup. He has been a healthy scratch for three games but worked on the top line in Wednesday's practice when Eklund missed the session.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Max Miller
2 weeks agoChicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard had his third multi-point outing of the season on Thursday, finishing a 4-2 victory over San Jose with two assists. Bedard's helpers both came with the man's advantage. The 19-year-old has enjoyed a prolific start to his sophomore campaign, posting seven points (one goal, six assists) in five games. However, he has blown hot and cold, flipping between multi-point games and scoreless efforts. Bedard will try to break the pattern on Saturday versus Buffalo. It's a favorable matchup for the teenage sensation, as the Sabres have so far allowed 4.00 goals per game with a horrible .874 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoSt. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer was unbeatable for the New York Islanders on Thursday, skating away from a 1-0 overtime win with his second career shutout. Hofer stopped the Islanders from scoring with 34 saves and also made an offensive impact, as Jake Neighbours scored the game's only goal off assists by Hofer and Philip Broberg. The Blues backup will be very happy with his start to the season, having won both of his outings so far. Hofer defeated San Jose 5-4 in overtime a week ago. Jordan Binnington is carrying a losing record early in the year at 1-2-0, and if he doesn't improve, Hofer could start receiving action more often.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoNew York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin crushed the Red Wings on Thursday, bagging a hat trick and four points in a 5-2 road victory. He struck twice on the power play to register his eighth career hat trick. Panarin has been on fire to start the year, becoming the fifth active player to record multiple points in each of his team's first four games of a season. He has bagged five goals and six assists. The prolific form has made Panarin the first player ever in franchise history to boast as many as 11 points through the first four games of a campaign. Five of Panarin's points have come on the power-play, which has worked at a very impressive 35.7 percent rate so far.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoUtah Hockey Club defenseman Sean Durzi (upper body) is expected to be out for 4-5 months. He was injured at the start of the week against New Jersey and will need surgery. Durzi has had a fine start to the season with two assists and 13 blocks across four games. Utah's defense has already been without John Marino (upper body) to start its inaugural season. Michael Kesselring moved to the top defensive pairing as Durzi's replacement on Wednesday versus Anaheim, while Juuso Valimaki has taken over from him on the second power-play unit. Kesselring made a big impact in his new role right away, finishing Wednesday's 5-4 overtime loss with two points (one goal, one assist), one shot, two blocks, one hit, and a plus-three rating.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: KSL Sports
2 weeks agoSeattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn missed the third period of Thursday's 6-4 win over Philadelphia for precautionary reasons. Dunn sat out a game last weekend with an upper-body injury, and his early exit on Thursday left fantasy managers worrying, but luckily, he appears to be fine for Saturday's matchup against Calgary. The Kraken will also be delighted to know that Dunn isn't bothered by anything serious and is simply a bit banged up. He's second on the team with 14 blocks and has tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in four appearances this season. Dunn collected a power-play assist on Thursday before his exit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Emerald City Hockey
2 weeks agoColumbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson sustained an upper-body injury in Thursday's matchup against Buffalo and could be out for a while. He was involved in a collision with teammate James van Riemsdyk and appeared to have hurt his left arm/hand. Blue Jackets head coach Dave Evason said after the game Johnson's injury "didn't look good." The 22-year-old is set to undergo further evaluation on Friday. The Blue Jackets have already lost defenseman Erik Gudbranson (upper body) in a similar incident this week. Johnson has had a great start to the campaign with five points (two goals, three assists) in four games and joined the top-six for Thursday's action. His injury will allow Kevin Labanc to draw back into the lineup. Labanc collected assists in back-to-back games before being scratched on Thursday in favor of Justin Danforth, who made his season debut.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brian Hedger
2 weeks agoMontreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson was forced to an early exit on Thursday versus Los Angeles due to an upper-body injury. He left the game after the first period, finishing with 7:35 of ice time. Matheson registered one shot and one block in the contest. The severity of the injury is currently unknown. It's a huge loss for the Canadiens if Matheson has to spend some time on the sidelines, as the 30-year-old logs heavy minutes as a member of the first defensive pairing and the top power-play unit. Matheson boasts three assists for the season and sits second on the team with 12 blocks through five games. With him out, Lane Hutson logged over 30 minutes of ice time on Thursday, while Kaiden Guhle also saw extra action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (lower body) will not suit up against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. He continues to nurse a lower-body injury, sitting out a second consecutive game. David Rittich will log another start despite having a nightmare in his season debut on Wednesday versus Toronto. The Czech netminder lasted only 32:22, allowing four goals on 14 shots. Pheonix Copley, who gave up two goals on 12 shots against the Maple Leafs, will continue as the backup versus Montreal. Rittich owns a 1-3-1 career record against the Canadiens and takes on a team that has averaged 3.00 goals per game this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Zach Dooley
2 weeks agoBuffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn won't feature against the Blue Jackets on Thursday, exiting the lineup as a healthy scratch. The young winger gets some time off to reset after logging one assist and a minus-four rating in five games to start the season. Jiri Kulich takes over from Quinn on the second line and should also see time on the second power-play unit. He's been quiet early in the season as well, going scoreless in three appearances with four shots and a minus-one rating. However, Kulich and the Sabres have a chance to kickstart their campaign on Thursday against a struggling defense that has allowed 3.67 goals per game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Buffalo Sabres
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