3 weeks agoSeattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour (personal) will be back on the ice Saturday versus Ottawa. He skipped Thursday's matchup against Toronto to welcome a second child to his family. Montour crushed the Canadiens in his last outing with a four-point effort, which included his first career hat trick. He has tallied nine points (four goals, five assists) in 10 games overall this season. Cale Fleury made his season debut on Thursday and will likely have to make way for Montour on Saturday. The former Florida Panther will rejoin the top-four group at the back and is also set to return to the first power-play unit, bumping Ryker Evans to the second.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Julian Gaudio
3 weeks agoPhiladelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson sustained a lower-body injury in Saturday's game against Boston. Ersson logged only 7:36 of action, stopping all eight shots he faced. Aleksei Kolosov gave up two goals on 22 shots as Ersson's replacement in a 3-0 loss. Entering the weekend, Ersson was riding a three-game winning streak. He has played well all season and would be a big miss for the Flyers if Ersson has to sit out additional time. Kolosov played in only his second career game against the Bruins, and Ivan Fedotov has badly struggled this season, allowing over five goals (5.35) on average with a .821 save percentage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers had a field day against the Blue Jackets on Friday, completing a 6-2 road victory with his fifth career hat trick and four points. He picked up all three goals in even-strength situations and had his assist with the man advantage. Ehlers can be very happy with the work he's done so far this season. With 11 games played, the Danish winger has tallied seven goals and 15 points. He's one of six players with at least seven goals and seven assists through the early parts of the 2024-25 campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoNew York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin showed off good form in Friday's 2-1 win over Ottawa, saving 40 of 41 shots. Only a late Adam Gaudette strike slipped past Shesterkin, who recorded a second consecutive game with 40-plus saves. The Rangers No. 1 had a couple of rough outings at the end of last month, but he's been rock-solid for most of the campaign so far. Through eight starts, Shesterkin boasts a 5-2-1 record and one shutout. He has allowed 2.25 goals with a .931 save percentage. Among goalies who have started at least five games, only Anaheim's Lukas Dostal (.945) has been more effective with his work than Shesterkin.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov collected four points in Friday's NHL Global Series games against Dallas in Finland, finishing a 6-4 victory with a goal and three assists. Playing in his hometown, Tampere, Barkov became the fourth player in league history to record four points in a regular-season game outside North America. Following a two-week absence with a lower-body injury, Barkov has needed no time to hit form, recording six points (two goals, four assists in two games. He's up to seven points (two goals, five assists) in four games for the campaign. The Panthers captain gets another chance to rock in front of Finnish fans on Saturday in a rematch with the Stars.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoCalgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar registered a 22-save shutout in Friday's 3-0 victory over New Jersey. He picked up his first shutout of the year, bouncing back from three consecutive losses. The recent losing spell has left a stain on Vladar's record, but he's done well this season, going 3-2-1 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. Calgary continues to rotate the goalies, meaning we will likely see Dustin Wolf in Sunday's Battle of Alberta. Vladar will return to work on Monday in a good matchup against the 4-6-1 Canadiens.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoNew York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech left Friday's game against Buffalo after taking a puck to the face. He finished with 10:41 of ice time, logging three shots, two blocks, and two penalty minutes. Pelech has been cold on the offensive end lately, but he does have four assists to his name through 11 appearances. The 30-year-old leads the defensemen on the team with 17 hits and has recorded 12 blocks. The Islanders also lost Mike Reilly (upper body) on Friday, leaving potentially two gaps to fill at the back for the next game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefen Rosner
3 weeks agoNew York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly (upper body) logged only 7:24 of action in Friday's 4-3 win at Buffalo. He was injured midway through the game when Reilly hit his head on the ice following a hit from Sabres forward Jordan Greenway. Reilly needed assistance to leave the ice. It's not been a great campaign for Reilly, who sits scoreless through 11 outings, and a serious injury would be a new blow for him. Dennis Cholowski is poised to re-enter the lineup for Sunday's Battle of New York if Reilly can't play. Cholowski has one goal through three appearances this campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoNew Jersey Devils right wing Nathan Bastian injured his jaw in Friday's 3-0 loss to Calgary. He was limited to 3:29 of ice time after getting hurt in a fight with Flames forward Ryan Lomberg in the first period. Bastian recorded two hits and 17 penalty minutes in the contest before exiting the action. With 12 appearances this season, Bastian has racked up 21 penalty minutes overall, putting him second on the team. The 28-year-old has also been surprisingly effective on the offensive end, producing two goals and three assists. New Jersey also lost Curtis Lazar (knee) this week, so the team's fourth line is starting to get a completely new look.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: New Jersey Devils
3 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie will guard the crease in Friday's matchup against Columbus. The 29-year-old gets his third start of the campaign. He has previously beaten Pittsburgh and Calgary in high-scoring games, allowing three goals on both occasions. Comrie has saved 65 of 71 shots to register a solid .915 save percentage. The Jets have dropped only one game so far and are expected to cruise past the hosts on Friday. However, the Blue Jackets are riding a bit of momentum with three wins in four games and boast a hot goalie in Elvis Merzlikins, who has allowed only one goal across his last two starts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mark Scheig
3 weeks agoMontreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard took a maintenance day on Friday and didn't practice. The veteran defenseman had a busy night on Thursday against the Capitals, finishing with one assist and five blocks in 20:46 of ice time. Savard is second on the team with 31 blocks but has also upped his offensive game lately. Following a pointless start to the campaign, Savard has tallied four assists in the past five games. He has so featured in all 11 games this season and is expected to be available when the Canadiens visit Pittsburgh on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Montreal Canadiens
3 weeks agoNew York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) will return from a three-game absence on Friday against Buffalo. He was initially regarded as a game-time decision. However, it has now been confirmed by Stefen Rosner of NHL.com that Romanov will play on Friday. Romanov racks up defensive stats for fun but doesn't provide offense very often. In seven appearances this season, he has registered two assists, 10 shots, 19 hits, and 14 blocks. Romanov's return to the lineup pushes Mike Reilly back to the third defensive pairing while Dennis Cholowski exits the lineup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefen Rosner
3 weeks agoPittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin sat out Friday's practice for maintenance purposes. Malkin has played in all 12 games so far this season and is expected to remain in the lineup on Saturday versus Montreal. However, it looks like the Russian veteran is a bit banged up. Malkin enjoyed a red-hot start to his 19th NHL campaign but has been slumping lately. He's finished on the score sheet just once in the past seven games. Even moving up to the first line hasn't given Malkin a spark, despite Sidney Crosby shining next to him with two goals and three assists in two games this week. For the season overall, Malkin is still averaging over a point per game, sitting on three goals and 11 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michelle Crechiolo
3 weeks agoBuffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi will make his first start in five games on Friday when the team hosts the Islanders. After struggling in the first few games, the 22-year-old has seen limited action this season. Levi carries a 1-2-0 record and has allowed 3.79 goals with a .874 save percentage. However, on Friday, he gets a new opportunity as the Sabres kick off a back-to-back set. Levi is in a terrific position to regain some confidence because the Islanders have badly struggled for goals this season. They currently sit last in the league with a 2.10 goals-for-average, and Patrick Roy's team has already been shut out four times in 10 games. To make matters worse, the Islanders have also just lost their star man, Mathew Barzal (upper body).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Paul Hamilton
3 weeks agoMinnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman (upper body) will return from a five-game absence on Friday versus Tampa Bay. Hartman was sidelined early in the campaign by an upper-body injury after he scored two goals in four games. He re-enters the lineup on the fourth line, as the team doesn't want to break up its current third line, which has been performing well. Hartman's presence adds fantasy value to Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko, although there's going to be only limited action available for the fourth line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michael Russo
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