3 weeks agoColumbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov will get the nod for Saturday's tough road matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. He'll head to work for the first time this season following Elvis Merzlikins' exploits in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota. Playing on a struggling team, Tarasov has had very little joy in his NHL career, going 12-24-4 across 42 starts. He has registered a 3.39 goals-against average with a .905 save percentage. This promises to be another long night for Tarasov, although he beat the Avalanche with a 45-save effort last season and takes on a team that's missing multiple important offensive pieces.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Svoboda
3 weeks agoCalgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf will make his first appearance of the season in Saturday's matchup against Philadelphia. The Flames enjoyed a winning start to the campaign on Wednesday with Dan Vladar in the crease, but he wasn't very sharp, giving up five goals on 24 shots. Wolf has built himself a big reputation in the AHL, but things haven't yet clicked for him very well in the big league. The 23-year-old carries a 7-7-1 career record, having allowed 3.16 goals with a .893 save percentage. However, Wolf has won each of his last four NHL starts and catches the Flyers on the second night of a back-to-back, so he looks to be a solid option between the pipes for fantasy managers on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Wes Gilbertson
3 weeks agoNew York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov is expected to make a second consecutive start in Saturday's clash with the Dallas Stars. Regular starter Ilya Sorokin was limited in training camp while recovering from back surgery, giving Varlamov a chance to open the campaign as the Islanders' No.1. He had a hard time against Utah on Thursday, finishing a 5-4 overtime loss with 21 saves. However, the Islanders are going with Varlamov again on Saturday in a tough matchup. The Russian veteran has a strong 17-9-2 career record against Dallas. But he faces a team that went 26-11-4 on home ice last season and is considered a heavy favorite by the bookmakers for Saturday's game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Gross
3 weeks agoSan Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (lower body) has been placed on Injured Reserve. He is considered week-to-week after reportedly playing through a hip injury in the season opener. Celebrini shined with two points in his NHL debut on Thursday versus St. Louis but will now have to sit out at least two games. His first opportunity to return comes on Thursday versus Chicago. Until then, fantasy managers should expect to see Mikael Granlund center San Jose's first line. Meanwhile, Klim Kostin will fill the open spot in the top six and join the second line for Saturday's game against Anaheim.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoFlorida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (lower body) is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. The Panthers captain suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Ottawa and heads to the shelf with one assist through the first two games of the season. Sam Bennett will take over as the first-line center on Saturday versus Buffalo. With Matthew Tkachuk (illness) also unavailable for the game, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen will join the top six for Saturday's matchup.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoPittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (lower body) will see his first action of the season in Saturday's clash with the Maple Leafs. Rust sat out the first two games of the season with a lower-body injury but is now ready to jump into the lineup. He joins the first line, linking up with old pal Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier. Rickard Rakell will move back down to the second line. Rust will look to hit the ground running after scoring a career-high 28 goals and picking up 56 points in 62 games last season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pittsburgh Penguins
3 weeks agoToronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares (illness) will not play against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The former Maple Leafs captain has gone down with an illness. He exits the lineup after posting one goal with six shots in the first two games of the season. Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McCann will have a chance to get extra usage with Tavares out. The veteran star will get his first opportunity to return on Wednesday versus Los Angeles.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Elliotte Friedman
3 weeks agoSt. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich recorded a game-high three points in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He had two goals and an assist, registering his second marker with the man advantage. Buchnevich led his team with four shots and collected one block in 20:39 of action. After going scoreless in St. Louis' season opener against Seattle, Buchnevich has bagged three goals and one assist with a plus-four rating. It looks like the experiment of playing him at center is working for the Blues. Buchnevich will aim to score in three consecutive games for the first time since January when the Blues face Minnesota on Tuesday night.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele potted two goals to hit 300 markers for his career in Friday's 2-1 overtime victory against Chicago. The Jets were heading towards a shock defeat in front of their fans before Scheifele managed to extend the game with his first tally with 1:04 remaining in regulation, and he ended the contest with 38 seconds played in overtime. Scheifele became the second player from the 2011 draft class to score 300 career goals, joining Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov (323). The Jets forward also had a goal and two points in Wednesday's season-opening 6-0 win over Edmonton, so fantasy managers must be very pleased with Scheifele's start to the year. Scheifele faces Minnesota next, looking to post his longest goal streak since scoring in the first three games last season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoTampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman tallied three assists in Friday's season-opening 4-1 win over Carolina. He collected two helpers on the power play and had one on an empty-net goal. The new Lightning captain logged one block and two hits on the defensive end while having two shots on goal and finishing with a plus-one rating in 23:11 of ice time. Hedman is a Rolls-Royce defenseman, and the captaincy might further elevate his game in 2024-25. Tampa Bay was scheduled to have a rematch with the Hurricanes on Saturday, but the game has been postponed. The team returns to action Tuesday night versus the Canucks, who have struggled in their first couple of outings of the season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoTampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov celebrated his sixth career hat trick as the team opened the 2024-25 campaign with an impressive 4-1 road win against Carolina. The Hurricanes grabbed the lead in front of their fans in the first period, but Kucherov had no intention of leaving the arena without a victory and produced three goals over the final nine minutes of play. He put the Lightning ahead with a power-play tally and completed his hat trick with a pair of empty-net goals. Kucherov also had a power-play assist in the game, helping Brayden Point tie the game early in the second period. Only Steven Stamkos (13) and Martin St. Louis (8) now have more hat tricks with the Lightning than Kucherov, who looks poised for another great year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoVancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers exited Friday's 3-2 shootout loss against Philadelphia with a lower-body injury. He was involved in an awkward collision with Flyers forward Joel Farabee early in the first period and needed help to get off the ice. Myers couldn't put any weight on his right leg. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet didn't have an update on Myers after the game. The 34-year-old is a big piece of the Canucks defense in more ways than one. Standing at six-foot-eight, Myers is an intimidating figure, but he occasionally helps out the offense as well. He tallied 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) in 77 games last season while racking up 136 blocks and 110 hits. Vincent Desharnais will likely enter the lineup if Myers lands on the shelf for the next game on Tuesday versus Tampa Bay.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
3 weeks agoDallas Stars center Mavrik Bourque (lower body) could be ready for his season debut this weekend. After sustaining a lower-body injury in training camp, Bourque was unavailable for Thursday's season opener against Nashville. However, he was able to skate on Friday, and Stars head coach Pete DeBoer is hopeful that the 22-year-old can feature in a game over the weekend. Dallas faces the Islanders on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday. The Stars are already looking stacked up front, but Bourque's addition will give the offense a further boost. He was the AHL's top scorer last season with 77 points (26 goals, 51 assists) in 71 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Lia Assimakopoulos
3 weeks agoColumbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (wrist) went through full practice on Friday and should be ready for his season debut soon. The 31-year-old has been recovering from wrist surgery and missed Thursday's season opener against Minnesota. However, he could be back in action as soon as Saturday when the Blue Jackets face Colorado on the road. Danforth posted 10 goals and 26 points in 71 games last season. He practiced on the fourth line on Friday but could end up in a much more significant role, as the Blue Jackets have already lost multiple forwards to injuries.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Svoboda
3 weeks agoColorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin (upper body) will be out for at least two games. On Friday, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar revealed that Drouin is troubled by an upper-body injury. Drouin put in a big shift in Colorado's season opener against Vegas on Wednesday, logging 21:25 of ice time. But he was also injured in the contest, leaving Colorado without another important offensive piece. Drouin joins Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder), and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) on the sidelines. He will be out for Saturday's clash with Columbus and Monday's matchup against the Islanders. Nikolai Kovalenko looks set to fill in for Drouin on the top line after skating there in Friday's practice.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Corey Masisak
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