3 weeks agoOttawa Senators forward Claude Giroux (personal) will play in Thursday's curtain-raiser against Florida. The veteran has missed some practice time this week due to the birth of his third son. Giroux will slot into the first line and is set to skate with the second power-play unit. He was limited to only one point in four meetings with his former team last season, and this is definitely a difficult challenge for Giroux & Co. However, the building in Ottawa should be buzzing with excitement, and the Panthers were leaky at the back in their season opener against Boston on Tuesday, allowing four goals.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: TSN 1200 Ottawa
3 weeks agoDallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston (undisclosed) will play against the Nashville Predators on Thursday. He was expected to get healthy in time for the season opener, and the Stars will have a chance to use him. The 21-year-old starts the campaign on the third line but is expected to see usage on the top power-play unit. Only 10 of Johnston's career-high 65 points (32 goals, 33 assists) came in power-play situations last season, and he definitely has room for improvement with the man advantage.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brien Rea
3 weeks agoDallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (foot) will be in the lineup against Nashville on Thursday. He's been deemed good to go for the season opener after recovering from offseason foot surgery. Robertson will take up his usual spot on the top line and the first power-play unit. While his scoring rate dropped last season, Robertson still saw a lot of success in the matchup against the Predators, registering five points (one goal, four assists) in four head-to-head clashes. In fact, Robertson has notched 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 20 career appearances against Nashville, which is his best return against any opposition.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Brien Rea
3 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck played a perfect game in the crease in Wednesday's season opener, keeping Edmonton's high-octane offense at bay with 30 saves in a 6-0 road win. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner became the first goalie in franchise history to post a shutout in a season-opening game. It was a fantastic year for Hellebuyck in 2023-24, and his effort on Wednesday shows that he's ready to repeat his success in the new campaign. Hellebuyck will face the Blackhawks next on Friday night.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoCalgary Flames center Nazem Kadri had two assists as the team shocked the Vancouver Canucks with a comeback in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime win. The Flames played out an awful first 20 minutes of the new campaign, falling 4-1 behind, but the team found a way to turn things around. Defensemen Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar benefited from Kadri's playmaking, with the latter scoring in a power-play situation. Kadri finished as Calgary's top scorer last season and should enjoy another productive campaign as the top-line center in 2024-25.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoNew York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin backstopped the team to a 6-0 win over Pittsburgh in Wednesday's season opener, recording a 29-save shutout. The Rangers hadn't started the season with a shutout since 1956 when Gump Worsley helped the team to a 3-0 triumph over Chicago. Shesterkin became the fifth Rangers goalie overall to shut down the opposition in a season-opening game. It's the start of a contract year for Shesterkin, and it couldn't have gone any better. The Russian netminder will face the league's new boys, the Utah Hockey Club, in the next game on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoMontreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault made a dream start to the 2024-25 season, finishing a matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a shutout in a 1-0 win. Montembeault stopped 48 shots and established an NHL record for most saves in a season-opening shutout since shots were first tracked in 1955-56. He's the first goalie to neutralize the Maple Leafs since Nov. 21, 2021. Toronto scored in 252 consecutive games, including the playoffs, to put together the third-longest scoring streak in league history. Montembeault's fantastic outing meant the Maple Leafs fell only 12 games short of matching the Los Angeles Kings' all-time record. Montreal will need more than a few similar efforts from Montembeault to get back into playoff contention this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoColorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen kicked off the new season with his eighth career hat trick, scoring in each period in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to Vegas. Only Jari Kurri (23), Teemu Selanne (22), and Patrik Laine (10) now have more hat tricks in NHL history among Finnish-born players. Rantanen struck twice during even-strength play and had one power-play goal, finishing with a game-high six shots on goal. The 27-year-old entered the campaign having scored nearly 100 goals across the previous two seasons, and it looks like Rantanen has no plans of slowing down in front of the net.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoVegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel opened the 2024-25 NHL campaign with a playmaking clinic, finishing an 8-4 victory over Colorado with four assists. Eichel helped both of his linemates, Ivan Barbashev and Mike Stone, on the scoreboard in the first frame, contributed to a Zach Whitecloud goal in the second, and completed the damage with a power-play assist on Stone's second goal of the night in the third period. There had previously been only five occasions of a player notching four assists in the season opener since 2002-03. Eichel and Barbashev (two goals, two assists) established a new franchise record for most points scored in a season-opening game. It was a very productive start from Vegas' top line, and all three look set for a fruitful campaign if they don't run into any injuries.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoCalgary Flames center Kevin Rooney (undisclosed) was injured in Wednesday's season opener against Vancouver. With only seven minutes played in the contest, Rooney took a hard hit from Canucks forward J.T. Miller and exited the game after logging only two shifts as the fourth-line center. The American forward hasn't been very productive offensively in his career and settled for four points (three goals, one assist) in 33 outings last season. Matthew Coronato will have a chance to enter the lineup if Rooney isn't available for Saturday's meeting with Philadelphia.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: B/R Open Ice
3 weeks agoMinnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy (lower body) will play in Thursday's season opener against Columbus. The prolific forward sustained a lower-body injury early into training camp and has steadily worked his way back to full health. Boldy returned to full practice at the start of the week and has now been declared available for the first game of the season. The 23-year-old has practiced on the second line with Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek. Boldy, who notched 69 points (29 goals, 40 assists) in 75 games last season, will also be part of the first power-play unit.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jessi Pierce
3 weeks agoNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (lower body) is in danger of missing Thursday's season opener against the Dallas Stars. He's battling a lower-body injury and is currently considered day-to-day. Saros has been among the NHL's top goalies for several years, and Nashville is weaker in every game without him. Career backup Scott Wedgewood will be in line for a start on Thursday if Saros can't go, while Matt Murray has been summoned from the AHL to work as the backup. Wedgewood is fresh off a stint with the Stars, having posted a 53-28-16 record with the team across three seasons. He has won one of four career starts against them.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Alex Daugherty
3 weeks agoSeattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord has signed a five-year, $25 million extension with the club. He will complete a two-year, $2.4 million pact in 2024-25 before the new deal kicks in next season. Seattle has gotten a nice amount of value out of Daccord's current contract. He produced a 19-18-11 record last season while posting three shutouts with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. However, despite the good form Daccord demonstrated last term, he was left on the bench for Tuesday's season opener behind Philipp Grubauer. The two are set for a fascinating battle for playing time. We should see both goalies in action over the weekend, as the Kraken face Minnesota and Dallas in a back-to-back situation.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoOttawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark signed a four-year, $33 million extension on Wednesday. The new contract, which has an average annual value of $8.25 million, will kick in next season. Senators locked up Ullmark to a multi-year deal before he's even made his team debut. The Swedish netminder was acquired in a trade on June 24 following his impressive three-year stint with the Boston Bruins. The big extension indicates that the Senators have complete faith in Ullmark's ability to replicate the outstanding form in Ottawa. Ullmark, who picked up the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie in 2023, is set to see his first regular-season action as a Senator on Thursday against the Stanley Cup-defending Florida Panthers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
3 weeks agoPittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (lower body) will miss Wednesday's season opener against the Rangers. He has failed to shake off a lower-body injury ahead of the start of the season and sits out the action despite skating on Wednesday morning. Rust's injury means Sidney Crosby will be paired with Drew O'Connor and Anthony Beauvillier on the top line to start the year. Both wingers will have elevated fantasy value thanks to the presence of the NHL's 10th all-time top scorer.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Seth Rorabaugh
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