4 weeks agoAnaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson surrendered three goals on 32 shots in their overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday evening. The Ducks got out to a two-goal lead, but the Sabres evened the score late in the second frame with goals by Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker. Then, in overtime, Jiri Kulich sealed the victory for Buffalo. Since making his season debut on November 10, Gibson has carried a solid .906 SV% and 2.71 GAA with a 3-0-1 record. Given his strong play, fantasy managers should expect Gibson and Luka Dostal to continue to split time in the crease, with the veteran likely seeing the slight edge in playing time. After getting out to an impressive start, Dostal has now posted a .890 SV% over his past five games. Gibson's next start tentatively will be on Monday when the Ducks welcome the Seattle Kraken.Source: NHL.com
4 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced en route to defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday evening. Hellebuyck's lone blemish came in the final frame off a power-play goal by winger Michael Bunting. The Jets dominated play through most of the game, but the 31-year-old netminder was sharp when he was called upon. Since the start of the month, Hellebuyck has carried an impressive 7-1 record with a solid .925 SV% and a 2.13 GAA. He only allowed more than three goals in two of these starts and logged two shutouts in this span. Through 16 games this season, the star netminder sits with a stellar .924 SV% and 2.13 GAA, and a near-perfect 14-2 record. Fantasy managers should continue to view Hellebuyck as an elite goaltender and a top option in DFS formats.Source: NHL.com
4 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Kyler Connor tallied a goal and an assist during Friday's victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Connor tallied the primary assist on Gabriel Vilardi's power-play tally in the second frame. Connor then found the back of the net in the final minutes with an empty-netter to put the game out of reach. The 27-year-old has now tallied at least two points in each of his past two games. This is a great sign, as Connor tallied just three points in his previous six games before this stretch. Overall, the former first-round selection has scored 13 goals and logged 13 helpers across 20 games while tallying 73 shots on goal with a +10 rating. Fantasy managers should continue to view Connor as an elite winger with a high-scoring upside playing top minutes on a competing Winnipeg team.Source: NHL.com
1 month agoSeattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn (upper body) might be back in action next week. He will join the team for a brief two-game road trip, which begins on Saturday in L.A., but Dunn isn't quite ready to play yet. However, per Scott Malone of Root Sports, Dunn could return to the lineup later next week. An upper-body injury has kept Dunn out for 15 games. During his absence, Ryker Evans has skated in a top-four role, with Brandon Montour quarterbacking the first power-play unit. It looks like the two will handle extra work for at least three more games.Source: Scott Malone
1 month agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs have signed winger Alexander Nylander to a one-year, $775,000 contract. The younger brother of Maple Leafs star William Nylander earned the contract for his productive work in the minors. Skating with the Toronto Marlies, Nylander has been averaging close to a point per game in the AHL, notching eight goals and four assists in 14 outings. Nylander boasts 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) in 121 NHL appearances. He was solid with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season before landing in the minors for the start of the 2024-25 campaign. Nylander replaces Matthew Knies (upper body) on the roster, who was placed on Injured Reserve. The Maple Leafs have several other forwards missing as well, giving Nylander a chance to play meaningful minutes right off the bat.Source: NHL.com
1 month agoChicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson (hand) is expected to remain in the lineup on Saturday versus Philadelphia. He injured his hand Thursday against Florida. Dickinson has lately found himself as the Blackhawks' first-line center, with Connor Bedard skating on the wing. He produced a two-goal effort against Anaheim earlier in the week. The season as a whole hasn't been very fruitful for Dickinson, as he's sitting on seven points (four goals, three assists) through 20 games. However, that's been the case for most Chicago skaters, with the team scoring only 2.35 goals per game, which is the third-worst mark in the league.Source: Greg Boysen
1 month agoPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (upper body) appears to be ready to rejoin the lineup on Saturday against Chicago. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic has reported that "all signs seem to be pointing towards" York's return on Saturday. The 23-year-old has missed nearly a month of action, sitting out 13 games. York has recorded three points (two goals, one assist), nine shots, 10 blocks, and seven hits in seven games this season. He's set to resume his duties on the first defensive pairing next to Travis Sanheim. Fellow blue-liner Emil Andrae (undisclosed) is also on track to return to the lineup on Saturday.Source: Kevin Kurz
1 month agoAnaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (upper body) will be sidelined for a sixth consecutive game on Friday against Buffalo. The 21-year-old has rejoined practice and will be re-evaluated on Sunday, so it looks like he is on the cusp of returning. However, Friday's game comes too soon for McTavish, who has recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) in 13 games this season. With McTavish's return, Isac Lundestrom will likely be bumped back to the fourth line. Lundestrom started out well on the third line, scoring a goal in a 4-2 win over Columbus on Nov. 10., but he hasn't added to his points tally since then.Source: Derek Lee
1 month agoBuffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson (lower body) will miss a fourth consecutive game on Friday versus Anaheim. Buffalo's top goal-scorer continues to work his way back from a lower-body injury and will get his next chance to return on Saturday when the team completes a back-to-back against San Jose. Ryan McLeod will continue to skate as the top-line center on Friday. He has posted two goals and one assist with six shots in the role in the three games Thompson has missed.Source: Buffalo Sabres
1 month agoPittsburgh Penguins center Kevin Hayes (upper body) is considered a game-time call for Friday's matchup against Winnipeg. He's been unavailable for the past seven games due to an upper-body injury but might be ready to rejoin the action Friday night. Hayes has worked in the bottom six for the Penguins this season, averaging 9:27 of ice time. He's won a whopping 59.3 percent of his faceoffs but hasn't contributed much on the offensive end, sitting on three goals and one assist with 14 games played. The 32-year-old has gone scoreless in each of his last six appearances.Source: Josh Getzoff
1 month agoPittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (illness) is regarded as a game-time decision for Friday's contest against Winnipeg. He might be back from a three-game absence after battling an illness. Letang continues to play a big role for the Penguins, averaging over 23 minutes of ice time per game, but he's struggled offensively this season. In 18 appearances, Letang has contributed two goals and four assists. The former All-Star is expected to join his regular partner Matt Grzelcyk on the second defensive pairing if he's good to go on Friday. Jack St. Ivany will come out of the lineup.Source: Josh Getzoff
1 month agoCalgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar played his part in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Rangers with three assists. Weegar set up one power-play goal and two even-strength tallies as Calgary improved to 8-3-0 on home ice. The 30-year-old blue-liner led all skaters with seven shots on goal. Since starting the campaign with goals in back-to-back games, Weegar has lit the lamp just one more time, adding eight assists in 20 appearances. He's on 56 shots, 48 blocks, and 51 hits. Weegar's scoring pace has dropped compared to 2023-24, but his all-around ability keeps his fantasy stock high.Source: ESPN
1 month agoSan Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini registered two assists in Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss against St. Louis. Celebrini's work on the power play helped Alex Wennberg to tie the score at one in the first period, and his second assist came with just nine seconds left in regulation as Wennberg scored again. Mikael Granlund also had an assist on both plays. Celebrini sits on seven points (four goals, three assists) through his first 10 career games. Only Tomas Hertl (10) has recorded more points in his first 10 games for San Jose as a teenager. Celebrini has done well, but his consistency needs work, as most of his scoring has come from three multi-point games.Source: ESPN
1 month agoTampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov went without a goal on six shots against Columbus on Thursday but had three assists in a 7-6 overtime loss. Kucherov started the night with a power-play helper just two minutes into the contest and joined the 900-point club on Thursday in his 743rd career game. The Russian star became the fourth-fastest player born outside North America to hit the 900-point plateau. Kucherov is on track for another big campaign, picking up 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 18 appearances. He's currently tied for the fourth-most points in the league.Source: ESPN
1 month agoColumbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan played a key role in Thursday's comeback win against Tampa Bay, amassing four points in a 7-6 overtime victory. The Lightning jumped 3-0 ahead before Monahan sparked a comeback effort with a goal in the first period. He then added three assists to his tally, including a short-handed helper. Monahan has been something special lately, going for eight points (one goal, seven assists) in four games. The scoring spurt has helped him to become a point-per-game player. In 19 appearances this season, Monahan has registered seven goals and 12 assists.Source: ESPN