1 day agoMinnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) will return from a one-game absence on Tuesday against St. Louis. The Swedish forward will join the top line and is also set to work on the first power-play unit. Eriksson Ek has spent most of the season on the second line, registering eight points (five goals, three assists) in 14 appearances. He's been limited to one assist in six outings. The Wild clearly want to get him going again offensively by partnering Eriksson Ek with Kirill Kaprizov. With Mats Zuccarello (lower body) out of the lineup, Matt Boldy has also moved to the first line.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sarah McLellan
1 day agoSt. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (ankle) will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against Minnesota. He's back after missing 12 games with a fractured ankle. Thomas picked up six points (one goal, five assists) in seven outings before landing on the shelf. The 25-year-old will resume his duties as the first-line center and will also join the first power-play unit. Thomas was held without a point by the Wild on Oct. 15, but he has amassed 16 points against them throughout his career -- it's his third-highest points tally against any opposition. As a result of Thomas' return, Mathieu Joseph will sit as a healthy scratch on Tuesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Blues
1 day agoNew York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov (upper body) will return to the lineup on Tuesday against Calgary. He's missed the past seven games and has played in only one of the last 11 contests. The Russian blue-liner boasts two assists for the season with 10 shots on goal, 21 blocks, and 16 hits in eight outings. Romanov will be reunited with Noah Dobson on the first defensive pairing. Grant Hutton will come out of the lineup. The Flames average the eighth-most hits per game, and Romanov's return will help the Islanders match their physicality.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Stefen Rosner
1 day agoTampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (lower body) will return to the lineup Tuesday versus Pittsburgh. He has received the green light to return after sitting out four games. Before suffering a lower-body injury, Point was on fire, going scoreless in only two of 12 appearances. He has notched eight goals and five assists this term. Point will join Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov on the top line, bumping Anthony Cirelli down to the second. Cirelli must also relinquish his role on the first power-play unit, but he will still have a good amount of fantasy value. The 27-year-old has averaged a point per game in 16 appearances, with four goals and 12 assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
1 day agoVancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland (personal) is considered a game-time call for Tuesday's matchup against the Rangers. The 28-year-old is set to become a father soon and didn't skate Tuesday morning. Garland has posted assists in back-to-back games and sits third on the team's scoring charts with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) through 17 appearances. J.T. Miller (personal) has already been ruled out for Tuesday night, and if Garland can't play either, the Canucks will have to count more on their depth pieces. Kiefer Sherwood has already seen increased playing time recently, and Dakota Joshua may experience the same.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Adam Kierszenblat
1 day agoVancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller is taking an indefinite leave for personal reasons, the team announced Tuesday. Miller exits the lineup as Vancouver's second-best scorer. He has totaled 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 17 outings. Elias Pettersson is set to step into the top-line center role on Tuesday versus the Rangers, while the team has recalled winger Arshdeep Bains from the AHL. Bains is averaging a point per game in the minors but has been limited to one goal in eight NHL appearances. Miller's absence also looks to benefit Dakota Joshua, who only recently made his season debut.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoWashington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin (leg) has been labeled as week-to-week. The legendary forward suffered a lower leg injury in Monday's 6-2 win against Utah. The injury will halt Ovechkin's quest to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. After finding the back of the net twice in Monday's win, he needs 27 more goals to make the record his own. Ovechkin leads the league in goals for the first time since 2022 and has amassed 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 18 games during a highly productive start to the campaign. A more specific timeline for Ovechkin's return might be provided later in the week, as team physicians will evaluate him further on Wednesday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoPhiladelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny took his point streak to seven games with an assist in Monday's 3-2 loss to Colorado. Konecny's work helped Owen Tippett to spark a late comeback effort after Philadelphia had fallen 3-0 behind. The seven-game run matches Konecny's second-longest point streak of his career. His best-ever scoring streak stands at 10 games. He can match it this week if he stays productive against Carolina, Chicago, and Vegas. Konecny is once again leading the Flyers in scoring with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 19 games. The 27-year-old is part of a 12-player group in the league that has registered double digits in both goals and assists.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoMontreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault recorded his second shutout of the season with a 30-save effort against Edmonton in a 3-0 win Monday night. The 28-year-old was impressive with his work, blanking a team that had scored three-plus goals in four consecutive games. Following a tricky period, Montembeault has started to return to form, winning back-to-back starts to take his record to 6-8-1. He has allowed 2.85 goals this season while recording a .906 save percentage. Montembeault now has a chance to put together his first three-game winning streak since 2021-22, but he will find himself in a tough spot on Saturday against a top-class Vegas team.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoSan Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund provided two goals in Monday's 5-4 overtime win against Detroit. He squeezed a power-play marker between two Red Wings strikes in the first period and tied the game at two during even-strength play in the second. Eklund was highly efficient in front of the net, bagging his two goals with only three shots on goal. The Sharks have looked much better in recent weeks, and it's helped Eklund to heat up. He finds himself on a four-game point streak that consists of two goals and four assists. For the season overall, Eklund has registered 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 19 outings. He is well on his way to surpassing the 45 points he had during his rookie campaign last year.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoAnaheim Ducks right wing Brett Leason produced a three-point outing as the team shocked the Dallas Stars with a 4-2 victory on Monday. Leason potted Anaheim's second goal and collected two assists, including one with the man advantage. The 25-year-old has only recently started to log regular power-play time because the Ducks attack has lost Robby Fabbri (knee) and Mason McTavish (upper body). He has jumped on the third line and has been highly effective, amassing six points (two goals, four assists) in the past four games. Leason sits on seven points (two goals, five assists) in 12 games for the campaign. He's not known as a scorer and likely won't be able to keep up his current form for much longer, but Leason gets a good matchup on Tuesday against the struggling Blackhawks.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 days agoAnaheim Ducks left wing Brock McGinn sustained a lower-body injury in Monday's 4-2 win at Dallas. He had to leave after eight shifts when McGinn crashed into the boards. The 30-year-old has recorded six points (three goals, three assists) in 17 appearances this season and sits second on the team with 44 hits. Anaheim is back on the ice Tuesday night against Chicago, giving McGinn very little time to recover, and he should be regarded as questionable for the game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Anaheim Ducks
2 days agoWashington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin suffered a leg injury against Utah on Monday and is under evaluation. Fresh off his 31st career hat trick, Ovechkin scored two more goals in Monday's 6-2 win, but he was forced to exit the contest in the third period following a collision with Utah forward Jack McBain. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery expects to know more about Ovechkin's injury on Tuesday. Losing the veteran star would be a massive blow for Washington. Ovechkin has just taken over the goal-scoring lead in the league and has amassed 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) in 18 outings. Jakub Vrana might get a shot in the top six if Ovechkin has to miss additional time.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Tarik El-Bashir
2 days agoBuffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (undisclosed) is considered week-to-week. An undisclosed injury kept Greenway sidelined on Saturday versus Philadelphia, and it's now clear that he will be forced to miss multiple games. Greenway has contributed three goals and three assists in 16 outings this season while delivering 40 hits. Jiri Kulich took Greenway's spot in the lineup at the weekend but didn't do anything noteworthy in a 5-2 defeat to the Flyers. He has recorded one goal with 19 shots and eight hits in nine appearances this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bill Hoppe
2 days agoMontreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard (upper body) will play against Edmonton on Monday. He was a late scratch on Saturday versus Columbus due to an upper-body injury. Savard has been offensively anonymous in 2024-25, collecting four assists in 17 games, but he's second on the team with 45 blocks and has delivered 17 hits. The veteran will take up his normal position on the second defensive pairing next to Lane Hutson. Justin Barron will head to the press box as a healthy scratch.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Marc Dumont
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