5 days agoAnaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler (upper body) is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. He has already been out for four games, and it looks like we won't be seeing him until December. The veteran defenseman has been limited to two assists in 12 games with 10 shots. However, he's averaged close to two blocks per game, and the Ducks will surely miss Fowler's defensive ability. Urho Vaakanainen (upper body) stepped into the lineup to cover for Fowler, but he has also suffered an injury. Drew Helleson was the next man up against Detroit on Friday. He tallied two assists in his season debut. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a repeat of the performance because Helleson is mainly seen as a physical presence on the team.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 days agoWashington Capitals right wing Brandon Duhaime suffered a lower-body injury in Friday's 5-2 win against Colorado. He couldn't finish the contest after blocking a shot from Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. It wasn't a good outing for Duhaime, as he logged a minus-two rating in 10:41 of action. The 27-year-old has registered five points (three goals, two assists) with 22 shots, 17 blocks, and 36 hits in 16 appearances this season. Washington will mainly miss his physicality if Duhaime can't play on Sunday versus Vegas. Hendrix Lapierre, who was a healthy scratch on Friday, is in line to rejoin the action.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: RMNB
5 days agoSeattle Kraken right wing Jordan Eberle (lower body) has been ruled out for this weekend's game against the New York teams. The veteran suffered a lower-body injury when he crashed into the boards in Thursday's contest versus Chicago. Through 17 games, Eberle is tied for the season-most points on the team with 11. Daniel Sprong is expected to jump into the lineup at the weekend. His second Kraken debut has been delayed due to immigration issues, but Sprong has finally joined the team. The 27-year-old was acquired in a trade with Vancouver last week. Sprong tallied 27 goals and 52 points in 82 appearances during his first stint in Seattle.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mike Benton
5 days agoMinnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello (lower body) has been ruled out for 3-4 weeks. He underwent surgery on Thursday night after getting injured in a 3-0 win over Montreal. Based on the expected timeline, Zuccarello will be out for at least 10 games. Working on the first line, Zuccarello has recorded 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 16 appearances this season. Matt Boldy looks set to replace him on the line until the veteran winger is ready to return. The Wild also lost Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) on Thursday, but he's considered day-to-day and might be good to go Saturday versus Dallas.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michael Russo
5 days agoColorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (upper body) will not dress for Friday's tilt against Washington. He has suffered an upper-body injury, which forces Georgiev to exit the lineup just as he had picked up some form. Following a terrible start to the year, he has won three consecutive outings. The recent run has improved Georgiev's record for the campaign to 4-5-0. His absence gives another start to Justus Annunen, who has impressed this season with a 5-2-0 record. Annunen has a 2.64 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. The Finnish netminder has been strong between the sticks, but he faces a tough Capitals team that has gone 10-4-1 while averaging the second-most goals in the league (4.13).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Colorado Avalanche
5 days agoAnaheim Ducks forward Robby Fabbri (knee) is expected to miss six weeks of action. According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Fabbri had meniscus surgery on Friday morning. He will miss a second consecutive game when the Ducks face Detroit on Friday. After joining from the Red Wings in the summer, Fabbri has badly struggled on his new team, posting two goals in 14 games. Brett Leason has moved up to the third line. Leason had two assists in the new role in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Vegas, but he isn't known for producing offense and should be ignored by fantasy managers.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Helene St. James
5 days agoAnaheim Ducks defenseman Urho Vaakanainen (undisclosed) will not be available for Friday's clash with Detroit. He missed Thursday's practice and is expected to be replaced in the lineup by Drew Helleson, who was called up from the minors earlier in the week. Vaakanainen has skated in five contests with the Ducks this season, recording one assist with three shots and seven blocks. Helleson has seen action in only a handful of NHL games so far, featuring three times in 2022-23. He has zero points with 14 penalty minutes in 12 AHL appearances this season. The 23-year-old is expected to provide physicality on the third defensive pairing.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Derek Lee
5 days agoPittsburgh Penguins left wing Matt Nieto (knee) will enter the lineup for his season debut on Friday versus Columbus. The 32-year-old has been unavailable for nearly a year due to knee problems, last playing in the NHL on Nov. 30, 2023. Nieto collected four points (one goal, three assists) in 22 outings last season. He makes a very welcome return for a team that's lost several attacking players to injury lately, but Nieto isn't expected to make an impact in fantasy hockey. The experienced winger joins the lineup in a fourth-line role, skating next to Noel Acciari and Valtteri Puustinen.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
5 days agoPittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (illness) will miss Friday's game against Columbus. He will exit the lineup due to an illness and should be regarded as questionable for Saturday's matchup versus San Jose. With nearly a quarter of the season gone, Letang has been a disappointment for fantasy managers. The offensively gifted rearguard has amassed six points (two goals, four assists) in 18 games. Jack St. Ivany will join the top-four group in defense on Friday. He has been limited to one assist in 14 appearances and has no fantasy value. The Penguins have also called up Owen Pickering from the minors.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoMinnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson posted his first shutout of the season on Thursday versus Montreal, keeping the opposition off the scoreboard with 19 saves in a 3-0 win. Gustavsson has looked great in the net this campaign, and he finally got his first shutout of the year after coming close to it several times. The Wild No. 1 has allowed one goal in four starts. Thursday's victory took Gustavsson's record to 8-2-2, and he boasts a 2.08 goals-against average with a .924 save percentage. Gustavsson's hot form gets a major test next on Saturday, as the Wild host a Dallas team that has scored seven goals in back-to-back games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoTampa Bay Lightning left wing Jake Guentzel bagged two goals as the team delivered the Winnipeg Jets their first road defeat of the season on Thursday with a 4-1 victory. Guentzel had the first and last goal of the game, wrapping things up with an empty-netter. With the two-goal effort, Guentzel ended a brief scoring drought, as he hadn't registered any points in two games. Guentzel's productivity has been lacking a bit this month, but he is still averaging a point per game with his new club. The skillful winger has registered seven goals and eight assists through 15 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoNew Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt rocked the Panthers with a hat trick in Thursday's 6-2 win. He became only the third player in Devils history to record an even-strength, power-play, and short-handed goal in the same game. Bratt enjoyed a fruitful October but has even turned it up a notch this month. He has registered four multi-point games in his last six appearances, reaching 24 points for the season. With 20 games played, Bratt has produced eight goals and 16 points. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier tend to grab the headlines on most nights with the Devils, but Bratt is currently the team's leading scorer, with only seven players ahead of him on the league's scoring charts.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoMinnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday's 3-0 win over Montreal. He was limited to 3:43 of ice time. Centering the second line, Eriksson Ek has contributed five goals and three assists in 14 appearances this season. He missed a pair of games early in the campaign due to a broken nose. Ryan Hartman skated as the second-line center during Eriksson Ek's absence. He might take over the position again if Eriksson Ek has to sit out additional time. The move to a scoring line would boost Hartman's fantasy value, but he's having a tough campaign. In 11 outings, Hartman has collected only four points (three goals, one assist).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Wild PR
6 days agoMinnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello (lower body) took only four shifts in Thursday's matchup against Montreal. He suffered a lower-body injury when teammate Brock Faber hit him with a shot. Zuccarello entered Thursday's tilt with a three-game point streak and has been part of the Wild's very prolific first line. He has tallied 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 16 outings. Ryan Hartman or Marcus Foligno could join the top-six group if Zuccarello is out on Saturday against Dallas. Both players might even end up there, as Minnesota also lost Joel Eriksson-Ek (lower body) on Thursday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Wild PR
6 days agoNew York Rangers center Filip Chytil (upper body) suffered a new injury blow in Thursday's 3-2 victory over San Jose. He sustained an upper-body injury in the second period in a collision with teammate K'Andre Miller. Chytil went scoreless across 9:37 of action with one shot on goal. The 25-year-old has a history of head injuries, which makes his exit very concerning. Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette has labeled Chytil as day-to-day, but he is still being evaluated for the injury. A concussion limited Chytil to only 10 appearances last season. He's been in good form in 2024-25, bagging nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 games as the third-line center.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Vince Z. Mercogliano
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