6 days agoUtah Hockey Club center Nick Bjugstad (upper body) is expected to make his season debut on Saturday versus Los Angeles. Bjugstad hasn't yet played in 2024-25 due to an upper-body injury. The six-foot-six centerman will see action in a third-line role. He practiced on a line with Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse on Friday. Last season, Bjugstad had one of his best campaigns offensively, as he tallied 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games. He also adds muscle to the Utah lineup, averaging 1.60 hits per game for his career.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Belle Fraser
6 days agoOttawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark (muscle strain) will return to the crease on Friday versus Vegas. He has missed four contests after sustaining a muscle strain. This will be Ullmark's third start as a Senator. He beat Florida 3-1 in his debut with 31 saves but was hammered by Montreal 4-1 in his second outing. The Swedish veteran has registered a good .914 save percentage with his new team. Ullmark's numbers could take a beating on Friday, as the Golden Knights have gone a perfect 4-0-0 on home ice, averaging 5.25 goals per game.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
6 days agoOttawa Senators center Shane Pinto (undisclosed) will miss Friday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He was regarded as a game-time decision for the contest after Pinto missed Thursday's practice. Pinto has been rolling as the third-line center, notching three points (one goal, two assists) in six games. Nick Cousins will fill in for him on the line versus Vegas. Cole Reinhardt will make his season debut on the fourth line. He has been in excellent form in the AHL this campaign, with five points (two goals, three assists) in three games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce Garrioch
6 days agoMinnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman (upper body, illness) will be absent for at least two more games. Hartman has returned home ahead of the team's final two stops on its seven-game road trip. The team faces Philadelphia on Saturday before traveling to Pittsburgh to kick off the new week. Hartman has already been out for three games with an upper-body injury, and he's also been under the weather lately. During Hartman's absence, Marcus Foligno has hopped on the second power-play unit but hasn't been effective in the role. Marat Khusnutdinov looks set to continue as the Wild's third-line center.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michael Russo
6 days agoPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (undisclosed) could be out of action for the first time this season on Saturday against Minnesota. York missed Friday's practice, and Flyers head coach John Tortorella noted that he's uncertain about York's status for Saturday's game. York has been one of the better performers on a struggling team. Through seven outings, the 23-year-old has recorded three points (two goals, one assist) with nine shots, 10 blocks, and seven hits. Erik Johnson is poised to rejoin the lineup if York can't play. Meanwhile, Egor Zamula and Nick Seeler will get larger roles on the blue line. Saturday's matchup promises to be very difficult for the Flyers defense as they welcome the red-hot Kirill Kaprizov to town.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jordan Hall
6 days agoPhiladelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day after missing Friday's practice. He's in danger of missing his first game of the season on Saturday versus Minnesota. Konecny has registered back-to-back 30-goal campaigns and is among Philadelphia's biggest scoring threats, but the 2024-25 hasn't started well for him. With seven games played, Konecny is tied for the league-worst plus/minus rating with minus-10 and boasts only four points (three goals, one assist). Has hasn't yet scored any points during even-strength play. Bobby Brink should re-enter the lineup on Saturday, while Joel Farabee could earn a promotion to the top six if Konecny is out.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jamey Baskow
6 days agoNew York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere has landed a seven-year, $52.15 million extension. The first pick of the 2020 draft will now be tied with the team through the 2031-32 season. His new contract will have a $7.45 million cap hit. Lafreniere got handsomely rewarded for a breakout campaign. After mostly struggling through his first few years in the league, he posted 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games last season. Lafreniere then went on to play a key role in the playoffs, amassing 14 points (eight goals) in 16 games. The 23-year-old has maintained the momentum in 2024-25, averaging a point per game through the first seven games, with four goals and three assists to his name.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 days agoVegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (undisclosed) appears ready to make his season debut. He will be sitting out another game on Friday versus Ottawa but is expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's matchup against San Jose. Karlsson's return will be a further boost for a Vegas team that has started the season well. The Swedish centerman is projected to line up on the third line. However, he should get usage on the power play straight away, and there aren't much better matchups around than facing the 0-6-2 Sharks, who are allowing 3.88 goals per game with a 75.7 percent penalty kill.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Danny Webster
7 days agoSeattle Kraken center Matty Beniers hit top gear against the Jets on Thursday, recording two goals and an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss. Beniers opened the scoring in the game in the first period and led the charge during a comeback effort in the third frame, assisting Jordan Eberle on his sixth tally of the year and knotting things up at three at the 16:38 mark. These are Beniers' first goals of the campaign. Additionally, Beniers sits on just two assists through eight games. It's been a rough start for Beniers, but Thursday's outing should give him momentum for the next few games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 days agoMinnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov continued his prolific form with a three-point outing in Thursday's 4-2 road win against the Lightning. Kaprizov had two of the goals and produced a power-play assist. The Russian superstar is now riding a four-game multi-point streak, matching his career high. Kaprizov has recorded three goals and six assists during this run. It has lifted him to 13 points (four goals, nine assists) for the season, good enough to share the second spot on the league's scoring list. Next up, Minnesota faces a Philadelphia team that has allowed a league-high 4.43 goals per game, putting Kaprizov in an ideal spot to continue his impressive scoring form.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 days agoDetroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane picked up two points as the team defeated New Jersey 5-3 on Thursday. Kane collected a goal and an assist with the man advantage in the third period, with his second marker of the year ending up as the game-winning goal. The former MVP has started to heat up, lightning the lamp in back-to-back contests and putting together a three-game point streak. He has scored five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games across the campaign with 15 shots. Saturday's matchup against his hometown Sabers offers Kane a good opportunity to extend his scoring run. Buffalo has a poor defensive record, and Kane has always enjoyed this matchup, collecting 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 28 career appearances against the Sabres.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 days agoDallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin reminded everybody how good he can be on Thursday, completing a revenge game against the Bruins with three points. The Stars rocked the Bruins in Boston with a 5-2 victory, and Seguin had one goal and two assists against his former team. He finished off a flurry of three power-play goals for the Stars in the second period, and Matt Duchene benefited from his passing, along with Roope Hintz, who struck an empty-net goal. Following a three-game spell on the sidelines due to a lower-body injury, Seguin rejoined the lineup earlier in the week and has scored in back-to-back games. Aside from the injury concern, Seguin has had an excellent start to the season, recording four goals and seven points in five games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
7 days agoColorado Avalanche forward Ross Colton (upper body) did not finish Thursday's 5-1 victory over Utah. He exited the contest after getting slashed on the hand. Colton, who has been in impressive form early in the season, opened the scoring with a power-play goal on Thursday. It's his fourth power-play goal of the year already, and Colton has tallied seven markers in total -- only Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov has been more prolific with eight goals. In eight outings, Colton has also picked up one assist. The Avalanche are expected to provide more info on Colton's injury on Friday. The team heads out for the next game on Sunday night versus Ottawa.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Aarif Deen
7 days agoVegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (illness) has agreed to a seven-year extension. He has signed a deal that's worth $51.9 million and carries an average annual value of $7.425 million. The contract starts next year when Theodore's current deal expires. As of right now, he's the third most expensive defenseman on the team with a $5.2 million cap hit. Despite his positioning on the salary list, Theodore has finished as Vegas' highest-scoring blue-liner several times. The 29-year-old has opened the 2024-25 campaign with seven points (one goal, six assists) in six games. Theodore is expected to return to the lineup on Friday versus Ottawa following a bout with an illness.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 week agoSan Jose Sharks center Will Smith will not play against the Kings on Thursday. He will be a healthy scratch for the second time this season. Smith hasn't yet done any damage offensively during his rookie campaign, going scoreless in six contests with a minus-four rating. He has registered nine shots on goal while averaging slightly below 14 minutes per game. Smith will likely rejoin the lineup when the Sharks visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. With Macklin Celebrini (lower body) also on the sidelines, Mikael Granlund and Alex Wennberg are currently handling center duties on San Jose's scoring lines.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sheng Peng
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