6 days agoFlorida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (upper body) will make his team debut on Friday against the Utah Hockey Club. The veteran forward has been dealing with an upper-body injury for a few weeks since the Boston Bruins traded him to Florida. Marchand last played on March 1. He is expected to join the second line, working with Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich. Florida will likely provide him with plenty of opportunities on the power play as well. Even at 36, Marchand has remained a productive winger, recording 21 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
6 days agoSeattle Kraken left wing Jaden Schwartz found the back of the net twice during their 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Schwartz did all of his damage in the second frame. He first scored on the power play on a tip-in. Later in the period, he would find the back of the net during 5-on-5 play on a wrist shot. In this contest, he logged seven shots on goal and added one hit and one blocked shot. Over his previous five games, Schwartz has begun to find his footing offensively as he has scored four goals and added two helpers. However, before this recent surge, he scored just one goal and added two helpers over his previous 14 games. Through 73 contests this season, Schwartz has scored 23 goals and tallied 22 helpers. He will look to stay hot on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoDallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith stopped 46 of the 48 shots he saw en route to defeating the Calgary Flames on Thursday evening. The Flames had nearly double Dallas' shot total, but DeSmith was able to lead the way. His first blemish came in the second frame when center Nazem Kadri beat him with a wrist shot. In the third period, Kadri would strike again, this time on the power play for his 30th goal of the season. Even though Jake Oettinger sees the majority of starts in the Dallas crease, DeSmith has been effective when called on. Over his previous eight starts, DeSmith has posted an impressive 7-0-1 record with a .938 save percentage and a 1.98 GAA. Given his low ice time, he is only worth rostering in deeper formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoPhiladelphia Flyers rookie right wing Matvei Michkov scored two goals and added an assist during their victory on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. Michkov opened the scoring in the first period on a wrist shot. Later in the frame, he added the primary helper on Sean Couturier's 13th goal of the season. Michkov concluded his evening with his second goal in the third period. This outing extended his current point streak to four games. During this stretch, Michkov has scored twice and added five helpers. Before this recent surge, the former No. 7 overall pick was riding a six-game scoreless streak. Throughout his debut campaign, Michkov has scored 22 goals and added 32 helpers, with 15 of his points coming on the power play. He remains a solid option in standard leagues as he plays on the top forward line.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoTampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov tallied four points during their 8-0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday evening. Kucherov would tally the primary assist on Jake Guentzel's game-opening goal. In the second, Kucherov would find the back of the net on a backhand and added another primary helper, this time on Guentzel's power-play goal. Then in the third, Kucherov capped off his impressive evening with his third primary helper, this time on Brayden Point's 36th goal of the campaign. This outing extended his point streak to seven games. During this stretch, he has found the back of the net four times and added nine helpers. Through 68 total games, Kucherov has scored 32 goals and added 73 assists. He remains a must-start option in all leagues and a top lineup anchor in DFS.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
6 days agoCalgary Flames center Connor Zary (knee) departed Thursday's contest early. Zary collided with Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen in the final frame. He was in pain before exiting the contest. Zary missed time earlier in the season with a knee injury as well and could be facing another extended absence. Fantasy managers should monitor his status leading up to their next contest on Saturday evening against the Edmonton Oilers. If Zary were to miss time, Yegor Sharangovich will likely re-join the starting nine. Over his previous five contests, Zary has tallied three points (one goal) with 15 shots on goal. Through 54 games this season, Zary has found the back of the net 13 times and added 14 helpers. Sharangovich could have value in deeper formats if he takes Zary's place on the top forward line.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Logan Gordon
7 days agoNew York Rangers forward Matt Rempe (upper body) is set to miss some time after the team labeled him as week-to-week. Rempe has sustained an upper-body injury and will come out of the lineup on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, Rempe's campaign could be over. The 22-year-old enforcer has registered five points (two goals, three assists) in 36 games, along with 103 hits and 63 penalty minutes. Brett Berard, who has totaled eight points (four goals, four assists) in 28 games, may see regular action during Rempe's absence.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Larry Brooks
7 days agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor (personal) is expected to remain in the lineup on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. He skipped practice on Thursday, creating uncertainty about his status. However, Jets head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that Connor missed practice because his wife had a baby on Wednesday. The Jets winger should be good to go for Friday's tilt and will look to end a mini scoring slump. Connor has not registered any points in back-to-back games. It has been a small blip during an otherwise highly successful campaign, as Connor has amassed 37 goals and 86 points in 72 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ken Wiebe
7 days agoCalgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (upper body) will jump back into action on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. He has recovered from an upper-body injury, which sidelined Backlund for six games. The Swedish veteran will resume his role as the third-line center, bumping Yegor Sharangovich out of the lineup. Backlund found the back of the net against the Stars in a 3-2 overtime loss earlier this month, but he has not been a consistent scorer in 2024-25. Across 64 outings, he has managed 11 goals and 24 points. If Backlund does not improve his scoring rate during the final stretch of the season, he will finish with fewer than 30 points for the first time since 2014-15.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pat Steinberg
7 days agoCalgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson will be available against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. He missed the morning skate, but Flames head coach Ryan Huska has confirmed that Andersson will play. Although Andersson has struggled for much of the season, he should feel confident heading into Thursday's matchup. Over his last seven appearances, he has scored two goals and provided five assists. This scoring surge has brought Andersson to a total of 10 goals and 28 points for the season, having played 70 games. The Swedish rearguard averages over 24 minutes of ice time per game and is expected to have another busy night against one of the top teams in the league.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Eric Francis
7 days agoColorado Avalanche left wing Joel Kiviranta (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings. He has sustained a lower-body injury, which forces Kiviranta to miss his first game of the season. The Finnish forward has struck 16 goals in 2024-25 while amassing 23 points in 72 games. His first chance to return will come on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. Colorado will replace Kiviranta with Miles Wood on the third line. Wood has contributed very little on the offensive front, posting four points (two goals, two assists) in 30 games, and should remain off fantasy managers' radars.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Evan Rawal
7 days agoBuffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (personal) will not be in the lineup on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has left the team to take care of a personal matter. The veteran forward is expected to return on Saturday when the Sabres travel to Philadelphia. Zucker's recent form has been underwhelming, but he has had a decent first year in Buffalo. Over 62 contests, Zucker has tallied 19 goals and 46 points while averaging a hit per game. Josh Dunne looks set to fill Zucker's spot in the lineup on Thursday. Dunne has been ineffective on the NHL level, finishing all 15 of his career games without a point.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Lance Lysowski
7 days agoPittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (upper body) will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. Pittsburgh lost Malkin to an upper-body injury at the start of the week, with the veteran star labeled as day-to-day. Kevin Hayes is likely to continue filling in for Malkin as the second-line center. Malkin's next chance to return will be on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. This has been a forgettable campaign for Malkin, who might struggle to get to 50 points. He has notched 15 goals and 46 points in 62 appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Michelle Crechiolo
7 days agoAnaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson scored two goals during their 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday evening. Carlsson opened the scoring in the first period with a shorthanded goal. Later in the third, he would find the back of the net for a second time, this time during even-strength play. In this contest, he logged four shots on goal and added a blocked shot. This was his second two-goal game over his last four contests. Since the start of the month (13 games), the former No. 2 overall pick has found the back of the net seven times and added five helpers, with two of his total points coming on the power play. He will look to continue this offensive surge on Friday evening when the Ducks host the New York Rangers.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
7 days agoDallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 41 of the 44 shots he saw en route to defeating the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday evening. The Oilers dominated the shot total, but Oettinger was able to stand tall. He allowed all three of his goals in the final frame. Two of them were scored on the power play, and the other was scored during 5-on-5 play. This outing extended his winning streak to four games. During this stretch, the 26-year-old has posted a strong 1.98 GAA with a .936 save percentage. He has allowed two or fewer goals in two of these games. Before this stretch, the 26-year-old held a modest 4-3-1 record with a .888 save percentage and a 3.51 GAA. He will look to extend his winning streak to five games on Saturday against the Kraken, as Casey DeSmith will likely get the nod in the second half of the back-to-back on Thursday.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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