NHL News
Valeri Nichushkin Pots Lone Avalanche Goal In Monday's Defeat
Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin was the team's lone goal-scorer in Monday's 3-1 defeat against Vancouver. He grabbed a late consolation goal with 46 seconds left in regulation. Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar picked up the assists. Nichushkin already has five goals for the month and has been providing steady offense since making his season debut a month ago. He's bagged eight goals in total and sits on 12 points through 16 appearances. The Russian forward skates on the second line with Ross Colton and Casey Mittelstadt and has landed a job on the first power-play unit.
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Kiefer Sherwood Celebrates First Career Hat Trick Against Avalanche
Vancouver Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood was an unexpected hat-trick hero on Monday versus Colorado, lifting his team to a 3-1 win. The 29-year-old scored all of the game's first three goals to record his first career hat trick. Sherwood's career night included a short-handed goal. The American forward isn't known as a major threat up front, but Sherwood has been chipping in offensively throughout the campaign. He's tied for second on the team with 11 goals and boasts 17 points with 30 games played. Sherwood's physicality adds a lot to his fantasy value, as he leads the league in the category with 184. Nobody else has managed even 130 hits.
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Stuart Skinner Looks To Extend Winning Streak In Stanley Cup Finals Rematch
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner heads out for his fourth consecutive victory in Monday's Stanley Cup Finals rematch against Florida. Skinner has defeated St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Vegas on the bounce, allowing only six goals across the three contests. He's improved to 11-7-2 for the season and is sporting a 2.82 goals-against average with a .897 save percentage and one shutout. The Oilers netminder is enjoying his best stretch of the season, and the bookmakers believe Skinner is well-placed to keep his winning streak going on Monday, rating Edmonton as a -130 favorite for the game.
15 hours ago
Mackenzie Blackwood Makes Second Avalanche Start Monday
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood will be the starter for Monday's matchup against Vancouver. Blackwood is fresh off his team debut, having defeated Nashville 5-2 at the weekend with 37 saves. This is the second time this season Blackwood faces the Canucks. He was handed a 3-2 loss as a member of the Sharks on Nov. 2. Vancouver is 5-7-4 on home ice and has won only two of its last six games, so Blackwood is in a good position to pick up consecutive wins for only the third time this season.
15 hours ago
Thatcher Demko Starting Against Avalanche Monday
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will make his third start of the season on Monday against Colorado. He faces the league's top scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, and his crew after going winless in his first couple of appearances. Demko has a 0-1-1 record with a 4.47 goals-against average and a .830 save percentage. He's had a difficult time, but the Canucks go with Demko again on Monday as Kevin Lankinen (illness) remains unavailable. Arturs Silovs will dress as the backup. This is another difficult matchup for Demko, as the Avalanche can score for fun and have averaged 3.31 goals for the campaign.
15 hours ago
Marcus Pettersson Considered Week-To-Week
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (lower body) is considered week-to-week. He was hurt in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Ottawa and must spend some time on the sidelines after so far featuring in all 32 games. Pettersson is valued for his two-way ability and has done a little bit of everything for the Penguins. The 28-year-old boasts 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) and has recorded 32 shots, 56 blocks, and 36 hits. Matt Grzelcyk is slated to play a larger role in the Penguins defense with Pettersson out of commission. In Monday's practice, he skated with Erik Karlsson on the second defensive pairing. Pittsburgh returns to game action on Tuesday versus Los Angeles.
15 hours ago
Thomas Harley A Game-Time Decision For Monday
Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (illness) is a game-time decision for Monday's meeting with Washington. He appears to be the latest victim of a flu bug that has recently spread in the Stars locker room. Harley's absence would be a massive loss for the team, as the young blue-liner eats up over 22 minutes of ice time on a nightly basis and contributes at both ends of the ice. In 29 appearances, Harley has notched 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) with 66 shots and 35 blocks. He leads the team with a plus-15 rating. Nils Lundkvist (illness) is expected back on Monday and looks to be Harley's replacement in the lineup if the latter does not feel well enough to play.
15 hours ago
Jakub Vrana Rejoins Capitals Lineup
Washington Capitals left wing Jakub Vrana will re-enter the lineup for Monday's tilt against Dallas. The 28-year-old has been a healthy scratch for the last 10 games. Vrana was sent to the press box for an extended period after he had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 16 games across the season. Considering he's averaged barely 10 minutes of ice time, these are fairly decent numbers, but it looks like the team wants to see more from Vrana. He will skate on the third line against the Stars, replacing Hendrix Lapierre in the lineup.
15 hours ago
Aleksander Barkov A Game-Time Call Monday
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (illness) is considered a game-time decision for Monday's matchup against Edmonton. There's a chance Barkov will return to the lineup after missing the previous game due to illness, but we won't know for sure until closer to puck drop. The Panthers captain didn't take part in Monday's optional morning skate. Sam Bennett worked as the first-line center in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Calgary, with Anton Lundell moving to the second line. Both players will have additional fantasy value if Barkov remains out on Monday.
15 hours ago
John Tavares Scores Natural Hat Trick Against Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares had a fun night against the Sabres on Sunday, logging a hat trick in a 5-3 victory. He posted his first natural hat trick as a member of the Maple Leafs, turning a 3-2 deficit into a win for the team. Tavares began his heroics with a power-play goal 12:41 into the second period. He then potted an even-strength goal 1:10 later and went on to complete his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 2:12 remaining in regulation. Tavares' 14th career hat trick took him to 28 points for the season. He's had 15 goals and 13 assists across 30 outings. The veteran star has been fairly inconsistent with his offensive output this month, but Tavares is on track for a good bounce-back year after settling for 65 points in 2023-24.
22 hours ago
Teuvo Teravainen Ends Slump With Three-Point Outing
Chicago Blackhawks winger Teuvo Teravainen collected three points as the team defeated the Islanders 5-3 on home ice on Sunday. He kicked things off with a couple of even-strength assists in the first period and potted a power-play goal in the second. Teravainen recorded as many points as he had across his previous 10 outings. Chicago's offense has been horrible for most of the year, and Teravainen has been limited to 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 31 games. A lot more is expected from the Finnish forward, who averaged close to 0.70 points only a season ago.
22 hours ago
Mats Zuccarello Records Two Assists In Losing Effort
Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello finished Sunday's 3-2 loss to Vegas with two assists. Kirill Kaprizov scored both goals for the Wild. Zuccarello has been an impactful sidekick for Kaprizov on the first line all season, logging 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 18 appearances. He bagged three assists in two games over the weekend after returning from a 13-game absence. Minnesota's offense didn't appear to have been affected much by Zuccarello's absence, but his return definitely adds quality to the team's attack. He should continue to have success on the top line next to Kaprizov and Marco Rossi.
22 hours ago
Victor Olofsson Pots Two Goals In Sunday's Win
Vegas Golden Knights winger Victor Olofsson stole the headlines with a two-goal performance in Sunday's 3-2 win over Minnesota. He potted a power-play goal in the first period to tie the game at one and delivered the game-winning tally in an even-strength situation early in the third. Olofsson has heated up recently, scoring in three consecutive games for the first time since January 2022. Due to a lower-body injury, Olofsson has been limited to 11 appearances this season. But he's had a good scoring rate when healthy, producing seven goals and nine points. Four of the goals have come on the power-play.
22 hours ago
Ivan Barbashev Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Vegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev (upper body) failed to finish Sunday's contest against Minnesota. He was limited to seven shifts and 5:00 of ice time due to an upper-body injury. Barbashev has been a key cog for the Golden Knights, posting 15 goals and 30 points in 31 games on the first line. He's been particularly effective during five-on-five play, sitting fifth in the league with 29 even-strength points. Barbashev must recover by Thursday to avoid missing additional time. Victor Olofsson or Tanner Pearson might join the top six if Barbashev isn't available for the next game against Vancouver.
23 hours ago
Anton Forsberg Misses Road Trip
Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) will not be with the squad as the team begins a nine-game road trip with Tuesday's visit to Seattle. Forberg was scheduled to start Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh, but he tweaked something prior to the game and is forced to miss some time. The 32-year-old has managed two shutouts in 11 starts this season but carries a losing record. He has gone 4-6-0 with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. Ottawa has called up Leevi Merilainen from the minors to work as Linus Ullmark's backup during Forsberg's absence.
23 hours ago
Jesper Wallstedt Starts For Wild Sunday
Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt will guard the crease in Sunday's tilt against Vegas. Minnesota finishes a back-to-back set, and with Filip Gustavsson (undisclosed) unavailable, Wallstedt will log his fourth start of the campaign. After getting lit up by Dallas in his NHL debut, Wallstedt has won two consecutive starts against Chicago and San Jose. He shut out the Blackhawks with 24 saves and stopped 27 of 29 shots in the matchup versus the Sharks. Vegas has much more quality than these two teams but also comes out with its backup in Ilya Samsonov, which should improve Wallstedt's chances of recording a win.
Yesterday
Artemi Panarin Out On Sunday
New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (upper body) won't play in Sunday's contest against St. Louis and is considered day-to-day. He will sit out his first game of the campaign after being limited to 14:22 of action in Saturday's heavy 5-1 defeat to Los Angeles. Panarin's absence leaves the Rangers without their top scorer. Panarin has been hot for most of the year despite the team's struggles, registering 15 goals and 36 points in 29 games. Will Cuylle will join the top six for Sunday's action. He's done well this season, logging 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 29 appearances, and will now have additional fantasy value.
Yesterday
Scott Perunovich Back For Blues Sunday
St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will be back in the lineup against the Rangers on Sunday. The 26-year-old has been a healthy scratch for the previous three games. Perunovich has struggled for consistency all season, recording six points (two goals, four assists) in 18 games with seven shots and 18 blocks. Pierre-Olivier Joseph gets the night off on Sunday to accommodate Perunovich, who will work with Ryan Suter on the third defensive pairing. Newly acquired Cam Fowler has replaced Suter in the top four. When he plays, Perunovich typically gets power-play time as well, but he's far from a reliable source for offense in fantasy hockey.
Yesterday
Brandon Saad Re-Enters Blues Lineup Sunday
St. Louis Blues left wing Brandon Saad will rejoin the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Rangers. The veteran forward will be back in action after missing Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to Dallas as a healthy scratch. Saad has not played well for the Blues this season, and according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the team is looking to trade the winger, who has a $4.5 million cap hit on his contract, which expires with the 2025-26 campaign. Through 27 outings, Saad has mustered 10 points (four goals, six assists). Oskar Sundqvist makes way for him in the lineup on Sunday.
Yesterday
Anthony Stolarz Placed On Injured Reserve
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (lower body) was placed on Injured Reserve on Sunday. He was hurt in a contest against Anaheim this week and will now be ineligible until Dec. 20. Joseph Woll looks set for a heavy workload during Stolarz's absence in the Maple Leafs crease, with Dennis Hildeby working as his backup. Woll has been a strong fantasy option the entire campaign, posting an 8-4-0 record with the Maple Leafs. He has allowed 2.24 goals with a .918 save percentage and one shutout.
Yesterday