NHL News
Thatcher Demko Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (back) is expected to travel with the team for its five-game road trip. Demko left Thursday's game against Seattle due to back spasms and was not in the lineup when Vancouver faced Nashville on Friday night. However, it seems Demko will not be out long-term. The American netminder has put together a 2-1-3 record this season, allowing 3.34 goals with a .881 save percentage. We haven't seen the best of Demko after he missed the start of the season because of knee surgery. Kevin Lankinen, who is 15-7-4 for the season, will hold down the fort until Demko is back for the Canucks.
4 hours ago
Pyotr Kochetkov Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov will work in the crease against Minnesota on Saturday. The Hurricanes go with their strongest option in net for the first leg of a back-to-back, with Dustin Tokarski likely getting the nod for Sunday's matchup against Pittsburgh. Kochetkov has been inconsistent since the start of last month, but he still carries a strong 15-7-1 record. The 25-year-old has notched one shutout while producing a 2.46 goals-against average with a .902 save percentage. On Saturday, Kochetkov faces a tough matchup, as the Wild have the third-best record in the Western Conference and have continued to win even with Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) on the shelf.
4 hours ago
Joseph Woll In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will start the first leg of a back-to-back against Boston on Saturday. Woll will try to extend his winning streak to four games. He has allowed only four goals during his recent hot streak, improving his goals-against average to 2.40 and his record to 12-6-0. Through 18 appearances, Woll has registered a .917 save percentage. The Bruins have been mediocre this season and travel to Canada with a four-game road losing streak. Toronto will also have Auston Matthews (upper body) back in the lineup, so Woll has a good chance to continue his winning run.
5 hours ago
Scott Wedgewood Unavailable On Saturday
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (lower body) will be out on Saturday against Montreal and faces a multi-game absence. The veteran netminder suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday's matchup against Buffalo. "He's still getting evaluated, so I'm guessing it's going to be week to week," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said on Friday. Wedgewood, who was acquired in a trade from Nashville on Nov. 30, has impressed with his new team, going 4-2-0 with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Kevin Mandolese and Trent Miner will be the backup options behind Mackenzie Blackwood while Wedgewood recovers.
5 hours ago
Jack Drury Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Carolina Hurricanes center Jack Drury (hand) will return to the lineup on Saturday against Minnesota. Drury hasn't played since breaking his thumb against San Jose on Dec. 10. The 24-year-old has made 28 appearances this season, recording three goals and nine assists. Drury lacks fantasy appeal but is a valuable asset for the Hurricanes. Playing on the fourth line, he occasionally contributes offensively and dominates in the faceoff circle. Drury has won a career-high 56.4 percent of his faceoffs in 2024-25. Juha Jaaska will exit the lineup on Saturday and has been reassigned to the minors.
5 hours ago
Auston Matthews Returns To Action On Saturday
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (upper body) will return to the lineup on Saturday against Boston. The Maple Leafs finally get their leading man back after Matthews sat out six games due to a recurrence of an upper-body injury. Matthews is just short of averaging a point per game for the season, sitting on 11 goals and 12 assists through 24 appearances. He was riding a four-game point streak before landing on the shelf. The star forward will take over as the first-line center from John Tavares, with Matthew Knies and Mitchell Marner as his wingers. Tavares drops to the second line while David Kampf lands back on the fourth.
5 hours ago
Jordan Binnington Shuts Out Senators
St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington performed admirably against Ottawa on Friday, neutralizing a talented offense in a 4-0 victory with 20 saves. The Blues No. 1 picked up his third shutout of the season, with two coming in his past four starts. Following a five-game losing streak, Binnington has found his feet again, going 3-1-0 in his last four appearances. He carries an 11-14-3 record for the season with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. Binnington will have a chance to record his first three-game winning streak of the season next week. We will see Joel Hofer in the Blues crease on Saturday as the team finishes a back-to-back against Columbus.
8 hours ago
Brandon Saad Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
St. Louis Blues left wing Brandon Saad had his best game of the season in Friday's matchup against Ottawa, scoring his third career hat trick in a 4-0 win. Saad tallied three consecutive goals after Brayden Schenn opened the scoring. He entered the game with a 19-game goal drought. It has been a strange campaign for Saad, as he has increased his goal tally with only multi-goal performances. The 32-year-old has not had much success on the offensive end, picking up seven goals and six assists in 34 appearances. A top-line role next to Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich puts Saad in a good position to get going offensively, but fantasy managers definitely shouldn't bet on it.
8 hours ago
Mike Matheson Records Two Assists Friday
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson finished Friday's 4-2 defeat to Chicago with two assists. He logged an even-strength helper on a Cole Caufield strike in the first period and picked up a power-play assist on Emil Heineman's goal in the third. Matheson was also eager for a goal himself, registering a whopping eight efforts on the net. He completed his line with one block and three hits in 28:10 of ice time. Matheson reached the 20-point plateau on Friday, having recorded two goals and 18 assists in 36 games. He has also tallied 75 blocks across the campaign. However, Matheson has struggled offensively for a while. Since the start of December, the veteran blue-liner has gone scoreless in 10 of 15 appearances.
8 hours ago
Nick Foligno Pots Two Goals In Friday's Win
Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno produced two goals to lead the team to a 4-2 victory over Montreal on Friday. The veteran was highly efficient in front of the net, scoring twice with three shots, and he also registered a pair of hits across 18:22 of ice time. Foligno hadn't scored more than once in a single contest since Dec. 23, 2023. The Blackhawks captain is enjoying a decent season. He boasts 10 goals and 17 points through 38 outings with a team-high 105 hits.
8 hours ago
Juuse Saros Logs Fourth Shutout Of The Season
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros backstopped his team to a 3-0 victory against Vancouver on Friday, posting his fourth shutout of the campaign with 27 saves. Two of the shutouts have come in Saros' most recent six starts. Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck (5) is the only goalie with more shutouts this season. Saros has performed well for most of the campaign, but the team's struggles have left him with a 9-16-6 record. He has allowed 2.72 goals with a .906 save percentage. We should see a head-to-head clash between Saros and Hellebuyck on Tuesday. Nashville will likely use Justus Annunen between the sticks when the team concludes a back-to-back on Saturday versus Calgary.
8 hours ago
Leon Draisaitl Nets Game-Winner On Friday
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winning goal as the team defeated Anaheim 3-2 on Friday. Edmonton blew a two-goal lead in the contest but skated away with a victory thanks to Draisaitl's effort at the 18:25 mark in the third period. The German superstar scored in a third consecutive contest, extending his point streak to 13 games. Draisaitl has been in spectacular form and rarely disappoints fantasy managers. He leads the league in goals with 28 and has accumulated 57 points in 38 games, placing him second, behind only Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon. Next up, Draisaitl faces a Seattle team, against whom he averaged two points per game in four appearances a season ago.
9 hours ago
Jared Spurgeon To Miss 2-3 Weeks
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower body) is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks. Spurgeon suffered an apparent right leg injury on Tuesday versus Nashville and wasn't in the lineup for Thursday's matchup against Washington. Based on the projected timeline, it looks like the Wild captain will miss at least six more games. Travis Dermott replaced Spurgeon in the lineup on Thursday but logged only 10:32 of ice time. Zach Bogosian filled in for him on the second defensive pairing and notched an assist. However, his offensive game is limited, and fantasy managers should not expect Bogosian to become a regular offensive contributor.
23 hours ago
Oskar Sundqvist Unavailable Friday
St. Louis Blues center Oskar Sundqvist (illness) will miss Friday's game against Ottawa. He'll be sidelined due to an illness. Sundqvist has struggled significantly for offensive production, registering six points (three goals, three assists) in 28 appearances, but he has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in his past six outings. Mathieu Joseph will fill in for Sundqvist as the third-line center. Like Sundqvist, Joseph has also been out of form offensively, tallying four points (two goals) in 24 outings. However, he averages close to two hits per game and will add muscle to the lineup.
Yesterday
Justin Faulk Iffy For Friday's Action
St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (upper body) is a game-time decision for Friday's tilt against Ottawa. He re-aggravated an upper-body injury in Tuesday's Winter Classic against Chicago and didn't practice on Thursday. Per Lou Korac of The Hockey News, Faulk was back on the ice for Friday's optional morning skate. This suggests that he may be able to play against the Senators. Faulk had an outstanding game on Tuesday, posting three points. He's had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 37 games across the campaign. Scott Perunovich, who has recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in 22 games, will play instead of Faulk if he is ruled out.
Yesterday
Colton Dach Set For NHL Debut On Friday
Chicago Blackhawks forward Colton Dach will make his NHL debut on Friday against Montreal. This will be a special matchup for the 21-year-old for many reasons, as he will play against his older brother Kirby. Chicago recalled Dach from the minors earlier in the week after seeing him record 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 30 AHL games. He's penciled in for a third-line role next to Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen. Lukas Reichel will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. Dach, who was a late second-round pick in 2021, is unproven at this level but has done well in the AHL, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with the step-up.
Yesterday
Connor Murphy Misses First Game Of The Season
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy (groin) will be sidelined on Friday versus Montreal. He has sustained a groin injury and will be out for the first time this season. Murphy's campaign has gone reasonably well on a struggling team, and he is on pace for a career year offensively. In 38 appearances, Murphy has totaled 13 points (one goal, 12 assists). Murphy always puts in a shift defensively and has logged a team-high 93 blocks along with 70 hits. Wyatt Kaiser will replace Murphy in the lineup as Seth Jones' partner on the first defensive pairing. Kaiser's offensive contributions have been limited to one assist in 28 games, while he has amassed 54 blocks and 33 hits.
Yesterday
David Savard A Game-Time Call Friday
Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for Friday's meeting with Chicago. The veteran is in danger of missing his third game of the season. Savard recently scored his first goal of the campaign and has amassed 10 points in 35 contests. He's been more valuable on the defensive end, where Savard has registered a team-high 90 blocks. Jayden Struble will play if Savard sits out the contest. Struble has posted five points in 22 appearances, with 24 blocks and 41 hits. The 23-year-old went six games without any points before exiting the lineup.
Yesterday
Jack Eichel Tallies Two Helpers On Thursday
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel tallied two helpers in their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday evening. Eichel tallied his first point with the primary assist on Mark Stone's ninth goal of the season in the second period. Then, later in the third, Eichel would tack on the secondary assist on Tanner Pearson's empty-netter to put the game out of reach. The 28-year-old also added three shots on goal with a +2 rating in this contest. This game continued Jack Eichel's recent string of productive outings. Over his past nine games, the center has tallied 11 total points. During this stretch, he has only been held off the scoresheet twice and has posted four multi-point outings. Eichel remains a must-start player in all fantasy formats and a safe lineup anchor in DFS competitions.
Yesterday
Alex DeBrincat Tallies Three Points On Thursday
Detroit Red Wings left wing Alex DeBrincat tallied a goal and an assist in their victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday evening. DeBrincat tallied his first assist on Patrick Kane's snap shot in the opening frame. Later in the period, DeBrincat would score on the power-play. Then, in the final period, DeBrincat would tally his second point on the power-play, this time on a primary assist on Dylan Larkin's goal. The 27-year-old is now riding a three-game point streak. He has tallied six points during this span, including three goals and three power-play points. Before this hot stretch, he tallied only two points over his previous seven contests. Fantasy managers should expect his scoring to continue to heat up, playing top minutes in the Detroit offense.
Yesterday
Thatcher Demko
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Canucks
