3 years agoWashington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie will skate on the first line Thursday against the Islanders. Alex Ovechkin (upper body) will miss another game, so the Capitals have Oshie and Conor Sheary riding with Evgeny Kuznetsov. Oshie will try to gain some momentum for the playoffs after having a very quiet regular season which was greatly affected by injuries. The veteran forward has skated in only 42 games, posting 11 goals and 24 points. Oshie has tallied points in just three of his last 14 outings, so he badly needs to get some offense going in the final two regular-season games.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Samantha Pell

3 years agoCarolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov will sit out Thursday's game against New Jersey for rest purposes. The Hurricanes have secured the Metropolitan Division crown and they have nothing to play for in their regular season finale, so some of the regulars are getting the night off, with Jordan Staal and Jaccob Slavin also getting rested. It's been a huge campaign for Svechnikov, who closes out the regular season with 69 points and 189 hits, and there should be more to come from him in the playoffs. Steven Lorentz will replace him in the lineup on Thursday, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi (lower body) and Ethan Bear are also set to play.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoColumbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (nose) will sit out the team's final games of the season. The talented blue-liner returned from an upper-body problem in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Tampa but suffered a broken nose and it doesn't make sense for the team to keep him in the lineup with the season basically over for the Blue Jackets. Werenski finishes his sixth year in the league with a career-high 48 points in 68 games. He also kept himself busy on the defensive end with 95 blocks, but his minus-15 rating will be something he can't be satisfied with. Columbus has announced that Nick Blankenburg (upper body) will also miss the final two games, so we should see a lot of Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke again. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Svoboda

3 years agoTampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (face) will be able to play Thursday against Columbus. He played just four minutes in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets after taking a puck to the face but that luckily won't keep him out for long. Injuries tend to escort Cernak around everywhere he goes and it's limited him to just 53 appearances this season. The 24-year-old has posted only 12 points and he doesn't provide a lot for fantasy managers offensively, but Cernak does boast 160 hits for the campaign and has also recorded 72 blocks.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Gabby Shirley

3 years agoBuffalo Sabres right wing Kyle Okposo (ankle) will sit out Thursday's meeting with Boston. The veteran winger hurt his left ankle against the Islanders last Saturday and it was always going to be unlikely that he plays after Okposo wasn't able to practice with the team ahead of Thursday's matchup. Buffalo's alternate captain has enjoyed a nice bounce-back year in 2021-22 with 21 goals and 45 points in 74 games. That is more points than he had in the previous two campaigns combined (32) and it's his best output since 2016-17. John Hayden will replace Okposo in the lineup on Thursday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Lance Lysowski

3 years agoColorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen (illness) will return from a four-game absence on Thursday against Nashville. With two games to go, the Avalanche are still in contention to win the Presidents' Trophy, and getting back their top scorer should be a great boost for the team. Rantanen has had an outstanding season with 36 goals and 91 points in 73 games. He's also taken a major step forward in his overall development as a player, as he has started to play the center position at times. The 25-year-old has crushed it against the Predators throughout the season with six points in three games. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Peter Baugh

3 years agoNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (lower body) won't feature in the team's final two regular-season games. It looked like he hurt his left leg in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to Calgary and he now faces a race against time to be healthy for the start of the playoffs. Connor Ingram has been called up from the AHL to replace Saros. The Finnish netminder has had a very strong year with a 38-25-3 record. He's posted four shutouts and finishes the regular season with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Nashville closes out the regular season with a back-to-back set against Colorado and Arizona, meaning both Ingram and David Rittich should see action.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Nashville Predators

3 years agoDallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood will be between the pipes against Arizona on Wednesday as the team looks to lock up a playoff spot. The Stars secure a postseason berth if they manage to get at least a point from the game and Vegas doesn't beat Chicago on Wednesday. Wedgewood started the season as a Coyote, so it's been quite a ride for him, going from one of the worst teams in the league to a side that will likely compete for the Stanley Cup. The 29-year-old has put together a 6-3-1 record with Dallas, giving up 2.91 goals per game with a .917 save percentage. Arizona has won just three of the last 20 games and anything else than a victory for Wedgewood and the Stars would be a huge surprise on Wednesday. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bruce LeVine

3 years agoLos Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson (upper body) has been taken off Injured Reserve and is available to return to the lineup on Wednesday against Seattle. He has missed 22 games since getting injured on Mar. 7 against Boston. The 22-year-old doesn't do a lot offensively and has registered only seven points in 55 outings this season, but he's been a busy man on the defensive end with 127 hits and 66 blocks. The Kings have lost Drew Doughty (wrist) and Sean Walker (knee) for the season, and they will welcome all the help they can get at the back.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Kings PR

3 years agoWinnipeg Jets defenseman Nate Schmidt (undisclosed) is set to rejoin the action on Wednesday against Philadelphia after he missed his fifth game of the season on Sunday versus Colorado. He'll skate with Brenden Dillon on the second defensive pairing and we should also see Schmidt with the second power-play unit. The 31-year-old has contributed well at both ends of the ice this season, grabbing 32 points and blocking 99 shots from the opposition. Winger Zach Sanford (undisclosed) is also expected to return against the Flyers.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Ken Wiebe

3 years agoFlorida Panthers center Anton Lundell (upper body) and defenseman Radko Gudas (lower body) will miss the rest of the regular season. The two got injured in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Boston and it doesn't make any sense for the team to push them too hard in the final two regular-season games. Lundell completes his debut campaign with 44 points in 65 games. The 20-year-old has looked like a savvy veteran on the ice and seems set for a very successful career. Gudas finished the year with a league-high 355 hits. He also managed 16 points and 118 blocks in 77 outings. Both players are considered day-to-day and they should be back in the lineup for the playoffs.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Steve Goldstein

3 years agoNew York Rangers forwards Artemi Panarin (upper body) and Andrew Copp (lower body) won't play on Wednesday against Montreal. Both players were injured in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Carolina and it wouldn't be surprising to see them now sit until the playoffs. Panarin left in the second period with an upper-body problem and Copp sustained a lower-body injury. Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant has also noted that he will rest a few regulars on Wednesday. Kaapo Kakko will make his return from a lower-body injury, and Jonny Brodzinski, Julien Gauthier and Greg McKegg are also set to feature.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Vince Z. Mercogliano

3 years agoColumbus Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly (foot) will miss the team's final three regular-season games, starting with Tuesday's visit to Tampa. The 29-year-old put in a nice 20-minute shift in Sunday's 5-2 win over Edmonton, but he also suffered a foot injury in the game and this ends his season a few games too early. Kuraly spent his first year in Columbus this season and made a solid impact all over the ice with 30 points and 240 hits in 77 games. Brendan Gaunce will replace him in the lineup on Tuesday.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bailey Johnson

3 years agoMinnesota Wild wingers Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway (upper body) will rejoin the action on Tuesday against Arizona. The latter is back from a seven-game absence, while Foligno was forced to sit out four games as he awaited clearance from COVID-19 protocols. The two have formed a very productive third line with Joel Eriksson Ek for the Wild. However, it looks like Eriksson Ek didn't miss his running mates too much, as he's gone for back-to-back three-point performances ahead of Tuesday's action. Foligno is on 39 points with 71 games played, and Greenway has managed 23 points in 59 games this season.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jessi

3 years agoVancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will miss Tuesday's matchup against Seattle with an undisclosed injury and is considered day-to-day. This is a bitter blow for the Canucks, who still have a chance to make the postseason with three games to go in the regular season. Demko has taken a few bad beatings on the bounce lately, but it's been a pretty solid season for him overall. The Canucks No. 1 has put together a 33-22-7 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Spencer Martin, who is 1-0-2 for the year, gets the nod for Tuesday's game.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Thomas Drance