3 years agoLos Angeles Kings winger Andreas Athanasiou (undisclosed) was a full participant at Friday's practice and looks ready to return to the lineup for Saturday's matchup against Columbus. He's set for a comeback in an intriguing spot as Athanasiou skated on the top line Friday with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe The 27-year-old hasn't played since Mar. 10, dropping out of the lineup following an impressive run of four goals in three games. He's featured in just 22 games in total this season, scoring nine goals and collecting 14 points. Athanasiou averages 2.32 shots per game and should play an active part Saturday night.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Russell Morgan

3 years agoSan Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson will sit out Saturday's contest against Dallas with a lower-body injury. According to reports, he's been playing through the ailment for a couple of games but has now returned to San Jose for a re-evaluation. The Sharks blue line is also set to be without Radim Simek (upper body). Karlsson has tallied 35 points in 50 games this season. He usually logs a lot of ice time, so there will be quite a few minutes available to be shared around. Having returned home, Karlsson and Simek will also miss Sunday's trip to Minnesota.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Corey Masisak

3 years agoWashington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov (lower body) appears ready to return to the lineup Saturday against Montreal. He's been out for a couple of games with a lower-body ailment but put some work in at Friday's practice and also skated Saturday morning. The 30-year-old blue-liner has gone for 30 points, 112 shots, 117 hits and 85 blocks across 68 appearances this season with a plus-21 rating. He's set to rejoin Nick Jensen on the second defensive pairing and should feature in all situations.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Sammi Silber

3 years agoBuffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson will move to the top line for Saturday's meeting with Philadelphia. Alex Tuch is dropping down to the second line, which will also feature Peyton Krebs following a shakeup. Olofsson recently had a nice three-game goal streak and he's impressed lately, averaging a point per game for the month. The Swedish sniper boasts 18 goals and 41 points in total for the season in 66 games. He's a very tempting fantasy piece for the next few games, with Buffalo playing a home-and-home set against Philadelphia over the weekend and starting next week's action against New Jersey. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Jourdon LaBarber

3 years agoOttawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph (undisclosed) could be out for the rest of the season, according to head coach D.J. Smith. The former Lightning man has sat out one game and won't feature Saturday against Toronto either. Joseph snapped up 12 points in 11 games for his new club before getting hurt. He had carved out a nice role for himself on the top line but Connor Brown has now taken over. The 28-year-old finds himself on a 10-game scoring drought ahead of Saturday's contest and isn't currently a very good fantasy option.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: TSN 1200

3 years agoPhiladelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett will log first-line minutes Saturday against Buffalo. He will be joined by James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Hayes. Tippett is a former first-round pick who came over from Florida in the Claude Giroux trade last month. He's so far been quiet for the Flyers with only three points in 11 games but should now make some noise. He's filling in for Cam Atkinson (lower body), who might return on Sunday, so Tippett should aim to do everything he possibly can to make a good impression on the first line. --Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Bill Meltzer

3 years agoFlorida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling scored two goals in Friday's 6-1 victory against the Jets. Forsling found the back of the net twice in the second period, as he helped extend the Panthers lead to four after his offensive contributions. Forsling has had a breakout season in his second year with the Panthers, with totals of eight goals, 26 assists, 34 points and a plus-35 rating through 65 games. The 25-year-old should be rostered across all fantasy formats as a productive option on the defensive end for managers currently in the playoff rounds of their leagues.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoFlorida Panthers forward Claude Giroux picked up three assists in Friday's 6-1 victory against the Jets. Giroux assisted both of forward Jonathan Huberdeau's first period goals, along with another helper on defenseman Gustav Forsling's second goal of the night in the middle frame. Giroux has totaled two goals, 13 assists and 15 points through 12 games since arriving to Florida ahead of the NHL's trade deadline, and the veteran forward is a quality option across all fantasy formats to close out the season.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoFlorida Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau finished with two goals and an assist in Friday's 6-1 victory against the Jets. Huberdeau scored both of his goals in the first period to give the Panthers a two-goal lead after 20 minutes of action. The 28-year-old has put together an incredible season, with 30 goals, 78 assists and 108 points through 74 games as a must-start player across all formats.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoNew York Islanders forward Brock Nelson finished with a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-0 victory against the Canadiens. The 30-year-old assisted the second goal of the game which was scored by defenseman Noah Dobson, and Nelson later added an empty-net goal late in the third period. Nelson is a solid option across standard formats as has been the most productive forward on the Islanders this season, with a team-high 34 goals, along with 22 assists and 56 points through 65 games.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoNew York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 44 saves in Friday's 3-0 victory against the Canadiens. Sorokin's shutout gives him seven on the season, which ties the Islanders franchise record for shutouts in a single season. Sorokin has been terrific in his second season, posting a 2.29 goals against average, .928 save percentage, seven shutouts and 25 wins through 47 appearances. Fantasy managers should continue to start the 26-year-old on a nightly basis as he has been among the elite goaltenders across all formats throughout the season.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoMontreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price made his season debut with a 17-save performance in Friday's 3-0 loss against the Islanders. The 34-year-old appeared in his first game since July of 2021, when he helped lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the shortened season. Price was perfect through 40 minutes before giving up a pair of goals in the third period, and he would finish with 17 saves on 19 shots against on the night. Price will likely make his next appearance in Tuesday's contest against the Wild, and fantasy managers are glad to see the veteran goaltender back in action after missing almost the entire season.--Denis Vondrus - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith recorded his first shutout of the season on Thursday, helping the team to a 4-0 win over Nashville with 30 saves. Leon Draisaitl took the plaudits with a hat trick, but Smith played a key role in the victory as well with 12 saves in the third period alone. The veteran netminder is now riding a nice six-game winning streak and has gone 7-1-1 in nine starts since the start of March. He has a 12-9-2 record overall for the campaign with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Smith has gone through some tough times over the course of the season, but he's finishing things off strong and patient fantasy managers are getting rewarded.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl skated away with his sixth career hat trick as the team took down Nashville 4-0 Thursday night. He opened the scoring 8:56 into the game with a power-play goal, added an even-strength tally in the second period, and capped off his hat trick with another strike on the power play 11:09 into the third. The league's second-best goal-scorer boasts 54 markers for the campaign. 18 of Draisaitl's goals have come since the start of last month as he's desperately tried to compete with Auston Matthews for the top goal-scorer honors. It's been a huge year of the German with 105 points in 74 games, and he'll likely celebrate his new scoring record when all is said and done.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN

3 years agoVancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller recorded a career-high five assists in Thursday's 7-1 victory over the Coyotes. Two of his helpers came on the power play. Patrik Sundstrom holds the franchise record for most assists in a game with six. Miller has enjoyed setting up his teammates all season long and has now become the fourth Canuck ever to register a 60-assist season. Henrik Sedin was the last one to do it in 2011-12. The 29-year-old is tied for the sixth-most assists in the league with 62 and can attack the 100-point mark in the final few games of the regular season. He's racked up a career-high 91 points in 72 appearances and Vancouver has seven more contests to come.--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN