The Week Ahead: Vasilevskiy Back in Form

The NHL schedule is going to start getting busy once Thanksgiving is here, so this is the last relatively quiet week until Christmas. Only three teams, Edmonton, San Jose and Utah, play four games this week while seven squads play only twice.

All statistics are through Saturday's games unless otherwise noted.  

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18-24

4 Games – Edmonton, San Jose, Utah

3 Games – Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Minnesota, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg

2 Games – Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver

Calgary, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh play three games at home.

Buffalo, Carolina, Colorado, Minnesota, the New York Rangers, Utah and Vegas play three games on the road.

ANAHEIM

Games this week: @ Dallas, @ Chicago, vs. Buffalo

Tired: @ Chicago (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Ducks got John Gibson back and he has won his first two starts...Look for Gibson and Lukas Dostal to share the net, at least in the near future...Robby Fabbri will miss six weeks after undergoing knee surgery Friday...Cam Fowler is still out another 2-4 weeks...Olen Zellweger has taken his spot on the top power-play unit and had two assists with the man-advantage Friday...Cutter Gauthier found the back of the net Friday for the first time in his NHL career.

BOSTON

Games this week: vs. Columbus, vs. Utah, @ Detroit

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Bruins have lost Hampus Lindholm for "weeks" with a lower-body injury...Expect to see Mason Lohrei quarterbacking the second power play in Lindholm's place...Pavel Zacha has two goals and four points in his last four games, ahead of Saturday's tilt in St. Louis and is centering David Pastrnak on the top line...Jeremy Swayman continues to struggle. He gave up seven goals on 38 shots Thursday in a loss to Dallas.

BUFFALO

Games this week: @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim, @ San Jose

Tired: @ San Jose (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Sabres are in California all week...Tage Thompson was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but it looks like he could play in LA...Ryan McLeod had a goal and an assist replacing Thompson on the top line Thursday...Rasmus Dahlin has four goals and five assists in a six-game scoring streak, giving the defenseman five goals and 16 points in 18 games.

CALGARY

Games this week: vs. New York Islanders, vs. New York Rangers, vs. Minnesota

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Flames moved Connor Zary up the depth chart to center the top line between Yegor Sharangovich and Jonathan Huberdeau...Zary has only one goal in his last 10 games and the Flames need him to get going...Huberdeau had a couple of huge seasons with the Panthers, picking up 115 points in one season and 92 in another. However, he has just 117 points in 178 games as a Flame and has become just another average fantasy forward in pools.

CAROLINA

Games this week: @ Philadelphia, @ New Jersey, @ Columbus

Tired: @ New Jersey (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Hurricanes play three times in four nights this week...Look for Pyotr Kochetkov to play twice while Spencer Martin should get one start...Bad news on the Frederik Andersen front as the netminder is now out indefinitely with a lower-body injury...Seth Jarvis (upper body) could return to practice this week after missing the last four games.

CHICAGO  

Games this week: vs. Anaheim, vs. Florida, @Philadelphia

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Anaheim (Tuesday)

Notes: The Blackhawks are led in goal-scoring by Ryan Donato who has eight...Petr Mrazek has not allowed more than three goals in his last eight games...Jason Dickinson had 22 goals last season, the first time he hit double digits, but he has only two goals in 17 games this year...Tyler Bertuzzi has scored three of his five goals on the power play.

COLORADO

Games this week: @ Philadelphia, @ Washington, @ Florida

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Avalanche got a pair of top-six players back this week as Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) and Jonathan Drouin (upper body) returned to action Friday...They played on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt in the middle...Gabriel Landeskog is still without a timetable to return from knee surgeries, but he has been on the ice practicing of late...Mikko Rantanen had six goals in three games before his streak was halted Friday.

COLUMBUS

Games this week: @ Boston, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Carolina  

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Blue Jackets must be pleased with the play of Sean Monahan who has six goals and seven assists in 17 games...Dmitri Voronkov is seeing action on the top line with Monahan and he has responded of late with two goals and three points in his last four games...Zach Werenski could surpass his career high of 57 points set last season. The defenseman has four goals and 13 points in 17 games to date.

DALLAS

Games this week: vs. Anaheim, vs. San Jose, @ Tampa Bay

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Matt Duchene has two goals and five points in his last three games, giving the 33-year-old veteran nine goals and 20 points in 16 contests this season...Tyler Seguin has five goals and 11 points in his last nine games...Miro Heiskanen finally got off the schneid with a pair of goals Monday...Sam Steel has a goal and four assists in his last seven games.

DETROIT

Games this week: @ San Jose, vs, New York Islanders, vs. Boston   

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Red Wings made a great offseason signing in Cam Talbot, who is 5-2-1 with a 2.34 GAA and a .927 save percentage across nine appearances this season, heading into action Saturday...Simon Edvinsson's play has opened eyes across the league. While he has only two goals and six points in 17 games (and is not seeing any action on the power play), he is playing all the tough minutes against the opposition's best line, alongside Moritz Seider. It bodes well for the future in Detroit. 

EDMONTON

Games this week: @ Montreal, @ Ottawa, vs. Minnesota, vs. New York Rangers

Tired: @ Ottawa (Tuesday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Oilers play four games this week, including three in four nights...Expect to see Stuart Skinner play three times with Calvin Pickard getting one start...It's a surprise that Connor McDavid has only five power-play points in 15 games this season, after seasons of 44, 71 and 44 in his last three campaigns...Darnell Nurse has been an offensive star the last nine games with two goals and seven points.

FLORIDA

Games this week: @ Winnipeg, @ Chicago, vs. Colorado

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Panthers complete the second half of back-to-back games with Winnipeg...If there are fisticuffs, look for A.J. Greer and/or Sam Bennett (upper body) to be involved...Aleksander Barkov has been red-hot since returning from a lower-body injury eight games ago. The 29-year-old has three goals and 13 assists during his scoring streak...Sam Reinhart is almost as hot, as the winger has eight goals and 16 points during his 10-game streak.

LOS ANGELES

Games this week: vs. Buffalo, vs. Seattle

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Kings only play twice this week...Anze Kopitar continues to defy Father Time as the 37-year-old leads the Kings with 21 points in 19 games, including eight points on the power play...Vladislav Gavrikov has been solid on the blue line with two goals, six assists and a plus-12 rating...Darcy Kuemper was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury...David Rittich is likely to play both games this week, if Kuemper is unable to return.

MINNESOTA

Games this week: @ St. Louis, @ Edmonton, @ Calgary

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Wild are on the road for all three games...Mats Zuccarello underwent surgery on a lower-body injury Thursday and is expected to be out of action 3-4 weeks...Matt Boldy has taken over the No. 1 center spot from Marco Rossi, and will play between Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Johansson (who takes over from Zuccarello)...Liam Ohgren, the Wild's first pick (19th overall) in 2022, was recalled after a short stint in the minors.

MONTREAL

Games this week: vs. Edmonton, vs. Vegas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canadiens play a pair of games at home...Sam Montembeault is struggling this season, sitting 4-8-1 with a 3.29 GAA and a not so impressive .893 save percentage. He rebounded nicely Saturday, kicking up 25 shots for his fifth win of the season, 5-1 over Columbus...Cole Caufield has only two goals in his last seven games (both on Monday in Buffalo) but still has 12 goals and three assists in 18 games...Juraj Slafkovsky is the opposite with only one goal, but 10 assists in 15 contests.

NASHVILLE

Games this week: @ Seattle, vs. Winnipeg

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Winnipeg (Saturday)

Notes: The Predators finish a five-game road trip in Seattle before returning home to play the red-hot Jets...The Predators were thought to be Stanley Cup contenders this season after offseason signings of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, but they are floundering near the bottom of the NHL standings with 13 points, one ahead of the last place Canadiens...Skjei is pointless in his last nine games after starting the season with two goals and six points in nine contests.

NEW JERSEY

Games this week: vs. Carolina, @ Washington

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Carolina (Thursday)

Notes: Stefan Noesen has six goals and an assist in his last 10 games. He is seeing top-line minutes alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier...Luke Hughes snapped a nine-game pointless streak with an assist Thursday...Brother Jack Hughes had three assists in the same game, giving him eight goals and 22 points in 21 appearances...Brenden Dillon was a solid offseason signing. The veteran defenseman has only four assists in 20 games, but he does have 35 PIM, 55 hits and 38 blocked shots.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Games this week: @ Calgary, @ Detroit, vs. St. Louis

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Islanders finish a five-game road swing in Detroit...Kyle Palmieri leads the Islanders with 15 points in 17 games, including five goals and seven assists in his last 12 contests...Mathew Barzal is still a month away from returning from an upper-body injury...Ilya Sorokin got off to a great start, but he has struggled of late, allowing at least three goals in each of his last five starts. Overall, the 29-year-old is 4-3-3 with a 2.66 GAA and a .915 save percentage, a testament to his terrific beginning.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Games this week: @ Vancouver, @ Calgary, @ Edmonton

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Rangers are in Western Canada this week...Filip Chytil was injured Thursday after he collided with teammate K'Andre Miller in the second period. He may join the team in time for the Vancouver tilt, but that depends on his evaluation...Chytil has four goals and nine points in 15 games, after he had six assists in only 10 appearances last season...Adam Fox is on a three-game point streak with four assists.

OTTAWA 

Games this week: vs. Edmonton, vs. Vegas, vs. Vancouver

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Edmonton (Tuesday), vs. Vegas (Thursday)

Notes: The Senators are fortunate to be the rested team in two of their three matchups at home this week...Brady Tkachuk has nine goals and 19 points in 17 games...Josh Norris had goals in each of his previous three games before he was held off the scoresheet Saturday, giving him seven tallies and five assists in 17 contests...Thomas Chabot has five assists in his last five games...Linus Ullmark had problems in his last game, allowing five goals on 19 shots in an overtime loss at home to the Flyers.

PHILADELPHIA

Games this week: vs. Colorado, vs. Carolina, vs. Chicago

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Flyers lost Samuel Ersson to a lower-body injury this past week and it's unlikely that he will return to action this week...Ivan Fedotov had a horrible first three starts this season, but he has bounced back with a trio of wins, allowing seven goals on 85 shots...Travis Sanheim has five goals and six assists in 18 games. Included in the total are a pair of three-point games...Tyson Foerster has two goals in his last 11 games.

PITTSBURGH

Games this week: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Winnipeg, vs. Utah

Tired: vs. Utah (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Penguins dealt Lars Eller to Washington this week and this could be the start of a rebuild...That doesn't bode well for the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The duo will not be traded but at ages 37 and 38, respectively, they may not want to remain with a team that has a downward trajectory...Anthony Beauvillier has moved to the first line alongside Crosby and has three goals and two assists in his last four games.

SAN JOSE

Games this week: vs. Detroit, @ Dallas, @ St. Louis, vs. Buffalo

Tired: @ St. Louis (Thursday)

Rested: vs. Buffalo (Saturday)

Notes: The Sharks play four games this week, including three in four nights...Look for Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood should share the net, if the Sharks don't call up Yaroslav Askarov...Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks' top picks in the last two drafts, are playing together on the top line...Barclay Goodrow makes up the third member of the line and will make sure that no one tries to take advantage of their future stars.

SEATTLE

Games this week: vs. Nashville, @ Los Angeles

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Jared McCann is having another good season for the Kraken. He has nine goals and 21 points with a plus-10 rating, 10 points better than Jordan Eberle, Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans...Evans has taken advantage of the upper-body injury to offensive defenseman Vince Dunn as Evans has points in four of his last five contests...Shane Wright has been a disappointment with only one goal and one assist in 18 games.

ST. LOUIS

Games this week: vs. Minnesota, vs. San Jose, @ New York Islanders

Tired: None

Rested: vs. San Jose (Thursday)

Notes: The Blues are hurting on the blue line as Philip Broberg, Nick Leddy and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are all missing from the lineup with lower-body injuries...That's not including Torey Krug, who will miss the entire season after undergoing ankle surgery in September...Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues with 15 points in 18 games, while Colton Parayko heads the defensive corps with four goals and seven assists.

TAMPA BAY

Games this week: @ Pittsburgh, @ Columbus, vs. Dallas

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: Andrei Vasilevskiy picked up his second shutout of the season Saturday, stopping 29 shots in a 4-0 win over the Devils...He looks to be his old self as Vasilevskiy is 8-5-1 with a 2.15 GAA and a .920 save percentage...Brayden Point is close to returning to action from a lower-body injury. He has missed four games thus far with Anthony Cirelli taking over his spot, centering the top line...Cirelli has two goals and two assists in the last four and coach Jon Cooper could decide to leave him there, even when Point returns.

TORONTO

Games this week: vs. Vegas, vs. Utah

Tired: None

Rested: vs. Utah (Sunday)

Notes: Auston Matthews has missed six games with an upper-body injury...The Leafs play only twice this week, Wednesday and Sunday and if Matthews misses Wednesday's game, it will give him another week off to heal...John Tavares has four goals in his last four games heading into action Saturday...Jani Hakanpaa (knee) made his Maple Leafs debut Wednesday, and played alongside Morgan Rielly on the first pairing.

UTAH

Games this week: vs. Washington, @ Boston, @ Pittsburgh, @ Toronto

Tired: @ Toronto (Sunday)

Rested: vs. Washington (Monday), @ Pittsburgh (Saturday)

Notes: Utah plays three games in four nights as part of their four-game week...Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka are expected to share the net...Nick Bjugstad finally hit paydirt Wednesday with a pair of goals – his first two this season...Michael Kesselring has been a pleasant surprise on the blue line. Kesselring has three goals and nine points with a plus-7 rating in 17 games this season.

VANCOUVER

Games this week: New York Rangers, @ Ottawa

Tired: None

Rested: None

Notes: The Canucks only play twice this week...Dakota Joshua made his season debut Thursday after missing the first 14 games of the season due to cancer treatments...He had four hits and was minus-1 in 12:05 of action...Elias Pettersson has only four goals and five assists in 15 games heading into action Saturday, but he does have five points in his last five appearances.

VEGAS

Games this week: @ Toronto, @ Ottawa, @ Montreal

Tired: @ Ottawa (Thursday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Golden Knights play all three games in Eastern Canada this week...Jack Eichel keeps trucking along. The 28-year-old has two goals and nine assists in his five-game point streak, giving him five goals and 27 points in just 17 games. His career high in points is 82, set in the 2018-19 season, and he seems poised to easily better that mark...Tomas Hertl has three goals in his last two games.

WASHINGTON

Games this week: @ Utah, vs. Colorado, vs. New Jersey

Tired: @ Utah (Monday)

Rested: None

Notes: John Carlson has two goals, 10 assists and is a plus-13 in 16 games this season...Connor McMichael has been a revelation this season. The 25th overall pick in 2019, McMichael had career highs in goals with 15 and points with 33 in 2023-24. He already has 12 goals and 19 points in only 16 games with only one point coming with the man advantage...Logan Thompson has yet to lose in regulation as he is 7-0-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

WINNIPEG

Games this week: vs. Florida, @ Pittsburgh, @ Nashville

Tired: @ Nashville (Saturday)

Rested: None

Notes: The Jets play the second half of a back-to-back series with Florida...Look for Logan Stanley or Dylan Samberg to be in the middle of things if tempers flare...The Jets dropped a pair of games in the state of Florida this week, but still have a league-best record of 15-3-0...Kyle Connor has 11 goals and 22 points in 18 games and is on pace to break his career-high mark 93 point