NHL Player News

Matheson (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision for Saturday's home clash against the Avalanche, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

After making his return from a six-game absence in Thursday's 5-2 win over Boston, Matheson will enter Saturday's game as questionable to play. It's unknown whether Matheson's current issue is related to the lower-body injury he has dealt with over the past two weeks. When healthy, the 32-year-old blueliner has been a productive player with a goal, five points, a plus-4 rating, 16 shots on net and 16 blocked shots over nine appearances this season. If he can't go Saturday, Adam Engstrom would likely suit up for the team's home tilt against Colorado.

MacKinnon (lower body) will not play in Saturday's road contest against the Canadiens, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.

MacKinnon is slated to miss his first game of the 2026-27 season after sustaining a lower-body injury in Thursday's outing against the Senators. Colorado will be without two of their offensive engines Saturday, as Cale Makar is also expected to miss Saturday's game in addition to MacKinnon. The 31-year-old center has been excellent when healthy this season, compiling 10 goals, 30 points, a plus-6 rating and 71 shots on net over 20 appearances. With the team's superstar center sidelined, Gavin Brindley is the top candidate to see an elevated role Saturday against the Canadiens. MacKinnon's next chance to return is Wednesday's clash in Utah.

Woll will patrol the road crease in Saturday's clash against the Blue Jackets, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

While Woll has struggled for the majority of the 2026-27 campaign thus far, the 28-year-old netminder earned his second win of the season in his last appearance. Following his 18-save win over the Canucks, he now holds a 2-6-2 record, a 2.91 GAA and a .902 save percentage over 10 outings this season. For deep-league fantasy managers in need of an upside shot between the pipes, Woll is a decent spot start Saturday, as the Blue Jackets rank 30th in the NHL with 2.35 goals per game this season.

Eriksson Ek (upper body) will play against Boston on Saturday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Eriksson Ek logged only 10:52 of ice time in Thursday's 5-2 win over Toronto, but he has been cleared to play against the Bruins on Saturday. He has collected six goals, 17 points, 67 shots on net and 26 hits in 21 appearances this campaign.

Faber (skull) was activated from injured reserve Saturday.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Faber will make his 2026-27 debut against Boston on Saturday. The 24-year-old Faber missed the first 21 games of the campaign after suffering a fractured skull in the preseason. He registered 15 goals, 51 points, 173 shots on net and 148 blocked shots in 80 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.

Markstrom will draw the road start in Saturday's clash against the Blues, per Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site.

Markstrom is coming off an excellent performance in Tuesday's clash in Columbus, as he turned aside 38 shots on goal in a 4-1 win. The 36-year-old netminder enters Saturday's clash with a 5-3-1 record, a 2.56 GAA, a shutout and a .900 save percentage over 10 appearances this season. His return to Florida has been a positive move for both sides, as he currently looks the part of a true No. 1 netminder. Given his recent success and situation anchoring a strong defensive core, Markstrom is a must-start in all two-goalie formats for the time being.

Kochetkov is expected to guard the home goal in Saturday's game against the Kraken, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

After Brandon Bussi started the Hurricanes' first game in Helsinki, Finland, Kochetkov is expected to get his turn between the pipes Saturday. The 27-year-old backstop has been one of the league's best netminder this season, as he's compiled an 11-1-0 record, a 1.67 GAA, two shutouts and a .920 save percentage over 12 appearances this season. He remains a must-start in all fantasy formats moving forward, including for Saturday's favorable matchup against the Kraken.

Ullmark will defend the road net against Pittsburgh on Saturday, per Jackson Starr of the Senators' official site.

Ullmark is coming off a 26-save effort in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over Colorado. In nine appearances this season, he has gone 8-1-0 with a 1.52 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Pittsburgh (7-10-2) sits 16th in the league during the 2026-27 campaign with 3.11 goals per game.

Stolarz will guard the home net in Saturday's clash against the Oilers, per Jesse Blake SDPN Sports.

Stolarz is set to start his second consecutive game for the first time in the 2026-27 campaign. Despite being handed a loss in each of his last two outings, he's been solid overall with a 5-3-0 record, a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage across eight appearances this season. With Sergei Bobrovsky currently on a five-game losing skid, Stolarz could continue to carve out a larger share of the opportunities in net if he can continue to keep the Maple Leafs in contention each night. However, he's a risky fantasy option Saturday against one of the league's top offenses, as Edmonton averages four goals per game this season.

Greaves will patrol the home crease against Philadelphia on Saturday, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Greaves has permitted 18 goals on 126 shots during his five-game losing skid. He has a 2-7-0 record, a 3.35 GAA and an .881 save percentage in 10 appearances this season. Philadelphia (5-10-6) sits 31st in the league this campaign with only 2.24 goals per game.