NHL Player News
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Drew Commesso G | CHI
Blackhawks' Drew Commesso: Earns OT win Monday
Commesso stopped 22 of 24 shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Mammoth.
Commesso got the start Monday on the second leg of a back-to-back set due to the absence of Spencer Knight (illness), and the 23-year-old stepped up. As long as Knight remains sidelined, Commesso is likely to serve as Arvid Soderblom's understudy. Commesso's not a player worth targeting in most fantasy formats unless you're really short in terms of goaltending depth -- but even in that scenario, he's good only for specific matchups.
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Vitek Vanecek G | UTA
Mammoth's Vitek Vanecek: Tagged with OT loss
Vanecek stopped 23 of 26 shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.
Vanecek has started in two of Utah's last three games, going 1-0-1 while stopping 39 of 42 shots faced. He'll revert to his regular backup role when the Mammoth take on the Wild on Tuesday in the second leg of a back-to-back set. With only four appearances since the beginning of the calendar year, it's hard to trust Vanecek into anything more than a streaming option. That said, in those four games, he's gone 2-0-2 with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
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Darren Raddysh D | TB
Lightning's Darren Raddysh: Missing Tuesday's game
Raddysh (personal) is unavailable for Tuesday's home matchup against the Blue Jackets, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Raddysh is with his family Tuesday to attend the memorial service for his father, Dwayne. It will be the first game Raddysh has missed since Nov. 4. Victor Hedman skated with the No. 1 power-play unit during Tuesday's morning skate, while Charle-Edouard D'Astous worked with the second group, per Pierce. Tampa Bay's next game is at home against Detroit on Thursday.
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Stuart Skinner G | PIT
Penguins' Stuart Skinner: Between pipes against Canes
Skinner will tend the twine on the road versus Carolina on Tuesday, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.
Skinner and fellow backstop Arturs Silovs have been splitting the workload for much of the season, a trend fantasy managers can expect will likely continue down the stretch. The 27-year-old Skinner is currently mired in a four-game losing streak, having gone 0-1-3 with a 2.90 GAA over that stretch. He'll face an uphill battle trying to secure his 20th win of the year with both Sidney Crosby (lower body) and Evgeni Malkin (suspension) unavailable.
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Dylan Guenther RW | UTA
Mammoth's Dylan Guenther: Keeps point streak alive
Guenther scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.
Guenther extended his point streak to four games, and the winger has found the back of the net three times over that stretch. The 22-year-old continues to have a strong year with Utah, tallying 30 goals and 55 points across 62 contests. He's on the verge of matching his 2024-25 output, when he had 60 points (27 goals, 33 assists) in 70 regular-season appearances.
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Gage Goncalves C | TB
Lightning's Gage Goncalves: Returning to action
Goncalves (lower body) will be in the lineup for Tuesday's home contest versus Columbus, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Goncalves missed the last four games as a result of his lower-body issue. The 25-year-old skated on the second line with Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point during Tuesday's morning skate, and Goncalves also worked with the No. 2 power-play unit, both of which boost his fantasy outlook.
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Kevin Hayes RW | PIT
Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Suffers upper-body injury
Hayes is day-to-day but will miss Tuesday's clash with the Hurricanes due to an upper-body injury.
Hayes may have faced an uphill battle to get into the lineup even if he was healthy, considering how often he served as a healthy scratch. In his 25 outings this season, the 33-year-old forward has notched three goals and two helpers. With Hayes out, trade acquisition Elmer Soderblom figures to continue featuring in the lineup.
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Erik Cernak D | TB
Lightning's Erik Cernak: Will not play Tuesday
Cernak (undisclosed) won't suit up against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.
Head coach Jon Cooper said that following Tuesday's game, Cernak can be considered day-to-day. The right-shot blueliner was injured during Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Sabres after a fight with Michael Kesselring in the second period, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Steve Santini was brought up from the minors Tuesday to give the Lightning an extra defenseman while Cernak is out.
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Samuel Girard D | PIT
Penguins' Samuel Girard: Out with upper-body injury
Girard will not be in the lineup against the Hurricanes on Tuesday due to an upper-body injury.
Girard is considered day-to-day due to his injury, so it may not be a long-term absence. In seven appearances for the Penguins since being acquired at the trade deadline, the 27-year-old blueliner has yet to register a point. Without Girard in the lineup, Ilya Solovyov and Ryan Graves could make up the bottom pairing.
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Connor Hellebuyck G | WPG
Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Slated starter against Anaheim
Hellebuyck is expected to face the Ducks at home Tuesday, according to Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site.
Hellebuyck has rounded into form with the Jets lately, winning three games in a row while stopping a combined 64 of 49 shots (.928 save percentage). The Michigan native owns a 16-16-9 record, 2.73 GAA and .902 save percentage over 41 outings in 2025-26. The Ducks rank 13th in the NHL with 3.22 goals per game and are 13-15-2 on the road this season.