NHL Player News

Van Riemsdyk scored a goal and fired five shots on net in Sunday's 3-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Van Riemsdyk tallied the go-ahead goal roughly midway through the second period to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. He is up to 13 points, 44 shots on net and 95 blocked shots this season. While he has just three goals this season, his tally was important for Washington's playoff hopes, as the Capitals now sit just one point out of the final playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. Van Riemsdyk has been a steady source of blocked shots of late with 14 over his last eight games.

Thompson halted all 24 shots on goal in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Penguins.

Thompson picked up his fourth consecutive win Sunday, as well as his fourth shutout of the season. Overall, he is up to a 31-21-6 record, a 2.44 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 58 appearances this season. He's been a workhorse in net for the Capitals, appearing in 19 of the team's last 22 games. Thompson has 12 wins and a .908 save percentage in that span, making him an excellent fantasy option while the Caps make a push for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. He could be a Vezina Trophy candidate thanks to his strong play this season.

Skinner stopped 23 of 25 shots on net in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Capitals.

Skinner was left on an island Sunday, as the Penguins' offense came up empty while he allowed just one goal inside the first 55 minutes of the contest. With the loss, he now holds a 23-17-9 record, an .889 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA across 49 outings this season. He's alternated wins and losses over his last seven outings, making him a risky fantasy option ahead of Pittsburgh's final game of the regular season against the Blues.

Gridin has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Utah due to an illness.

Gridin hasn't missed a game since early March, but he'll be unavailable Sunday due to his illness. He's appeared in 22 games since the Olympic break, recording three goals, 10 assists, 17 blocked shots, four hits and two PIM while averaging 15:34 of ice time. It's not yet clear when he'll be back in action, but his next opportunity to suit up will be Tuesday against the Avalanche.

Kuznetsov will be sidelined against the Mammoth on Sunday due to an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.

Kuznetsov didn't play in the final 10 minutes of Saturday's game in Seattle due to his injury, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan. If Kevin Bahl (lower body) doesn't suit up Sunday, Brayden Pachal will most likely draw into the lineup in a bottom-four capacity. The Flames have two more games remaining in their season following Sunday's matchup against Utah.

Gauthier (upper body) is available for Sunday's home game against the Canucks, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Following a five-game absence, Gauthier will return to the lineup and skate on the third line with Jeffrey Viel and Mason McTavish. Gauthier was surging in the goal-scoring department prior to getting injured, generating 13 goals over 18 games since the Olympic break. The 22-year-old has three games to attempt to reach the 40-goal mark for the first time in his young career -- he's currently sitting at 38.

Gudas (lower body) is warming up ahead of Sunday's game against the Canucks, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports, indicating that he'll be back in action.

Gudas has been unavailable for five consecutive games due to his lower-body injury, but he should return to game action as part of the second defensive pairing Sunday. He's made 12 appearances since the Olympic break, recording a goal, two assists, 34 PIM, 14 blocked shots and 13 hits while averaging 14:14 of ice time.

Dostal will be between the home pipes against the Canucks on Sunday, per Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett.

Dostal bounced back Thursday in a 6-1 win over the Sharks after several shaky performances. The 25-year-old is 1-3-0 with a 4.01 GAA and an .830 save percentage through four appearances in April. Dostal has a favorable matchup Sunday against the Canucks, who are on the second half of a back-to-back -- Vancouver picked up a 4-3 shootout win in San Jose on Saturday.

Gilbert (upper body) is set to suit up Sunday in New Jersey.

Gilbert progressed well in his recovery, as it was announced March 26 that he would be sidelined for approximately three weeks. The Buffalo native missed 11 games due to his upper-body injury. Gilbert will skate in a second-pairing role alongside Nikolas Matinpalo on Sunday, as Jake Sanderson (rest) isn't playing in New Jersey.

Tolopilo will occupy the road crease Sunday against the Ducks, according to Dan Murphy of Sportsnet.

Tolopilo will play for the fifth time in the Canucks' last six games, as Kevin Lankinen got the start in the first half of the team's back-to-back Saturday in San Jose. Tolopilo hasn't registered a win since March 12 against Nashville, and he'll have an uphill battle Sunday against an Anaheim club that is battling for playoff positioning in the Pacific Division. The Ducks snapped their six-game losing streak against the Sharks on Thursday, and they should have the rest advantage against a Canucks team that went to a shootout Saturday.