Russell scored an empty-net goal, added an assist, levied four hits and blocked five shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Avalanche.
Russell's last multi-point effort was a two-assist game versus the Flames on March 6, 2021. The veteran defenseman is rarely a big contributor on offense, but he played a noticeable part in this contest, and he absorbed extra ice time after Darnell Nurse (lower body) left the game. Russell is at nine points, 31 shots on net, 64 blocked shots, 29 hits and a plus-9 rating through 28 outings, matching his point total from each of the last two seasons.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Posts helper in win
Rotowire
Russell notched an assist in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Stars.
Russell helped out on an Evander Kane in the first period. This was Russell's second straight game with a point after he scored in a 4-0 win over the Golden Knights on Saturday. The 34-year-old defenseman isn't known for his offense -- he's at seven points, 30 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 27 outings this season.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: First goal in three years
Rotowire
Russell scored the game-winning goal Saturday in a 4-0 win over Vegas.
Russell took a pass from Zack Kassian and scored from the high slot at 16:26 of the first period. It was his first goal in 146 games -- he hadn't scored since Mar. 17, 2019, remarkably also against the Golden Knights.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Clear from virus protocols
Rotowire
Russell has cleared the COVID-19 protocols but is unlikely to play Tuesday versus the Sharks, Bob Stauffer of the Oilers Radio Network reports.
Russell went into the virus protocols last Monday, but he's now healthy again. The 34-year-old should resume a part-time role on the blue line, where he's unlikely to see more than third-pairing usage.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Enters COVID-19 protocols
Rotowire
Russell has entered the league's COVID-19 protocols and will not play Monday against the Coyotes.
With just eight points, 20 hits and 55 blocked shots this season, there shouldn't be too many fantasy managers that miss Russell while he's unavailable. Nonetheless, look for further info on the veteran blueliner ahead of Wednesday's game against the Kings.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Dealing with undisclosed injury
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Russell suffered an undisclosed injury that will sideline him versus Arizona on Monday, Jason Gregor of OilersNation.com reports.
Russell has already missed the previous two contests and is far from a lock for the lineup even when cleared to play. Considering the 34-year-old defenseman hasn't recorded a goal since 2018-19, fantasy players shouldn't be expecting much in the way of offensive production out of him moving forward.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Puts up rare helper
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Russell provided an assist and fired three shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Devils.
Russell set up a Tyson Barrie tally in the third period, which tied the game at 3-3. This was Russell's second game back from a six-week absence due to an undisclosed injury. The defenseman has five helpers, 49 blocked shots, 23 shots on net and a plus-9 rating while playing an ultra-defensive role on the third pairing.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Activated from LTIR
Rotowire
Russell (undisclosed) was activated from long-term injured reserve and will play Thursday against Buffalo.
The 34-year-old rearguard missed 19 games with the injury after producing just four points in 20 games. Russell is likely set for third-pair duty, where he'll undoubtedly resume throwing his body in front of pucks (48 blocked shots this season).
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Shifts to LTIR
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Russell (undisclosed) was moved to long-term injured reserve Sunday.
Russell has already missed Edmonton's last 11 games and hasn't played since January. This is simply a paper move that could help the Oilers as the trade deadline approaches. The veteran defenseman has four assists through 20 games this season.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Shifted to injured reserve
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Russell was placed on injured reserve Monday with an undisclosed injury.
Russell missed the team's Feb. 2 clash with Washington before the All-Star break and now appears poised to miss some additional time. At a minimum, the defenseman won't be an option for the Oilers' upcoming back-to-back, though it could certainly be longer.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Offers helper in 900th career game
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Russell produced an assist and went plus-2 in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Canadiens.
It was a milestone night for Russell, who skated in his 900th regular-season game. The defenseman has picked up assists in two of his last three contests. Saturday was unusual for Russell, as he failed to record a blocked shot for just the third time in 19 appearances this season. He's at four assists, 46 blocks, 18 shots on net and a plus-7 rating in a third-pairing role.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Adds helper in overtime win
Rotowire
Russell notched an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.
Russell was playing in his third game back from an upper-body injury. The 34-year-old blueliner set up Ryan McLeod to put the Oilers on the board in the third period. Russell has just three assists with 44 blocked shots, 18 shots on net and a plus-5 rating through 17 contests. He'll likely remain in a third-pairing role throughout the season.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Activated from LTIR
Rotowire
Russell (upper body) was activated from long-term injured reserve Wednesday, per PuckPedia.
Russell's activation, plus the assignment of William Lagesson to the taxi squad, bodes well for the former's return to action coming soon. The 34-year-old Russell has missed the last 10 games with his upper-body injury. The defenseman will likely play Thursday versus the Panthers.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Still a week away
Rotowire
Russell (upper body) is still a week away from returning, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
Russell will miss Monday's matchup with Ottawa, but he could be ready to return for the Oilers' next contest, which is scheduled for Jan. 20 against the Panthers. The 34-year-old vet has picked up two helpers through 14 contests this campaign.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Shuffles to LTIR
Rotowire
Russell (upper body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday.
Russell was initially placed on injured reserve last Friday, but it appears his absence will now stretch into the new year. He won't be eligible to return until Jan. 3 at the earliest.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Facing multi-week absence
Rotowire
Russell (upper body) will be out "a minimum of a couple weeks," Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
Russell will almost certainly be sidelined through the NHL's holiday break, so don't expect to see him back in the Oilers' lineup until late December at the earliest. William Lagesson is expected to get the first shot at replacing Russell in Edmonton's bottom four Saturday against Carolina.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Lands on IR
Rotowire
Russell (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Friday.
Russell was already expected to miss at least a week of action so this move won't affect his return timeline. The 34-year-old has two assists in 14 games this season. The Oilers called up Philip Broberg to replace Russell on the roster.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Set for extended absence
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Russell will miss at least a week with an upper-body injury, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
Russell's absence will test Edmonton's depth on the back end, but it won't impact many fantasy lineups, as he's only picked up two helpers through 14 contests this year. The veteran blueliner is undergoing further testing Friday, so a more definite timetable for his return could be established in the coming days.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Exits after hit Thursday
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Russell (upper body) won't return to Thursday's game versus the Bruins, Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun reports.
Russell was hit by Erik Haula in the second period, and that was enough to knock the former from the contest. Russell fired three shots on net and blocked two shots in 7:26 of ice time prior to his exit. He'll likely be day-to-day ahead of Saturday's showdown with the Hurricanes.
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Oilers' Kris Russell: Chips in with helper Wednesday
Rotowire
Russell recorded an assist, four blocked shots, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
The all-time blocked shot leader did plenty of that in his 26:53 of ice time Wednesday -- he's had at least four blocks in four of his 10 outings. Russell also produced the secondary helper on Kailer Yamamoto's game-winning tally. This was Russell's second point of the year to go with 31 blocks, a plus-8 rating and 10 hits. He'll continue to see a significant role as the OIlers weather an unfortunate run of injuries to their defense.
