Only five games into his tenure as a New York Islander, Duclair has suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him sidelined indefinitely. The 30-year-old Duclair was signed in the offseason to add an offensive punch to a typically low-scoring Islanders club and was off to a solid start, with three points (2G / 1A) in five games.
Drouin has been placed on Injured Reserve, retroactive to Colorado's 8-4 opening night loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on October 9th when he suffered an upper-body injury. Ross Colton has been the main beneficiary in Drouin's absence, finding himself on a dangerous top powerplay unit.
Duclair had to be helped off the ice after suffering an apparent leg injury in Saturday's game. Post-game head coach Patrick Roy did not have an update on Duclair and they don't practice on Sunday, so don't expect an update on the winger until Monday at the earliest.
Rittich will make his second start in as many nights after getting the nod in Toronto on Wednesday. Rittich struggled against the Maple Leafs before being replaced by Pheonix Copley in the second period, allowing four goals on just 14 shots as the Kings suffered a 6-2 defeat. With Darcy Kuemper sidelined, the Kings will be hoping Rittich can regain his form from a season ago sooner rather than later. He has a good chance of securing his first win of the season tonight as the Kings find themselves as -135 favourites in Montreal.
Drouin played 21:25 in Colorado's season-opening 8-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights but has not returned to practice since. Ross Colton has been the main beneficiary in Drouin's absence, finding himself on a dangerous top powerplay unit.
Sorokin made his season debut for the Islanders on Monday after serving as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in their first two games and put forth an excellent performance, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, the Islanders first win of the 2024-25 season. Sorokin underwent offseason back surgery after the weakest season of his career in 2023-24, posting a pedestrian 3.01 GAA and .908 SV% in 56 games (25-19-12), but looks poised to return to the form that made him a Vezina-trophy runner-up in 2022-23.
Sorokin made his season debut for the Islanders on Monday after serving as the backup to Semyon Varlamov in their first two games and put forth an excellent performance, saving 32 of 34 shots (.941 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, the Islanders first win of the 2024-25 season. Sorokin underwent offseason back surgery after the weakest season of his career in 2023-24, posting a pedestrian 3.01 GAA and .908 SV% in 56 games (25-19-12), but looks poised to return to the form that made him a Vezina-trophy runner-up in 2022-23.
With Darcy Kuemper (lower body) sidelined for at least one game, Rittich assumes the role of the Kings' starting netminder on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 32-year-old Rittich has not played yet this season but will attempt to replicate his stats from a season ago when he emerged as a viable option in the net for the Kings, posting a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV% in 24 contests (13-6-3). The Kings enter action as +158 road underdogs against the Maple Leafs.
After losing their first two games of the season, the Islanders will finally turn to 2022-23 Vezina-trophy runner-up Sorokin in between the pipes. Sorokin had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, posting a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV% in 56 outings (25-19-12), and seemingly fell out of favor with head coach Patrick Roy. That said, the 29-year-old Sorokin has been terrific over his four-year NHL career, accumulating a terrific 2.54 GAA and .919 SV% in 192 career contests (95-65-30). The Islanders enter action on Monday as +135 road underdogs against the winless Colorado Avalanche.
After losing their first two games of the season, the Islanders will finally turn to 2022-23 Vezina-trophy runner-up Sorokin in between the pipes. Sorokin had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, posting a 3.01 GAA and .908 SV% in 56 outings (25-19-12), and seemingly fell out of favor with head coach Patrick Roy. That said, the 29-year-old Sorokin has been terrific over his four-year NHL career, accumulating a terrific 2.54 GAA and .919 SV% in 192 career contests (95-65-30). The Islanders enter action on Monday as +135 road underdogs against the winless Colorado Avalanche.
Patrick Roy favoured Varlamov last season after taking over the Islanders' head coaching duties and will turn to Varlamov for consecutive games to start the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov was great last season, posting a 2.60 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4), but struggled in the Islanders season opener on Thursday, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
Boqvist took a puck to the face in the Panthers' season opener and had to leave after just 4:38 TOI. He missed Thursday's game in Ottawa but will be back in the lineup in Buffalo. Boqvist will be one of the Panthers' seven defensemen in the lineup but will serve as the quarterback on their top power-play unit.
Heineman had two SOG and three hits in 9:40 TOI in the Canadiens season opener but was a healthy scratch in their second game. He'll replace Alex Barré-Boulet on the fourth line on Saturday.
Drouin played 21:25 in Colorado's season-opening 8-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday but did not practice on Thursday or Friday and will miss several games. Ross Colton is expected to fill in on the top powerplay unit in Drouin's absence.
Patrick Roy favored Varlamov last season after taking over the Islanders' head coaching duties and appears to be doing so again, likely turning to Varlamov for consecutive games to start the season. The 36-year-old Varlamov was great last season, posting a 2.60 GAA and .918 SV% in 28 games (14-8-4), but struggled in the Islanders season opener on Thursday, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club.
Boqvist returned to Florida's morning skate on Thursday but will be out with an upper-body injury after taking a puck high and leaving the Panthers' previous game early. The 24-year-old has battled unfortunate injuries throughout his entire six-year career and will be replaced by Nate Schmidt on Thursday. Head Coach Paul Maurice stated he felt good about Boqvist's return in Florida's next game on Saturday.
