Sandis Vilmanis Is Out, Morgan Rielly Is Uncertain and Colten Ellis Projects to Start for Buffalo: Sunday NHL Injury and Goalie Watch

Sunday's six-game NHL slate opens with Sandis Vilmanis listed among Florida's injured after a boarding hit from Tom Wilson, Toronto waiting on Morgan Rielly after he left Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, and Buffalo projected to turn to Colten Ellis against Vegas. Four teams, Florida, New Jersey, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, play the second night of back-to-backs. Here is where every crease and key injury stands as of Sunday morning, with the fantasy and DFS pivots that follow.

Sunday's goalie board

Daily Faceoff showed none of Sunday's 12 starters confirmed in its early snapshot, so treat everything below as projected until morning skates and beat reports confirm.

The afternoon games

Panthers at Bruins: NHL.com lists both of Florida's goalies without naming a starter. Schmid made 27 saves in Saturday's 4-3 loss at Washington, which points toward Jacob Markstrom on the second night, though that is an inference rather than a confirmation. Florida's injury list is long: Vilmanis (upper body), Anton Lundell (undisclosed, day to day), Aleksander Barkov (knee), Brad Marchand (knee) and Jonah Gadjovich (neck). Coach Paul Maurice said Vilmanis' severity will not be known until he sees the medical staff in Florida, and the team may recall a forward from AHL Charlotte. For Boston, James Hagens went on injured reserve Saturday with a back injury, Matthew Poitras did not practice after breaking his nose Nov. 2, and Mikey Eyssimont was recalled and projects into the lineup.

Golden Knights at Sabres: Vegas is likely to start Adin Hill, which would be the change from Thursday's 2-1 win at Detroit. Buffalo is expected to start Ellis, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen backing up after making 24 saves in Friday's 5-2 win over Columbus. The Sabres list Konsta Helenius, Justin Danforth, Matt Grzelcyk and goaltender Alex Lyon as injured.

The evening games

Devils at Maple Leafs: Jake Allen made 19 saves in Saturday's overtime win on Long Island, so Connor Hellebuyck is expected back in the crease for New Jersey. Toronto has Anthony Stolarz slated after Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves against Montreal. Rielly's status is unresolved, with outlets split between day to day and out, and coach Jim Hiller offered no update Saturday night. Toronto is also without Kirill Marchenko (lower body).

Lightning at Jets: Dennis Hildeby made 19 saves in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota, and the Lightning's game notes list both Hildeby and Andrei Vasilevskiy without confirming a starter. On a back-to-back, Vasilevskiy is the logical candidate, but wait for confirmation. Winnipeg's starter had not been confirmed.

Flyers at Flames: Both creases are open questions. Calgary has Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf as its options, and Philadelphia chooses between Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll.

Penguins at Ducks: Sergei Murashov made 26 saves for his first win of the season Saturday in Los Angeles, so Arturs Silovs, who has lost three straight decisions, is the natural back-to-back option, though previews list both. Anaheim's Lukas Dostal is projected but unconfirmed.

Injury watch beyond Sunday

Several Saturday injuries affect teams that do not play today but matter for weekly lineups.

Wilson is also worth monitoring. He received a five-minute boarding major and a game misconduct for the hit on Vilmanis, and the Department of Player Safety is expected to review it. No ruling had been reported as of Sunday morning.

Fantasy and DFS pivots

Back-to-back fades: Florida, New Jersey, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh all played Saturday night, and Pittsburgh's came in Los Angeles with a game in Anaheim less than 24 hours later. Tired legs and a likely backup-quality start make the Ducks an appealing DFS stack, particularly a power play that has been driving Anaheim's recent surge.

Florida's thin forward group: With Barkov, Marchand, Lundell and Vilmanis out, Florida's minutes concentrate on Brady Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk, projected together on the top line. Brady Tkachuk scored twice and Matthew Tkachuk had three assists Saturday. That concentration raises their floors, and it makes Swayman a riskier play than usual against a top line that has been producing in bunches.

Buffalo stack: Josh Norris scored twice and Owen Power had three assists Friday, and the Sabres host Vegas at home with Ellis expected in goal. Power remains a strong defenseman play in DFS formats that reward assists.

Toronto defense if Rielly sits: Darren Raddysh runs Toronto's top power play and becomes the clear blue-line target against Hellebuyck.

The Verdexed angle

The theme on Sunday is uncertainty in net. Four of the six games carry real goalie questions, and four teams are on the second night of back-to-backs, which is where fantasy managers get burned by late swaps. The safest goalie plays are the ones with official projections from NHL.com, Hill and Ellis, and the riskiest are any starts against a well-rested opponent. For the model's view on today's matchups, see the NHL predictions page and the NHL picks for November 8.

What's next

Watch for morning skate confirmations in Boston and Buffalo first, then Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Anaheim later in the day. Florida's update on Vilmanis and Toronto's update on Rielly will shape waiver priorities for the week, and a Department of Player Safety decision on Wilson could arrive at any time. Lock your lineups late and confirm every goalie before puck drop.