Kiviranta scored a goal in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota.
His goal came at the 14:20 mark of the third period when he tipped in a lofted backhand shot from Samuel Girard in the high slot. Kiviranta isn't really known for his offense, but he's on a four-game, four-goal streak, which brings him up to 15 goals (six assists) in 66 appearances this season. This run is lightning in the proverbial bottle for Kiviranta, but you can't ignore the heat. He may help you in the next couple of games if you're streaming.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Nets empty-netter Monday
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Kiviranta scored an empty-netter in Monday's 3-0 win over the Blackhawks.
Kiviranta has found the back of the net in each of the Avalanche's last three games, but perhaps what's even more impressive is the fact that he's found the twine with each of his last three shots on goal. The 28-year-old winger has 14 goals and 20 total points in 65 contests this season, but he's trending in the right direction of late after cracking the scoresheet in four of his last five outings.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Goal in each of last two games
Rotowire
Kiviranta scored a goal in a 7-4 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Kiviranta drove the net at top speed late in the second, and Ross Colton's centering pass went off his skate and between Anthony Stolarz's pads. He has a goal in each of his last two games, but he had just one in the 26 outings before that. It's a nice run for Kiviranta, but that doesn't mean he's fantasy worthy.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Avoids scoreless month
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Kiviranta logged an assist, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-2 win over the Wild.
Kiviranta had been held off the scoresheet for the first seven games of February before helping out on a Ross Colton tally in the second period. The 28-year-old Kiviranta is now at 17 points, 64 shots on net, 87 hits and a plus-8 rating through 61 appearances. He's already produced a career year and just needs to play in 10 more games to set a career high in that area as well. That said, he's also shooting 17.2 percent, so some regression was to be expected following his relatively strong first half of the campaign. Kiviranta is more of a physical depth forward and rarely needs to be considered in fantasy.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Finds twine in win
Rotowire
Kiviranta scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blues.
Kiviranta snapped a 16-game goal drought, which began Dec. 27 after he had a hat trick versus the Kraken on Dec. 22. The 28-year-old winger is not one to score consistently, so it's no surprise there was a long gap between goals. He's at 11 goals, 16 points, 60 shots on net, 79 hits, 14 PIM and a plus-5 rating across 53 appearances in what's already a career year for the Finn.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Manages assist in loss
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Kiviranta notched an assist, two hits and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.
Kiviranta has three helpers over 10 games since the holiday break. The 28-year-old had five goals across three contests leading into the break, and that uptick in production has earned him a larger role in the Avalanche's middle six as the team deals with some injuries at forward. Kiviranta is at 15 points, 54 shots on net, 73 hits and a plus-5 rating through 46 games this season. As long as he's on the second line, he's worth consideration in fantasy formats that reward his physical play.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Adds helper Thursday
Rotowire
Kiviranta notched an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Wild.
Kiviranta picked up his first point over five outings in January when he set up Parker Kelly's third-period tally. Expectations are higher for Kiviranta after his six-goal, eight-point December (13 contests). The 28-year-old has a total of 14 points, 54 shots on net, 67 hits and a plus-8 rating over 43 games this season, playing on the third pairing without a spot on the power play.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Helps out on empty-netter
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Kiviranta logged an assist and four hits in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets.
Kiviranta earned his first assist since Dec. 8 versus the Devils. While he hasn't been playmaking lately, he has five goals over the last five games. The 28-year-old winger is up to 10 goals, three assists, 49 shots on net, 60 hits and a plus-8 rating through 38 appearances. He has primarily served in a third-line role this season, and while he's already earned a career year, his offense is likely to be limited.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Natural hat trick in win
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Kiviranta recorded a natural hat trick and fired five shots on net in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Kraken.
Kiviranta had the last three goals of the game, two of which were empty-netters. The winger has scored five times over the last three contests, giving him career highs with 10 goals and 12 points in just 36 outings this season. He's added 46 shots on net, 54 hits and a plus-7 rating. Kiviranta typically doesn't have a lot of scoring upside, but he's worth a look in deep formats as long as he's wielding a hot stick.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Surprise hero in win
Rotowire
Kiviranta scored twice on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.
Kiviranta notched his second two-goal game of the year, with his pair of goals coming in a span of 2:52 in the third period. That was the difference in the win. Kiviranta had produced just three points over his prior 22 appearances. The physical winger is at seven goals -- one shy of his career high -- while adding two assists, 40 shots on net, 54 hits, 10 PIM and a plus-4 rating in a bottom-six role over 34 outings this season.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Collects assist in win
Rotowire
Kiviranta recorded an assist in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Devils.
Kiviranta has a goal and an assist over four games in December after posting only one point in November. The 28-year-old remains in a third-line role, but he doesn't chip in much offense, instead making most of his impact through physical play. The winger has five goals, two assists, 32 shots on net, 48 hits and a plus-2 rating over 29 contests this season.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Chips in with assist
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Kiviranta notched an assist, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Predators.
Kiviranta snapped a seven-game drought when he assisted on a Mikko Rantanen tally in the second period. The 28-year-old Kiviranta continues to fill a second-line role, though his time in that spot could be nearing a close. The Avalanche's cavalry is coming, with Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Miles Wood (upper body) and Valeri Nichushkin (suspension) all possible to return by the end of this week. Kiviranta has five points, 21 shots on net, 28 hits and eight PIM across 16 appearances, and he should be able to hold onto a bottom-six role once the team is healthier at forward.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Scores again Thursday
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Kiviranta scored a goal, added two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over Utah.
Kiviranta has scored all four of his goals this season over his last three games. He's now halfway to matching his career high for goals in a year, which he set over 70 regular-season appearances with the Stars in 2022-23. The winger has seen an increased role lately, including 17:00 of ice time Thursday, as the Avalanche contend with numerous injuries to wingers. Kiviranta adds steady hits (13 through eight contests), but he often doesn't do enough to make an impact in fantasy.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Lights lamp Sunday
Rotowire
Kiviranta scored a goal, added three hits and went plus-2 in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Sharks.
Kiviranta's third-period goal was his first point in six games this season. The 28-year-old winger has remained in a bottom-six role even as injuries have quickly piled up among the Avalanche's forwards. He's added 11 hits, three shots on net and an even plus-minus rating. Physical play is Kiviranta's biggest area, but he's not even much of a factor there with a career high of 117 hits back in 2022-23 with Dallas. Fantasy managers won't need to track his progress this season.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Pens two-way deal
Rotowire
Kiviranta inked a one-year, two-way contract with Colorado on Monday.
In his first season with the Avalanche, Kiviranta played in 56 regular-season contests, recording three goals, six assists and 78 hits. The 28-year-old winger's lack of offensive upside likely factored into the team's decision to only offer him a two-way deal. While Kiviranta should make the Opening Night roster, he is far from a lock as evidenced by his contract, and he's unlikely to see much more than bottom-six minutes when he plays.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Scores against former team
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Kiviranta scored a goal on three shots, added three hits and logged two PIM in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Stars in Game 2.
Kiviranta returned from a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury. His goal sparked the Avalanche's comeback attempt in the third period, but the comeback fell short. The winger has two points, six shots on net, 12 hits and a plus-3 rating through four playoff appearances. He continues to occupy a bottom-six role, so his scoring contributions are likely to remain sparse.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Game-time call Thursday
Rotowire
Kiviranta (lower body) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's Game 2 against Dallas, according to Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.
Kiviranta has missed the Avalanche's past three contests due to the injury. He had three goals and nine points in 56 regular-season outings. Kiviranta has also registered an assist in three playoff appearances this year.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Not ready to play
Rotowire
Kiviranta (lower body) will not be an option against the Jets in Game 5 on Tuesday, per NHL.com.
Kiviranta did make the trip with the team to Winnipeg, so he appears to be getting close to returning. In his three postseason contests, the 28-year-old winger has registered one assist, three shots and nine hits while averaging 10:14 of ice time. Even once given the all-clear, Kiviranta is far from a lock for the lineup but should be in the mix for a bottom-six role.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Traveling with team
Rotowire
Kiviranta (lower body) will make the trip to Winnipeg ahead of Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Jets, Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports reports.
Kiviranta missed Sunday's Game 4 win over the Jets due to a lower-body issue, but it appears he could be available for Game 5. The 28-year-old winger has picked up one helper and a plus-2 rating through three playoff games this year.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Absent from warmups
Rotowire
Kiviranta (undisclosed) did not take the ice for warmups and is out Sunday for Game 4 against Winnipeg, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Kiviranta left Friday's game multiple times with the injury. While he was able to return, the winger will ultimately be held out Sunday in Game 4. The 28-year-old Kiviranta had an assist through three games in the series after tallying three goals and nine points in 56 regular-season contests. Newly recalled Nikolai Kovalenko could make his NHL debut while Kiviranta is sidelined.
