April 2, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (lower body) has been cleared to return to the lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The in-form forward was a late scratch on Tuesday night against Detroit due to a lower-body injury. Rust was arguably Pittsburgh's best player in March. He has amassed eight goals and 12 assists over his last 16 appearances. Across the season, Rust has contributed 27 goals and 34 assists in 67 games. Avery Hayes filled in for Rust on Tuesday and will exit the lineup against Tampa Bay.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 2, 2026
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (lower body) has been activated from long-term Injured Reserve and will start on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. He has been unavailable for nearly three months, missing 33 games due to a lower-body injury. Hart has started 12 times for the Golden Knights this season, posting a 5-3-3 record, a 3.28 goals-against average, and a .871 save percentage. While Hart's numbers aren't strong, he is a solid fantasy option on Thursday night, as he takes on the lowest-scoring team in the league. The Flames are averaging 2.53 goals per game and have finished with two or fewer goals 10 times in 18 games since the Olympic break.
--Taavi PailkSource: Danny Webster
April 2, 2026
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (finger) will be out for "weeks," according to head coach Paul Maurice. He broke a finger in Tuesday's win over Ottawa. There are only two weeks remaining in the regular season, so it appears likely that we have seen the last of Ekblad in 2025-26. He is set to finish his 12th NHL campaign with 26 points (four goals, 22 assists), 97 SOG, 103 blocks, and 84 hits in 72 games. The Panthers defense will also be without Dmitry Kulikov (nose) for Thursday's matchup with Boston. Tobias Bjornfot and Mikulas Hovorka will be inserted into the lineup for the game. Meanwhile, Mike Benning will get a chance to skate on the second power-play unit, making him a more attractive fantasy option.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (undisclosed) is day-to-day and unlikely to play on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper considers Hagel "doubtful" for the matchup. Hagel has been averaging over a point per game for a second consecutive season, totaling 35 goals and 38 assists in 69 contests. He's been part of a highly productive line with Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov. Corey Perry could be Hagel's replacement in the top six on Thursday. The veteran has been in good form lately, notching two goals and one assist over the past four games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (upper body) is expected to miss the rest of the 2025-26 regular season, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports. He has been out for three games and will only get a chance to return this season if the Blue Jackets secure a playoff berth over the final seven regular-season games. Severson was quietly effective on Columbus' blue line all season, recording 32 points, 93 SOG, 86 blocks, and a plus-18 rating in 71 games. During Severson's absence, Egor Zamula has been part of the lineup in back-to-back games, while Jake Christiansen has also gotten a look on the third defensive pairing.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jeff Svoboda
April 1, 2026
San Jose Sharks winger Igor Chernyshov (illness) is a game-time decision for Wednesday's meeting with the Anaheim Ducks. The 20-year-old is feeling under the weather and might vacate a spot on San Jose's first line. Chernyshov has managed 14 points (five goals, nine assists) through his first 20 career games. However, he has been on the score sheet just four times in his last 13 outings. Ty Dellandrea (lower body) was activated from Injured Reserve on Wednesday and will draw into the lineup if Chernyshov isn't ready to play.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (lower body) won't be in the lineup on Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. The Ducks captain has been dealing with a lower-body injury lately and won't be available for the second time in three games. Drew Helleson is projected to be Gudas' replacement on Wednesday, joining Olen Zellweger on the third line. After a productive start to the season, Helleson hasn't been a threat offensively for several months, making him a non-factor in fantasy hockey. The 25-year-old has tallied 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 54 games, with six of his points coming in October.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier (upper body) might be sidelined for the rest of the week. The 22-year-old suffered an upper-body injury against Toronto on Monday and has been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup with San Jose. Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville has labeled him as questionable for the next two games. Gauthier has recently been one of the hottest goal-scorers in the NHL. He is having a career year with 38 goals and 65 points in 73 games. With Gauthier unavailable, the Ducks are ready to give Nathan Gaucher his NHL debut on Wednesday. The 22-year-old will get an opportunity with the big club after recording 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 57 games in the AHL this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Vancouver Canucks left wing Evander Kane (undisclosed) will sit out Wednesday's matchup with the Colorado Avalanche. The veteran power forward has recently been dealing with a health issue, and the team now plans to manage his workload. Kane scored in his 1,000th career game on Monday night against Vegas and has recorded 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) over 70 outings this season. His absence will give Max Sasson a chance to play on Wednesday. Sasson has not been sharp lately, going seven consecutive appearances without a point, but he has totaled 11 goals and four assists in 60 games during 2025-26.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) won't play on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. The star blue-liner was hurt on Monday against Calgary and will sit out his first game of the season. He may be unavailable for the rest of the week. "He's doing OK," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning. "He's going to miss some time, though. Like nothing serious, like nothing that's putting (the) playoffs in jeopardy or anything like that." Without Makar, the Avalanche defense must lean more on Devon Toews and Sam Malinski. Nick Blankenburg is set to take his place in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 1, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (upper body) will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season, Jack Bushman of Chicago Hockey Now reports. He suffered an upper-body injury in March and has sat out five games. The early end of Grzelcky's campaign means that he will finish the season without scoring a single goal. After a career-high 40 points (one goal, 39 assists) in Pittsburgh last season, Grzelcyk's offensive contributions were limited to 11 assists in 69 games this term. Chicago has lost Artyom Levshunov (hand) until the end of the season, giving Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro opportunities to play.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jack Bushman
April 1, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov (hand) won't return to action this season, Jack Bushman of Chicago Hockey Now reports. The 20-year-old rookie sustained a fractured hand last week and has already sat out two games. Levshunov will wrap up the campaign with 24 points (two goals, 22 assists), 84 SOG, 75 blocks, 98 hits, and a minus-41 rating in 68 games. The No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft clearly has to improve his even-strength play to boost his fantasy stock. He is expected to be a big part of the Blackhawks' future.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jack Bushman
April 1, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (upper body) won't be available for a couple of weeks, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports. He suffered an upper-body injury on Sunday against Boston and might be done for the rest of the regular season. The Blue Jackets will wrap up their schedule on April 14. Olivier averages 3.4 hits per game and has notched 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in 61 games. Kent Johnson slotted into the lineup as his replacement in Tuesday's loss to Carolina and might now play regularly until Olivier returns. However, Johnson's productivity has nosedived this season and won't be much help to fantasy teams.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jeff Svoboda
April 1, 2026
Florida Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues (finger) will have season-ending surgery, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports. The 32-year-old broke a finger last week, and it was reported that he was expected to miss the rest of the campaign. With him now scheduled for surgery, Rodrigues' absence for the remainder of the season is confirmed. He will finish the year with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 69 games. Florida has also lost Sam Reinhart (foot), Brad Marchand (lower body), Anton Lundell (ribs), and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) until the end of the season, so the team's offense will look very different in the final few games.
--Taavi PailkSource: George Richards
April 1, 2026
Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (foot) will be out for the rest of the season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports. Sidelined since mid-March with a foot injury, there's little incentive for the team to bring Reinhart back with the playoffs out of reach. The 30-year-old will finish the campaign with 29 goals and 61 points in 64 games. With Reinhart out of the picture, players like Mackie Samoskevich and A.J. Greer are poised to have bigger roles for the rest of the way.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jameson Olive
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