February 5, 2026
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (lower body) won't play on Thursday against the New York Islanders, missing a third consecutive game. After sitting out most of December with a hand injury, Hughes is dealing with a lower-body ailment. Hughes is scheduled to play for Team USA at the Olympics and will have an additional week to recover before the tournament opener against Latvia. The Devils have used Cody Glass in the top six since Hughes landed on the shelf. Before going scoreless in Tuesday's loss to Columbus, Glass had averaged a point per game over a 10-game stretch.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
February 4, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (illness) won't play on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. The veteran forward will be unavailable for a second consecutive contest due to illness. Several Wild players have been under the weather recently, including Nico Strum, who returned from a one-game absence on Monday against Montreal to fill Foligno's spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jesper Wallstedt (illness) also remains unavailable on Wednesday night. Luckily for Minnesota, this will be the team's final game before the Olympic break, and they can get healthy over the next few weeks.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 4, 2026
San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood (upper body) will make his team debut on Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. It has been a couple of weeks since the Sharks acquired Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks, but he hasn't played yet due to an upper-body injury. The 30-year-old has a good chance to make a positive first impression, as the Sharks will use Sherwood on the first line with scoring machine Macklin Celebrini and in-form Will Smith. He is also expected to join the second power-play unit. Sherwood has managed 17 goals and 23 points in 44 outings this season, collecting 10 points (six goals, four assists) on the power play.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 4, 2026
Colorado Avalanche right wing Martin Necas (lower body) will miss Wednesday's matchup with the San Jose Sharks. He's been dealing with a lower-body injury and won't be in the lineup for a third consecutive game. Necas is still expected to play for Czechia at the 2026 Olympics. With Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) also on the shelf, Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson will continue to see top-six usage. Both players are also part of the second power-play unit. Additionally, Necas' departure from the lineup has boosted Valeri Nichushkin's fantasy stock, as he has replaced him on the first line.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 4, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (illness) is a game-time decision for Wednesday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports. The Russian forward has been feeling under the weather and didn't play in Tuesday's win over New Jersey. He appears on track to return against Chicago after skating on Wednesday morning. Only defensive standout Zach Werenski has scored more points on the Blue Jackets roster this season, with Marchenko contributing 19 goals and 27 assists in 50 outings. If he's cleared to play, Columbus will scratch Danton Heinen or Isac Lundestrom for the contest. The latter filled in for Marchenko on the first line against New Jersey but had a quiet outing.
--Taavi PailkSource: Brian Hedger
February 4, 2026
Florida Panthers centers Sam Bennett (upper body) and Anton Lundell (upper body) are expected to play on Wednesday versus the Boston Bruins. This is a welcome boost for Florida's frontline, with Brad Marchand (lower body) still unavailable. Lundell has been out for three games, while Bennett exited Monday's loss to Buffalo early due to an upper-body injury. The two will operate as Florida's top-two centers. While Bennett has been playing well lately, notching 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 16 appearances since the turn of the year, Lundell had been quiet. He boasts only five points (two goals, three assists) in 2026 and has finished scoreless in four of his last five appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 4, 2026
The New Jersey Devils acquired center Nick Bjugstad from the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday in exchange for minor-league forward Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional 2026 fourth-round draft pick. Bjugstad is moving on from St. Louis only a few months after signing a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the team as a free agent. He appeared in 35 games for the Blues, recording seven points (six goals, one assist) and 73 hits. Adding Bjugstad gives New Jersey more muscle and some additional depth at center. He will remain a bottom-six piece with his new squad.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Winger Artemi Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday and signed a two-year, $22 million contract extension. In the transaction, the New York Rangers received prospect forward Liam Greentree, a conditional third-round pick in 2026, and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2028. The Rangers are retaining 50 percent of Panarin's 2025-25 salary, giving the Kings a $5.8 million cap hit. Panarin was linked to several Eastern Conference teams, but sources told ESPN that the Russian star wanted to play in L.A. Picking up Panarin should give the Kings' offense a much-needed boost; only five teams have averaged fewer goals this season. Panarin is only a couple of years removed from a huge 120-point campaign. This season, he has notched 57 points (19 goals, 38 assists) in 52 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. All of Barzal's points came after the second intermission. He first tied the score at three, then set up goals by Ryan Pulock and Bo Horvat as the Islanders turned the game on its head. Barzal has been hot throughout 2026, earning him a spot on the top line alongside Horvat. The 28-year-old has scored in five of his last six outings and has earned 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) over a 16-game stretch. It's been an impressive comeback season for Barzal, who missed a large chunk of 2024-25 due to a knee injury. He leads the Islanders in scoring, posting 50 points (16 goals, 34 assists) in 56 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho left his fingerprints all over Tuesday's matchup against the Ottawa Senators, finishing a 4-3 victory with a goal and two assists. Aho scored late in the first period and helped Seth Jarvis grab a pair of goals in the second, including a power-play marker. The 28-year-old became the fourth Finnish player in NHL history to score at least 20 goals in 10 consecutive seasons. He has added 37 assists in 56 outings. Aho will attempt to post his first four-game goal streak since 2022-23 when the Hurricanes face the New York Rangers on Thursday in their final game before the Olympic break.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh scored in his fifth consecutive game and added an assist as his team defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday night. Raddysh was a late hero, scoring with 26 seconds left in regulation to extend the game. He became only the sixth blue-liner in the past 25 years to record a five-game goal streak. Raddysh is third among defensemen with 17 goals and sixth with 51 points in 48 games. His productivity hasn't dipped since Victor Hedman's return, which is an encouraging sign for managers hoping Raddysh can keep his hot form going until the fantasy playoffs.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov made scoring look easy once again on Tuesday night, totaling four points (one goal, three assists) in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres. The Russian superstar recorded his second consecutive four-point game. He now has 39 such efforts, the fourth most among players born and trained outside North America. Kucherov has bagged an incredible 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) since the start of January, making him a contender for his third straight Art Ross Trophy. He is now just five points behind leading scorer Connor McDavid. Across 50 outings, Kucherov has managed 90 points (29 goals, 61 assists).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny celebrated his 700th career game with two assists in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. He managed to keep his multi-point streak alive in the final minutes. Konecny had his first helper when Jamie Drysdale scored a power-play goal with 5:23 left in regulation, and Rasmus Ristolainen's empty-net goal 17 seconds from the end gave Konecny his fourth consecutive multi-point game. The 28-year-old has been red-hot lately and will probably be disappointed that there's going to be an international break soon. Konecny has racked up 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past nine outings. He has taken over the scoring lead among the Flyers, boasting 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 54 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins recorded his first shutout of the season on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, backstopping his team to a 3-0 road win with 24 saves. The Latvian netminder now has 12 shutouts with the Blue Jackets, placing him behind only Sergei Bobrovsky (33) and Steve Mason (19). After riding the hot hand of Jet Greaves for a while, Columbus has also received strong goaltending from Merzlikins lately. Following Tuesday's win, he boasts a 5-1-0 record over his last six starts. With two in-form goalies, the Blue Jackets are well-positioned to earn a playoff spot. Greaves is set to start in the final pre-Olympic break matchup against Chicago on Wednesday.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil missed Tuesday's practice due to migraines and is unlikely to play on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Czech forward, who has made only 12 appearances this season, is unfortunately dealing with health issues again. Chytil couldn't finish Monday's matchup against Utah after he "tweaked something." Winger Conor Garland (illness) also missed Tuesday's practice but is expected to be in the lineup against Vegas. Jake DeBrusk is set to fill Chytil's spot on the second line, while Drew O'Connor will be promoted to the first line.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
RADIO
