March 20, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (illness) was limited to 4:44 of ice time in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Lightning captain exited the contest after the first period due to illness. Darren Raddysh once again had to step up on the blue line and produced a goal and an assist. Hedman has made only 33 appearances this season, sitting out a significant portion of the campaign due to elbow surgery. He has recorded 17 points (one goal, 16 assists), 50 shots, and 44 blocks. If Hedman misses additional time, Steven Santini will step into the lineup on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
March 20, 2026
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports. He missed Thursday's matchup with the Seattle Kraken but could be an option over the weekend when Nashville has a back-to-back set. Saros has posted a 24-19-7 record, a 3.14 goals-against average, and a .894 save percentage across 51 starts this season. Justus Annunen was in net on Thursday night and had a good outing with 25 saves in a 3-1 win. The team recalled Matt Murray from the minors to serve as the backup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Alex Daugherty
March 19, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight made 28 saves in a tight 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. It was a tough matchup, but the American netminder played very well and made some key saves to hold on to the 2-1 lead. Knight now has a 2.63 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances this year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli scored two goals in a 6-3 victory over the rebuilding New York Rangers on Thursday. He has been playing great lately, with six goals and six assists in the month of March alone. Fantilli now has 21 goals and 30 assists this season and is closing in on his career high of 54 points, which he had last year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (knee) underwent successful MCL surgery and will require 12 weeks of recovery time, the team announced Thursday. Toronto's captain was previously already ruled out for the rest of the 2025-26 regular season. The latest update means that Matthews also won't be available for Team USA for the 2026 IIHF World Championship. For the second consecutive season, Matthews' campaign has been significantly impacted by injury. He played 67 games last season and appeared in 60 games this term, finishing with a career-low 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists). Matthews is expected to be fully healthy in time for training camp in the fall.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 19, 2026
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) will remain sidelined on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres. He continues to deal with a lower-body injury, missing a fifth consecutive game. The 23-year-old has posted a 19-17-3 record in 40 starts this season, allowing 3.57 goals with a .886 save percentage. Eight of his 19 wins came in November. Due to Askarov's absence, Alex Nedeljkovic is poised to make another start on Thursday night. After winning back-to-back games, Nedeljkovic had a tough night on Tuesday against Edmonton, losing 5-3. He faces another difficult matchup on Thursday against a Sabres team that has just posted a new franchise record with an 11-game road point streak, winning 10 times during that stretch.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. He is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Minnesota will head out without Kaprizov for the first time this season. The Russian superstar has totaled a team-high 80 points (38 goals, 42 assists) in 69 appearances. Kaprizov's absence will give Bobby Brink (upper body) a chance to skate on the first line. The former Flyer is back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
--Taavi PailkSource: Minnesota Wild PR
March 19, 2026
Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch (illness) is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. He sat out Tuesday's win over Vegas due to illness. Tuch is projected to be part of the first line with Zach Benson and Tage Thompson and will see action on the second power-play unit. Buffalo has received solid production from Tuch all season, as the 29-year-old sits just a few points away from registering his second consecutive 60-point season. He has amassed 28 goals and 29 assists in 65 games, failing to make the score sheet just once in his last eight outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
New York Rangers center Noah Laba (lower body) won't play on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports. He is forced to exit the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury in Wednesday's loss to the New Jersey Devils. Laba has enjoyed a good debut campaign on a struggling team, collecting 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 65 games. The Rangers will use Jonny Brodzinski as Laba's replacement in the lineup on Thursday. The 32-year-old has posted 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 43 appearances and doesn't have significant fantasy value.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mollie Walker
March 19, 2026
Detroit Red Wings forward Andrew Copp (lower body) is ready to rejoin the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. Copp has missed three games due to a lower-body injury and was initially considered a game-time decision. The veteran forward will skate with Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton on the third line, though he could also receive some top-six usage due to Dylan Larkin's (leg) continued absence. Copp has had points in four of his last five appearances, boosting his total to 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 65 games this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Ansar Khan
March 19, 2026
Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (upper body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. The veteran forward is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Anderson has been Montreal's sixth-best goal-scorer this season, lighting the lamp 13 times in 61 games. He's also contributed nine assists while averaging 14:11 of ice time. Joseph Veleno is expected to replace Anderson as the partner of Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher in a top-six role. Anderson will have his first chance to return on Saturday against the New York Islanders.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 18, 2026
New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes extended his point streak by scoring a goal and adding two assists in Wednesday's 6-3 road victory against the Rangers. Hughes followed up his three-point performance in the Devils' most recent game against the Bruins with another one on Wednesday, and he has now scored six goals and totaled 15 points through eight games in March. The 24-year-old is producing points at an elite rate on the offensive end at the perfect time for fantasy managers, as the fantasy hockey playoffs are underway in the majority of leagues.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 18, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes right winger Jackson Blake scored a goal and assisted twice in a wild 6-5 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. He reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career, and he also has a career high in points with 43 with a few weeks to go in the NHL season. Blake is a solid middle-six forward for a Hurricanes team that currently has the most points in the Eastern Conference.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 18, 2026
Washington Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson played in his first career game on Wednesday night and scored an empty-netter in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. The younger brother of Canadiens superstar Lane Hutson is also a highly regarded prospect who was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft. He had 10 goals and 32 points in 35 games in college for Boston University and now joins the NHL after their season ended.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 18, 2026
Los Angeles Kings right wing Adrian Kempe (lower body) could be an option for Thursday's matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports. The Kings' leading scorer remains day-to-day, but interim head coach D.J. Smith is hopeful that Kempe can play on Thursday night. He was a late scratch on Monday against the New York Rangers. If Kempe can't make it back on Thursday, he looks almost certain to return for this weekend's back-to-back. Mathieu Joseph filled in for Kempe on the top line against the Rangers and will be bumped down in the lineup when the Swedish winger returns.
--Taavi PailkSource: Zach Dooley
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