February 5, 2026
Minnesota Wild winger Matt Boldy rocked the Nashville Predators with an early hat trick and a four-point performance in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime victory. The 24-year-old posted the fastest hat trick in franchise history to start a game, netting his third goal with just 12:58 played in the first period. Zach Parise held the previous record of 16:33, set in 2016. Boldy completed his big performance with an assist on Jared Spurgeon's game-winning goal late in overtime. The prolific winger became the sixth player in the league this season with at least 30 goals and 30 assists. He has managed 62 points (32 goals, 30 assists) in 54 contests. Boldy will now shift his attention to representing Team USA at the Olympics before continuing the season with the Wild on Feb. 25.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 5, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves registered a 21-save shutout on Wednesday night in a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. A day after Elvis Merzlikins blanked the New Jersey Devils, Greaves responded with an equally impressive shutout effort. The Blue Jackets kept the opposition from scoring in consecutive days for just the second time in franchise history. Greaves earned his second shutout of the season, improving to 18-12-6. He holds a 2.62 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Greaves and Merzlikins have been sharing the workload recently and will likely continue to do so after the Olympic break.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 5, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (lower body) exited Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first period. He appeared to injure his left leg after getting tangled with Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski. Chicago also finished the contest without forward Colton Dach (undisclosed), who left in the second frame. "If we were playing tomorrow, Dach wouldn't play, but he'd be kind of day to day-ish," Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill said postgame. "Kaiser would be out for a little bit. Kaiser, I don't want to put out an exact timeline. We'll know more after getting examined tomorrow, but we'll see after the break." Due to the Olympic break, the Blackhawks won't return to action until Feb. 25, giving Kaiser plenty of time to recover. However, he might still miss action if it's a major injury. The 23-year-old has registered 12 points (five goals, seven assists), 58 shots, 47 blocks, and 36 hits in 57 appearances this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 5, 2026
Florida Panthers left wing Sandis Vilmanis (upper body) left Wednesday's 5-4 shootout win over the Boston Bruins early, Adam Lichtenstein of the Sun Sentinel reports. The Latvian forward was limited to four shifts and 2:35 of ice time. Vilmanis has contributed two goals and two assists through his first 13 career games this season. He had three points in four games before Wednesday's contest. Given his early exit against Boston, Vilmanis should be considered questionable for Thursday's tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Florida also lost defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (undisclosed) in Wednesday's game.
--Taavi PailkSource: Adam Lichtenstein
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
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