April 15, 2026
Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist (personal) will be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Last week, it was reported that Lundkvist exited the lineup due to illness, but he was actually away from the team for the birth of his first child. Lundkvist has made 51 appearances this season, recording 11 points (three goals, eight assists), 46 SOG, 47 blocks, and a plus-11 rating. With Miro Heiskanen (lower body) on the shelf, Lundkvist figures to have a more prominent role in Wednesday's regular-season finale. He might also see more ice time during the postseason, as Heiskanen is questionable for the start of the playoffs.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 15, 2026
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (lower body) will miss the team's first two playoff games, and these might not be his only absences during the postseason. "Certainly, Roope won't be in Games 1 or 2," Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan said on Tuesday. "We don't know when he could come back or if he could come back. We'll see." Hintz is dealing with a lower-body injury and has appeared in only one game since the Olympic break ended. Before his injury, the Finnish forward was playing well, recording 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 53 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 15, 2026
Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha (personal) will be available for the start of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Matt Vautour of MassLive reports. Zacha left Tuesday's 4-0 victory over New Jersey after the first period to attend to a personal matter. After the game, Bruins head coach Marco Strum said Zacha will be available for Game 1 against Buffalo in the first round of the postseason. Casey Mittelstadt (undisclosed) is also expected to return for the playoff opener. Before his premature exit on Tuesday, Zacha recorded an assist to get to 65 points for the year. He has achieved a new scoring record with 30 goals and 35 assists in 78 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 14, 2026
Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino (upper body) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's tilt against the Winnipeg Jets. An upper-body injury has kept Marino sidelined for two games. However, he has a chance to return against Winnipeg after skating in a regular jersey on Tuesday morning. Marino boasts a team-best plus-39 rating and has set a new scoring record this season, with 35 points (four goals, 31 assists) in 78 games. Dmitri Simashev has played in the last two games but will likely make way for Marino if he's ready to return.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 14, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (hip) will return to action on Tuesday against the New York Islanders, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. The Russian netminder underwent a hip procedure in December and was declared "probably out for the year." Yet Kochetkov will make his comeback in Carolina's regular-season finale after having a conditioning stint in the AHL. Before injuring his hip, Kochetkov had a fine start to the season. He holds a 6-2-0 record with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage, and one shutout. On Tuesday, Kochetkov faces an out-of-form team that has gone 1-6-0 to end the year, scoring just once in the last two games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Walt Ruff
April 14, 2026
Calgary Flames right wing Matvei Gridin (illness) will rejoin the lineup on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche. He wasn't available for Sunday's matchup with Utah due to illness. Gridin has been among Calgary's best performers late in the season, tallying 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his last 18 appearances. Overall, he has scored six goals and 19 points in 35 games this season. The 20-year-old Russian looks like an exciting talent and will get some much-needed experience under his belt during the final week of regular-season action. He's set to play a big role on Tuesday, with Matt Coronato (undisclosed) sidelined.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 14, 2026
New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock (undisclosed) will miss Tuesday's season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team announced that Pulock has recently played through several injuries. With the team now out of the playoff race, Pulock can drop out of the lineup to focus on his health. The 31-year-old will finish the campaign with 27 points (three goals, 24 assists) in 76 outings, marking his best offensive return in six seasons. Defensively, he contributed a team-high 147 blocks. Isaiah George will replace Pulock on defense, making his fourth appearance of the season.
--Taavi PailkSource: New York Islanders
April 14, 2026
Vancouver Canucks left wing Evander Kane (upper body) will likely sit out the final week of the regular season. The team has two games remaining on the schedule: Tuesday's clash against the Kings and a matchup with the Oilers on Thursday night. On Tuesday morning, Canucks head coach Adam Foote told reporters that Kane won't play unless injuries force him to change his plans. The power forward has already missed four consecutive games due to an upper-body issue. Kane is set to end his first year in Vancouver with 13 goals and 31 points in 71 games. This may end up being his only campaign with the Canucks, as the 34-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
April 14, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Erik Karlsson (rest) and Kris Letang (rest) won't suit up for Tuesday's matchup with the St. Louis Blues. The Penguins have sealed a playoff berth and are resting their big guns on Tuesday, including Karlsson and Letang. Samuel Girard (rest) and Parker Wotherspoon (rest) also won't play, so the blue line will look completely different for Pittsburgh. Ryan Shea, Connor Clifton, Ryan Graves, and Jake Livanavage will enter the lineup. The latter will make his NHL debut. Livanavage will be part of the first power-play unit on Tuesday night, which gives him an opportunity to make an immediate impact. St. Louis has been one of the worst penalty-killing teams in 2025-26.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 14, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby (rest) and Evgeni Malkin (rest) won't play on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. The star duo will sit out the contest to rest a bit before the postseason. Pittsburgh's frontline will also be without Egor Chinakhov (rest), Bryan Rust (rest), and Rickard Rakell (rest). Thomas Novak and Ben Kindel are expected to serve as the top-six centers on Tuesday. Meanwhile, players like Ville Koivunen and Anthony Mantha (lower body) will also have more responsibilities. Mantha is available on Tuesday night after missing Sunday's loss to Washington due to a lower-body injury.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 14, 2026
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele set a franchise single-season record with 101 points during a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. Winnipeg was outclassed for much of the night, but Scheifele popped up with a goal and a power-play assist in the third period. Winnipeg's scoring record had stood since the franchise was still in Atlanta and Marian Hossa had 100 points in 2006-07. Scheifele has had a fantastic late-season stretch to surpass the record with two games remaining. His efforts across the last 10 games have resulted in 18 points (four goals, 14 assists). Overall, he had tallied 35 goals and 66 assists in 80 contests.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 14, 2026
Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield scored two goals as the team clinched a playoff spot with a 5-3 road victory over the Seattle Kraken on Monday night. Byfield's work helped the Kings get off to a strong start, with the 23-year-old potting two unassisted goals in the first period. Byfield has blown hot and cold late in the season. He boasts five multi-point efforts in his last 11 appearances but hasn't picked up any points in the other six games. With two regular-season contests remaining, Byfield is four short of his third consecutive 50-point campaign. He has contributed 22 goals and 24 assists in 77 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 14, 2026
Philadelphia Flyers right wing Porter Martone continued his dream start in the NHL with an assist in Monday's playoff-clinching 3-2 shootout victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. He collected a power-play helper midway through the second period as Trevor Zegras made it 2-2. Martone became the fifth teenager in Flyers history to record a five-game point streak. He has notched three goals and five assists through his first eight career appearances. Sean Couturier is the only player to post a six-game point streak as a teenager with the Flyers. Martone has a chance to match that record on Tuesday night against Montreal.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 14, 2026
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini lit the lamp twice in Monday's 3-2 road win over the Nashville Predators. He bagged a pair of goals, including an empty-netter, in the third period after Igor Chernyshov had given San Jose the lead with a power-play goal. Despite beating the Predators, the playoff door was shut in front of the Sharks on Monday night. This means Celebrini will get only two more opportunities to showcase his talent this season. He is just three points away from breaking Joe Thornton's franchise record for most points in a single season. Celebrini has managed 112 points (44 goals, 68 assists) across 80 games during his sophomore year.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 14, 2026
Dallas Stars forward Matt Duchene kicked off the final week of regular-season action with a hat trick of assists in Monday's 6-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Two of Duchene's assists helped Mavrick Bourque get his first career hat trick. Jason Robertson also benefited from his creativity. Duchene is heading into the playoffs in hot form. He boasts five assists across his last two contests and has averaged a point per game in his last 13 outings. The 35-year-old sits on 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) through 56 regular-season games, with one more matchup to go.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
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