April 6, 2026
St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas led his team to a crucial 3-2 road victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night, scoring all three goals. He posted his first career hat trick, with goals in each period. Jimmy Snuggerud had assists on all three tallies. Thomas appears desperate to make the postseason, having recorded back-to-back three-point games. He has picked up 10 points (five goals, five assists) during a five-game scoring streak. Since March, the 26-year-old has averaged 1.44 points per game. Thomas has been one of the hottest forwards around recently and will attempt to show his quality again on Tuesday night in a rematch against Colorado.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 6, 2026
Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin (upper body) is day-to-day, Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now reports. He missed Sunday's loss to St. Louis due to an upper-body injury. However, it looks like Nichushkin could be available to re-enter the lineup for Tuesday's rematch between the teams. Nazem Kadri joined the top six on Sunday and will probably drop back to the third line if Nichushkin returns. Earlier this season, Nichushkin missed time due to a lower-body injury and personal reasons. He has been limited to 66 appearances. The Russian forward has totaled 15 goals and 30 assists.
--Taavi PailkSource: Aarif Deen
April 5, 2026
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped all 18 shots he faced in a 3-0 shutout victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. It was a very impressive performance, considering the Canadiens were on an eight-game winning streak and have one of the best offenses in the NHL. The Swedish netminder has had a little bit of a down year this year with a 3.04 goals against average and an .885 save percentage.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 5, 2026
Ottawa Senators left winger Brady Tkachuk had two goals in a big 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. His goal in the second period gave the Senators a 3-2 lead, which they would hold on to, to help them collect two very important points as they fight for a wild-card spot in the postseason. Tkachuk now has 22 goals, 54 points, and 64 penalty minutes in 57 games played.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 5, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov took down the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Sunday with his sixth career hat trick. The Russian star netted two even-strength goals during the second period and broke the Red Wings' hearts with a late power-play marker in the third. Only Marian Gaborik (9) has scored more hat tricks for the Wild than Kaprizov, whose last three-goal game was 24 months ago. While Kaprizov hadn't had a hat trick for a while, he has been sharp in front of the net all season. In 75 games, he has scored 43 goals and 87 points. Kaprizov has struck five goals during his current four-game point streak, adding two assists.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 5, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner (upper body) didn't dress for Sunday's contest against the Florida Panthers, Wes Crosby of NHL.com reports. He was hit in the eye by a puck during Saturday's matchup with Florida. Arturs Silovs started for a second consecutive day, with Taylor Gauthier brought up from the minors to serve as the backup. The Penguins also have the highly rated duo of Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist as potential call-up options if Skinner misses significant time. Since moving to Pittsburgh in December, Skinner has posted an 11-8-5 record, a 2.99 goals-against average, and a .886 save percentage. Before this weekend, he had started four of the last five games for the Penguins.
--Taavi PailkSource: Wes Crosby
April 5, 2026
Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren will start in Sunday's matchup with the New York Rangers, Mike Vogel of the Capitals' official site reports. He gets an opportunity to make his 20th start of the season, with the Capitals on a back-to-back for the first time since mid-March. In his most recent outing, Lindgren picked up an impressive 2-1 win over Buffalo. However, his season overall hasn't been great. The 32-year-old holds a 9-7-3 record, a 3.29 goals-against average, a .886 save percentage, and one shutout. On Sunday, Lindgren will aim to make it three wins in three games against the Rangers this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mike Vogel
April 5, 2026
St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich (undisclosed) will rejoin the lineup on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche. He is expected to be part of the fourth line after Buchnevich missed Friday's win over Anaheim for maintenance. Buchnevich usually plays on a scoring line and could move up in the lineup during the game. He is the Blues' second-highest scorer with 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 74 games. Nathan Walker, Oskar Sundqvist, and Otto Stenberg will all head to the press box on Sunday, with Alexey Toropchenko and Jack Finley joining Buchnevich on the fourth line.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 5, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes forwards Jordan Staal (undisclosed) and Jordan Martinook (undisclosed) won't play on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. Both players have been productive lately, but they have been ruled out for Sunday's action due to unspecified health issues. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nicolas Deslauriers will enter the lineup. The two have spent several weeks as healthy scratches and must be eager to impress. However, Kotkaniemi and Deslauriers will skate on the fourth line, making it unlikely that they will have a major influence on Sunday's game.
--Taavi PailkSource: Walt Ruff
April 5, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen will be between the sticks on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. The Danish veteran is making his 33rd start of the campaign. Andersen recently put together a five-game winning streak, but despite the hot streak, his record remains mediocre at 14-13-5. He has allowed 3.09 goals with a .871 save percentage. Ottawa has plenty of firepower, averaging 3.28 goals per game, and Andersen has to be sharp to end up in the winning column on Sunday.
--Taavi PailkSource: Walt Ruff
April 5, 2026
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark will make his 46th start of the season on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes. He's had a couple of rough outings recently, including in Saturday's matchup with Minnesota. The former Vezina Trophy winner coughed up four goals against the Wild on 23 shots, suffering a 4-1 loss. Saturday's loss dropped Ullmark's record to 24-12-8. He has a 2.84 goals-against average, a . 886 save percentage, and two shutouts. Ullmark faces a huge test on Sunday, taking on a Hurricanes team that has averaged a league-high 3.89 goals per game since the Olympic break.
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN 1200 Ottawa
April 5, 2026
Utah Mammoth winger Clayton Keller played the leading role in Saturday's 7-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist. Keller helped Lawson Crouse score early in the third period and recorded Utah's sixth hat trick this season with an empty-netter late in the game. The Olympic champion has been on a heater in recent games, amassing three goals and seven assists over his last four outings. It should only be a matter of time before Keller can celebrate his third 80-point campaign. He has notched 25 goals and 53 assists across 76 games in 2025-26.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 5, 2026
Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel had three assists in Saturday's 5-1 road win over the Edmonton Oilers. He set up Brett Howden and Jeremy Lauzon in the second period and Mark Stone in the third. This big performance secured Eichel his second consecutive 80-point season. He has tallied 25 goals and 57 assists in 69 games. After a dire six-game point drought last month, the four-time All-Star has recorded one goal and seven assists over a five-game stretch. With Vegas still chasing a playoff berth, Eichel has every reason to keep his foot on the gas, which is great news for fantasy managers.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 5, 2026
New York Rangers right wing Gabe Perreault scored his first career hat trick in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He scored three straight goals after Jaroslav Chmelar had put the Rangers 1-0 up. Perreault became only the fourth Rangers rookie in the past 30 years to record a hat trick. The 20-year-old has significantly improved his output since the Olympic break, producing five multi-point performances in his last 18 outings. Thanks to the scoring surge, Perreault has boosted his total to 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 44 games. As a member of the Rangers' first line and second power-play unit, Perreault is a name fantasy managers should have on their radar.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 5, 2026
Nashville Predators defenseman Nicolas Hague (undisclosed) made an early exit against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. Hague had logged only 2:34 of ice time when the team ruled him out for the rest of the game due to an undisclosed injury. During his first year in Nashville, Hague has seen his playing time increase to a career-high 19:38 per game. He has recorded 15 points (three goals, 12 assists), 56 SOG, 54 blocks, and 76 hits. Nashville will kick off the new week on Monday night in L.A., and Ryan Ufko could get a chance to play after being a healthy scratch for three games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Nashville Predators
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