RADIO
Matthew Tkachuk Rejoins Panthers Lineup Wednesday
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (personal) will return from a four-game absence on Wednesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports. The star forward has been away from the team after becoming a father for the first time in early April. Tkachuk has appeared in 30 games this season, producing 13 goals and 19 assists. Last month, he rocked the Red Wings with five points (three goals, two assists) in two games. Tkachuk is projected to skate with Mackie Samoskevich and Eetu Luostarinen on the first line, replacing Tomas Nosek (leg) in the lineup. He will also be one of Florida's primary weapons on the power play.
Source: Jameson Olive
Source: Jameson Olive
Max Crozier Available Against Rangers
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Max Crozier (abdomen) has been cleared to return to action on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. He has been out since Feb. 1 due to core muscle surgery. Crozier played well when he was available earlier in the season, recording 10 points (one goal, nine assists), 44 SOG, 31 blocks, 38 hits, and a plus-seven rating in 34 games. With Darren Raddysh (undisclosed) out for a third consecutive game, Crozier could have an expanded role in Wednesday's game. Emil Lilleberg is expected to make way for him in the lineup.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Brandon Hagel Returns for Regular-Season Finale
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel (lower body) will rejoin the lineup on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. The prolific forward has sat out six of the Lightning's last seven games, but will suit up for the regular-season finale. Hagel has had a special campaign, with a career-high 36 goals and 74 points in 70 games. He is expected to join his usual partners, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov, on the top line and will skate on the first power-play unit. Over his last 10 appearances, Hagel has racked up 15 points (six goals, nine assists).
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Cale Makar Returns With Three-Assist Performance
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (upper body) racked up three assists as he returned from a seven-game absence in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames. The Presidents' Trophy winners celebrated a road win after Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon scored. This was Makar's second consecutive three-assist outing. With one more regular-season game to go, Makar has already secured a sixth consecutive campaign with a scoring average of at least one point per game. In 74 outings, he has tallied 20 goals and 58 assists. By his standards, Makar had a quiet postseason a year ago, with five points (one goal, four assists) in seven games, but only two blue-liners all-time have averaged more playoff points than him (1.08). An underwhelming postseason showing last year should serve as fuel for Makar to elevate his game this time.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jimmy Snuggerud Records First Career Four-Point Game
St. Louis Blues right wing Jimmy Snuggerud was extraordinary in the team's final home game of the season on Tuesday, notching two goals and two assists in a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 21-year-old recorded his first career four-point game and became only the third rookie in franchise history to have multiple goals and multiple assists in the same contest. Snuggerud has recently made up for a disappointing start to his rookie campaign. 26 of his 50 points have come since the start of March. This scoring surge includes seven multi-point performances, and Snuggerud has scored in three consecutive games. He can further build his reputation ahead of next season's fantasy drafts on Thursday against Utah. Snuggerud will enter the matchup with 21 goals and 29 assists in 69 appearances this season.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jeremy Swayman Ends Losing Run With Shutout Performance
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman returned to winning ways with a 21-save shutout in Tuesday's 4-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The 2026 Olympic champion had gone winless in all four prior starts this month. However, the late losing run didn't make much of an impact on Swayman's numbers. He registered his first career 30-win season with a 31-18-4 record and finished the regular season with a 2.71 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and two shutouts. Swayman has been a strong postseason performer and should be full of confidence after a successful regular-season campaign. The 27-year-old has allowed 2.38 goals with a .922 save percentage during his playoff career.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Oliver Moore Won't Play Wednesday
Chicago Blackhawks center Oliver Moore (lower body) will sit out Wednesday's regular-season finale against the San Jose Sharks, Vinnie Parise of The Hockey News reports. Moore has missed more than a month due to a lower-body injury. There was a chance he would return for the final game of the season, but the team has decided against it. Moore finishes his rookie campaign with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 51 games. The 2023 first-round pick will hope to take a sophomore leap in 2026-27 as part of Chicago's young core.
Source: Vinnie Parise
Source: Vinnie Parise
Nils Lundkvist Returns for Regular-Season Finale
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.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Roope Hintz to Miss First Two Playoff Games
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.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Pavel Zacha Will Be Available for Start of Playoffs
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.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
John Marino a Game-Time Call Tuesday
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.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Pyotr Kochetkov Starting for Hurricanes Tuesday
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.
Source: Walt Ruff
Source: Walt Ruff
Matvei Gridin Returns to Action Tuesday
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.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Ryan Pulock Unavailable for Season Finale
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.
Source: New York Islanders
Source: New York Islanders
Evander Kane Not Expected to Play This Week
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.
Source: Sportsnet
Source: Sportsnet
