February 4, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov made scoring look easy once again on Tuesday night, totaling four points (one goal, three assists) in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres. The Russian superstar recorded his second consecutive four-point game. He now has 39 such efforts, the fourth most among players born and trained outside North America. Kucherov has bagged an incredible 39 points (11 goals, 28 assists) since the start of January, making him a contender for his third straight Art Ross Trophy. He is now just five points behind leading scorer Connor McDavid. Across 50 outings, Kucherov has managed 90 points (29 goals, 61 assists).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Philadelphia Flyers winger Travis Konecny celebrated his 700th career game with two assists in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals. He managed to keep his multi-point streak alive in the final minutes. Konecny had his first helper when Jamie Drysdale scored a power-play goal with 5:23 left in regulation, and Rasmus Ristolainen's empty-net goal 17 seconds from the end gave Konecny his fourth consecutive multi-point game. The 28-year-old has been red-hot lately and will probably be disappointed that there's going to be an international break soon. Konecny has racked up 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past nine outings. He has taken over the scoring lead among the Flyers, boasting 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 54 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins recorded his first shutout of the season on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, backstopping his team to a 3-0 road win with 24 saves. The Latvian netminder now has 12 shutouts with the Blue Jackets, placing him behind only Sergei Bobrovsky (33) and Steve Mason (19). After riding the hot hand of Jet Greaves for a while, Columbus has also received strong goaltending from Merzlikins lately. Following Tuesday's win, he boasts a 5-1-0 record over his last six starts. With two in-form goalies, the Blue Jackets are well-positioned to earn a playoff spot. Greaves is set to start in the final pre-Olympic break matchup against Chicago on Wednesday.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 4, 2026
Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil missed Tuesday's practice due to migraines and is unlikely to play on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Czech forward, who has made only 12 appearances this season, is unfortunately dealing with health issues again. Chytil couldn't finish Monday's matchup against Utah after he "tweaked something." Winger Conor Garland (illness) also missed Tuesday's practice but is expected to be in the lineup against Vegas. Jake DeBrusk is set to fill Chytil's spot on the second line, while Drew O'Connor will be promoted to the first line.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
February 3, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno (undisclosed) is traveling with the team and is expected to play on Wednesday against his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. An undisclosed health issue has kept Foligno sidelined for two games. After being a regular 30-point scorer, Foligno is unlikely to even hit the 20-point mark in 2025-26. He has been limited to 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 32 outings. These days, his main assets are leadership and physicality, as Foligno averages 2.5 hits per game. Landon Slaggert will depart the lineup on Wednesday if Foligno is ready to play.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro (lower body) is on track to rejoin the lineup on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. He has missed six games due to a lower-body injury. Fabbro's return will push Egor Zemula out of the lineup. After impressing in Columbus last season, Fabbro's production has declined in 2025-26, making him redundant for fantasy teams. In 48 appearances, Fabbro has registered seven points (three goals, four assists), 48 shots, 81 blocks, 42 hits, and a team-worst minus-13 rating.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (illness) won't play against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. He missed Monday's practice due to illness and will need more time to recover. With Marchenko out, the Blue Jackets must manage without their top-scoring forward. The 25-year-old has tallied 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games. Isac Lundestrom will move to the top line on Tuesday, while Kent Johnson is set to log time on the first power-play unit. Sean Monahan (illness), who left early on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, is feeling better and is expected to play.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (suspension) will be back in action on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. The veteran has completed his three-game suspension and will return to his regular spot on the first line next to Sidney Crosby. Rutger McGroarty will come out of the lineup against the Islanders. Rust was a bit quiet in January, but he's had a good campaign overall. In 47 appearances, the 33-year-old has contributed 18 goals and 27 assists. While Crosby has always enjoyed the matchups with the Islanders, Rust hasn't picked up any points against them in 12 consecutive regular-season outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (lower body) has been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is forced to miss a second straight game due to a lower-body injury. It's possible Hughes can return for Thursday's tilt against the New York Islanders. "His goal is to play on Thursday, and he's trying to do everything that he can to get to that point," Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "But it's really up to the medical team. They're not confident with where he's at, but we'll just see what [Wednesday] brings." In Hughes' absence, Cody Glass will be part of the top-six group on Tuesday. Glass has had a good spell recently, averaging a point per game over his last 10 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body) will be unavailable for Team Finland at the 2026 Olympics, with Joonas Korpisalo of the Columbus Blue Jackets named as an injury replacement. Luukkonen will sit out his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Colten Ellis is likely to start the contest after Alex Lyon beat the Florida Panthers 5-3 with 38 saves on Monday night. Lyon has won 11 of his 12 starts, giving Buffalo a red-hot option in the crease while Luukkonen is on the mend.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 3, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (lower body) won't play at the 2026 Olympics and has been replaced on Team Canada by Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (upper body). Cirelli sustained a lower-body injury on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. With him out for the Olympics, Cirelli is also set to miss two Lightning games this week. Bennett was hurt in Monday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres but is expected to be healthy for the Olympic tournament. The Lightning will also be without Brayden Point (lower body) and Nicholas Paul (undisclosed) on Tuesday against Buffalo, which could give Yanni Gourde a spot in the top six.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
February 3, 2026
Utah Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz scored his third career hat trick and added an assist in Monday's 6-2 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks. Schmaltz became Utah's second player this season with multiple hat tricks, producing his team's fifth hat trick in total. Only Edmonton (6) has had more hat tricks this season. Schmaltz has been in good goal-scoring form all season and now needs just two more markers for a new career-high. He has lit the lamp 22 times in 56 outings, adding 29 assists. This season, Schmaltz is also poised to break his scoring record of 63 points from last year.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 3, 2026
Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi finished Monday's 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Blues with four assists. The Predators captain registered a power-play assist in the first period and added three more during even-strength play when Nashville turned a 5-1 deficit into a win. This was Josi's fourth career four-assist game, tying Victor Hedman, Morgan Rielly, and Quinn Hughes for the most among active defensemen. After putting health issues behind him, Josi is having a good campaign in Music City. In 43 outings, he has contributed 10 goals and 27 assists. Only nine blue-liners have averaged more points than Josi (0.86 per game).
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 3, 2026
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes recorded a hat trick of assists against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, playing a key role in a 4-3 overtime win. Hughes set up a pair of even-strength goals in regulation and helped Kirill Kaprizov end the game on the power play in overtime. On Monday, Hughes matched Kaprizov's franchise record with a nine-game assist streak. It also ties a league record for the longest assist streak by a defenseman in their first season with a franchise. Playing in his 484th career game, Hughes reached 400 assists with his final helper. Only the legendary Bobby Orr (437 games) and Paul Coffey (464 games) have reached 400 assists with fewer games among defensemen. Hughes is truly a special player, and he's had an incredible start in Minnesota, posting 32 points (three goals, 29 assists) in 25 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
February 3, 2026
Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil (undisclosed) didn't play in the third period of Monday's 6-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth. Canucks head coach Adam Foote told reporters after the game that Chytil "tweaked something." Chytil has a history of concussions, which makes it concerning that he was forced off the ice. He made only his 12th appearance of the season and had a rough outing, going minus-three in 7:36 of action. Chytil has scored three goals on 24 shots but has no assists. Aatu Raty is set to return to the lineup if Chytil isn't unavailable for Wednesday's tilt against the Vegas Golden Knights.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
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