April 9, 2026
Montreal Canadiens right winger Cole Caufield scored his 50th goal of the season in a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. He becomes the first Montreal player since Stephane Richer in 1989-90 to score 50 goals in a season, and just the second this year after Nathan Mackinnon. Caufield now has 50 goals, 87 points, and a plus-30 rating in 78 games played this season.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman (personal) will miss Thursday's encounter with the Colorado Avalanche. The team is in the midst of a six-game road trip, but Coleman has returned home for the birth of his son. Coleman has been among Calgary's top goal-scorers this season, finding the back of the net 19 times with 166 attempts on net. In 65 outings, he has also contributed 14 assists, while logging a team-best plus-13 rating. John Beecher will play instead of Coleman on Thursday, but he isn't expected to make a fantasy impact. Victor Olofsson will also rejoin the frontline against his former team, with Martin Pospisil sitting as a healthy scratch.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield (undisclosed) will play on Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks. It was initially unclear whether Byfield would be available for the matchup after he missed Wednesday's practice. The 23-year-old is trying to record his third straight 50-point campaign in 2025-26, but he will have to improve his scoring form in the final games to achieve it. In 74 games, Byfield has tallied 20 goals and 24 assists. Thursday's clash against the NHL's worst team is a great opportunity for Byfield to make up some ground. He will center the second line and the second power-play unit.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (forearm) will rejoin the lineup on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. He broke his right forearm on March 23 and was expected to be out for 4-8 weeks following surgery three days later. Yet Chabot has been cleared to play after just two weeks. Jordan Spence's fantasy value takes a hit with Chabot's return, as he won't be part of either power-play unit going forward. Chabot has been a busy man for the Senators, totaling 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) and 108 blocks in 55 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (undisclosed) has been ruled out for the rest of the season. He is set to undergo a procedure to fix an unspecified injury. New Jersey faces four more games, starting with Thursday's clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hughes will finish the campaign with 35 points (six goals, 29 assists), 150 SOG, and 52 blocks in 68 games. His absence will boost Simon Nemec's fantasy stock late in the season. He is expected to skate on the first power-play unit in Thursday's game. Dennis Cholowski will fill the void in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner (eye) will return to the crease on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. Last weekend, Skinner was struck near his left eye by a puck when he was serving as a backup goalie in a game. Luckily for Pittsburgh, the incident didn't result in a serious injury for Skinner, and he is ready to help the team on Thursday. Skinner has posted an 11-8-5 record since joining the Penguins in December, allowing 2.99 goals with a .886 save percentage. This isn't a great matchup for Skinner, as the Devils' offense has significantly improved late in the season, averaging 3.72 goals per game since March.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 9, 2026
Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri (finger) could be done for the rest of the regular season. He injured a finger in Tuesday's win over St. Louis, and Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Kadri "will miss some games." Since rejoining Colorado from Calgary, Kadri has made 16 appearances for the Avalanche, recording nine points (four goals, five assists). Joel Kiviranta is expected to replace Kadri on the third line against Calgary on Thursday night. Zakhar Bardakov could also see some action while Kadri is on the mend.
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN
April 9, 2026
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (foot) will be unavailable for the final few games of the regular season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports. He suffered a broken bone in his foot during Tuesday's loss to Montreal. Earlier in the season, Jones missed time due to an upper-body injury and will finish the campaign with only 52 appearances. He posted 32 points (seven goals, 25 assists), 88 SOG, 61 blocks, and 47 hits. The Panthers' blue line has already been without Dmitry Kulikov (finger), Aaron Ekblad (finger), Uvis Balinskis (foot), and Niko Mikkola (lower body) to end the year. Mike Benning is a major beneficiary of the injury crisis and will join the first power-play unit on Thursday against Ottawa.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jameson Olive
April 8, 2026
Buffalo Sabres left winger Zach Benson had two goals as the Sabres defeated the New York Rangers by a score of 5-3 on Wednesday. It was the first multi-goal game of the season for Benson, and it broke a six-game goalless drought for the young forward. Benson now has 12 goals, 39 points, and a plus-21 rating this year in his third NHL season.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 8, 2026
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson was perfect in Wednesday night's 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. He stopped all 21 shots he faced and has now won five of his last six starts. Thompson has been one of the best goalies in the NHL this year with a 2.47 goals against average, .912 save percentage, and a 28-21-6 record.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 8, 2026
Los Angeles Kings winger Andrei Kuzmenko (knee) will be re-evaluated in 7-8 days, Alexander Legget of Mayors Manor reports. The Russian forward is recovering from meniscus surgery and was ruled out for the rest of the regular season in early March. However, it looks like he could have a chance to play in next week's regular-season finale against Calgary. The team could really use his help, having struggled to secure a playoff spot. Kuzmenko has produced 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) across 52 games this term.
--Taavi PailkSource: Alexander Legget
April 8, 2026
Detroit Red Wings forward Mason Appleton (upper body) won't play on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ted Kuflan of the Detroit News reports. He will miss a fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury and might be unavailable for the rest of the regular-season slate. Appleton has recorded 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 65 games with 63 SOG and 89 hits. Detroit has also just lost Michael Rasmussen (lower body), so Carter Mazur and Dominik Shine could see regular action until the end of the regular season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Ted Kulfan
April 8, 2026
New York Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo (lower body) is expected to be available on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Rachel Luscher of the Islanders' official site reports. He has missed six games due to a lower-body injury but returned to practice on Wednesday, skating with Adam Pelech. The Islanders' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread, and DeAngelo's creative spark could help the team end a four-game skid. He is third on the team with 28 assists and has collected 33 points in 72 appearances. DeAngelo has recorded an assist in both of his encounters with the Maple Leafs this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Rachel Luscher
April 8, 2026
San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg will rejoin the lineup on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports. After missing time due to an upper-body injury, Klingberg has been a healthy scratch for a couple of games. He last played on March 24. The 33-year-old has appeared in 54 contests this season, recording 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists), 79 SOG, 61 blocks, and 46 hits. Early in the campaign, Klingberg was an effective player for the Sharks, but he's been struggling since the turn of the year. Across his last 11 appearances, Klingberg has made it on the score sheet just two times. Shakir Mukhamadullin will make way for Klingberg in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Curtis Pashelka
April 8, 2026
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon (lower body) won't dress for Wednesday's matchup with the New York Rangers, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports. He left the morning skate early due to a lower-body injury. Since Buffalo carries three goaltenders, Lyon wasn't expected to dress anyway on Wednesday. But his injury could force Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff to rethink his plans for the final few regular-season games. Lyon has been impressive in 2025-26, posting a 20-10-4 record, a 2.77 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and three shutouts. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is scheduled to start on Wednesday, with Colten Ellis serving as his backup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Matthew Fairburn
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