March 30, 2026
San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (upper body) is expected to miss a third consecutive game on Monday against the St. Louis Blues, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. The Swedish veteran is trying to shake off an upper-body injury. He skated on Monday morning, so San Jose could have Klingberg back later this week. In his first year as a Shark, Klingberg has recorded 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists), 79 SOG, 61 blocks, and 46 hits in 54 games. His next opportunity to return will be on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sheng Peng
March 30, 2026
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (knee) has been officially ruled out for the 2025-26 season by head coach Paul Maurice. Barkov has teased his return, mentioning in late February that it would happen "soon," and he rejoined practice earlier this month. However, since the Panthers are highly unlikely to make the playoffs, it wouldn't be wise for the team to rush Barkov back. The Panthers captain tore his left ACL and MCL on the first day of training camp in September. He was ruled out for 7-9 months. Florida's injury situation among forwards has forced Eetu Luostarinen and Jesper Boqvist into top-six center roles, giving them more fantasy value.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
March 30, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (upper body) will remain sidelined on Monday against the New York Islanders, missing a fourth consecutive game. After practicing fully on Sunday, Malkin seems close to returning, but the team will have to do without him for at least one more game. His next chance to return will come on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings. With Malkin out, Thomas Novak will remain on the second line against the Islanders. Ben Kindel could also have a larger role in the contest, depending on Sidney Crosby's (lower body) status.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 30, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (lower body) is a game-time decision against the New York Islanders on Monday. He practiced fully on Sunday, which suggests that Crosby is ready to return after missing one game. However, the team hasn't yet fully committed to bringing Crosby back. The Islanders would certainly be happy if the Penguins captain sat out another game. Crosby has scored 140 points (44 goals, 96 assists) in 92 career regular-season games against the Islanders, his highest point total against a single team.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 30, 2026
New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes had a standout performance with four points in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. He finished the contest with two goals and two assists, recording his fifth career four-point game. It was Hughes' second four-point game of the month, as the American star has hit another gear since winning Olympic gold with Team USA. Hughes has notched 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 16 games after the Olympics, tying him for the third-most in the league. With Hughes in top form, his linemates also benefit. Jesper Bratt has tallied 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 13 March outings, and Connor Brown has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 games this month.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 30, 2026
Boston Bruins winger Viktor Arvidsson produced three assists as the team turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Offensively, Boston couldn't get anything going until the third period. Then things suddenly clicked, as Charlie McAvoy sparked the comeback 6:28 into the period, and Pavel Zacha scored two power-play goals. The Bruins had their first three-goal, third-period comeback victory in eight years. Arvidsson is close to his fourth 50-point season, picking up 21 goals and 26 assists in 62 games. He has been like a different player since the Olympic break, recording 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 17 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 30, 2026
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson registered two helpers in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, establishing a new career high for most assists in a single season. He now boasts 62 assists through 73 games. Only Larry Robinson has managed more among Montreal's defensemen, with his franchise record standing at 66 assists. Hutson will have every chance to break it this season, as there are nine games remaining for the Canadiens. The 22-year-old is also battling for a top-three finish in defensemen scoring, having accumulated 73 points the season.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 30, 2026
New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox finished Sunday's 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers with one goal and two assists. The 2021 Norris Trophy winner recorded his 13th career multi-point third period. He helped Adam Sykora to start the scoring and picked up an empty-net goal. Fox has been stuck on a bad team this season, but he's still made a positive impact. In 47 outings, Fox has registered 42 points (6 goals, 36 assists), 78 SOG, 68 blocks, and a plus-four rating. He's had the third-best scoring rate of his career, with 0.89 points per game. The Rangers are no longer in playoff contention and are playing without pressure, which could help Fox have a strong finish to the year.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 30, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Jake Guentzel contributed to every goal for the team in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators. With Nikita Kucherov (illness) sidelined for a second consecutive game, the Lightning needed somebody to step up. Guentzel answered the call with one goal and two assists. On Sunday, Guentzel secured his third 80-point campaign. The 31-year-old has posted 35 goals and 45 assists in 73 outings. Guentzel's goal-scoring form has been particularly impressive lately, as he's found the back of the net in four straight games and in six of the last seven.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 30, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (upper body) didn't finish Sunday's loss to the Boston Bruins, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports. Olivier had only one shift in the second period and finished with 3:06 of ice time. While Olivier averages barely 14 minutes of ice time, losing him would still be a bad blow for Columbus. The 29-year-old ranks 14th in the league with 209 hits and has chipped in with 15 goals and 11 assists in 61 games. Kent Johnson has recently struggled to stay in the lineup, but he might play regularly going forward if Olivier is dealing with a significant injury.
--Taavi PailkSource: Brian Hedger
March 30, 2026
Dallas Stars left wing Michael Bunting sustained a lower-body injury in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He was hurt during the first period. Initially, the team announced Bunting was questionable to return. In the end, Bunting didn't add to his 3:46 of ice time. Injuries have ravaged the Stars' front line all season, and Bunting now might have to sit out some action. His career has yet to take off in Texas, as Bunting has totaled only one goal and one assist in 11 appearances with the Stars. The veteran was even a healthy scratch for one game last week.
--Taavi PailkSource: The Dallas Morning News
March 29, 2026
Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki scored two goals and added an assist in Sunday's 3-1 victory against the Hurricanes. The captain of the Canadiens led the way on the offensive end with the three-point performance, with both of his goals coming in the second period, while teammates Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson both had two-point efforts in the contest. Suzuki is enjoying a career-best season with a total of 91 points through 73 games (26 goals, 65 assists) to lead the Canadiens in that department, and he is on pace to reach the 100-point mark for the first time in his career as one of the top skaters across all fantasy formats.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 29, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks center Frank Nazar scored two goals on Sunday, but it was not enough to defeat the New Jersey Devils as his club lost 5-3. The young American was in a little bit of a slump with just two points in his last six games, but he broke out of it in a big way on Sunday. Nazar is having a solid sophomore season with 14 goals and 38 points in 58 games played this year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 29, 2026
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman will start against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports. The team has decided to go with Swayman for a second consecutive day. He had 31 saves in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Minnesota Wild, taking his record to 29-15-4. Across 48 starts, Swayman has registered one shutout with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. The Olympic champion has a tough matchup on Sunday against a team that has posted the NHL's second-best record at 19-5-4 since making a coaching change in January. Columbus is averaging 3.46 goals per game under Rick Bowness.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Scheig
March 29, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nicholas Paul (illness) will rejoin the lineup on Sunday against the Nashville Predators, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports. He is good to go after missing Saturday's win over Ottawa due to illness. Paul will start Sunday's contests on the fourth line. The 31-year-old has not had a good campaign, recording just 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 41 games. In his last 17 outings, Paul has made it on the score sheet two times. An improvement on the offensive end from Paul would help the Lightning, who won't have Nikita Kucherov (illness) for a second straight game on Sunday.
--Taavi PailkSource: Erik Erlendsson
RADIO
