March 29, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (illness) will miss a second consecutive game on Sunday against the Nashville Predators, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports. The Art Ross Trophy contender is battling an illness and was a late scratch on Saturday against Ottawa. Nicholas Paul (illness) also didn't play against the Senators, forcing Tampa Bay into a major reshuffle up front. Gage Goncalves filled in for Kucherov on the first line, recording one assist. He will have an expanded role again on Sunday and looks like a good fantasy option, having averaged nearly a point per game this month.
--Taavi PailkSource: Erik Erlendsson
March 29, 2026
Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei (upper body) won't play on Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports. According to Bruins head coach Marco Strum, Lohrei has been dealing with an upper-body injury "for a while." He logged just 11:47 of action in Saturday's win over Minnesota. The 25-year-old has been having trouble offensively lately, but his total of 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 68 games this season is respectable. After being an ugly minus-43 a year ago, Lohrei has a plus-12 rating and has recorded 68 SOG and 85 blocks. Henri Jokiharju will replace Lohrei in the lineup against Columbus. These days, Hokiharju sees very little action, but he has posted assists in both of his last two appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Scheig
March 29, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (hand) will be out week-to-week, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports. The Russian forward was injured in Saturday's loss to the San Jose Sharks. With little left in the regular season, this could be Voronkov's final game of 2025-26. He has been out of favor anyway, sitting out nine of 10 games as a healthy scratch before re-entering the lineup on Saturday. Danton Heinen will replace Voronkov on the second line in Sunday's matchup with the Boston Bruins. Miles Wood is also going to rejoin the lineup, bumping Kent Johnson to the press box.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Scheig
March 29, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov (hand) won't play on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils. The 20-year-old will depart the lineup due to a small fracture in his left hand. According to Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill, Levshunov hurt his hand in Tuesday's win over the New York Islanders. He played in two more games this week with the injury. Levshunov has recorded 24 points (two goals, 22 assists) in 68 games during his rookie season. However, he also has a league-worst minus-41 rating, as Levshunov has struggled in even-strength situations. Kevin Korchinski is expected to enter the lineup on Sunday as Levshunov's replacement, making his fifth appearance of the season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 29, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (lower body) was a full participant in Sunday's practice and will travel with the team for Monday's road game against the New York Islanders. The Penguins captain missed Saturday's loss to Dallas due to a lower-body injury. However, it seems his absence might be limited to one game. Evgeni Malkin (upper body), who has missed three games, also practiced on Saturday. It has not been decided yet whether he will travel to Long Island. Having both Crosby and Malkin back would be huge for the Penguins, who are in the middle of a fierce playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 29, 2026
Washington Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson had two assists as the team beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday. This was Hutson's first career multi-point game. Overall, Hutson has amassed five points (one goal, four assists) through his first six games in the NHL. The 19-year-old has shown a lot of promise, though all his points have come on the power play. Hutson has also logged eight SOG and eight hits. Next, he will look to make an impact against the Philadelphia Flyers, who have a 78.6 percent penalty kill.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 29, 2026
Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev made a major impact offensively on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings, finishing with a team record-matching four assists. Two of his helpers came with the man advantage. Earlier this week, Sergachev erupted for three first-period assists against Washington, so he has now set up seven goals over the last two games. He's the first Utah player with as many as three assists in back-to-back games. Sergachev's world-class playmaking has helped him to his second consecutive 50-point season. He has totaled 10 goals and 43 assists over 70 games. Additionally, he has registered 118 blocks, making Sergachev one of the top defensemen in fantasy hockey.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 29, 2026
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid had three points in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, moving ahead of Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov to take sole possession of the top spot on the NHL scoring charts. McDavid opened the scoring against Anaheim and delivered two assists. The Oilers captain now has three goal streaks of at least four games this season. If he can stay hot in front of the net, McDavid could claim both the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies this season. In 74 outings, McDavid has recorded 42 goals and 82 assists. He has produced back-to-back three-point performances and has finished scoreless just twice since the Olympic break.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 29, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (upper body) won't be in contention to play on Sunday against the Boston Bruins, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports. After a lengthy period as a healthy scratch, Voronkov was back in the lineup on Saturday against San Jose, but he sustained an upper-body injury. Voronkov lost his spot in the lineup after the Olympic break. He has 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) in 62 appearances, but 10 of his points came in October. Danton Heinen is likely to rejoin the action on Sunday after being scratched in favor of Voronkov for Saturday's game. Miles Wood is another option.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mark Scheig
March 29, 2026
Washington Capitals winger Aliaksei Protas (upper body) made an early exit against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night. He suffered an upper-body injury in a collision with Golden Knights forward Nic Dowd, his former teammate in Washington. The Capitals completed a three-game road trip on Saturday and will be back home on Tuesday night against Philadelphia. While Protas will have a few days to recover, it's uncertain whether it will be enough for him to be available on Tuesday. Protas is close to posting his second consecutive 50-point campaign, having amassed 23 goals and 24 assists in 70 contests. In his absence, Anthony Beauvillier, who scored Washington's third goal in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win, could return to the top six next week.
--Taavi PailkSource: Washington Capitals PR
March 29, 2026
Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (illness) exited Saturday's 4-1 road win over the Nashville Predators in the second period. He was battling an illness and logged just 4:53 of ice time. It's unclear whether Anderson will feel well enough to play in Sunday's matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. The veteran forward has produced 13 goals and nine assists in 64 outings this season. With Alexandre Texier (lower body) also ailing, Montreal might have to use seven defensemen in Sunday's game.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
March 29, 2026
Dallas Stars right wing Nathan Bastian (undisclosed) didn't finish Saturday's 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports reports. The fourth-line grinder logged only 4:02 of ice time and exited the contest after blocking a shot. Bastian should be considered doubtful for Sunday's matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. If he can't play, Dallas will mainly miss Bastian's physical presence. He has averaged over two hits per game this season. On the offensive end, Bastian has tallied six goals and one assist in 36 games. Adam Erne is expected to take Bastian's place on the fourth line.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sam Nestler
March 28, 2026
Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi had one goal and one assist in a 4-2 victory over the best team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche, on Saturday. He got the scoring started just 3:51 into the first period, and then assisted on Cole Perfetti's goal later in the third period. The Canadian forward is currently riding a four-game point streak and has 28 goals and 62 points this year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 28, 2026
Montreal Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov scored and assisted one time each in a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday. The rookie had his second multi-point game in his last three games and now has 16 goals and 40 assists in 72 games played this season. Demidov is having a great year and is battling for the Calder trophy with Matthew Schaefer and Beckett Sennecke.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 28, 2026
Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright (undisclosed) won't finish Saturday's tilt against the Buffalo Sabres. The team ruled him out for the rest of the game midway through the second period. Wright was also hurt in Thursday's win over Tampa Bay and may have already been in some discomfort before the puck dropped on Saturday. The 22-year-old had an assist on Thursday, bringing his total to 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 71 games. He hasn't missed any games this season, but Wright may now need to take some time off to heal after being limited in back-to-back games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Seattle Kraken PR
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