March 20, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (illness) will play on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. He was initially questionable for the game after being away from the team on Thursday due to illness. Rielly has a chance to post his fifth consecutive 40-point campaign in 2025-26. He has tallied 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists) through 66 appearances, firing off 124 shots on goal and blocking 92 shots from opponents. However, Toronto's No. 1 defenseman has been in an offensive slump lately, going scoreless in eight of his last nine games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 20, 2026
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was one of the top performers in Thursday's Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the Edmonton Oilers, posting his fourth shutout of the season with 21 saves in a 4-0 win. He became the third goalie with at least 20 shutouts for Florida. This was Bobrovsky's third win in four starts, bringing his record to 25-20-1. While the Russian netminder has a chance to record his third consecutive 30-win campaign, his performance levels have dipped in 2025-26. Bobrovsky has a career-worst save percentage at .879 and holds a 3.00 goals-against average.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 20, 2026
Edmonton Oilers forward Trent Frederic (undisclosed) didn't play in the third period of Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Florida Panthers. He recorded one shot and two hits across 9:03 of action before his early exit. There was no update on him after the game. Frederic ranks second on his team with 170 hits and has tallied six points (four goals, two assists) in 67 appearances. Edmonton will return to action on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning and is likely to insert Roby Jarventie into the lineup if Frederic can't play. Jarventie had 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 52 AHL appearances before being called up by the big club this week.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 20, 2026
Detroit Red Wings forward Mason Appleton (undisclosed) left Thursday's 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens late in the second period. He needed to be helped off the ice after being involved in a collision in the corner. Appleton logged 14:30 of ice time and recorded two shots and four hits. The 30-year-old has registered 13 points (five goals, eight assists), 57 shots, and 76 hits in 59 outings for the season. Detroit will mainly miss Appleton's physical presence if he's unavailable Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The team has John Leonard available as an extra forward to replace Appleton in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 20, 2026
San Jose Sharks winger Tyler Toffoli sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Max Miller of NHL.com reports. He took only five shifts in the game, logging 3:41 of ice time. Toffoli has been ever-present in the Sharks' lineup this season and must shake off his injury by Saturday to avoid missing his first game of the season. The veteran forward is on pace for a second consecutive 50-point season, amassing 18 goals and 26 assists in 67 games. Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Reaves are the options to step in for Toffoli if he has to miss time.
--Taavi PailkSource: Max Miller
March 20, 2026
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (illness) was limited to 4:44 of ice time in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Lightning captain exited the contest after the first period due to illness. Darren Raddysh once again had to step up on the blue line and produced a goal and an assist. Hedman has made only 33 appearances this season, sitting out a significant portion of the campaign due to elbow surgery. He has recorded 17 points (one goal, 16 assists), 50 shots, and 44 blocks. If Hedman misses additional time, Steven Santini will step into the lineup on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
March 20, 2026
Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports. He missed Thursday's matchup with the Seattle Kraken but could be an option over the weekend when Nashville has a back-to-back set. Saros has posted a 24-19-7 record, a 3.14 goals-against average, and a .894 save percentage across 51 starts this season. Justus Annunen was in net on Thursday night and had a good outing with 25 saves in a 3-1 win. The team recalled Matt Murray from the minors to serve as the backup.
--Taavi PailkSource: Alex Daugherty
March 19, 2026
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight made 28 saves in a tight 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. It was a tough matchup, but the American netminder played very well and made some key saves to hold on to the 2-1 lead. Knight now has a 2.63 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances this year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli scored two goals in a 6-3 victory over the rebuilding New York Rangers on Thursday. He has been playing great lately, with six goals and six assists in the month of March alone. Fantilli now has 21 goals and 30 assists this season and is closing in on his career high of 54 points, which he had last year.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (knee) underwent successful MCL surgery and will require 12 weeks of recovery time, the team announced Thursday. Toronto's captain was previously already ruled out for the rest of the 2025-26 regular season. The latest update means that Matthews also won't be available for Team USA for the 2026 IIHF World Championship. For the second consecutive season, Matthews' campaign has been significantly impacted by injury. He played 67 games last season and appeared in 60 games this term, finishing with a career-low 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists). Matthews is expected to be fully healthy in time for training camp in the fall.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
March 19, 2026
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) will remain sidelined on Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres. He continues to deal with a lower-body injury, missing a fifth consecutive game. The 23-year-old has posted a 19-17-3 record in 40 starts this season, allowing 3.57 goals with a .886 save percentage. Eight of his 19 wins came in November. Due to Askarov's absence, Alex Nedeljkovic is poised to make another start on Thursday night. After winning back-to-back games, Nedeljkovic had a tough night on Tuesday against Edmonton, losing 5-3. He faces another difficult matchup on Thursday against a Sabres team that has just posted a new franchise record with an 11-game road point streak, winning 10 times during that stretch.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's contest against the Chicago Blackhawks. He is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Minnesota will head out without Kaprizov for the first time this season. The Russian superstar has totaled a team-high 80 points (38 goals, 42 assists) in 69 appearances. Kaprizov's absence will give Bobby Brink (upper body) a chance to skate on the first line. The former Flyer is back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury.
--Taavi PailkSource: Minnesota Wild PR
March 19, 2026
Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch (illness) is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. He sat out Tuesday's win over Vegas due to illness. Tuch is projected to be part of the first line with Zach Benson and Tage Thompson and will see action on the second power-play unit. Buffalo has received solid production from Tuch all season, as the 29-year-old sits just a few points away from registering his second consecutive 60-point season. He has amassed 28 goals and 29 assists in 65 games, failing to make the score sheet just once in his last eight outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 19, 2026
New York Rangers center Noah Laba (lower body) won't play on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports. He is forced to exit the lineup after sustaining a lower-body injury in Wednesday's loss to the New Jersey Devils. Laba has enjoyed a good debut campaign on a struggling team, collecting 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 65 games. The Rangers will use Jonny Brodzinski as Laba's replacement in the lineup on Thursday. The 32-year-old has posted 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 43 appearances and doesn't have significant fantasy value.
--Taavi PailkSource: Mollie Walker
March 19, 2026
Detroit Red Wings forward Andrew Copp (lower body) is ready to rejoin the lineup on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports. Copp has missed three games due to a lower-body injury and was initially considered a game-time decision. The veteran forward will skate with Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton on the third line, though he could also receive some top-six usage due to Dylan Larkin's (leg) continued absence. Copp has had points in four of his last five appearances, boosting his total to 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 65 games this season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Ansar Khan
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