April 8, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (middle body) will return from a one-game absence on Wednesday against the Washington Capitals. The Swedish veteran wasn't available for Saturday's contest against L.A. due to a minor middle-body injury. He is expected to take Troy Stecher's spot on the blue line for Wednesday's game. Ekman-Larsson has been one of Toronto's better players during a disappointing season, totaling 38 points (eight goals, 30 assists) in 73 outings. However, he has gone cold offensively late in the season, finishing scoreless in 12 of his last 14 appearances.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 8, 2026
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin hasn't yet decided whether the 2025-26 campaign will be his final NHL season. "We're going to make a decision in the summer," Ovechkin said in an interview posted by the team on social media. The Capitals captain is finishing up a five-year, $47.5 million contract. Despite turning 40 in September, Ovechkin has continued to produce for fantasy managers, scoring 31 goals and 61 points in 78 games. He is only the fourth player in NHL history to score 30-plus goals in a season at age 40 or older.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 8, 2026
Nashville Predators goaltender Justus Annunen stood on his head on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, recording his third career shutout with 43 saves in a 5-0 road win. Incredibly, the Predators hadn't kept the opposition from scoring since January 2025, a streak of 120 regular-season games. Annunen's last shutout was over two years ago, in March 2024. Nashville's No. 2 has come up big for the team recently, winning three of his last five starts. Overall, Annunen has a 9-11-2 record this season. He has often ended up in the losing column, despite holding a 2.78 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 8, 2026
Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras notched three points in Tuesday's 5-1 road win over the New Jersey Devils. Zegras scored the second-fastest two goals to start a game in franchise history and added one assist. Thanks to Zegras, the Flyers were already two goals ahead 3:38 into the first period. His second goal came during a power play. Zegras has had a successful first campaign in Philadelphia, becoming the first Flyers player to record 40 assists in his debut season with the franchise since Chris Pronger in 2009-10. In 78 outings, he has also contributed 25 goals. The Flyers are in a desperate race to reach the playoffs, and Zegras has played a big role during their end-of-season push, logging points in 13 of the last 17 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
April 8, 2026
Calgary Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl (lower body) exited Tuesday's overtime loss to the Dallas Stars in the first period, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports. He appeared to have hurt his left leg in a collision with Stars defenseman Thomas Harley. Bahl is now in danger of missing his second game of the season when Calgary returns to the ice on Thursday night against Colorado. While he doesn't have much fantasy value, Bahl has been an effective player for the Flames, registering 18 points (four goals, 14 assists), 57 SOG, 99 blocks, 114 hits, and a plus-two rating in 76 outings. Brayden Pachal is likely to draw into the lineup on Thursday if Bahl can't play.
--Taavi PailkSource: Pat Steinberg
April 8, 2026
Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen (lower body) will likely miss the rest of the 2025-26 regular season, Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now reports. In his third game back in the lineup, he aggravated a lower-body injury during Tuesday's defeat to Columbus. After the game, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan told reporters that Rasmussen will miss "a few more games." Detroit has four more regular-season games remaining, with the team's playoff chances fading fast. Rasmussen is set to finish the campaign with his lowest scoring total in five years. He has produced 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 64 contests. We will likely see Dominik Shine return to the lineup as Rasmussen's replacement on Thursday against Philadelphia.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bob Duff
April 8, 2026
Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (finger) will miss the rest of the season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports. In Tuesday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Kulikov became the third Panthers player to break a finger late in the season. This happened a few games after Kulikov broke his nose. Health issues made it a frustrating campaign for Kulikov, as he was limited to only 19 appearances. The stay-at-home defenders didn't score a single point this season. Florida's defense is also missing Uvis Balinskis (foot), Aaron Ekblad (finger), and Niko Mikkola (knee), giving more fantasy value to Michael Benning and Tobias Bjornfot.
--Taavi PailkSource: Jameson Olive
April 8, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield (lower body) didn't finish Tuesday's matchup with the Boston Bruins, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. The 29-year-old left the game in the third period due to a lower-body injury. Chatfield made his 71st appearance of the season against Boston. He's played a significant role for the Hurricanes, averaging 20:06 of ice time. However, Chatfield hasn't really made an impact in fantasy hockey. He has recorded 17 points (two goals, 15 assists), 99 SOG, 62 blocks, and a plus-16 rating. Mike Reilly, who was a healthy scratch for a seventh consecutive game on Tuesday, will fill the void in the lineup on Thursday night against Chicago if Chatfield can't give it a go.
--Taavi PailkSource: Walt Ruff
April 8, 2026
Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri (upper body) was unavailable for most of Tuesday's 3-1 conference-clinching win over the St. Louis Blues. He took only seven shifts and logged 6:09 of ice time. The team ruled him out for the rest of the game at the start of the third period. Kadri has scored four goals and nine points in 16 games since rejoining the Avalanche in March. With Colorado sitting comfortably at the top of the Western Conference standings, it would make sense for the team if it didn't rush Kadri back during the regular season. Zakhar Bardakov and Joel Kiviranta will be options to enter the lineup on Thursday against Calgary if Kadri isn't healthy enough to face his former team.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
April 7, 2026
Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie scored three goals, but it was not enough to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes as Boston lost 6-5 in overtime on Tuesday. He was on a big goal drought before Tuesday, having not scored a goal since March 5 -- 17 straight contests. Despite this drought, Geekie is having a career year with 37 goals, 66 points, and 22 penalty minutes.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 7, 2026
Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek scored one goal and added two assists in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday. The Swedish forward has now extended his point streak to four straight games. Ek has 19 goals and 32 assists in 69 games played and is tied for third place on the Wild with 51 points this season.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
April 7, 2026
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (lower body) has been cleared to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. He has been out of action for three games due to a lower-body injury. As a result of Mintyukov's return, Olen Zellweger will get the night off. Mintyukov's development has stalled during his third NHL campaign, as the 22-year-old has logged 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists), 74 SOG, and 106 blocks in 68 games. He will accompany John Carlson on the second defensive pairing on Tuesday night.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 7, 2026
Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier (upper body) will miss a fourth consecutive game on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The talented goal-scorer suffered an upper-body injury in late March. Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville has indicated that Gauthier could return to action before the end of the team's current five-game homestand, which finishes on Sunday against Vancouver. Gauthier is tied for third in the league with 15 goals since February. He leads the Ducks in goals (38) and points (65) this season. With Gauthier out, Ryan Poehling has joined the top six, tallying two goals and one assist in the last three games.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 7, 2026
Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach (upper body) will be available for action on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. He has been out since mid-March with an upper-body injury, which has cost Dach 11 games. Alexandre Texier (lower body) is also available after missing seven games. Although Dach has seen time on the top line this season, he is expected to return in a bottom-six capacity on Tuesday, which will severely limit his fantasy appeal. The 25-year-old has recorded 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 32 games this season. Dach is expected to slot into the lineup in place of Joe Veleno (undisclosed), who was absent from the morning skate.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
April 7, 2026
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (undisclosed) will return to the lineup for Tuesday's tilt against the Boston Bruins. The Hurricanes captain sat out Sunday's loss to Ottawa with an undisclosed injury. It appears it was just a maintenance day for Staal, as Carolina has little left to play for. Jordan Martinook (undisclosed) will also return after sitting out Sunday's action. The two are expected to skate with Nikolaj Ehlers on the third line. Staal and Martinook should benefit from Ehlers' skill and creativity. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Eric Robinson will spend the evening in the press box as healthy scratches.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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