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Lane Hutson Nets First Career Postseason Goal
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson celebrated his first career postseason goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He tied the game at one in the first period with a power-play goal. In his first postseason campaign a year ago, Hutson collected all five of his points via assists. He also kicked off this postseason with an assist in Game 1. However, his offensive production in the playoffs has been heavily reliant on the power play. Through his first seven career postseason outings, Hutson has registered only two even-strength points.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Brandon Hagel Records Tampa Bay's First Postseason Gordie Howe Hat Trick
Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel continued his good start to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs by recording the first postseason Gordie Howe hat trick in franchise history during Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens. Hagel scored Tampa's first goal, set up Nikita Kucherov for the second, and fought Juraj Slafkovsky. The two 30-goal scorers clashed early in the second period, with Slafkovsky taken down by a right-handed punch from Hagel. Following his two-goal effort in Game 1, Hagel has become only the fourth player in Lightning history to start a postseason with back-to-back multi-point games.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Nikita Kucherov Ends 16-Game Postseason Goal Drought
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov scored a third-period game-tying goal in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime victory against the Montreal Canadiens. Incredibly, the former MVP hadn't scored a postseason goal for three years, firing blanks in 14 consecutive games. With the monkey off his back now, it will be interesting to see whether Kucherov will go on a scoring streak. He hasn't found the back of the net in consecutive games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers. Although Kucherov has lacked puck luck in front of the net in the postseason, he has still been a point-per-game player. This year, Kucherov has tallied one goal and two assists through his first two playoff outings.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jonathan Toews Undecided on NHL Future
Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews hasn't yet decided if he will continue his NHL career in 2026-27. The three-time Stanley Cup champions returned from a two-year absence this season, appearing in all 82 regular-season games. He plans to think more about his future "in the next couple of weeks to a month." Toews, who will be 38 next week, had a career-low 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) this season, but he's happy with his comeback campaign. "I think if I'm being honest with myself and I look back to a couple of years ago where I was at, yeah, it definitely feels like a huge accomplishment," Toews said. "I'm very proud that I went after it and did what I could to get back to this level and to play in the NHL again." Toews may no longer be a significant fantasy factor, but he could still serve teams effectively in a bottom-six role if he decides to return for a 17th NHL season.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Jonathan Huberdeau Expects to Be Ready for Training Camp
Calgary Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau (hip) believes he will be available at the start of training camp in the fall. The 32-year-old underwent season-ending hip surgery in March. "That was probably one of the main reasons I kind of wanted to do it earlier, so I could be fully back next year," Huberdeau said. "I feel pretty good. It's been six weeks, so I think I'm just looking forward to getting back on the ice. It's been going pretty well right now, so hopefully it keeps going like that and I can be back on the ice in late June." Huberdeau's time in Calgary has been disappointing, and he was limited to 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 50 games this season. He has averaged fewer points only once in his 14-year NHL career. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect a major improvement from Huberdeau in 2026-27.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Nathan Bastian Not Expected to Play Before Round 2
Dallas Stars right wing Nathan Bastian (hand) is not expected to return to the lineup in the playoffs until Round 2, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports. Bastian is ready to resume skating and will travel with the team to Saint Paul for Games 3 and 4 against the Minnesota Wild this week, but he still needs more time to recover from a hand injury. Once he's healthy, Bastian would primarily add muscle to the lineup, having racked up 85 hits in 36 regular-season outings. On the offensive end, he tallied six goals and one assist.
Source: Lia Assimakopoulos
Source: Lia Assimakopoulos
Roope Hintz Doubtful for Game 4
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (lower body) is considered doubtful for Game 4 against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. After the teams split the first two games, the series will shift to Saint Paul on Wednesday, and Hintz hasn't traveled with the team. The Finnish forward has been nursing a lower-body injury since early March. Despite his absence, the Stars finished the regular season strongly. They also kicked into gear in Game 2 against Minnesota, with Wyatt Johnston, Hintz's replacement as the top-line center, scoring twice in the 4-2 victory.
Source: Sportsnet
Source: Sportsnet
Adam Henrique Won't Play in Game 2 Against Ducks
Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique (undisclosed) will miss Wednesday's Game 2 against the Anaheim Ducks, Derek Van Diest of NHL.com reports. The veteran forward was injured in a collision with teammate Kasperi Kapanen on Monday night, when Edmonton kicked off the series with a 4-3 win. Curtis Lazar or Josh Samanski will replace Henrique on the fourth line. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch praised Samanski for his play on the line with Colton Dach and Trent Frederic late in the season. At the same time, Lazar would offer more experience and physicality.
Source: Derek Van Diest
Source: Derek Van Diest
Victor Hedman Doubtful to Play in Round 1
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (personal) isn't expected to play during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. Before Tuesday's Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper told reporters Hedman's return is on "the doubtful side for this series." The Lightning captain has missed a month of action due to illness and personal reasons. With Hedman in and out of the lineup in 2025-26, Darren Raddysh has been outstanding in an expanded role all season on Tampa's blue line and also made a mark in Sunday's Game 1 against Montreal, scoring a power-play goal.
Source: Pierre LeBrun
Source: Pierre LeBrun
Charle-Edouard D'Astous Unavailable Tuesday
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) will miss Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports. His absence isn't surprising, as D'Astous was injured in the series opener last weekend. On Monday, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper labeled D'Astous as doubtful for Game 2. Declan Carlile will slot into defense, making his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut. One of Carlisle's last appearances was against Montreal on April 9, where he racked up 17 penalty minutes. The 25-year-old is known for his physical style of play, finishing the regular season with 40 penalty minutes and 51 hits in 42 games.
Source: Pierre LeBrun
Source: Pierre LeBrun
Jake Sanderson Records Two Assists in Losing Effort
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson completed Monday's 3-2 double-overtime defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes with two assists. After they were shut out in Game 1, the Senators again struggled to generate offense, but Sanderson's playmaking ability helped them grab a pair of goals in the second period. Sanderson has now recorded three multi-point games in his last five outings. Playing the Hurricanes seems to suit him. He has now faced them eight times since the start of the 2023-24 regular season, totaling eight points (one goal, seven assists). If Sanderson can maintain his point-per-game pace in this matchup, Ottawa will still have a chance to advance despite heading into Game 3 with a 2-0 deficit.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Brock Faber Bags Two Goals in Monday's Defeat
Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber was the team's lone goal-scorer in Monday's 4-2 Game 2 loss to the Dallas Stars. He tallied his first career postseason goals, finding the back of the net 11:33 into the first period and midway through the third. Jared Spurgeon was previously the only defenseman to score multiple goals in a playoff contest for the Wild. Faber's defensive partner, Quinn Hughes, had an assist on both of his goals. After finishing scoreless across 12 outings in his first two playoff runs, Faber has started the 2026 postseason action with two goals and one assist in two games.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Wyatt Johnston Notches Two Goals in Game 2 Win
Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston produced two goals in Monday's Game 2 against the Minnesota Wild, helping his team to a 4-2 win. He opened the scoring with an even-strength tally and iced the game with an empty-netter. The 22-year-old rebounded well from his disappointing outing in the series opener, where Johnston had a minus-three rating. With Roope Hintz (lower body) sidelined, Johnston operates as Dallas' first-line center and has relished the opportunity. Dating back to the regular season, Johnston has tallied nine points (six goals, three assists) in his last seven outings.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Troy Terry Has Special Playoffs Debut
Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry made a big impact in his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs game on Monday, recording two goals and one assist in a 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Terry did all of his damage in the third period, matching a franchise record for most points in a single playoff period. Additionally, he joined Paul Kariya as the only players in Ducks history to record three-point performances in their playoff debut. Terry was quiet late in the regular season, and the Ducks will be pleased to see him shine on the postseason stage.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Dan Vladar Leads Flyers to Victory With 27-Save Shutout
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar was excellent in Monday's Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, recording his first career postseason shutout with 27 saves in a 3-0 win. The Czechia netminder had an impressive regular season and has shown early in the playoffs that Philadelphia can also count on him under postseason pressure. The team now needs to see some big home performances from Vladar. During the regular season, he posted a 13-6-0 record on home ice, with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
