March 4, 2026
New York Islanders winger Jonathan Drouin (lower body) is ready to return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports. The 30-year-old was unavailable on Sunday against the Florida Panthers due to a lower-body injury. Drouin is expected to take Anthony Duclair's spot in the lineup. After enjoying a promising start to the campaign, Drouin has struggled for several months. 14 of his 20 points came in his first 17 appearances of the season, and he will enter Wednesday's contest with a 14-game point drought.
--Taavi PailkSource: Andrew Gross
March 4, 2026
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (undisclosed) avoided serious injury on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, according to head coach Kris Knoblauch. Walman exited the game prior to the third period of a 5-4 overtime win. The team also lost center Curtis Lazar (undisclosed) on Tuesday, and he is expected to miss at least one week of action. After picking up Connor Murphy from Chicago earlier this week, the Oilers have a capable replacement ready for Walman if needed on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Health issues have limited Walman to 33 appearances this season. He has recorded 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists), 61 shots, and 53 blocks with a minus-nine rating.
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN
March 4, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Johansson (upper body) didn't finish Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports. He exited the action with an apparent upper-body injury in the third period following a hit from Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh, who was given a two-minute interference penalty on the play. After the game, Wild head coach John Hynes said Johansson "looks pretty good right now." There's hope Johansson won't miss additional time. The Swedish veteran contributed an assist on Tuesday night and has amassed 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 57 contests. Minnesota's schedule gives Johansson some added recovery time, with the next game not until Friday.
--Taavi PailkSource: Dylan Loucks
March 4, 2026
Nashville Predators left wing Cole Smith was traded to the Golden Knights from the Predators in exchange for defenseman prospect Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third-round pick. The deal happened during Nashville's matchup with Columbus on Tuesday night, and Smith was pulled from the game after logging only three seconds of ice time. Smith ranked second on the Predators with 119 hits in 42 games. Offensively, he contributed six goals and four assists with 51 shots on goal. Smith will be an asset for the Golden Knights' bottom six and penalty kill, but won't offer much to fantasy teams.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 4, 2026
The Minnesota Wild have acquired center Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL draft. Minnesota hopes to improve its penalty killing and face-off success with McCarron. He will also add muscle to the lineup, having led the Predators with 165 hits this season. The 30-year-old, who is in the final season of a two-year, $1.8 million contract, has also recorded 12 points (five goals, seven assists), 86 shots, 60 blocks, and 73 penalty minutes across 59 appearances. McCarron doesn't hold much fantasy value, but he looks like a good addition to the Wild's bottom-six.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
March 4, 2026
Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly suffered an eye injury in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was hit in the eye area by a stick late in the third period and will be evaluated when the team returns home after Tuesday's road game. In a statement, the Predators announced they "expect that he is going to be OK." The team plans to provide an update on O'Reilly on Thursday. O'Reilly scored a 2-1 go-ahead goal for the Predators against Columbus and has had a great campaign. In 61 outings, he has tallied a team-high 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists).
--Taavi PailkSource: TSN
March 4, 2026
Colorado Avalanche winger Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) is out week-to-week, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports. He was injured in Monday's win over the Los Angeles Kings and looks set for a multi-game spell on the sidelines. Lehkonen has been a crucial part of the top-six group in Colorado, recording 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) and a plus-31 rating in 59 games this season. In his absence, Ross Colton moved to the second line on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, though he had a quiet outing and didn't register any points in a 5-1 win.
--Taavi PailkSource: Evan Rawal
March 4, 2026
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored two goals and added three assists for a season-best five-point night in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime victory against the Senators. Draisaitl played the main part in the comeback as the Oilers trailed for the majority of the game, and they entered the final frame trailing by two goals, but the 30-year-old helped the team force overtime with his impressive offensive display. Draisaitl ranks fourth in league scoring with 90 points through 59 games (33 goals and 57 assists), and the German forward is on his way to scoring 40-plus goals and totaling 100-plus points for the seventh time in his NHL career.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes finished with two assists in Tuesday's 5-1 victory against the Panthers. Hughes picked up his first assist of the night on defenseman Dougie Hamilton's ninth goal of the season, while adding another assist on defenseman Simon Nemec's empty-net goal in the final minute of the game. Hughes is at a point-per-game pace with a total of 12 goals and 41 points through 40 games, but fantasy managers would like to see an increase in goal-scoring production down the stretch from the elite forward.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-1 victory against the Panthers. The veteran defenseman extended his point streak to three games and continues to produce points at a solid rate after beginning the season slowly in that department. Hamilton has totaled nine goals and 16 assists through 56 games, and he remains a solid option in standard fantasy leagues.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 of 21 shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-1 victory against the Panthers. Markstrom started the first half of the back-to-back set for the Devils, and he had a light workload in the win, as the only goal scored against him came early in the game by Panthers forward Anton Lundell. Markstrom has had a difficult season with a 3.06 goals against average and an .888 save percentage across 33 appearances, but he has played better recently, making him a solid streaming option in certain matchups.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
Utah Mammoth right winger Dylan Guenther scored once and assisted one time in Tuesday's win over the Washington Capitals. He opened up the scoring 11:12 into the game on a snap shot that beat Logan Thompson, and then two minutes later, Guenther assisted on Mikhail Sergachev's power-play goal. On the 2025-26 season, Guenther now has 28 goals and 23 assists in 59 games played as a key part of the Mammoth offense.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves in a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. He only allowed an early wrist shot from Erik Karlsson to beat him, but then he was perfect the rest of the way in a tough 2-1 game versus the Penguins. On the season, Swayman has a 22-13-3 record with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. His next chance to be in between the pipes will be on March 5 against Nashville.
--Marko23Source: NHL.com
March 3, 2026
Pittsburgh Penguins center Blake Lizotte (lower body) won't play against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now reports. He is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Lizotte has been part of Pittsburgh's highly effective fourth line, totaling six points (one goal, five assists) in his last seven appearances. He's had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 49 games across the season. Kevin Hayes will rejoin the lineup on Tuesday, while Connor Dewar will take over the fourth-line center duties.
--Taavi PailkSource: Dan Kingerski
March 3, 2026
Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (lower body) is week-to-week and will sit out a second consecutive game on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was placed on Injured Reserve on Monday. Foligno's physical style often leaves him hurt. This season, the veteran has appeared in only 48 of Minnesota's 61 games, registering 11 points (six goals, five assists), 55 shots, and 151 hits. Robby Fabbri, who was claimed off waivers on Monday, looks poised to have a regular role until Foligno returns. In 15 appearances with the St. Louis Blues this campaign, Fabbri recorded four points (one goal, three assists), 17 shots, and 34 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
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