RADIO
William Carrier Good to Go Tuesday
Carolina Hurricanes left wing William Carrier (upper body) will play in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports. Carrier exited Game 3 with an upper-body injury in the second period, but it looks like he's had enough time in between to shake off the injury. Skating on the fourth line, Carrier has recorded four assists, 13 SOG, and a team-high 79 hits in 16 playoff games. He's had one assist, one SOG, and 13 hits in the Finals.
Source: Walt Ruff
Source: Walt Ruff
Brandon Bussi Starts Game 4 Against Golden Knights
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi will be in the net for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. For the first time this postseason, the Hurricanes are starting without Frederik Andersen, who isn't even dressing as a backup. Pyotr Kochetkov will be the other option in the crease if needed. Andersen has been limited to a .815 save percentage in the Finals and missed Monday's practice for maintenance. Bussi, who was tied for the fourth-most wins in the regular season with a 31-6-2 record, made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in relief of Andersen in Game 3 on Saturday. He allowed one goal on 19 SOG and saved one penalty shot.
Source: Carolina Hurricanes
Source: Carolina Hurricanes
Wild Re-Sign Michael McCarron to Six-Year Deal
Minnesota Wild center Michael McCarron has agreed to a six-year, $20 million contract extension with the team. The 31-year-old power forward had the option to test free agency this offseason, but he's happy with life in Minnesota. "From my very first step in there to my last, it was a great experience for me, and there was no point in looking elsewhere in free agency," McCarron said. The Wild acquired McCarron from the Nashville Predators in March. He appeared in 20 regular-season games with the team, recording five points (three goals, two assists), 23 SOG, and 40 hits. McCarron has limited fantasy value, but he's a solid bottom-six contributor for the Wild.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Robert Thomas Set to Stay in St. Louis
St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas will remain with the team at the start of the next season, Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network reports. Thomas was linked to a trade throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but the team has taken him off the market. The Blues have seen Thomas develop into a point-per-game player, though he struggled with health issues in 2025-26. Across 64 appearances, Thomas produced 25 goals and 39 assists. Thomas has a contract through the 2030-31 season with a cap hit of $8.125 million. Seeing Thomas stay put in St. Louis should be good news for fantasy managers, as he's nailed down a first-line center spot on the team and has been a very productive player when healthy for several years.
Source: Andy Strickland
Source: Andy Strickland
Milan Lucic Announces Retirement From NHL
Left wing Milan Lucic has announced his retirement from the NHL. He made the announcement on his 38th birthday. "Looking back on my career, I feel truly grateful to have fulfilled my dream of playing professional hockey, culminating with a Stanley Cup win in 2011 with the Boston Bruins," Lucic said in a statement. "I want to especially thank the Bruins for giving me my start in professional hockey and for instilling the confidence to reach new heights as a player." Lucic, who was a second-round draft pick in 2006, made 570 of his 1,177 regular-season appearances with the Bruins. He also suited up for the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings, recording 586 career points (233 goals, 353 assists). Lucic last played two seasons ago, appearing in four games with the Bruins.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Frederik Andersen Misses Practice for Maintenance
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen missed Monday's practice for maintenance. Brandon Bussi was in the starter's crease. Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour didn't name his starting goaltender for Tuesday's Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. Andersen has started all 16 postseason games for Carolina, but he was pulled in Game 3 after allowing four goals with a .750 save percentage. Bussi made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut and had a solid outing with 18 saves and a .947 save percentage in a 5-4 double-overtime loss. Only three netminders won more games than Bussi during the regular season, as he posted a 31-6-2 record. Brind'Amour will have a big decision to make on Tuesday, particularly with Andersen's save percentage at a poor .815 in the Finals.
Source: TSN
Source: TSN
Peter Laviolette Takes Over as Kings Head Coach
The Los Angeles Kings are hiring Peter Laviolette as their new head coach, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reports. Sources have told Kaplan that Laviolette will join the Kings on a three-year deal. The Kings fired Jim Hiller as head coach on March 1 and finished the 2025-26 campaign with D.J. Smith serving as interim head coach. Laviolette is the winningest American-born head coach in NHL history, with an 846-562-25-161 record in 1,594 career games. Only eight coaches have worked in more regular-season games. Laviolette has led six teams, winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was last in charge of the New York Rangers, who fired Laviolette after the team missed the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Source: Emily Kaplan
Source: Emily Kaplan
Connor McDavid Wins Record-Tying Fifth Ted Lindsay Award
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has once again made history, winning the Ted Lindsay Award for a record-tying fifth time. Formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Ted Lindsay Award is presented annually by members of the NHL Players' Association to the league's most outstanding player in the regular season. By winning it for the fifth time, McDavid tied Wayne Gretzky's record. He led the league with 90 assists and 138 points in 82 games. Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) finished behind McDavid in the voting. McDavid is also competing with Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche) for the NHL's MVP award, the Hart Trophy.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
William Carrier Suffers Upper-Body Injury in Game 3 Versus Golden Knights
Carolina Hurricanes left wing William Carrier (upper body) was limited to 6:51 of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime defeat against the Vegas Golden Knights. He left the contest in the second period due to an upper-body injury. Carrier is a huge physical presence in the Hurricanes' lineup, averaging 4.9 hits per game in the playoffs. He has chipped in with four assists in 16 games on the offensive end. If Carrier isn't healthy enough to play in Game 4 on Tuesday night, Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad are options to take his place in the lineup.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Sebastian Aho Records Two Assists in Losing Effort
Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho posted two assists in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Aho assisted Taylor Hall at even strength and Andrei Svechnikov on the power play as Carolina erased a four-goal deficit in the third period. While Aho has been quiet in the postseason, he does have three assists in three games against Vegas. Saturday marked only his second multi-point performance of these playoffs. The Finnish star has registered 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 16 postseason outings. In Game 4, he will look to log his first three-game-point streak of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Jordan Staal Scores in Third Consecutive Game
Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal continued his impressive start to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals with another goal in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He bagged Carolina's third goal as the team tied the game from a 4-0 deficit in the third period. Staal joined Brad Marchand as the second player aged 37 or older to open the Stanley Cup Finals with a three-game goal streak. On Saturday night, Staal also recorded a power-play assist, giving him four points through the first three games of the Finals. The Hurricanes captain has contributed five goals and four assists in 16 games during the playoffs, averaging 4.8 hits.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Shea Theodore Caps Multi-Point Effort With Game-Winning Goal Saturday
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore netted the game-winning goal in Saturday's 5-4 double-overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals. He also notched an assist as Vegas grabbed a 2-1 series lead. Theodore scored via a lucky bounce off the board and the skate of Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi 5:38 into the second overtime, becoming the seventh defenseman in NHL history to register multiple overtime goals in a single postseason. In an extraordinary contest, which featured a four-goal comeback by the Hurricanes in the third period, Theodore led all skaters with 39:09 of ice time. This was Theodore's second multi-point effort in the Finals after he had a goal and two assists in Game 1. He has recorded 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 19 postseason appearances.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Tomas Hertl Collects Two Points in Overtime Win
Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl notched a goal and an assist as the team beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday night. Hertl opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 10:26 in the second period. He picked up his assist less than six minutes later when Mitch Marner completed the seventh natural hat trick in Stanley Cup Finals history. Hertl took a penalty that cost Vegas Game 2, but he has started the series in impressive form. Through the first three games, Hertl has tallied two goals and two assists. The Czechia forward has totaled 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 19 postseason games.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Mitch Marner Scores Fastest Hat Trick in Finals History
Vegas Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner was sensational in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals, recording four points in the second period of a 5-4 double-overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Marner posted a power-play assist midway through the second frame before netting the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Finals history -- he potted three goals in 6:10. He's the second player in history to register a four-point period in the Finals. Throughout the postseason, Marner has been a scoring machine, notching 28 points in 19 games. No player has managed more playoff points during his first season with a franchise. Seven of Marner's points have come against Carolina.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Maple Leafs Confident of Keeping Auston Matthews
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews looks set to stay put this offseason, ESPN's Kristen Shilton reports. Matthews' future has appeared murky after the team missed the playoffs this season, but Toronto's new general manager, John Chayka, expects the star forward to stick around after meeting with him. "What I saw was a happy captain," Chayka said at the NHL scouting combine on Friday. "[Someone] who's got a lot of pride in being the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, someone who wants to win in Toronto, which aligns with how we're thinking about it." Matthews has spent his entire 10-year NHL career with the Maple Leafs but hasn't advanced past the second round of the playoffs. He has recently dealt with health issues, posting a career-low 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 60 games this season. Matthews is poised for a strong bounce-back season in 2026-27, and it appears he will be wearing a Maple Leafs uniform.
Source: Kristen Shilton
Source: Kristen Shilton
