NHL Player News

Staal (undisclosed) is expected to play against Boston on Tuesday, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

After sitting out Sunday's 6-3 loss to Ottawa, Staal was back on the third line during Tuesday's morning skate. He has chipped in 19 goals, 33 points, 101 shots on net, 45 blocked shots and 161 hits in 73 appearances this season.

Roy (upper body) is available for Tuesday's game in St. Louis, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.

The Avalanche are now at full strength up front, as Roy and Valeri Nichushkin (upper body) will both be in Tuesday's lineup. Roy missed seven games due to his injury and will serve in a bottom-six role now that he's moved past his upper-body injury. The right-shot forward scored three goals in an eight-game span prior to getting hurt, but he hasn't recorded a helper since Feb. 3 in Edmonton, when he was still a member of the Maple Leafs.

Smith scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 3-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Smith gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead with a snap shot at the 3:28 mark of the third period, and since the Blackhawks pulled one back later, Smith's tally ended up being the game-winning goal -- his fourth of the campaign. This goal also marked Smith's 100th point of his NHL career, and he needed 137 games to reach that sum. The 21-year-old playmaker has the looks of a future franchise cornerstone, and he's already surpassed the numbers he posted in 2024-25. Over 63 contests, Smith is up to 55 points, tallying 23 goals and 32 assists.

McCann scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Jets.

McCann has two points, six shots on net and a minus-3 rating over five games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old is up to 19 goals, 38 points, 109 shots on net, 39 hits and a minus-6 rating over 49 appearances. He's close to securing a fifth straight 20-goal campaign despite significant missed time this season, which has been a rarity during his Seattle tenure.

Lambert scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Monday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Lambert scored at 5:59 of the third period to answer a Jared McCann tally, cutting off the Kraken's attempt at a comeback. The 22-year-old Lambert is getting a regular run in a bottom-six role, though he snapped a seven-game point drought with that goal. He's earned six points, 22 shots on net, 16 hits and a minus-1 rating over 20 appearances this season, which is good experience for him to get as he looks to become a full-time NHL option in 2026-27.

Namestnikov scored an empty-net goal in Monday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.

Namestnikov had missed the previous 18 games due to a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old returned to center the third line, and he'll likely see bottom-six minutes while the Jets continue their long-shot push for a playoff spot. He's produced eight goals, six assists, 71 shots on net, 72 hits, 36 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a minus-11 rating over 58 outings this season.

Nazar recorded a power-play goal and an even-strength assist in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

Nazar has been one of the few players not named Connor Bedard to show some kind of scoring consistency for the Blackhawks throughout the season. The 22-year-old Nazar ended a three-game goalless skid with a power-play tally in the third period, but Chicago couldn't complete the comeback. With four games left in the season, he has already established new career-high marks across the board. Nazar has 15 goals and 26 assists across 62 regular-season appearances.

Norris scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Monday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.

Norris ended a nine-game goal drought with his tally at 14:04 of the first period. The 26-year-old has been in the lineup for all 21 games since the Olympic break, earning 12 points, 35 shots on net and 20 PIM in that span. He's at 11 goals, 29 points, 62 shots, 26 PIM and a plus-4 rating over 40 appearances this season, mainly in a middle-six role.

Donato scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

Donato opened the scoring for the Blackhawks with a wrister at the 9:01 mark of the first period, but the team couldn't hold on to the lead and gave up three unanswered goals that changed the flow of the game completely. Donato has 15 goals on the season, and this tally allowed him to snap a three-game pointless skid. However, with only four points in 19 games since the beginning of March, he's far from being a reliable option in most fantasy formats.

Geekie is set to be recalled from AHL Syracuse on Tuesday, per Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com.

The Lightning are dealing with a few injuries to their forward group, which has resulted in Geekie and Dylan Duke being promoted from the minors. Geekie has been playing at a high level with the Crunch in 2025-26, generating 17 goals, 59 points and a plus-13 rating over 56 appearances. The 21-year-old might draw into the lineup Tuesday, depending on who ends up being available for Tampa Bay up front.