Fantasy Hockey

Barzal (undisclosed) won't participate in the 2026 IIHF World Championship because of a minor injury, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

Barzal will skip the tournament to recover, but he should be ready for the start of the 2026-27 NHL campaign. In 81 regular-season appearances for the Islanders in 2025-26, he produced 19 goals, 72 points, 184 shots on net and 50 blocked shots.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) will not join the team for Game 5 in Colorado on Wednesday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

Eriksson Ek will be sidelined for his fifth straight game due to his lingering lower-body injury. The fact that the 29-year-old center isn't even traveling with the team doesn't bode well for his availability for Game 6 back in Minnesota either. If the Swede does return, it figures to be in a top-six role.

Coyle agreed to terms on a six-year, $36 million contract with Columbus on Tuesday.

Coyle played in all 82 regular-season games for the Jackets this year, racking up 20 goals and 38 helpers. With the 34-year-old center putting pen to paper on a six-year deal, this figures to be the final contract of his career, keeping him with the Jackets long term.

Cerrato inked a three-year, entry-level contract with Carolina on Tuesday.

Cerrato will make the jump to the professional ranks after wrapping up his sophomore campaign at Penn St. With the Nittany Lions, the 21-year-old center notched seven goals and 20 assists in 23 contests. Selected by the club in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Cerrato figures to start 2026-27 in the minors but could make his NHL debut for the Hurricanes at some point next year.

Sturm scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 4.

Sturm netted his first goal of the playoffs, tying the game at 2-2 at 9:15 of the third period. He's earned three points, eight shots on net, 15 hits and a minus-1 rating over seven postseason contests. Sturm continues to fill a fourth-line role while the Wild are thinned out at center in the absence of Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body).

Necas logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Necas is up to seven points over four games in the second round, getting significantly more involved than he did against the Kings in the first round. Overall, the talented forward has one goal, eight assists, 22 shots on net, 13 hits and a plus-7 rating over eight appearances. He's a virtual lock for top-line minutes unless things start going south for the Avalanche.

Lehkonen (upper body) is dealing with a day-to-day injury, according to Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette on Tuesday.

Lehkonen sat out Monday's 5-2 win over Minnesota after sustaining the injury in Game 3's 5-1 loss to the Wild on Saturday. The Avalanche will determine his availability for Game 5 on Wednesday after the team's morning skate. Lehkonen has three goals, six points, 12 shots on net, seven blocked shots and 17 hits across seven appearances this postseason.

Stone (lower body) won't play against Anaheim on Tuesday in Game 5, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Stone will miss his second straight game, and it remains unclear when he will be available to return to the lineup. He has contributed three goals, seven points, 18 shots on net and 12 hits in nine appearances this postseason. The Golden Knights recalled Braeden Bowman from AHL Henderson on Tuesday as a potential replacement for Game 5, but Vegas also has Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith as spare forward options.

Bowman was promoted from AHL Henderson on Tuesday.

Bowman is unlikely to get into the lineup against the Ducks for Game 5 on Tuesday, instead serving as a depth option with Mark Stone (lower body) still unavailable. Still, the 22-year-old Bowman saw action in regular-season games for the Knights this year, generating eight goals and 18 assists, including four power-play points.

Cates will not need to have a procedure for the foot injury he sustained during the 2026 playoffs, per Charlie O'Connor of PHLY Sports on Tuesday.

Cates told reporters during the Flyers' postseason press conference Tuesday that he probably would not have been able to return in the playoffs, even if the team had advanced past the second round. While he won't need surgery for his foot injury, O'Connor noted that Cates will be sidelined for around a month. As such, Cates should more than likely be ready for the start of the 2026-27 campaign, barring any setbacks.

Yurov scored a power-play goal on two shots and added two PIM in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 4.

Yurov deflected a Brock Faber shot to open the scoring midway through the first period. This was Yurov's first career playoff goal. The 22-year-old has earned three points over four games in the second round against the Avalanche after getting held off the scoresheet in four outings versus the Stars in the first round before being scratched twice to end that series. Yurov has added eight shots on net, 11 hits, six PIM and an even plus-minus rating this postseason. He's likely to remain in a middle-six role in the absence of Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body).

Kelly scored a goal, added two PIM and notched three hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

The tally, which was also the game-winner, was Kelly's first point of the postseason. The 26-year-old was among the more surprising 20-goal scorers in the regular season, tallying 21 times while adding 14 assists over 82 contests. He's provided defense and physicality in a bottom-six role this postseason, adding 14 shots on net, 23 hits, eight PIM and an even plus-minus rating across eight games.

McAvoy received a six-game suspension on Tuesday for slashing Buffalo's Zach Benson.

After reports that McAvoy would have an in-person hearing Monday for his slash during the first round of the playoffs, he was ultimately given the six-game suspension many thought he would face. The 28-year-old blueliner will serve the suspension at the start of the 2026-27 regular season. McAvoy is coming off the best season in the offensive zone of his nine-year career with 61 points in 69 regular-season games, which he could still replicate next year if he can stay healthy.

Helleson (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup for Game 5 versus Vegas on Tuesday, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Helleson is stuck in a 61-game goal drought dating back to Oct. 23 versus the Bruins, a lengthy stretch without finding the back of the net. During his slump, the blueliner recorded only 34 shots, so fantasy managers probably shouldn't be expecting much from him offensively even if he does return to action.

Brodin (lower body) is not traveling with the Wild for Game 5 in Colorado on Wednesday, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Brodin has been unavailable for the entirety of this second-round series, and considering the Wild are now on the brink of elimination, his lower-body injury is seemingly a very serious one. If the Wild can earn a road win Wednesday, Brodin's next opportunity to attempt to get back in the lineup would be in Game 6 on Friday.

Malinski (upper body) was deemed day-to-day ahead of Game 5 against the Wild on Wednesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Malinski has already missed one game due to his upper-body problem but is now in danger of missing another. In seven postseason contests this year, the 27-year-old defenseman has generated one goal, two assists and 14 shots while averaging 19:59 of ice time.

Gudas (lower body) will remain sidelined for Game 5 in Vegas on Tuesday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

According to Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune, Gudas was on the ice for Tuesday's morning skate, but it remains to be seen if his return to the lineup is on the horizon. The right-shot blueliner missed his ninth straight playoff contest Sunday in Game 4 after being deemed a game-time decision. Since he has been ruled out well in advance of puck drop Tuesday, that may not bode well for Gudas' availability for Game 6 in Anaheim on Thursday.

Malinski is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not suit up for Game 4 against the Wild on Monday, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

Jack Ahcan will make his NHL playoff debut Monday as a result of Malinski being a late scratch. While Malinski is a tough loss for the Avalanche, the team is getting Josh Manson back in the lineup after missing the last four games because of an upper-body injury. It's possible head coach Jared Bednar will have an update on Malinski's status following Game 4. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Colorado.

Dostal will patrol the road crease in Game 5 against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, per Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

After alternating wins and losses to begin Anaheim's second-round series, Dostal will look to earn his second consecutive win for the first time since the team's opening playoff matchup. Against Vegas, the 25-year-old netminder has a 2-2-0 record, a 2.73 GAA and an .875 save percentage across four starts. With the Golden Knights' offense scoring over three goals just once in the series, Dostal has a solid fantasy outlook for Tuesday's pivotal Game 5.

Hart will tend the home twine Tuesday versus Anaheim in Game 5, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hart has alternated wins and losses through the first four games against the Ducks, with his last start being his worst in this second-round series. The 27-year-old netminder allowed four goals on 23 shots in Sunday's 4-3 loss in Game 3. The Golden Knights will be without their captain again in Game 5, as Mark Stone (lower body) is set to miss his second consecutive game. Vegas is 3-2 on home ice during the 2026 postseason, while Anaheim is 2-3 on the road.

Grubauer (lower body) will take part in the 2026 IIHF World Championship with Germany, the team announced Tuesday.

Grubauer missed the last six games of the regular season due to his lower-body injury, but he appears healthy enough to travel to Worlds. In 32 regular-season outings, the 34-year-old backstop went 13-12-4 with a 2.65 GAA and .909 save percentage. He'll enter the final year of his contract in the 2026-27 campaign.

Luukkonen will defend the road net against Montreal on Tuesday in Game 4, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Luukkonen allowed seven goals on 40 shots en route to a 1-1 record in Buffalo's first-round series against Boston. He made 32 saves in a 4-2 win over Montreal on Jan. 22 during the 2025-26 regular season. The door is open for Luukkonen to reclaim the No. 1 spot between the pipes after Alex Lyon surrendered nine goals on 63 shots in the Sabres' last two losses.

Dobes is expected to patrol the crease at home in Game 4 versus the Sabres on Tuesday, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.

Dobes has been solid in the postseason, going 6-4 with a 2.13 GAA and .918 save percentage in 10 contests. Considering the 24-year-old backstop has only given up more than two goals in one of his last six outings, there was little doubt he would remain in the crease for Game 4.

Wallstedt stopped 29 of 32 shots in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 4. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Wallstedt had a decent performance, but the Avalanche were able to hold onto the lead after Parker Kelly's goal at 11:32 of the third period. Wallstedt dropped to 5-4 this postseason, and he has a 2.66 GAA and a .912 save percentage over nine contests. The Wild have their backs against the wall now, facing a 3-1 series deficit and a trip to Colorado for Wednesday's Game 5 with the season on the line.