Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Collects power-play assist in win
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Hayes notched a power-play assist and two hits in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs.
Hayes has three points over seven contests since he returned from an upper-body injury. The 32-year-old helped out on a Rickard Rakell tally in the first period. Hayes is up to seven points, 21 shots on net, 14 hits and a minus-10 rating over 21 outings this season. He's a bottom-six option at even strength, but his power-play role could earn him some interest in deep fantasy formats.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Power-play goal in Wednesday's win
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Hayes scored a power-play goal on three shots in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Canucks.
Hayes' tally was part of a four-goal first period for the Penguins. The 32-year-old center recently missed eight games due to an upper-body injury. He was struggling before that absence, but he looks poised to maintain a fourth-line role now that he's healthy again. Hayes is at five points, 18 shots on net, 12 hits and a minus-9 rating through 16 contests, and two of his four goals have come on the power play.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Removed from IR
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Hayes (upper body) was activated from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's matchup against Utah.
The Penguins assigned Vasily Ponomarev to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a corresponding move. Hayes will return from an eight-game absence versus Utah on Saturday. He has earned three goals, one assist, 15 shots on net and seven hits in 14 appearances this season.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Not returning Friday
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Hayes (upper body) remains on injured reserve and won't play Friday versus the Jets, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Hayes was considered a game-time decision, but the Penguins may not want to put him in line to play on back-to-back days right after an injury. Friday will be his eighth straight absence, and he should be considered questionable to play Saturday versus Utah.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Considered game-time call
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Hayes (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus Winnipeg on Friday, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Hayes will need to be activated off injured prior to suiting up in a contest, including Friday's matchup with Winnipeg. The 32-year-old center has missed the last seven contests due to his upper-body injury. Even before getting hurt, Hayes was stuck in a six-game pointless streak dating back to Oct. 22 versus Calgary.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Won't play Tuesday
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Hayes (upper body) will not suit up for Tuesday's home game versus the Lightning, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Hayes will miss a seventh consecutive game, but he skated with the group Tuesday, a positive sign in his recovery. The left-shot forward could replace Samuel Poulin or Matt Nieto in the lineup when he's ready to return. Hayes has accounted for three goals and an assist through 14 games.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Lands on IR
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Hayes (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Monday.
Hayes is week-to-week, and his move to the IR list allowed the Penguins to recall Samuel Poulin from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday. The 32-year-old Hayes has three goals, one assist, 15 shots on net and seven hits through 14 outings this season. Valtteri Puustinen will probably continue to see playing time during Hayes' absence, but Poulin could compete for a spot in the lineup.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Deemed week-to-week
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Hayes (upper body) has been downgraded to week-to-week by coach Mike Sullivan, per Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site.
Hayes has already missed the Pens' last two games with an upper-body injury, and it appears he could be slated for an extended absence. The 32-year-old Hayes had three goals and four points in his first 14 games with Pittsburgh. Blake Lizotte figures to remain in the lineup in Hayes' absence.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Out Friday
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Hayes (upper body) won't play Friday against Washington, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
It will be Pittsburgh's second straight game without Hayes. He has three goals and four points in 14 appearances in 2024-25. Hayes will likely serve in a bottom-six capacity once he's healthy.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Unavailable Thursday
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Hayes (upper body) will be absent from the lineup versus Carolina on Thursday, per Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.
Hayes was likely injured Tuesday in a 4-3 shootout loss to Calgary, as he missed practice the following day. The 32-year-old has three goals and an assist in 14 contests this season. He is day-to-day and could return Friday in Washington.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Dealing with upper-body issue
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Hayes missed practice Wednesday and is being evaluated for an upper-body issue, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.
Hayes started the 2024-25 strong with four points in his first eight games but is currently mired in a six-game drought, during which he has recorded a mere three shots. If Hayes misses any time, Valtteri Puustinen should get back into the lineup unless Bryan Rust (lower body) is cleared to return.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Plucks apple in shootout loss
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Hayes notched an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.
Hayes set up a Rickard Rakell goal in the third period just after a Penguins power play expired. The helper was Hayes' first of the year to go with three goals through eight contests. The bottom-six forward has added 12 shots on net, five hits and a minus-4 rating. He's a two-time 20-goal scorer, but he'll struggle to reach that mark if he continues to see roughly 10 minutes per game.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Scores power-play goal Sunday
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Hayes scored his third goal of the season in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Jets.
Hayes opened the scoring in the second period after being set up by Rickard Rakell on the man advantage. Hayes added two shots, one hit and a minus-1 rating in 9:54 of ice time. The 32-year-old forward is up to three goals through seven contests, but he's yet to register an assist. Hayes has been fairly durable over the course of his career, so he could push for the 20-goal mark if he can keep his spot on the second power-play unit.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Pots game-winning goal
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Hayes scored a goal on two shots and had two hits in Monday's 6-3 win over the Canadiens.
Hayes potted the game-winning tally early in the third period, when the Penguins ran away from the pesky Habs. It was the second goal of the season for Hayes, who's opened the season on the fourth line and is averaging a career-low 10:36 of ice time.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Nets first goal with new team
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Hayes scored a goal on three shots in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Red Wings.
Hayes provided some insurance in the third period after the Red Wings looked to threaten for a comeback. The 32-year-old was traded to Pittsburgh by St. Louis at the draft in June, and he's now on his third team in three years. Just two years ago, he had 18 goals and 54 points in 81 appearances with the Flyers, but he followed it up with a career-worst 29-point campaign with the Blues in 2023-24. Hayes has played on the fourth line with the Penguins so far, though he's also seeing power-play time that could help him provide decent offense.
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Penguins' Kevin Hayes: Traded to Pittsburgh
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Hayes was traded to Pittsburgh from St. Louis for future considerations Saturday, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
A second-round pick in 2025 goes with him, but it's the dreaded "future considerations" headed the other way in what's ostensibly a salary dump by the Blues. Hayes doesn't do much with the puck. He's not a fast skater, doesn't use his size and can't forecheck. But he can become a bottom-six pivot in Pittsburgh behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as he won't be expected to provide offense.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Inconsistent with Blues
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Hayes posted 13 goals and 16 assists across 79 games during the 2023-24 season.
Hayes centered the third line for most of the campagin, and his limited playing time -- he averaged 14:28 of ice time -- led to the worst scoring performance of his career. The 31-year-old ended up being a healthy scratch three times in April. Hayes has two years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $3.6 million per year, and the Blues may want that salary off their books as they try to inject youth into their lineup during this rebuild.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Expected to play Thursday
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Hayes (illness) is on track to return to the lineup Thursday in Nashville, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Hayes missed practice Wednesday but was back on the ice for morning skate Thursday. He has 13 goals and 16 assists, including five helpers on the power play, in 75 games this season.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Questionable for Thursday
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Hayes is dealing with an illness Wednesday and is questionable for Thursday's game against Nashville, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.
Hayes has 13 goals and 29 points in 75 appearances this season. If he doesn't play Thursday, then Zachary Bolduc might draw back into the lineup.
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Blues' Kevin Hayes: Scores in win
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Hayes scored the Blues' first goal in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Ducks.
It was Hayes' 13th goal and 27th point of the season. While the totals aren't gaudy, he's on something of a mini-hot streak. In the last four games, he's put up two goals and four points with 12 shots and a plus-5 rating. That's not exactly superstar-level production, but it's a marked improvement for Hayes after he had just one goal and no assists in the 10 games prior to this run.
