June 3, 2025
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown (undisclosed) is expected to rejoin the lineup for Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. The 31-year-old was unavailable for the final two games of the team's 4-1 triumph in the Western Conference Finals versus the Dallas Stars. However, he returned to practice on Sunday and appears to be ready to go for the Finals. Brown has offered solid production from the third line this postseason, scoring five goals and eight points in 14 games. Due to the absence of Zach Hyman (upper body), Brown may be in contention for a top-six role.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
May 31, 2025
Florida Panthers left wing A.J. Greer (lower body) is questionable for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. He sustained a lower-body injury in Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes and missed Saturday's practice. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice labeled Greer as day-to-day on Saturday. In the playoffs, Greer has averaged nearly four hits per game while contributing two goals and one assist in 12 appearances. Nico Sturm, Jesper Boqvist, and Mackie Samoskevich are in contention to join the lineup if Greer is declared unfit to play in the Finals opener next week.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
May 31, 2025
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz played in Games 4 and 5 against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals with a fractured foot. He sustained the injury in Game 2 of the series due to a slash from Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse. Hintz sat out Game 3 before returning to action. The Finnish forward scored one power-play goal over the final two games against the Oilers but struggled to be effective, going minus-three. Hintz is expected to be fully ready for the start of training camp. In 2024-25, he posted a career-high 39 assists while recording his fourth consecutive 60-point campaign. He added 28 goals in 76 regular-season outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
May 31, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker missed the final three postseason games due to a shoulder injury. Walker revealed that he sustained a shoulder injury late in the regular season, which had been improving during the playoffs before he re-aggravated it in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers. The 30-year-old said he was hoping to return to action if Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. He will not require surgery and should be fully ready for the start of training camp in the fall. Walker played his first season with the Hurricanes in 2024-25, recording 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 82 appearances, along with 145 shots, 90 blocks, and 91 hits.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
May 31, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield missed the end of the postseason due to a hip injury. The 29-year-old was hurt during the second-round series against the Washington Capitals and was initially listed as out due to an undisclosed injury. The team hoped to have him back for the Eastern Conference Finals, but Chatfield missed the entire series. Fortunately for Chatfield and the Hurricanes, no surgery is needed to address the issue, meaning he is expected to be back at 100 percent for the start of next season. Chatfield finished the 2024-25 campaign with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists), 114 shots, 64 blocks, 64 hits, and a team-best plus-22 rating through 79 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
May 31, 2025
Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis admitted that he managed a shoulder injury throughout the season and plans to do the same in 2025-26. Surgery to fix the issue is reportedly inevitable, but Jarvis doesn't want to miss too much of next season to be in contention for Canada's Olympic team. The 23-year-old also dealt with the shoulder issue last season. Instead of having surgery, he has focused on rehabilitation and strengthening his shoulder. Considering his efforts on the ice, the injury does not seem to bother him too much. Jarvis led the Hurricanes in scoring during the playoffs with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 15 games and looked solid throughout the regular season, finishing with 67 points (32 goals, 35 assists) in 73 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
May 31, 2025
New York Islanders defenseman Adam Boqvist has signed a one-year, $850,000 contract to extend his stay with the team. The Swedish rearguard joined the Islanders in late January after being picked up off waivers. Boqvist suited up for 17 games with the team, posting eight points (two goals, six assists). Earlier in the season, he featured 18 times for the Florida Panthers and had six points (two goals, four assists). Throughout his career, Boqvist has been known for his offensive skills but lacks reliability on the defensive end. The 24-year-old is already on his fourth team since debuting in the NHL in 2019-20.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 31, 2025
New York Islanders right wing Kyle Palmieri has signed a two-year, $9.5 million extension. This campaign marked the final season of Palmieri's four-year, $20-million deal with the Islanders. While the veteran forward has battled some health issues, the Islanders have received decent value for money. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 24 goals and 48 points in 82 games. Last season, Palmieri had his second career 30-goal year. In total, he has made 305 appearances with the Islanders, scoring 172 points (87 goals, 85 assists). The 34-year-old is expected to continue playing an important role in the Islanders offense next season.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston recorded two assists in Thursday's season-ending 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. In the first period, he helped Jason Robertson on the scoreboard, and Roope Hintz scored a power-play goal in the second thanks to Johnston's good work. Johnston had a strong start to the playoffs but went missing since the beginning of Round 2, going scoreless in nine of 11 games. He was in the midst of a seven-game scoring drought entering Thursday's action. The 22-year-old finished the playoffs with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 18 games, while matching an NHL postseason record with a minus-16 rating. It marked a significant fall from grace for Johnston, who had a prolific regular-season campaign with 32 goals and 65 points in 82 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson scored two goals in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, which ended the team's season. After Dallas had fallen into a 3-0 hole on home ice in the first period, Robertson gave the crowd some hope by scoring in his third consecutive game midway through the frame. His second goal came early in the third to make it a one-goal game. However, Robertson's efforts weren't enough to keep the series alive. Overall, he netted four of the Stars' final five goals in the Western Conference Finals. The 25-year-old had a strong finish to the postseason after initially struggling on offense following his return from a knee injury. Robertson has been among Dallas' top two scorers each year since his debut campaign in 2020-21 and will continue to be a key cog in the offense next season.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner celebrated his fourth consecutive victory in Thursday's series-clinching 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars. He was beaten once in each period, but the Oilers offense provided Skinner with a lot of support, helping him to improve his postseason record to 6-4. Skinner has come a long way since opening the playoffs with three horrendous performances and a 0-3 run. Jonathan Quick was previously the only goaltender in NHL history to record multiple series-clinching wins after losing his first three games of that same postseason. Half of Skinner's wins have been with shutouts, and he boasts a 2.53 goals-against average along with a .904 save percentage.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm put in a fine performance in his first postseason outing of the year in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars, finishing the contest with one assist, two blocks, two penalty minutes, and a plus-two rating. Taking the ice for only the second time in over two months, Ekholm logged 15:52 of ice time, including 50 seconds on the penalty kill. He picked up his assist 14:28 into the second period as Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway. During the regular season, Ekholm averaged over 22 minutes of playing time next to Evan Bouchard on the top defensive pairing, and his ice time is sure to rise in the Finals against the Florida Panthers. Last year, Ekholm finished the Finals against Florida with three points (one goal, two assists), 16 shots, 19 blocks, and 10 hits in seven games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl posted two assists in Thursday's 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars, helping the team move on to the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. The German superstar assisted Corey Perry on a power-play goal just 2:31 into the game and provided another helper 3:21 into the third, when Evander Kane scored Edmonton's fifth off a lucky bounce. Draisaitl picked up multiple points in three games during the five-game series and will head into the Finals with an impressive scoring streak. He has bagged 10 points (two goals, eight assists) during a six-game run. It has brought Draisaitl's overall tally for the postseason to 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) with 16 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 30, 2025
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid finished with multiple points for a third consecutive game as the team ended the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars with a 6-3 victory on Thursday. The Oilers captain collected an assist on Corey Perry's early power-play goal and netted the game-winning goal on a one-man breakaway with 5:32 remaining in the second period. Playing in his 90th career postseason game, McDavid became the second-fastest player behind Wayne Gretzky (70 games) to record 100 playoff assists. Furthermore, McDavid and Gretzky are now the only two players to record at least three career 20-assist postseasons. McDavid has once again been a scoring machine in the playoffs and will enter the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) through 16 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
May 29, 2025
San Jose Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (shoulder) has secured a new one-year deal from the team, signing an extension worth $1 million. The 23-year-old, who underwent shoulder surgery in April, is coming off a season during which he made 30 appearances with the Sharks. Mukhamadullin showcased two-way potential by recording nine points (two goals, seven assists) with 51 blocks and 25 hits. We are likely to see much more of Mukhamadullin next season, as the Sharks remain in rebuild mode and will continue to give younger players opportunities.
--Taavi PailkSource: San Jose Sharks
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