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Radko Gudas Misses Second Straight Game Friday
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas (lower body) isn't an option for Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Hayley Elwood of the Ducks' official site reports. The Ducks lost their captain to a lower-body injury late in the regular season, and Gudas has appeared in only two games this month. Drew Helleson filled the void in the lineup in Game 2 and is set to keep his spot on Friday night. In his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, Helleson recorded one SOG, three hits, and a minus-one rating in 7:52 of ice time. Anaheim is rolling with seven defensemen, which led to four rearguards logging 23-plus minutes in Game 2. The top-four group will remain busy on Friday against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Source: Hayley Elwood
Source: Hayley Elwood
Charle-Edouard D'Astous Unavailable Friday
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) will miss Friday's Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. The 28-year-old was injured in the series opener last weekend and didn't play in Tuesday's Game 2. There was a chance D'Astous would return on Friday night after traveling with the team, but he will remain out. Victor Hedman (personal) also isn't ready to return, allowing Declan Carlile and Emil Lilleberg to stay in the lineup. Meanwhile, Darren Raddysh and J.J. Moser will continue to split power-play duties among the defensemen.
Source: Eduardo A. Encina
Source: Eduardo A. Encina
Dan Vladar Considered a Game-Time Call for Saturday
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (arm) will be a game-time call on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Adam Kimelman of NHL.com reports. The Czech netminder has been one of the stars of the series, but he appeared to injure his right arm in Game 3. Vladar didn't practice on Thursday, while Philadelphia had an off day on Friday. "It's another maintenance day for him," Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said Friday. "Two days off is going to help him. That's basically it for him. We'll see how he is tomorrow." In the first-round matchup, Vladar has backstopped the Flyers to a 3-0 lead, posting a 1.33 goals-against average, a .947 save percentage, and one shutout. If Vladar is unavailable on Saturday, Philadelphia must turn to Samuel Ersson, who coughed up 3.12 goals with a .870 save percentage during the regular season.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Jake Sanderson Ruled Out for Game 4 Due to Concussion
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (concussion) will miss Saturday's must-win game against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Thursday's Game 3 of the first-round series, Sanderson took a hit to the head from Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall and has been diagnosed with a concussion. Senators head coach Travis Green told reporters on Friday that Sanderson is "not doing well." Now that Sanderson is on the shelf, Ottawa must face Saturday's elimination game without its top defensive pairing. Artem Zub (undisclosed), who was injured in Game 1, also won't play. Thomas Chabot and Jordan Spence are set to eat up as many minutes as they can handle, making both attractive DFS targets.
Source: Reuters
Source: Reuters
Yakov Trenin Won't Play in Game 4 Against Stars
Minnesota Wild forward Yakov Trenin (upper body) won't be in the lineup on Saturday in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports. Trenin was hurt in Game 2 of the series when he absorbed a big hit from Stars forward Colin Blackwell. His absence has left the Wild without a huge physical presence, as Trenin averaged eight hits per game across the first two contests in the series. Nico Strum took Trenin's spot in the lineup in Wednesday's Game 3, recording three hits and a minus-one rating in 9:00 of ice time.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Mats Zuccarello a Game-Time Decision Saturday
Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello (upper body) will be a game-time decision on Saturday against the Dallas Stars, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports. He has missed a pair of games due to an upper-body injury but could be available for Game 4 of the first-round series. "He's questionable for tomorrow, making good strides," Wild head coach John Hynes said after Friday's practice. Bobby Brink has skated on the first line during Zuccarello's absence, posting one power-play assist in two games. Zuccarello started the series with a three-assist effort before being knocked out of the lineup. Overall, he has recorded six multi-point games in his last seven appearances, making Zuccarello a key part of Minnesota's offense.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Jordan Kyrou Recovering From Minor Knee Procedure
St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou underwent a minor knee procedure this week but is expected to be ready for training camp, the team announced Thursday. Whether Kyrou will start the 2026-27 campaign with the Blues remains uncertain, as he has often been linked to a trade away from St. Louis. Late in the season, Kyrou boosted his trade value, ending the campaign with a five-game point streak. He notched a point per game across his last 11 outings. Overall, it was a disappointing year for Kyrou, who failed to hit the 50-point mark after his third career 70-point season in 2024-25. In 72 appearances, Kyrou contributed 18 goals and 28 assists. A fresh start elsewhere might benefit both sides and make Kyrou more appealing to fantasy managers.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Roope Hintz "Ways Away" From Returning
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (lower body) resumed skating on Wednesday, Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reports. This is a significant step toward returning to the lineup, but Hintz's comeback isn't imminent. "He's still a ways away," Stars head coach Gulutzan said. "Your next step before we kind of see where he's at is probably to skate with us, so we'll see when he's ready to do that." Hintz hasn't traveled with the team to Saint Paul and will miss Saturday's Game 4 of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. He is also highly doubtful to play in Game 5, scheduled for Tuesday in Dallas. Justin Hryckowian has been effective on the first line this postseason and is likely to keep his spot until Hintz returns.
Source: Lia Assimakopoulos
Source: Lia Assimakopoulos
Jason Dickinson Could Be an Option for Game 3
Edmonton Oilers center Jason Dickinson (undisclosed) might be ready to return to the lineup on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks. Following a standout two-goal performance in the series opener, Dickinson sat out Wednesday's Game 2 with an undisclosed injury. According to Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, Dickinson had a 50 percent chance of playing Wednesday morning. Having now had more time to recover from his injury, it's possible Dickinson is healthy enough to rejoin the action on Friday. Assuming he's available, Dickinson will likely be back alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic on the third line after their impressive showing in Game 1.
Source: TSN
Source: TSN
Adam Henrique Misses Trip to Anaheim
Edmonton Oilers center Adam Henrique (lower body) will miss Games 3 and 4 of the first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks. He has not traveled with the team as the series moves to Anaheim. The veteran remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained in Game 1. With Jason Dickinson (undisclosed) also unavailable, Josh Samanski and Curtiz Lazar entered the lineup for Game 2. One of them will head to the press box if Dickinson is cleared for Game 3 on Friday. Samanski's goal in Wednesday's 6-4 loss could boost his chances of staying in the lineup.
Source: TSN
Source: TSN
Jake Sanderson Dealing With Head Injury
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson exited Thursday's Game 3 against Carolina due to a head injury. Initially, it was believed his early exit stemmed from a hand injury sustained in the second period. But after the game, Senators head coach Travis Green was adamant it was due to Taylor Hall's high hit. "It's pretty obvious why he left the game," Green said. The hit occurred late in the second frame, and Sanderson left the action after taking two more shifts following the incident. Sanderson has recorded two assists, five SOG, 10 blocks, and five hits through the first three games of this postseason. He would be a major loss for Ottawa if he had to sit out any additional time, particularly with Artem Zub (undisclosed) already out of commission.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Josh Manson Evaluated for Upper-Body Injury
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, Corey Masisak of the Denver Post reports. Manson was injured in the first period after taking a hit from Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson. He tried to return to the game in the second period but clearly wasn't himself. The 12-year-old veteran logged only 4:57 of ice time, recording one assist, one hit, and four penalty minutes. Manson, who has registered assists in back-to-back games, has until Sunday to recover from his injury. If he can't play in Game 4, Nick Blankenburg will likely be thrown into action.
Source: Corey Masisak
Source: Corey Masisak
Alex Lyon Comes in and Shuts Down Boston
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon has won on the road in Boston before. On Thursday night, however, Boston went up 1-0, but that was the only goal the Bruins would score. Lyon ultimately stopped 24 shots in a huge 3-1 victory. That allowed the Sabres to go up 2-1 in their first-round series. Lyon stopped several one-timers from Boston as he secured the victory. At the very least, the backup goaltender has earned a look for Game 4 to be played on Sunday. Adding in the seven saves Lyon made in cleanup duty on Tuesday, one may believe Lyon could do this again.
Source: Bill Hoppe
Source: Bill Hoppe
Jake Sanderson Suffers Hand Injury While Blocking Shot
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (hand) will miss the rest of Game 3 between the Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Senators' defenseman blocked a shot and did not return for the third period. It is no secret that Ottawa has battled injuries and are now without their top pairing on defense. Artem Zub has only played one period during this entire series. Sanderson came off a stellar performance in Game 2, where he dished out two assists and blocked five shots. The hope is that the injury is not too serious, but Sanderson will get X-rays and imaging sometime on Friday.
Source: Murray Pam
Source: Murray Pam
Tyler Kleven Available for Senators Versus Hurricanes
Defenseman Tyler Kleven (upper body) will return for the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Ottawa needs all the help they can get with Artem Zub not likely to return for Game 3. Kleven had been out since April 2 with an upper-body injury. Kleven only had 18 points over 70 appearances, but his physical play is much-needed given Carolina's hard-charging forecheck. The defenseman tips the scale at 225 pounds and has 126 hits with 94 blocked shots. Kleven is not afraid to throw his body around. He is not guaranteed to start, but Kleven is ready to go.
Source: Bruce Garrioch
Source: Bruce Garrioch
