NHL Player News

Bennett scored a goal, dished an assist, doled out seven hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Bennett opened the scoring at 3:44 of the first period and helped out on the first of Nate Schmidt's two goals later in the contest. This was Bennett's first multi-point effort since his two-goal game versus Utah on March 27. He was limited to two helpers over the six contests in between, though he also missed four games due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old is known for elevating his game in the playoffs, and if he can do that after a career-best 51-point regular season, he'll give the Panthers valuable scoring from a second-line role.

Reinhart scored a goal on two shots, dished a power-play assist, added four PIM and logged two hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Reinhart racked up eight goals and nine assists over his last 17 games of the regular season, a span that included six multi-point efforts. The Panthers rested many players, including Reinhart, late in the season, and he looked pretty fresh for Game 1. The 29-year-old is one of the team's most important all-around forwards. He had 39 goals, 42 assists, 213 shots on net, 103 hits, 62 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 79 regular-season contests while seeing top-six minutes.

Tavares scored a goal and added an assist Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.

Tavares has been outstanding so far this postseason with two goals and two assists in two outings. His goal Tuesday came on the power play midway through the first period to put the Leafs up 2-0. Tavares fired a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle that banked in off a Sens defender's skate at the top of the crease. He now has 50 points, including 25 goals, in 64 postseason games in his career.

Glendening (upper body) is available for Game 1 against the Panthers on Tuesday, Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com reports.

Glendening sat out the last four games of the regular season after getting hurt against Toronto on April 9. The Lightning ruled him out indefinitely as of April 11, so the 35-year-old seemingly made great strides in recovering from his injury. He'll be an option to center the fourth line Tuesday. Glendening has accounted for five goals, eight points and a minus-10 rating over 45 career postseason outings.

Vilardi (upper body) is still day-to-day ahead of Thursday's Game 3 matchup versus the Blues, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press on Tuesday.

Vilardi has missed the last 13 games, including the first two contests of Winnipeg's first-round series against St. Louis. However, he could be ready to return for Game 3 if he progresses in Wednesday's practice. Vilardi has been wearing a non-contact jersey in recent team sessions, and his ability to take some physicality will determine his availability. The 25-year-old forward amassed 27 goals, 61 points and 130 shots on net in 71 appearances during the 2024-25 regular season. Once healthy, Vilardi will probably occupy a top-six role and see time on the first power-play combination.

Frederic logged an assist, two shots on goal and two hits in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1.

The Oilers got just one regular-season appearance out of Frederic after acquiring him from the Bruins. That won't matter much if he's able to be impactful in the playoffs, and he's off to a positive start after setting up a Mattias Janmark tally in the third period. Frederic is likely to stay in a bottom-six role throughout the postseason, and that's going to make offense hard to come by on a team as top-heavy as Edmonton.

Janmark scored a goal and added two hits in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1.

Janmark ended a 30-game goal drought with his tally early in the third period. The 32-year-old forward saw a larger role as the Oilers were banged up late in the regular season, but he was back on the fourth line Monday with the team at nearly full health at forward. Janmark put up 18 points, 51 shots on net and a minus-6 rating over 80 regular-season games, and given his place in the lineup, he likely won't be much of a factor on offense in the postseason.

Hyman scored a goal, added six hits and logged two PIM in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1.

Hyman brought the Oilers within a goal with 2:04 left in the third period, and Connor McDavid tied it at 5-5 just 36 seconds later. The Oilers' comeback push ended up being for naught, as the Kings won on a Phillip Danault goal with 42 seconds left in regulation. In any case, it was good to see Hyman healthy enough to play after he missed the last three games of the regular season. The 32-year-old winger should feature in a top-six role and see power-play time after racking up 27 goals and 44 points over 73 regular-season contests.

Drury scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 2.

Drury's tally tied the game at 2-2 just over a minute after Thomas Harley gave the Stars their first lead of the contest. The playoffs have been good to Drury so far -- he has two points and a plus-2 rating over two appearances this postseason despite playing in a fourth-line role. The Avalanche's strong center depth is likely to prevent him from moving up the lineup, but his steady defensive play could allow him to snag some extra shifts in key moments.

Back notched an assist and two hits in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche in Game 2.

Back was scratched three times over the last 10 games of the regular season, though he earned two assists over seven appearances in that span. The 25-year-old rookie is filling a fourth-line role while the Stars are without Jason Robertson (knee) to begin the playoffs. Back had 16 points in 73 regular-season outings, but it's his defensive play that will help him stay in the lineup during the postseason.