NHL Player News

Cole notched an assist and three blocked shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 1.

Cole ended the regular season on a five-game point drought. The 37-year-old defenseman is set for third-pairing minutes during this playoff run after logging 23 points over 82 regular-season outings, his highest output in six years. Cole is in his 12th playoff run, having collected 31 points in 129 appearances as well as a pair of Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Schmidt logged an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 1.

Schmidt had a goal and three assists over the last 15 games of the regular season. The defenseman put up 22 points over 82 regular-season contests, his highest point total in four years. He's well-versed in playoff experience, having logged 99 games over eight previous postseason, with 10 goals and 30 helpers to his name. Schmidt was a Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers last year but will have a tougher task in trying to help the Mammoth turn a wild-card berth into a deep run.

Durzi notched an assist and two PIM in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 1.

Durzi missed the last game of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, though it appears the Mammoth were just taking caution to prevent a larger issue. The 27-year-old is expected to be a regular in the lineup during the playoffs, though likely in a bottom-four role. Durzi had 27 points, 84 shots on net, 88 blocked shots, 50 PIM and 40 hits over 60 regular-season appearances. He's in the playoffs for the third time in his career, having collected four points over 13 games across two previous postseason runs, both with the Kings.

Hanifin logged two assists in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Mammoth in Game 1.

Hanifin has picked up the pace with seven helpers over his last nine contests, though he hasn't gotten on the scoresheet in consecutive games. The defenseman had a down year with 28 points, 135 shots on net and 116 blocked shots over 71 regular-season appearances, missing the 30-point mark for the first time since the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Hanifin is skating in his sixth playoff run, and he's earned 18 points over 45 outings across his previous five trips to the postseason.

Carrier logged an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Carrier missed nine games to close out the regular season, but he's ready to roll in the playoffs. He'll get a top-four role right out of the gate this postseason, but expect the defenseman's minutes to decline once Noah Dobson (upper body) returns. Carrier had 22 points over 73 regular-season outings, and in prior playoff runs, he's collected 10 points over 21 appearances.

Samuelsson scored a goal on two shots, added nine hits and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.

Samuelsson had a career year in the regular season, but he faded a bit at the end with just seven points over his last 20 outings. In total, he had 13 goals and 41 points over 78 regular-season appearances. Samuelsson also logged 132 hits, 154 blocked shots and a plus-41 rating, so he'll provide some grit on the blue line in a top-four role.

Raddysh scored a power-play goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.

Raddysh continues to channel his best Al MacInnis with his hard shots from the point. Teammate Victor Hedman (personal) remains out, and Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) was unable to return to Game 1 after a hard hit in the second period. Raddysh will remain the Bolts' lead actor from the back end in Game 2 on Tuesday.

D'Astous (undisclosed) exited Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 and did not return.

D'Astous left the game after being hit by Josh Anderson, who received a minor penalty for charging on the play. There was no update on the 27-year-old D'Astous' status after the game. If the defenseman is sidelined for Game 2 on Tuesday, Declan Carlile will probably draw into the lineup in a third-pairing capacity.

Durzi (upper body) is in the lineup for Game 1 versus the Golden Knights on Sunday, according to the NHL media site.

Durzi missed Utah's regular-season finale Thursday against the Blues after sustaining his upper-body injury Tuesday versus the Jets. Whether the right-shot blueliner is 100 percent healthy remains to be seen, but he will replace Nick DeSimone in the lineup and skate on the third pairing next to Ian Cole to start Utah's first postseason run.

Carrier (upper body) will play against Tampa Bay on Sunday in Game 1, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Following a nine-game absence to close out the regular season, Carrier will return to a top-pairing role in Sunday's lineup against the Lightning. He generated seven goals, 22 points, 56 shots on net and 155 blocked shots across 73 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.