NHL Player News

Makar scored a goal on four shots, blocked six shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Kings in Game 3.

Makar was held off the scoresheet in the first two games of the postseason. He wasn't lacking in opportunities -- he's up to 11 shots on net, 11 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through three contests against the Kings in this first-round series. If the Avalanche make a deep run, Makar will likely be heavily involved in the offense. He's made the playoffs in every year of his career, and over the last seven postseason runs, he's better than a point-per-game player with 22 goals and 63 helpers over 79 outings prior to this year.

Manson is being evaluated for an upper-body injury he sustained in Game 3 versus the Kings on Thursday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Manson was initially injured in the first period, though he returned briefly in the second before retreating to the locker room for a second time. The 34-year-old hasn't been ruled out for the rest of Game 3, but it doesn't seem likely he'll be pushed back into action. If he's still not feeling 100 percent ahead of Sunday's Game 4, Nick Blankenburg will probably take Manson's place in the lineup.

Sanderson won't return to Game 3 versus the Hurricanes.

Sanderson was injured in the second period, though a couple of incidents could have led to his departure. The team didn't provide an update when declaring him out for the game, but Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports Sanderson's injury stems from a hit to the head. If Sanderson misses any time, the Senators will likely have a tall task in getting through the first round. His status for Saturday's Game 4 has yet to be determined.

Zub (undisclosed) is slated to miss Game 3 against Carolina on Thursday, per Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News.

Zub also missed Game 2 against the Hurricanes on Monday. He had five goals and 30 points in 81 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. Cameron Crotty is set to draw into the lineup, while Lassi Thomson is projected to be a healthy scratch after participating in Game 2. If Zub was available, then Thomson likely wouldn't have played Monday, and Crotty would probably be scratched Thursday.

Karlsson scored a power-play goal on two shots and added four PIM in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 3.

Karlsson has earned two points, six shots, six PIM and three blocked shots over three games this postseason. The 35-year-old defenseman was steady in the regular season with 15 goals, 66 points, 176 shots on net, 64 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating over 75 appearances. He's a veteran of six prior playoff runs, in which he accumulated eight goals and 53 points over 67 outings, though this is his first time back in the postseason since 2019.

Seeler scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM, logged three hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Penguins in Game 3.

This was Seeler's first career playoff goal. The 32-year-old blueliner has scored three times over his last eight contests, an unusually productive stretch on offense for the third-pairing stalwart. He had 10 points, 94 shots on net, 126 hits, 149 blocked shots and 38 PIM over 80 regular-season appearances. Seeler's in the playoffs for just the second time in his career -- he also saw action in five postseason contests as a rookie in 2018, logging two assists.

Ristolainen scored a goal in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Penguins in Game 3.

Ristolainen has earned three points, five shots on net, seven hits, three blocked shots and 14 PIM over his first three career playoff games. He was limited to 14 points, 58 shots on net, 48 hits, 63 blocks and a plus-10 rating in 44 regular-season appearances. Ristolainen is filling a shutdown role in the Flyers' top four.

Kleven (upper body) is healthy enough to return to action in Game 3 versus Carolina on Thursday, Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press reports.

Kleven practiced on the fourth unit, alongside Cameron Crotty, so Kleven could be a healthy scratch. The blueliner had three goals, 15 assists, 90 shots on goal, 126 hits and 94 blocked shots over 70 regular-season games in 2025-26.

Juulsen pocketed two assists Wednesday during the Flyers' 5-2 win over the Penguins in Game 3 of their first-round series.

Both helpers came in the second period on tallies by Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler, as the Flyers took the lead for good. Juulsen didn't produce a multi-point performance during the entire regular season, piecing together a career-high 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 52 contests, and he's unlikely to suddenly become an offensive threat in the playoffs.

Drysdale collected two power-play assists Wednesday during the Flyers' 5-2 win over the Penguins in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The 24-year-old blueliner had a hand in tallies by Trevor Zegras in the second period and Noah Cates in the third. Drysdale has a goal and three points in three games to begin the postseason, more points than he managed in his final nine regular-season contests combined, but his spot at the point on the Flyers' top power-play unit could lead to a surprisingly productive playoff run.