NHL Player News

Hanifin notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Hanifin has earned a goal, two assists, seven shots on net, six hits and five blocked shots over three playoff contests. His defensive partnership with Alex Pietrangelo has been a strong area for the Golden Knights, though it hasn't been enough, as they're behind 2-1 in the series. Hanifin will continue to see top-four minutes on defense as well as power-play usage, giving him a strong chance of contributing on offense at least somewhat regularly.

Pietrangelo scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Wild in Game 3.

Pietrangelo has gotten on the scoresheet in all three playoff outings so far, earning a goal, two assists, five shots on net, eight blocked shots and five hits. The 35-year-old has stepped up in a top-four role as a steady defensive presence while some of the Golden Knights' other blueliners have faltered under the playoff pressure. Pietrangelo likely can't keep up his recent scoring pace, but he's elevating his play at the right time of the season.

Bogosian logged a shorthanded assist and two hits in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 3.

Bogosian set up Marcus Foligno's empty-netter while the Wild were finishing off a penalty kill late in the game. The 34-year-old Bogosian ended his 10-game point drought with the helper. He has posted a minus-8 rating, 10 hits and four blocked shots in that span. Bogosian is seeing limited minutes on the third pairing in the playoffs after a regular season in which he had 16 points, 79 shots on net, 81 hits, 80 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating over 81 appearances. He's unlikely to see more ice time unless injuries arise on the blue line.

Buium notched a power-play assist in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 3.

Buium's played in all three playoff games so far, keeping Declan Chisholm and Jon Merrill in the press box. As expected, Buium's minutes have been limited -- though he is seeing power-play time. That's where he set up a Kirill Kaprizov tally just 3:13 into this contest. The Wild have a couple of workhorse defensemen in Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin, so Buium is likely to be sheltered throughout the playoffs before getting a chance at a larger role in 2025-26.

Benoit scored the game-winning goal Thursday in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Senators.

Auston Matthews won a face-off in the left circle back to Benoit, who one-timed the bouncing puck past Linus Ullmark through traffic. It was his first NHL playoff goal; he has two points in three postseason games. Benoit is a hard-nosed sixth defender who has surprised with his offense this postseason.

Schmidt scored the game-winning goal Thursday in a 2-0 win over the Lightning in Game 2.

Schmidt fired a one-timer from above the right circle that beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to the far post. He has been a surprise so far this postseason. After putting up five goals during the regular season, Schmidt has wired three in two playoff games.

DeMelo was unavailable for Thursday's Game 3 versus the Blues due to an illness, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

DeMelo took a maintenance day Wednesday, which suggests he's been under the weather for at least a couple of days. With two full days before Game 4, DeMelo should have a decent chance of returning for Sunday's contest.

DeMelo (undisclosed) is not in the lineup for Thursday's Game 3 versus the Blues, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Colin Miller is expected to take DeMelo's place in the lineup. DeMelo also missed Wednesday's practice for what was originally termed maintenance, but it appears whatever he is dealing with is a little more serious. His next chance to play is Sunday's Game 4 in St. Louis.

Ristolainen will miss six months after undergoing successful right triceps tendon surgery March 26.

The Flyers stated Thursday that Ristolainen is slated to miss training camp, but he is expected to make a full recovery. The defenseman missed the final 16 games of the regular season, finishing with four goals, 15 assists, 97 hits and 94 blocked shots across 63 regular-season appearances.

Kulak notched an assist in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Kings in Game 2.

Kulak has three helpers over his last seven games. The 31-year-old defenseman put up a career-high 25 points in 82 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. While he's often listed on the third pairing, his shutdown role sees him earn top-four minutes regularly. Despite the significant usage, Kulak isn't expected to be a big scoring threat in the playoffs.