NHL Player News

Walker (undisclosed) may not be available for Saturday's Game 3 versus the Panthers, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Walker was briefly knocked out of Thursday's Game 2, but he was able to complete the contest. The 30-year-old defenseman has had to take on a larger role in the absence of Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed) in recent games. Should Walker be unavailable, Chatfield or Alexander Nikishin would be candidates to fill his spot in the lineup.

Chatfield (undisclosed) won't be in the lineup for Game 2 versus the Panthers on Thursday, despite taking warmups, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Chatfield looked poised to return, but evidently he is not quite ready to go just yet. Scott Morrow will instead be in the lineup, but Chatfield appears on the brink of returning and could be ready for Game 3 on Saturday, which will likely boil down to a game-time decision once again.

Chatfield (undisclosed) is expected to play against Florida for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday, per Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News.

Chatfield missed the Hurricanes' previous two games. He has an assist, six PIM, eight shots, nine hits and 11 blocks across nine playoff outings this year. Scott Morrow is set to be a healthy scratch Thursday due to Chatfield's return.

Nurse logged an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Stars in Game 1.

Nurse has a helper in each of the last two games, and all five of his points this postseason have come over the last seven contests. The defenseman is at two goals, three assists, 29 shots on net, 30 hits, 29 blocked shots, six PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 12 playoff outings. While he won't add offense all the time, he's a steady source of non-scoring production.

Bouchard scored a goal in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Stars in Game 1.

Bouchard snapped a seven-game goal drought, giving the Oilers a 3-1 lead in the second period. He was still productive in the second round versus the Golden Knights, earning five assists in as many contests. The defenseman has five goals, eight assists, 31 shots on net, 15 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 12 outings this postseason while filling his usual roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit.

Lindell scored an empty-net goal, added three hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Oilers in Game 1.

Lindell didn't find the scoresheet in the second round, going minus-1 with eight shots on net and 19 blocked shots over six games versus the Jets. He put a bow on the Stars' comeback effort to open the Western Conference Finals with a win. The 30-year-old defenseman has two points, 16 shots, 36 blocks, 12 hits and a plus-2 rating over 14 playoff outings while filling a shutdown role in the Stars' top four.

Heiskanen scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Oilers in Game 1.

Both of Heiskanen's points came on power plays early in the third period. The 25-year-old defenseman got the Stars back within a goal and then added a helper on Mikael Granlund's equalizer. This effort gave Heiskanen four points, eight shots on net, five hits and an even plus-minus rating over four playoff appearances since he returned from a long-term knee injury. He appears to be close to 100 percent, as he's handled a heavier workload over the Stars' last two games, and the team was comfortable enough to go back to six defensemen in the lineup for this series opener.

Chatfield (undisclosed) was labeled day-to-day ahead of Thursday's Game 2 clash with the Panthers, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Chatfield has been skating with the team but still needs medical clearance before he can get back into the lineup. With the blueliner on the shelf, Scott Morrow featured in Game 1 and will likely suit up in Game 2 as well if Chatfield remains unavailable.

Chatfield (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Panthers on Tuesday, Pat Welter of WRAL reports.

Chatfield's status has been up in the air between rounds after he missed Game 5 of the second round against the Capitals. The 29-year-old blueliner will be out for a second straight game despite partaking in Tuesday's morning skate. Scott Morrow will make his playoff debut while Chatfield will attempt to be ready for Thursday's Game 2.

Morrissey (knee) stated Tuesday that he will not require surgery for the injury he sustained in Game 6 against the Stars, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Morrissey also said that his knee injury probably would have kept him sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs had the Jets advanced past the Stars. It's unclear if Morrissey will be ready for the start of training camp in September, but he has plenty of time to attempt to make a full recovery. The left-shot blueliner has two seasons remaining on the eight-year, $50 million contract he signed with Winnipeg in September of 2019.