NHL Player News

Harley notched a power-play assist and two hits in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Jets in Game 4.

Harley actually saw his highest ice-time total of the second round, logging 26:09 in Game 4 even with Miro Heiskanen (knee) back in the lineup. Harley has played exceptionally in the absence of Heiskanen, and head coach Pete DeBoer probably doesn't want to mess with what's working. Harley has four points over four games versus the Jets in the second round, and he's at a total of nine points, 20 shots on net, 16 hits, 27 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating across 11 playoff appearances.

Heiskanen notched a power-play assist in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Jets in Game 4.

Heiskanen returned from a 42-game absence due to a knee injury sustained versus Vegas in January. The 25-year-old defenseman was eased back into the lineup, seeing 14:52 of ice time over 19 shifts while the Stars had seven blueliners dressed. Given the length of his absence, it may be a while longer before Heiskanen is near his regular-season average of 25:10 per game. Still, having him back is a big boost to the Stars' blue line, and it puts the team at full strength in the second round.

Heiskanen (knee) was activated from long-term injured reserve Tuesday.

As expected, Heiskanen appears ready to return to the lineup versus Winnipeg on Tuesday in Game 4. After missing 42 straight outings, the Stars might ease Heiskanen back into the fold by dressing seven defensemen and 11 forwards. However, he could still occupy a top-pairing role and see power-play time. Heiskanen had five goals, 25 points, 108 shots on net and 85 blocked shots across 50 appearances during the 2024-25 regular season.

Stanley has moved past his undisclosed injury but will be a healthy scratch against the Stars on Tuesday in Game 4, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Stanley took the ice for pregame warmups prior to Game 3 on Sunday but didn't end up playing. He last suited up against the Blues in Game 6 of the first round. Haydn Fleury will continue to fill a third-pairing role alongside Colin Miller on Tuesday.

Ekman-Larsson missed practice Tuesday due to an illness, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

When speaking about Ekman-Larsson's illness, head coach Craig Berube said it's "nothing terrible, but I thought it was better he stay off today and rest up," per Mark Masters of TSN. With that update in mind, Ekman-Larsson likely won't miss Game 5 on Wednesday, but the 33-year-old defenseman should be considered day-to-day at this time. The 2009 first-round pick has generated two goals, four points and 15 hits while seeing 19:14 of ice time per game in a third-pairing role over 10 postseason appearances.

Head coach Pete DeBoer said he expects Heiskanen to play in Game 4 against the Jets on Tuesday, according to Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News.

Heiskanen will participate in Tuesday's morning skate, and as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks prior to puck drop, he'll suit up for the first time since the end of January. The Stars may elect to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to Heiskanen's return, so it's unclear what type of workload the left-shot blueliner will see in his first game back from a knee injury. The 25-year-old has racked up 16 goals and 45 helpers over 85 career playoff outings.

Walker produced a goal and an assist Monday in the Hurricanes' 5-2 win over the Capitals in Game 4 of their second-round series.

Both points came in the third period as the 'Canes fended off a comeback attempt. Walker had been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games to begin the team's postseason run, and his role on the third pairing doesn't give him much of a fantasy ceiling after a regular season that saw him collect five goals and 16 points while playing all 82 games.

Chychrun scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist Monday in the Capitals' 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of their second-round series.

Both points came in the third period as the Caps tried in vain to rally from an early 2-0 deficit. It was the first time in the series that Chychrun had gotten onto the scoresheet, and through nine playoff contests, the 27-year-old blueliner has three goals and five points, with Monday's helper being his first point on the power play.

Ekholm (undisclosed) has resumed skating but isn't close to being ready to return to the lineup, according to Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk on Monday.

Ekholm spent most of March and April on the shelf due to a lingering injury before being ruled out indefinitely near the end of the regular season. He is still weeks away from playing, and a potential return to the lineup in the postseason remains unclear. Ekholm had nine goals, 33 points, 143 shots on net, 95 blocked shots and 42 hits across 65 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Morrissey threaded an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Stars in Game 3.

Morrissey's hands and vision were on full display when he danced around the Stars' Colin Blackwell inside the blue line and found Nino Niederreiter for a one-timer to tie the game at 2-2, but the Jets were blanked by Jake Oettinger the rest of the way. Morrissey has earned a helper in back-to-back outings after sitting out Game 1 due to an upper-body injury, and he'll be heavily relied upon for offense again in Game 4 on Tuesday as the Jets try to avoid a 3-1 series deficit. The 30-year-old defenseman has logged no less than 22:39 of ice time in both matchups since returning to the lineup, so he doesn't seem to be bothered by the injury that knocked him out of Game 7 in the first round against St. Louis.