NHL Player News

Stankoven scored a goal in a 2-1 win over Ottawa in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Thursday.

Stankoven became the first player in franchise history to open the scoring in three straight Stanley Cup Playoff games. He went bar down over the blocker of Linus Ullmark early in the first to stake the Hurricanes to a 1-0 lead. Stankoven (three goals, one assist) and linemates Taylor Hall (one goal, four assists) and Jackson Blake (one goal, three assists) have accounted for almost all of the team's offense. The Hurricanes lead the series 3-0 and can move to the next round with a victory Saturday.

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.

Wedgewood is expected to start on the road against Los Angeles in Game 3 on Thursday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Wedgewood has led the Avalanche to a 2-0 series lead by stopping 48 of 50 shots (.960 save percentage) against the Kings in the first round. He also won his final four regular-season appearances, turning aside 87 of 89 shots (.978 save percentage) over that stretch. The series has shifted to Los Angeles, but that might not help the Kings much. Los Angeles was 15-17-9 while averaging just 2.59 goals per game at home during the regular season.

Forsberg will guard the home goal in Game 3 versus the Avalanche on Thursday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Forsberg has held the Avalanche to four goals on 68 shots (.941 save percentage) over the first two games of this postseason, but he doesn't have a win to show for his efforts. He'll try to maintain his strong play as the series shifts to Los Angeles for this game and the next one. As long as Forsberg maintains his strong play, he should continue to get the starts in goal.

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.

Ullmark will guard the home goal versus the Hurricanes on Thursday in Game 3, Graeme Nichols of The Hockey News reports.

Ullmark has allowed five goals on 78 shots (.936 save percentage) over the first two games of the series. The Senators will stick with him in a critical Game 3, with the hopes that home ice will help Ottawa turn things around.

Henrique (lower body) won't travel with the Oilers to Anaheim, per Ryan Rishaug of TSN, which rules him out for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.

Henrique logged just 2:56 of ice time in Game 1 of Edmonton's first-round series against the Ducks because of the injury, and he didn't participate in Game 2. He had three goals and 15 points in 65 regular-season outings in 2025-26.

Lyon will protect the road goal versus the Bruins in Game 3 on Thursday, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports.

Lyon made seven saves in relief of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen during Game 2. The 33-year-old Lyon will make his first start this postseason, and a strong performance could help him take a larger share of playing time. He went 20-10-4 with a 2.77 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 36 regular-season appearances.

The Blues announced Thursday that Kyrou underwent a minor knee procedure earlier this week but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Kyrou completed the regular season with 18 goals and 46 points in 72 outings after finishing each of the previous three regular seasons with over 30 goals and 65 points. Although he'll have a recovery process during the offseason, it's encouraging that he's slated to be ready for camp ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

George was summoned from OHL Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday.

The netminder was reassigned to AHL Ontario from the Soo and then recalled to the Kings. George, the Kings' goalie of the future, split his junior season with Owen Sound and the Soo, posting a 23-17-5 record, and was 5-5- in the OHL playoffs, with a 2.36 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Kings sent Pheonix Copley to AHL Ontario in a corresponding move.