NHL Player News

Sanderson won't play in Sunday's game against New Jersey for rest purposes, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

The Senators have clinched a spot in the playoffs, so Sanderson and several other key contributors will get a night off during the team's penultimate game of the regular season. Whether Sanderson will play Wednesday against Toronto remains to be seen, but he should be back on the ice for the start of the postseason. Sanderson has appeared in five games since his multi-week absence due to an upper-body injury, recording three goals, three assists, 12 blocked shots and a hit while averaging 25:10 of ice time across that span.

Tkachuk (rest) won't play against New Jersey on Sunday, per Julian McKenzie of The Athletic.

Tkachuk left Saturday's 3-0 win over the Islanders due to an injury, but he is feeling better and appears to be resting after the Senators clinched a playoff berth. Still, it's unclear if he will play in Wednesday's regular-season finale against Toronto. Tkachuk has amassed 22 goals, 59 points, 221 shots on net and 162 hits across 60 appearances this campaign.

Reimer will guard the road goal against New Jersey on Sunday, per Jackson Starr of the Senators' official site.

Reimer will get the second half of Ottawa's back-to-back after Linus Ullmark played in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Islanders. The 38-year-old Reimer has a 6-4-1 record with one shutout, a 2.42 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 12 NHL outings this campaign. Since March 1, New Jersey ranks third in the league with 3.70 goals per game.

Romanov (shoulder) will miss the final two games of the regular season, according to Stefen Rosner of NHL.com on Sunday.

Romanov has been practicing with contact, but he won't be an option for the final two games of the regular season. He will miss his 61st straight outing against Montreal on Sunday. If the Islanders qualify for the playoffs, it remains unclear whether Romanov would be available to return to the lineup.

Sorokin will protect the home net against Montreal on Sunday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Sorokin has one win in his last six outings (1-5-0) and is coming off a 13-save effort in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Ottawa. He has a 29-23-2 record during the 2025-26 campaign with seven shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 54 appearances. Montreal sits seventh in the league with 3.41 goals per game this season.

Vilmanis scored four goals in AHL Charlotte's 6-1 win over Hershey on Sunday.

Vilmanis did it himself for the Checkers despite most of the rest of the AHL team's roster currently filling in at the NHL level. Over the last nine games, Vilmanis has five goals and seven assists. He's at 16 goals, 19 assists and a plus-18 rating over 46 appearances this season, a notable improvement from his 27-point effort in 61 regular-season games as an AHL rookie last year. Vilmanis also has five points in 19 NHL outings, so he's positioned himself well to compete for time with the Panthers in 2026-27.

Kiersted was summoned from AHL Iowa on Sunday, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Kiersted has contributed one assist, four shots on net and five blocked shots in four NHL outings this season. He also has four goals and 12 points in 49 AHL appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.

Haight was recalled from AHL Iowa on Sunday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Haight has 18 goals and 32 points in 51 AHL outings this campaign. He also has one assist, eight shots on net, two blocked shots and seven hits in seven NHL appearances this season.

Greaves will patrol the home crease against Boston on Sunday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Greaves is coming off a 20-save performance in Saturday's 5-2 win over Montreal, and he will get the second half of the Blue Jackets' back-to-back against the Bruins on Sunday. He has a 26-17-9 record this campaign with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 53 appearances. Boston sits 12th in the league with 3.26 goals per game this season.

Oesterle was reassigned to AHL Milwaukee on Sunday.

Oesterle made his NHL season debut against Utah on Thursday, earning two blocked shots and one hit in 14:05 of ice time. He has 14 goals and 46 points in 65 AHL appearances this season.