NHL Player News

Andrae will not suit up in Game 2 against the Penguins on Monday because of an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.

Andrae didn't practice Sunday and managed only 9:39 of ice time in Game 1 on Saturday, but it's unclear if that was a result of the injury or performance-related reasons. Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup Monday and skate next to Nick Seeler on the third pairing. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Jones was summoned from AHL Iowa on Monday.

Jones had one goal, three points, 26 shots on net and 58 hits in 28 NHL appearances during the 2025-26 regular season. Minnesota also called up Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Hunter Haight, Carson Lambos, David Spacek, Riley Mercer and Chase Wutzke. They will serve as Black Aces during the NHL playoffs.

Vladar will start Game 2 on the road against Pittsburgh on Monday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Vladar had a hot streak to close out the regular season, and he maintained his momentum in Game 1 of the Flyers' first-round series, turning aside 15 of 17 shots (.882 save percentage) in Saturday's road win over Pittsburgh. Across his last seven outings, he's gone 6-1-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Johnston (lower body) has been ruled out for Monday's Game 1 against Edmonton, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Johnston fully participated in Monday's morning skate, but he'll remain sidelined to begin the playoffs as he continues to deal with a lower-body issue. However, head coach Joel Quenneville said Monday that he expects Johnston to play at some point during the Ducks' first-round series, so the 32-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now.

Draisaitl (lower body) was activated from long-term injured reserve Monday, per the NHL media site.

Draisaitl appears poised to return to action against Anaheim in Game 1 on Monday. He sat out the final 14 games of the 2025-26 regular season, finishing with 35 goals, 97 points and 186 shots on net in 65 appearances. Draisaitl should occupy a second-line role and see time on the top power-play unit in Monday's lineup versus the Ducks.

Wallstedt will start Monday's Game 2 on the road against Dallas, Joe Smith of The Athletic reports.

Wallstedt was sharp during Saturday's Game 1 victory, making 27 saves in a 6-1 victory. He'll have another opportunity to patrol the crease Monday as the Wild attempt to secure a 2-0 lead in the series. Wallstedt has picked up wins in five of his last six starts dating back to late March, going 5-1-0 with a 1.68 GAA and .940 save percentage during that time.

Clarke logged a power-play assist in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 1.

Clarke hasn't scored a goal since March 2, and he was limited to just two assists over his last 14 games of the regular season. The 23-year-old defenseman will be tasked with key top-four minutes this postseason after seeing limited action with two goals over six games while averaging 12:47 of ice time versus the Oilers in the first round last year. Clarke had a career-high 40 points, including 13 on the power play, over 82 regular-season outings in 2025-26.

Panarin scored a power-play goal on two shots in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 1.

Panarin surged down the stretch with 27 points over the last 26 games of the regular season to help the Kings win a battle for a wild-card spot. He totaled 84 points (23 on the power play) and 224 shots on net and a minus-7 rating over 78 outings between the Kings and the Rangers in the regular season. Panarin is a lock for point-per-game production in the regular season, but he hasn't displayed offense as consistently in the playoffs, earning 21 goals and 40 helpers over 73 postseason outings across eight previous playoff runs.

Lehkonen scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Kings in Game 1.

Lehkonen opened the scoring at 15:29 of the second period to break the deadlock in a tightly defended game. The winger opened the postseason on the first line, but the Avalanche could mix and match around the top six at times. Lehkonen is no stranger to the playoffs, having won the Stanley Cup in 2022 with the Avalanche. This is his eighth year in the postseason -- over his first seven playoff runs, he earned 26 goals and 21 assists in 78 contests.

Hintz (lower body) won't play in Game 3 against Minnesota on Wednesday, per Owen Newkirk of DLLS Sports.

Hintz hasn't been skating and has been out since March 6 against Colorado due to the injury. It remains unclear when he will return to the lineup. Hintz concluded the 2025-26 regular season with 15 goals, 44 points, 126 shots on net and 60 hits in 53 appearances.