NHL Player News

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.

Oettinger will patrol the crease at home for Game 2 against Minnesota, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Oettinger was shelled in Game 1, giving up five goals on 28 shots (.821 save percentage) in a 6-1 defeat. During the regular season, the 27-year-old backstop went 35-12-6 with a 2.59 GAA and four shutouts in 54 appearances. Even with the poor performance in Game 1, Oettinger is unlikely to see himself dropped from the starting role in favor of Casey DeSmith.

D'Astous (undisclosed) is doubtful for Game 2 against Montreal on Tuesday, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.

D'Astous was absent from Monday's practice after being injured in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1. Based on Monday's session, Declan Carlile appears poised to replace D'Astous in Tuesday's lineup, but Max Crozier is also available.

Ingram will patrol the home crease against Anaheim on Monday in Game 1, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Ingram is in line to make his fourth NHL playoff start. He went 0-3-0 and allowed 14 goals on 161 shots in four appearances with Nashville during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ingram had a 16-10-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.60 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 32 appearances with Edmonton during the 2025-26 regular season.

Dickinson (leg) will be a game-time decision for Game 1 versus Anaheim on Monday, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

As is typical in the postseason, head coach Kris Knoblauch wouldn't reveal whether Dickinson or Leon Draisaitl (lower body) will be ready to play Monday. Still, Dickinson has been working in the third-line center role in the lead-up to Game 1, which would seem to indicate that he'll be ready to go.