NHL Player News

Draisaitl (lower body) will be a game-time call for Game 1 against the Ducks on Monday, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

Draisaitl has been reportedly working hard in practice in order to get back into the lineup for the start of the postseason. If the 30-year-old center does play, he figures to slot into his usual second-line role in addition to linking up with the No. 1 power-play unit. In order to suit up Monday, Draisaitl will need to be activated off of long-term injured reserve, which will be the final step in the process.

Kleven (upper body) won't be an option for Game 2 against Carolina on Monday, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

Kleven hasn't played since April 2 against Buffalo due to the injury. He was a full participant in Monday's morning skate, but he worked as an extra and isn't quite ready to return yet. He registered three goals, 18 points, 90 shots on net, 94 blocked shots and 126 hits across 70 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season.

Zub (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for Game 2 against the Hurricanes on Monday, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports.

Zub was injured during Game 1 on Saturday, logging just 7:44 of ice time before being forced to leave the contest. If Zub does miss out, it appears that Nikolas Matinpalo will step into his top-four spot in the lineup, while Lassi Thomson could play after sitting out Game 1.

General manager Chris Patrick said Monday that Sandin (knee) is expected to miss a "decent amount of time" to begin the 2026-27 campaign, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Sandin missed the final two games of the regular season in 2025-26 due to a knee injury, and he's expected to continue to deal with the injury over the summer and into next fall. It's not yet clear when the 26-year-old will be able to make his 2026-27 debut, but Patrick said Monday that Sandin's injury will factor into the Capitals' offseason plans.

Skinner will protect the home net in Game 2 against Philadelphia on Monday, per Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site.

Skinner is coming off a 17-save effort in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 1. If the Penguins fall behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, head coach Dan Muse might give Arturs Silovs a turn to start Game 3 in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Andersen was the first goalie to leave the ice Monday, Julian McKenzie of The Athletic reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home for Game 2 on Monday.

Considering Andersen secured a 22-save shutout in Game 1, there was little question that he would get the nod for Game 2. Going back to the start of April, the 36-year-old netminder is 4-1-0 with a 1.81 GAA and .921 save percentage over five appearances. At this point, Andersen seems to have cemented himself as the No. 1 option in Carolina.

Jiricek was summoned from AHL Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Jiricek appears poised to join the Black Aces for Philadelphia's playoff run. He had four goals and 23 points in 39 AHL games between Lehigh Valley and Iowa this campaign. Jiricek didn't earn a point while posting 16 shots on goal, 19 blocked shots and eight hits in 26 NHL appearances for Philadelphia and Minnesota during the 2025-26 regular season.

Bonk was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley on Monday.

Bonk had six goals and 19 points in 46 games during his rookie AHL campaign in 2025-26. He also made an impact in his NHL debut against Montreal on Tuesday, when he notched one goal and one assist in a 4-2 victory. However, Bonk is probably just up with the Flyers in the postseason to be a member of the Black Aces.

O'Connor scored the game-winning goal Sunday during the Avalanche's 2-1 victory over the Kings in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The 29-year-old winger missed most of the regular season after undergoing hip surgery last June, and he didn't score a goal while adding just two assists over 13 games once he finally made his 2025-26 debut in late March. In fact, O'Connor's last tally was also a playoff game-winner, as he opened the scoring in a 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4 of the first round last year. O'Connor produced a surprising two goals and six points in that seven-game series before Colorado's elimination, and he may be gearing up to provide some valuable secondary scoring once again despite his bottom-six role.

Wedgewood turned aside 24 of 25 shots Sunday during the Avalanche's 2-1 win over the Kings in Game 1 of their first-round series.

In his first career playoff start, Wedgewood nearly produced a shutout before Artemi Panarin got a puck past him on a Los Angeles power play with less than three minutes left in the third period. The 33-year-old netminder hasn't given up more than three goals in an outing since the Olympic break, and he's been all but unbeatable in April, going 5-1-0 with a microscopic 0.73 GAA and .967 save percentage. Wedgewood should be back in the crease for Game 2 on Tuesday.