NHL Player News

Howden recorded two goals, including one shorthanded, and an assist in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Howden had gone pointless while posting an even rating in the first three games of the series, but he came out of nowhere to deliver three points while also logging 21:54 TOI -- a playoff-high mark for the 28-year-old. Howden has a bottom-six role in the lineup, so he's not expected to deliver multi-point performances on a regular basis, but he should continue to see scoring opportunities due to his role in the second power-play unit. He had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) across 58 regular-season appearances this year.

Theodore scored the game-winning goal in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Theodore went pointless and posted a minus-2 rating in his first three playoff appearances, but he came through when the Golden Knights needed him the most in Game 4. He slotted a snap shot past Karel Vejmelka with 52 seconds left in overtime to even the series at 2-2. Theodore has nine shots in his four playoff appearances so far, so it wouldn't be shocking if he continues to crack the scoresheet. The veteran defenseman had 10 goals and 39 points across 79 regular-season appearances this year.

Oettinger will be between the home pipes Tuesday against the Wild in Game 5, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Oettinger has conceded at least three goals in three of the four games in this series. The 27-year-old netminder has registered a .902 save percentage and a 2.69 GAA so far in the postseason. Oettinger will see a change in front of him Tuesday, as Ilya Lyubushkin will draw into the lineup for Nils Lundkvist (face). Meanwhile, Mats Zuccarello and Yakov Trenin are questionable for the Wild in Game 5 due to upper-body injuries.

Kozak (undisclosed) is available for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Bruins, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports.

Kozak left Sunday's Game 4 victory due to an unspecified injury, but he'll officially be able to suit up two days later. Across seven appearances this month, he's recorded three assists, 21 hits and six blocked shots while averaging 10:57 of ice time.

Keller scored a goal on seven shots in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Keller went pointless in the first two games of the series, but he seems to be turning things around of late with three points (one goal, two assists), a plus-3 rating and seven shots on goal over his last two appearances. Keller had 26 goals and 88 points over 82 regular-season contests this year, so he needs to be at his best if Utah is going to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Based on his last two games, he seems to be trending in the right direction after a slow start to the campaign.

Schmaltz recorded a goal and an assist in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4 of their first-round series.

The Mammoth scored four unanswered goals in this game despite ultimately losing in OT, and Schmaltz scored the first goal of that stretch while assisting on the final one. Schmaltz has racked up three points in four playoff games after posting 74 points (33 goals, 41 assists) in 82 regular-season contests in 2025-26. Schmaltz will need to produce consistently if the Mammoth want to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but he should continue to have opportunities to do so thanks to his top-six role in the lineup.

Head coach Glen Gulutzan said Tuesday that Hintz (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's Game 6 against the Wild, and he's unlikely to play in a potential Game 7, Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hintz had already been ruled out for Tuesday's Game 5 against Minnesota, and it seems unlikely that he'll return at any point during the Stars' first-round series. It's not yet clear whether he'll be in the mix to return at some point during the second round if Dallas advances.

Hart stopped 27 of 31 shots in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Hart rebounded after back-to-back losses in Games 2 and 3 of the series, including a Game 3 defeat that saw him allow four goals on 12 shots faced. Even though Hart earned the win Monday, the Golden Knights had to erase a third-period deficit before closing things out in overtime, so this was far from a dominant performance from Vegas. Plus, this was Hart's third straight game with a save percentage below the .900 mark. He'll look to earn consecutive wins for the first time in the current playoff run in Game 5 at home Wednesday.

Vejmelka stopped 31 of 36 shots in Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Vejmelka was coming off back-to-back wins in which he had given up exactly two goals each time, but he wasn't able to do so again here. It was an unfortunate game for Vejmelka, as the Mammoth had a 4-3 lead in the third period, but he couldn't hold on and allowed two unanswered goals -- including the decisive one with less than a minute to go in overtime. Through four playoff starts, Vejmelka has gone 2-2-0 with a 2.80 GAA and an .899 save percentage. The 29-year-old should remain the starter for Game 5 on the road Wednesday.

Crosby notched two assists Monday in the Penguins' 3-2 win over the Flyers in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Both points came in the second period, as Crosby helped set up a tally by Connor Dewar, as well as the very fluky game-winner by Kris Letang that ricocheted home off the end boards. In between, Crosby briefly headed to the locker room to get his knee checked out after getting hit by a shot attempt from Ryan Shea, but he appears to have avoided anything serious. Crosby has gotten onto the scoresheet in three straight games, collecting a goal and five points during that span, and he'll likely need to come up big again in Game 6 on Wednesday if the Penguins are going to stave off elimination once more.