NHL Player News

Oettinger stopped 21 shots in regulation and overtime and two of four shootout attempts in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Sabres.

The 27-year-old netminder heads into the playoffs with plenty of momentum, having reeled off five straight wins to close out the regular season, including two shutouts, with a 1.94 GAA and .916 save percentage. Oettinger's surge carried him to 35 wins on the campaign, the fourth straight season he's reached that mark,

Del Bel Belluz was reassigned to AHL Cleveland on Thursday.

Del Bel Belluz had one assist in 14 regular-season NHL games this season, down from two goals and six assists in 15 games in 2024-25. He spent most of the season with the AHL Monsters, generating a team-leading 22 goals and 57 points in 53 appearances.

Aston-Reese was reassigned to AHL Cleveland on Thursday.

Aston-Reese saw action in 27 games for the Blue Jackets this season in which he notched one goal, four assists and 17 shots. The veteran forward was significantly more productive in the minors this year, producing seven goals and seven assists in 25 games for the Monsters.

Wright scored a goal in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

Wright returned from missing eight games due to an upper-body injury and was the only Kraken player to solve Carter Hart. The tally gives Wright 12 goals, 27 points, 97 shots on net, 58 blocked shots, 51 hits and a plus-6 rating over 73 appearances this season. That's a large step back from his 44-point campaign in 2024-25, though it's possibly just a sophomore slump -- Wright is still young enough to be a breakout candidate next year.

Kokko allowed four goals on 26 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.

That's now consecutive losses for Kokko after he won his NHL season debut Saturday versus the Flames. He's allowed nine goals on 82 shots while going 1-2-0. The Kraken are back in action Thursday versus the Avalanche, and it's unclear which direction Seattle will go for goaltending in that contest. The healthy options on the roster are Kokko or Victor Ostman.

Eichel produced two assists, four shots on goal and a plus-3 rating in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Eichel tore up the league late in the regular season with three goals and 13 helpers over his last 10 games. The surge got him to 90 points in 74 appearances this season, and he's added 260 shots on net and a plus-23 rating. Eichel continuing to be the best player on the ice in most games will be a key factor for Vegas to make a deep playoff run.

Theodore scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Theodore has three goals and five assists over his last 13 contests. The 30-year-old defenseman concludes the regular season with 10 goals, which is the most he has had since 2021-22, but he had just 39 points over 70 appearances. It is the first time since 2018-19 that he finished under the 40-point mark, even though this is only the third time in that span that he has logged 70 games. In any case, Theodore will be a top-four fixture during Vegas' postseason run.

Marner scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Marner has four goals and five assists over seven games in April. The 28-year-old's tally in Wednesday's contest was his second game-winner among his 24 goals this campaign. He ended the regular season at 80 points, 165 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating over 81 appearances. Marner last finished below a point per game in 2017-18, his second year in the league.

Smith scored twice on five shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Smith has four points over his last two games after spending three contests in the press box. The 35-year-old winger has done his part to make a case for staying in the lineup when the playoffs start. He ends the regular season at 16 goals, 26 points, 95 shots on net and a minus-9 rating over 69 appearances.

Hart stopped 22 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

The Kraken came out looking to play spoiler a bit, but Hart held the fort in the first period. Shane Wright tallied early in the second, but Shea Theodore answered for Vegas before the hosts ran away with it in the third. This was Hart's sixth straight win, and he's given up just 10 goals in that span. He's up to 11-3-3 with a 2.71 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 18 appearances. Hart looks locked in as the Golden Knights' No. 1 goalie heading into the playoffs, where a first-round matchup against the Mammoth awaits.