NHL Hockey Player News

Bourque will slot in on Thursday as the Stars look to shake things up with their season on the line. Oskar Back will sit in his place.

Back will take a seat on Thursday as the Stars look to shake things up with their season on the line. Mavrik Bourque will draw into the lineup in his place.

The Stars will of course hand Oettinger the start for a do or die Game 5 against the Oilers on Thursday. Oettinger played well in Game 4 despite being tagged with a third consecutive defeat, stopping 29 of the 31 shots he faced in the 4-1 loss. The 26-year-old netminder has a 9-8-0 record in 17 games this post-season, posting a .908 SV% and a 2.72 GAA. Oettinger and the Stars enter action on Thursday at -130 on the money line.

Foerster was the 23rd overall pick of the Flyers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has 83 points (48G / 35A) in 166 career games with the team. The 23-year-old Foerster played a career-high 81 games last season and scored a career-high 43 points (25G / 18A).

With Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) expected to make his 2024-25 postseason debut on Thursday for Game 5, Stecher will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Stecher is averaging 15:57 time-on-ice and has zero points through six games this postseason.

Ekholm has yet to play in the postseason but will likely make his debut on Thursday in Game 5. The 34-year-old Ekholm had 33 points (9G / 24A) in 65 games this season and would be a massive boost on the Oilers blueline.

Utah acquired DeSimone via waivers and he made an impact with the club, securing a one-year contract extension. The 30-year-old defenseman had six points (1G / 5A) in 20 games with Utah this season.

Mukhamadulin played a career-high 30 games with the Sharks this season and will return to the club in 2025-26. The 23-year-old defenseman had nine points (2G / 7A) in 30 games this season.

Skinner has not played since Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs but will draw back into the lineup due to a Zach Hyman (upper body) injury. The 33-year-old Skinner had 29 points (16G / 13A) in 72 games with the Oilers this season.

The Oilers have a commanding 3-1 series lead and will hope to advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a victory on Thursday in Game 5. Skinner has been outstanding in the third round of the playoffs, saving 86 of 88 shots (.977 SV%) in his last three games (3-0). The Oilers enter Thursday's contest as +116 road underdogs against a desperate Dallas Stars team.

Horvat suffered the injury at the World Championships, cutting his tournament short, but will be ready for training camp in September.

Despite having three points in two games in the Eastern Conference Final, Jesper Boqvist will be the odd man out of Florida's lineup as Sam Reinhart returns from a lower-body injury. Boqvist has been solid when called upon throughout the playoffs, with two goals, five points and six SOG through 11 games played.

Bobrovsky snapped his four-game winning streak after allowing one goal on 26 shots against (.962 SV%) in Florida's Game 4 loss and will return to the crease for Game 5 in Carolina on Wednesday. The 36-year-old Russian netminder has excelled this postseason with his 2.05 GAA, .914 SV% and 11-5-0 record. He will head to Raleigh to attempt to close out the Hurricanes in five games and reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season.

Hayden has spent the last three seasons in Seattle and will remain with the Kraken for two more years after signing a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension ($775,000 AAV) on Wednesday. The 30-year-old forward appeared in 20 games with the Kraken in 2024-25, picking up a goal and two points to go alongside 31 PIMs while averaging 8:31 TOI/GP.

Winnipeg announced Wednesday that their captain, Adam Lowry had successfully undergone hip surgery and would be out for approximately 5 to 6 months as he recovers. The 31-year-old is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season after putting up 16 goals, 34 points and a +18 plus/minus in 73 games played in 2024-25.

Sturm played in his first game in 19 days when he rejoined Florida's lineup for their Game 4 victory, but is expected to be the odd man out for Game 5 in Carolina as AJ Greer returns from an undisclosed injury. Sturm has only appeared in eight total playoff games this year and has yet to pick up a point while only having three SOG.

Balinskis appeared in his first game in 21 days for Florida's Game 4 victory, but is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 5 as Niko Mikkola returns from injury to the lineup. The 28-year-old has only appeared in five playoff games during Florida's current run, but has a goal and a +4 plus/minus.

But was Utah's 2023 1st-round pick (12th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Mammoth on Wednesday. The 20-year-old left-winger is expected to head over to North America for the 2025-26 season after putting up nine goals and 28 points with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) in 2024-25.

Greer missed Florida's Game 4 loss due to an undisclosed injury but will return to the lineup for Game 5 on Wednesday. The 28-year-old is expected to replace Nico Sturm on Florida's 4th line and has two goals and three points in 11 games played throughout the playoffs.