NHL Hockey Player News

Dickinson was sidelined for the final week of the regular season due to a lower-body injury, but will be available for Game One. The 30-year-old forward averaged 15:03 time-on-ice and scored four points (1G / 3A) in 17 games with the Oilers this season.

After serving as a healthy scratch in Game 1, Brink will slot in for Mats Zuccarello (upper-body) in Game 2 on Monday. Brink appeared in 68 games this season split between the Flyers and Wild, tallying 15 goals and 15 assists.

Zuccarello was a surprise scratch ahead of Game 2 and it's unclear when he suffered the injury. The 38-year-old winger played just under 17 minutes in the Wild's 6-1 rout of the Stars in Game 1, chipping in with three assists. Bobby Brink will come into the lineup and Vladimir Tarasenko will take Zuccarello's place on the top line.

After serving as a healthy scratch in Game 1, Thomson will make his post-season debut on Monday in place of the injured Artem Zub (undisclosed). Thomson played in just 11 games this season, registering zero goals and three assists. He is expected to skate with Dennis Gilbert on Ottawa's third defensive pairing.

Draisaitl was expected to return from a lower-body injury in Game 1, and this now confirms it. The 30-year-old German forward has not played in over a month due to a lower-body injury. He scored 97 points (35G / 62A) in 65 games this season. Game One will be his first game since March 15th.

Zub exited Game One on Saturday after only 7:44 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury, and is unavailable for Game Two on Monday. The 30-year-old Zub averaged 20:48 time-on-ice and scored 30 points (5G / 25A) in 81 games this season.

Ullmark played well for the Senators in Game One, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%), but received no goal support in a 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 32-year-old Swedish goalie has never won a playoff series while being the goalie of record, posting a 3.22 GAA and .888 SV% in 17 career playoff appearances (5-11). The Senators enter a pivotal Game Two as +129 road underdogs.

After serving as a healthy scratch in Game 1, Juulsen will suit up for a post-season game for just the third time in his career on Monday. Juulsen previously appeared in two playoff games with the Canucks in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He played in 52 games for the Flyers this season, tallying one goal and nine assists. Emil Andrae (undisclosed) will sit in his place.

Andrae missed practice on Sunday with an undisclosed injury but was not confirmed to be out for Game 2 prior to warmups. The 24-year-old Andrae saw just 9:39 of ice-time in Game 1, registering one hit and one shot on goal. Noah Juulsen will draw into the lineup in his place.

The Flyers will of course stick with Vladar between the pipes as they aim to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on Monday. Vladar will be hoping for another night of light work in Game 2, after the Flyers limited the Penguins to just 17 shots on goal enroute to a 3-2 victory in the series opener. Just as they were in Game 1, Vladar and the Flyers are slight underdogs on the money line for Game 2, entering action at +125.

Ullmark played well for the Senators in Game One, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%), but received no goal support in a 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The 32-year-old Swedish goalie has never won a playoff series while being the goalie of record, posting a 3.22 GAA and .888 SV% in 17 career playoff appearances (5-11). The Senators enter a pivotal Game Two as +129 road underdogs.

There was some uncertainty when Head Coach John Hynes announced Wallstedt as the starting goalie for Game One, but there is no question heading into Game Two. The 23-year-old rookie goalie was tremendous in his postseason debut, saving 27 of 28 shots (.964 SV%) in a one-sided 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars. Dating back to the end of the regular season, Wallstedt has saved 140 of the last 148 shots he's faced (.942 SV%). Minnesota has a chance to take control of the series, entering Game Two as +121 road underdogs.

Hintz has been sidelined by a lower-body injury since March 6th and is questionable to play at all during Round 1 of the playoffs. As of Sunday, Hintz had not yet started skating on his own according to Head Coach Glen Gulutzan, indicating he is likely not that close to returning.

Coming off arguably the worst regular season of his career, posting a 2.59 GAA and an ugly .899 SV% in 54 games (35-12-6), Oettinger began his postseason with a forgetful performance, allowing five goals on 28 shots (.821 SV%) in a blowout 6-1 Game One loss to the Minnesota Wild. That said, if history is an indicator, the Stars will be hopeful that Oettinger can repeat his postseason performance from a year ago. Last year, Oettinger opened the playoff by allowing four goals on 24 shots (.833 SV%) in a blowout 5-1 Game One loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but rebounded by posting a 2.63 GAA and .920 SV% in his next four games (4-2) to ultimately win the series. The Stars enter Game Two against Minnesota as -128 home favourites.

D'Astous was limited to only 9:35 time-on-ice in Game One, exiting with an undisclosed injury, and is unlikely to play in Game Two. The 27-year-old first-year NHLer, averaged 18:45 time-on-ice and scored 29 points (6G / 23A) in 70 games this season.

Ingram started the season in the AHL, struggling at times, but has given the Oilers' confidence between the pipes since making his season debut in late December. The 29-year-old Ingram has not played a playoff game since 2021-22, when he had a 3.64 GAA and .913 SV% in four appearances with the Nashville Predators (0-3). That said, he ended the 2025-26 season on a high note, posting an excellent 1.94 GAA and .924 SV% in his last eight games (5-2-1). The Oilers enter Game One against the Anaheim Ducks as -169 home favourites.

Dickinson was sidelined for the final week of the regular season due to a lower-body injury, but he could be an option in Game One. The 30-year-old forward averaged 15:03 time-on-ice and scored four points (1G / 3A) in 17 games with the Oilers this season.

Although it's still uncertain if he will be ready for Game One, Draisaitl's impending presence is an encouraging sign for the Oilers. The 30-year-old German forward has not played in over a month due to a lower-body injury. He scored 97 points (35G / 62A) in 65 games this season. If Draisaitl plays in Game One, it will be his first game since March 15th.