NHL Player News
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Darnell Nurse D | EDM
Oilers' Darnell Nurse: Posts helper
Nurse logged an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Stars in Game 1.
Nurse has a helper in each of the last two games, and all five of his points this postseason have come over the last seven contests. The defenseman is at two goals, three assists, 29 shots on net, 30 hits, 29 blocked shots, six PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 12 playoff outings. While he won't add offense all the time, he's a steady source of non-scoring production.
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Evan Bouchard D | EDM
Oilers' Evan Bouchard: Lights lamp in loss
Bouchard scored a goal in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Stars in Game 1.
Bouchard snapped a seven-game goal drought, giving the Oilers a 3-1 lead in the second period. He was still productive in the second round versus the Golden Knights, earning five assists in as many contests. The defenseman has five goals, eight assists, 31 shots on net, 15 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through 12 outings this postseason while filling his usual roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit.
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Esa Lindell D | DAL
Stars' Esa Lindell: Deposits empty-netter
Lindell scored an empty-net goal, added three hits and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Oilers in Game 1.
Lindell didn't find the scoresheet in the second round, going minus-1 with eight shots on net and 19 blocked shots over six games versus the Jets. He put a bow on the Stars' comeback effort to open the Western Conference Finals with a win. The 30-year-old defenseman has two points, 16 shots, 36 blocks, 12 hits and a plus-2 rating over 14 playoff outings while filling a shutdown role in the Stars' top four.
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Miro Heiskanen D | DAL
Stars' Miro Heiskanen: Sparks comeback effort
Heiskanen scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Oilers in Game 1.
Both of Heiskanen's points came on power plays early in the third period. The 25-year-old defenseman got the Stars back within a goal and then added a helper on Mikael Granlund's equalizer. This effort gave Heiskanen four points, eight shots on net, five hits and an even plus-minus rating over four playoff appearances since he returned from a long-term knee injury. He appears to be close to 100 percent, as he's handled a heavier workload over the Stars' last two games, and the team was comfortable enough to go back to six defensemen in the lineup for this series opener.
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Jalen Chatfield D | CAR
Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield: Considered day-to-day
Chatfield (undisclosed) was labeled day-to-day ahead of Thursday's Game 2 clash with the Panthers, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.
Chatfield has been skating with the team but still needs medical clearance before he can get back into the lineup. With the blueliner on the shelf, Scott Morrow featured in Game 1 and will likely suit up in Game 2 as well if Chatfield remains unavailable.
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Jalen Chatfield D | CAR
Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield: Won't play in series opener
Chatfield (undisclosed) will not be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Panthers on Tuesday, Pat Welter of WRAL reports.
Chatfield's status has been up in the air between rounds after he missed Game 5 of the second round against the Capitals. The 29-year-old blueliner will be out for a second straight game despite partaking in Tuesday's morning skate. Scott Morrow will make his playoff debut while Chatfield will attempt to be ready for Thursday's Game 2.
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Josh Morrissey D | WPG
Jets' Josh Morrissey: Won't need knee surgery
Morrissey (knee) stated Tuesday that he will not require surgery for the injury he sustained in Game 6 against the Stars, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
Morrissey also said that his knee injury probably would have kept him sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs had the Jets advanced past the Stars. It's unclear if Morrissey will be ready for the start of training camp in September, but he has plenty of time to attempt to make a full recovery. The left-shot blueliner has two seasons remaining on the eight-year, $50 million contract he signed with Winnipeg in September of 2019.
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Jalen Chatfield D | CAR
Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield: Game-time call Tuesday
Chatfield (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision for Game 1 against the Panthers on Tuesday, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.
Head coach Rod Brind'Amour said that Chatfield wants to suit up for the opening matchup of the Eastern Conference Finals, but a determination on the 29-year-old's status has yet to be made. If Chatfield is unable to play in Game 1, Scott Morrow, who hasn't made an appearance in the 2025 postseason, is an option to draw into the lineup, per Ruff. The Hurricanes have been off since Thursday after defeating the Capitals in five games, while the Panthers emerged victorious over the Maple Leafs in Game 7 on Sunday.
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Alexander Alexeyev D | WAS
Capitals' Alexander Alexeyev: Arrested Saturday
Alexeyev was arrested for public intoxication in Virginia on Saturday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.
According to the report, Alexeyev was pepper-sprayed after police officers observed him allegedly assaulting a male individual. Alexeyev was treated for pepper-spray exposure by paramedics at the scene, and he was booked at Arlington County jail and later released. A court date has yet to be set for Alexeyev, who is a restricted free agent heading into 2025-26.
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Nick Jensen D | OTT
Senators' Nick Jensen: Has surgery Monday in New York
Jensen had a procedure in New York on Monday to address a lower-body injury, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
According to Garrioch, the surgery went "as planned" for Jensen, but it's unclear how long the 34-year-old blueliner's recovery will take. However, Jensen relayed during the team's exit interviews that he was "hopeful" he would be ready for the start of training camp in September. Jensen should play a meaningful role in the top four again in 2025-26 for a Senators club that made the postseason in 2024-25 for the first time in eight years, provided that he doesn't suffer any setbacks in his recovery this summer. The Minnesota native did not record a point in six games against Toronto in the first round of the 2025 postseason but managed 20:55 of ice time per game, an impressive feat considering he was dealing with a lingering injury.