NHL Player News

Ekman-Larsson missed practice Tuesday due to an illness, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

When speaking about Ekman-Larsson's illness, head coach Craig Berube said it's "nothing terrible, but I thought it was better he stay off today and rest up," per Mark Masters of TSN. With that update in mind, Ekman-Larsson likely won't miss Game 5 on Wednesday, but the 33-year-old defenseman should be considered day-to-day at this time. The 2009 first-round pick has generated two goals, four points and 15 hits while seeing 19:14 of ice time per game in a third-pairing role over 10 postseason appearances.

Head coach Pete DeBoer said he expects Heiskanen to play in Game 4 against the Jets on Tuesday, according to Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News.

Heiskanen will participate in Tuesday's morning skate, and as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks prior to puck drop, he'll suit up for the first time since the end of January. The Stars may elect to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to Heiskanen's return, so it's unclear what type of workload the left-shot blueliner will see in his first game back from a knee injury. The 25-year-old has racked up 16 goals and 45 helpers over 85 career playoff outings.

Walker produced a goal and an assist Monday in the Hurricanes' 5-2 win over the Capitals in Game 4 of their second-round series.

Both points came in the third period as the 'Canes fended off a comeback attempt. Walker had been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games to begin the team's postseason run, and his role on the third pairing doesn't give him much of a fantasy ceiling after a regular season that saw him collect five goals and 16 points while playing all 82 games.

Chychrun scored an even-strength goal and added a power-play assist Monday in the Capitals' 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of their second-round series.

Both points came in the third period as the Caps tried in vain to rally from an early 2-0 deficit. It was the first time in the series that Chychrun had gotten onto the scoresheet, and through nine playoff contests, the 27-year-old blueliner has three goals and five points, with Monday's helper being his first point on the power play.

Ekholm (undisclosed) has resumed skating but isn't close to being ready to return to the lineup, according to Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk on Monday.

Ekholm spent most of March and April on the shelf due to a lingering injury before being ruled out indefinitely near the end of the regular season. He is still weeks away from playing, and a potential return to the lineup in the postseason remains unclear. Ekholm had nine goals, 33 points, 143 shots on net, 95 blocked shots and 42 hits across 65 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.

Morrissey threaded an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Stars in Game 3.

Morrissey's hands and vision were on full display when he danced around the Stars' Colin Blackwell inside the blue line and found Nino Niederreiter for a one-timer to tie the game at 2-2, but the Jets were blanked by Jake Oettinger the rest of the way. Morrissey has earned a helper in back-to-back outings after sitting out Game 1 due to an upper-body injury, and he'll be heavily relied upon for offense again in Game 4 on Tuesday as the Jets try to avoid a 3-1 series deficit. The 30-year-old defenseman has logged no less than 22:39 of ice time in both matchups since returning to the lineup, so he doesn't seem to be bothered by the injury that knocked him out of Game 7 in the first round against St. Louis.

Petrovic scored a goal on his only shot, threw two hits and went plus-1 in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Petrovic's marker was subjected to a lengthy review to determine if he distinctly kicked the puck into the net, but the goal was ultimately upheld. This was Petrovic's first playoff tally since 2016, when he was with the Panthers. The right-shot blueliner appeared in just five regular-season games in 2024-25, but he's already doubled that total in the postseason. He's been steady on the third pairing, chipping in a goal, an assist, six shots on net, 22 hits and 10 blocked shots while averaging 13:55 of ice time. If Petrovic continues to hold his own on the blue line, he could earn himself a full-time role in the regular season in 2025-26.

Ekblad notched an assist, two shots on goal, three hits and 10 PIM in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4.

Ekblad has a helper in each of the last three games since returning from a suspension he earned in the first round versus the Lightning. The defenseman set up Sam Bennett with a stretch pass in the third period of Sunday's low-scoring win. Ekblad has four points, nine shots on net, 14 hits, six blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over five playoff appearances in a top-four role.

Harley scored a goal on three shots, registered an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Harley provided an assist on Roope Hintz's power-play goal in the first period and added a goal of his own later in the frame. Harley has not looked out of place as the Stars' No. 1 defenseman while Miro Heiskanen works his way back from a knee injury. Even when Heiskanen is ready to return, which could be as soon as Game 4 on Tuesday, Harley may continue to quarterback the top power-play unit in the short term considering the former's long layoff. Harley has accounted for three markers, eight points and a minus-6 rating over 10 postseason outings.

Stanley (undisclosed) won't play against Dallas on Sunday in Game 3, according to Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Despite participating in pregame warmups ahead of Game 3, Stanley will miss a fourth straight game. He hasn't earned a point in five appearances this postseason while posting one shot on goal, six blocked shots, 10 hits and 42 PIM. Once healthy, Stanley could sit if the Jets want to keep playing Haydn Fleury instead.