NHL Player News

Manson logged an assist, four PIM and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.

Manson returned from an upper-body injury that cost him the last 15 games of the regular season. The 33-year-old Manson bumped Sam Malinski out of the lineup for Saturday's contest. However, Manson, Malinski and Erik Johnson could compete for two spots in the lineup throughout the playoffs. Manson was limited to 15 points, 105 hits, 59 blocked shots, 65 shots on net and a minus-6 rating in 48 regular-season appearances due to various injuries.

Makar logged a power-play assist and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.

Makar set up Nathan MacKinnon's second-period tally, which was the game-winner. They will likely be bellwethers for the Avalanche's fortunes in the playoffs, and they're off to a good start. Makar had momentum entering the postseason, earning 17 points over 13 outings before resting in the last two games of the regular season. Overall, he had career highs in goals (30) and points (92) in 2024-25 while adding a plus-28 rating, 246 shots on net and 128 blocked shots over 80 appearances in the regular season.

Toews scored a goal on three shots and blocked three shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Stars in Game 1.

Toews redirected home a pass from Josh Manson at 12:56 of the third period to restore a two-goal lead for the Avalanche. This was Toews' first game action since April 10, as he rested in the last two games of the regular season. The 31-year-old defenseman missed the 50-point mark for the first time in four years, earning 10 goals, 34 assists, 138 shots on net, 103 blocked shots and a plus-30 rating over 76 outings in 2024-25. That's still good offense for a blueliner, and he'll remain a big part of the Avalanche's overall game while skating alongside Cale Makar on the top pairing.

Fowler notched a power-play assist and went minus-3 in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Jets.

Fowler was excellent late in the regular season with two goals and nine assists, including four power-play helpers, over the final 10 games. The 33-year-old defenseman is firmly in a top-four role, and he should also see time on the first power-play unit in the playoffs. This is his first playoff action since 2017, and he enters this postseason with 33 points over 62 playoff games.

Faulk notched two assists, two shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Jets in Game 1.

One of Faulk's helpers came on the power play. The 33-year-old defenseman ended the regular season on a 10-game skid, so this was a good performance to get him on track at the start of the playoffs. Despite that slump, he finished the regular season with 32 points (12 on the power play), 124 shots on net, 108 blocked shots, 82 hits and a minus-9 rating over 78 appearances. Faulk will play a top-four role and should also continue to see time on the second power-play unit during the postseason.

Schenn notched an assist, five hits, three blocked shots and 12 PIM in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Blues in Game 1.

Schenn was limited to two assists over 15 regular-season contests after he was traded to the Jets. The 35-year-old defenseman isn't in the lineup to score -- he plays a physical game and will set the tone while seeing bottom-four minutes in the playoffs. Between Winnipeg and Nashville in the regular season, he put up seven points, 77 shots on net, 45 PIM, 104 blocked shots and 300 hits across 76 games.

Morrissey notched two assists and two hits in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Blues in Game 1.

Morrissey helped out on tallies by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. With eight points and a plus-7 rating over his last five contests, Morrissey is in peak form to begin the postseason. The 30-year-old earned 62 points (22 on the power play) while adding 172 shots on net, 113 blocked shots and a plus-17 rating over 80 regular-season outings in a top-pairing role.

Stecher (undisclosed) skated Saturday, but he isn't expected to be ready for Game 1 of Edmonton's first-round series against the Kings on Monday, per Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.

Stecher finished the regular season with three goals, seven points, 35 hits and 66 blocks in 66 appearances with Edmonton. When healthy, he'll be in the mix for a spot on the third pairing, possibly at the expense of Josh Brown.

Emberson signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension with the Oilers on Saturday.

Emberson finished the regular season with two goals, 13 points, 125 hits and 97 blocks in 76 outings. The 24-year-old has served primarily in a third-pairing capacity in 2024-25, averaging 15:07 of ice time, but he might find himself as a healthy scratch on occasion in the playoffs should the Oilers' blue line get healthy -- presently, Edmonton is missing Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), John Klingberg (lower body) and Troy Stecher (undisclosed). However, Klingberg might be an option for Monday's playoff opener versus the Kings.

Fehervary (lower body) didn't participate in Saturday's practice, and it's unclear if he will play in Game 1 versus Montreal on Monday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.

Fehervary didn't play in Washington's regular-season finale against Pittsburgh on Thursday. If the 25-year-old Fehervary is unavailable for the team's playoff opener, Alexander Alexeyev could be in the lineup.