NHL Player News

Nikishin (concussion) isn't expected to play in Monday's Game 2 against the Flyers, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Nikishin sustained a concussion during Game 4 of the Hurricanes' first-round series against Ottawa, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive matchup to begin the second round. However, he was cleared for contact late last week and seems to be trending in the right direction in his recovery process.

Siegenthaler (undisclosed) won't participate in the 2026 IIHF World Championship because of an injury, Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site reports Monday.

Siegenthaler still plans on being around the Swiss team during the tournament, but he won't be an option to play due to a late-season injury. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 16 assists, 60 shots on goal, 135 blocked shots and 92 hits across 82 appearances.

Engstrom was assigned to AHL Laval on Monday.

Engstrom had 10 goals and 34 points in 45 minor-league games during the 2025-26 regular season. It wouldn't be surprising if he played in Tuesday's playoff matchup against AHL Toronto.

Guhle notched two assists in Sunday's win over the Lightning in Game 7.

The 24-year-old blueliner helped set up tallies by Nick Suzuki in the first period and Alex Newhook in the third to propel Montreal into the second round. Guhle has four assists in the last four games, giving him plenty of momentum heading into a Game 1 of the second round versus the Sabres on Wednesday.

Hughes scored a goal on two shots and added two assists in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Avalanche in Game 1.

Hughes was one of 11 skaters for the Wild to get on the scoresheet, though he was the only one to earn multiple points. With this series being billed as a battle between top defensemen in Hughes and Colorado's Cale Makar, it's encouraging to see the headliners each earn three points in the opener. Hughes is up to three goals, eight assists, 15 shots on net, seven blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over seven playoff contests.

Blankenburg scored a goal on two shots and went minus-2 in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.

Blankenburg has played the last two games due to the absence of Josh Manson (upper body). This is Blankenburg's first year in the postseason, though he won't play all the time if the Avalanche's defense gets back to full health. He earned 24 points, 62 shots on net, 59 blocked shots and 55 hits over 61 regular-season appearances between Colorado and Nashville. Expect the 27-year-old blueliner to primarily work on the third pairing when in the lineup.

Malinski scored a goal on two shots, added an assist, logged three hits and went plus-3 in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.

Malinski opened the scoring at 11:12 of the first period and helped out on a Devon Toews tally in the second. The 27-year-old Malinski picked up some extra ice time as Cale Makar battled an injury issue during the contest. Through five playoff outings this year, Malinski has three points, 11 shots on net, 11 blocked shots, five hits and a plus-7 rating. He is seeing postseason action for the second time in his career after logging one assist over five games in last year's playoffs.

Toews scored a goal, dished three assists and went plus-4 in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.

Toews' performance in this contest surpassed his scoring total from all four games in the first round versus the Kings (one goal, two assists). The 32-year-old defenseman doesn't always make his presence felt on offense, but he should be good for steady top-four minutes while shutting down other teams' best forwards. Toews has two goals, five helpers, five shots on net, six blocked shots and a plus-7 rating over five playoff outings this year.

Makar scored twice on three shots, added an assist, blocked two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Wild in Game 1.

Makar missed a large portion of the first period due to an injury concern, which head coach Jared Bednar had no update on after the game, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com. The fact that Makar was not only able to return to the contest but also contribute is a positive sign, even if he's not at 100 percent. He was the only one of the 14 different goal scorers to pot multiple tallies Sunday. Makar has four goals, one assist, 15 shots on net, 13 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating over five playoff contests.

Dobson (thumb) is expected to play in Game 7 against Tampa Bay on Sunday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Dobson will make his 2026 playoff debut after getting injured against Columbus on April 11. In the 2025-26 regular season, he provided 12 goals, 47 points, 158 shots on net, 188 blocked shots and 62 hits in 80 games. Dobson will replace Arber Xhekaj in Sunday's lineup versus the Lightning.