NHL Player News

Poulin scored two goals in AHL Bakersfield's 5-2 win over San Jose on Friday.

Poulin's offense has reached another level this season with 21 goals and 49 points over 70 appearances between Bakersfield and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Both of those marks are career highs for him. Poulin hasn't made his Oilers debut yet since he was dealt from the Penguins as part of the Tristan Jarry trade.

Postava recorded a 24-save shutout in AHL Grand Rapids' 8-0 win over Milwaukee on Friday.

Postava has won his last four games, including a pair of shutouts in that span. For the season, he's at 17-6-0 with a 1.71 GAA, a .937 save percentage and four shutouts over 25 appearances. Postava and Sebastian Cossa have mostly been sharing the crease this season, though it's not clear if Grand Rapids will roll with one goalie during the playoffs.

Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.

Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.

Wallstedt is expected to start on the road against Dallas for Game 1 on Saturday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Wallstedt finished the regular season with an 18-9-6 record, 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage across 35 appearances. Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson appeared in more regular-season games (50), but he struggled down the stretch, posting a 4.25 GAA and an .836 save percentage across his final six outings, which helps explain why Wallstedt is getting this opportunity. In contrast to Gustavsson, Wallstedt went 4-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and a .935 save percentage over seven appearances to end the 2025-26 campaign. The Stars will be a challenging adversary -- they were ninth in goals per game during the regular season with an average of 3.33.

Ostman was sent to AHL Coachella Valley on Friday.

Ostman stopped 33 of 35 shots in a 2-0 loss to Colorado on Thursday in his lone NHL appearance of 2025-26. The Kraken didn't make the playoffs, but Coachella Valley did, so Ostman will get some more work with the minor-league squad. The 25-year-old netminder has a 2.77 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 35 regular-season outings with Coachella Valley in 2025-26.

Kokko was sent down to AHL Coachella Valley on Friday.

Kokko saw action in three NHL games during his stint with the Kraken, posting a 1-2-0 record and 3.03 GAA. The Finnish netminder put up much better numbers with the Firebirds, going 18-10-2 with a .903 save percentage in 34 minor-league outings. With both Joey Daccord (lower body) and Philipp Grubauer (lower body) under contract next year, Kokko figures to be hard-pressed to see significant opportunities in the NHL.

Cooley (illness) plans to represent Team USA at the 2026 World Championship, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports Friday.

Cooley missed Calgary's season finale due to an illness, but he'll get in some more work before he begins his offseason. He had a 10-10-6 record, 2.69 GAA and .909 save percentage in 31 appearances in 2025-26 with the Flames, who didn't make the playoffs. The 28-year-old will be representing the United States for the first time in a World Championship.

Hildeby was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Hildeby saw plenty of action at the NHL level this season, as Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz suffered a plethora of injuries in 2025-26. Hildeby was 5-7-4 with one shutout, a 2.85 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 20 regular-season appearances for the Maple Leafs. He could challenge for a role with Toronto next season if either Woll or Stolarz is moved elsewhere.

Villalta was summoned from AHL Tucson on Friday.

Villalta will be the third goaltender for the Mammoth during the playoffs, likely seeing practice time when Karel Vejmelka or Vitek Vanecek play the previous night. Villalta was 16-12-3 with a 3.10 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 33 AHL regular-season games in 2025-26.

Pickard was called up from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis Friday.

Pickard had a tough go of things in the NHL this season, posting a 5-6-2 record with a 3.68 GAA and an .871 save percentage across 16 regular-season appearances. He was 4-3-1 with a 3.26 GAA and an .886 save percentage at the AHL level this season. There is no word on whether Connor Ingram or Tristan Jarry is injured at this time.