NHL Player News

Crozier (abdomen) will be activated off long-term injured reserve and play Wednesday versus the Rangers, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.

Crozier hasn't been in the lineup since Feb. 1 after having surgery to repair a core muscle injury, so this will allow him to get back up to speed before the playoffs. The 25-year-old defenseman has a goal, 10 points, 40 PIM, 38 hits and 31 blocks in 34 outings in 2025-26. Crozier will likely serve on the Lightning's third pairing.

Rittich turned aside 19 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Goals by Nikolaj Ehlers in the first period and Mark Jankowski in the third sent Rittich to the loss in the Islanders' season finale. The 33-year-old Rittich wraps up his first, and potentially his last, season on Long Island with a 14-10-3 record, a 2.76 GAA and an .894 save percentage. Rittich will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and shouldn't have trouble finding a landing spot with a team in need of an experienced No. 2.

Bussi stopped 28 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Islanders.

Pyotr Kochetkov was supposed to start the regular-season finale and even took part in warmups. However, he was ineligible to play due to what the team described as a "roster technicality." As a result, Bussi was in action for a second straight night and played well. He wraps up his first NHL campaign with a 31-6-2 record, a 2.47 GAA and an .894 save percentage. The 27-year-old netminder went 6-0-1 over his final seven starts with a 2.53 GAA and .887 save percentage. It's not yet clear which goalie will get the nod between the pipes when Carolina begins its postseason run.

Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off during Wednesday's morning skate, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Rangers.

Vasilevskiy has been effective over six starts in April, going 4-2-0 with a 2.19 GAA and .912 save percentage. He'll get a final tune-up during Wednesday's regular-season finale, and he's slated to operate as the Lightning's No. 1 netminder once the postseason gets underway.

Tkachuk (personal) is set to play in Florida's season finale against Detroit on Wednesday, per Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site.

Tkachuk missed Florida's past four games. He has 13 goals and 32 points in 30 appearances in 2025-26. Tkachuk will likely serve on the top line and first power-play unit in his return, which might lead to a reduced role for Jesper Boqvist.

Greaves made 19 saves in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Washington.

He didn't get enough support to pick up a win in the season finale, but Greaves heads into the offseason as the clear top option in the Columbus crease. Over 55 outings, Greaves posted a 26-19-9 record with a 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage. Greaves becomes a restricted free agent in the summer, and the Blue Jackets could make a strong push to lock the 25-year-old netminder up on a long-term deal.

Bobrovsky was the first goalie to leave the ice Wednesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports, indicating he'll be in goal at home versus Detroit.

Bobrovsky saw himself relegated to the No. 2 role down the stretch, playing in just four of the Panthers' last 11 contests. In those outings, the veteran netminder went 1-3-0 with a 3.76 GAA. Bobrovsky will head into the offseason as a free agent and will likely need to take a pay cut, whether he stays with Florida or moves elsewhere.

Ovechkin recorded a power-play assist in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets.

In what could be his final NHL game, Ovechkin helped set up Jakob Chychrun for the game-winning goal late in the third period. The 40-year-old Ovechkin has yet to decide whether he'll return in 2026-27. However, he proved he is still capable of making a significant contributions, wrapping up the season with 32 goals and 64 points while playing all 82 games for the Capitals.

Nadeau was sent down to AHL Chicago on Wednesday.

Nadeau has logged 51 AHL games this season, garnering 26 goals and 27 helpers. The 20-year-old forward had three goals, 12 shots and 21 hits in 12 regular-season games with the Hurricanes in 2025-26. The No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft has spent most of the past two campaigns in the minors.

Unger Sorum was reassigned to AHL Chicago on Wednesday.

Unger Sorum made his NHL debut Tuesday and registered an assist in Carolina's 2-1 victory over the Islanders. He'll return to the Wolves, who are preparing for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Unger Sorum has 16 goals and 63 points in 69 appearances with the minor-league squad.