NHL Player News

Karlsson left the Lenovo Center after sustaining an apparent arm injury in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Karlsson was injured on a hit by Sean Walker in the second period and appeared to be favoring his arm. With his departure from the arena, it's safe to assume Karlsson will not return to the game, and his status for Game 6 in Vegas on Sunday is in doubt. Should the center miss that contest, the Golden Knights have a number of options they could designate to fill Karlsson's second-line spot, including Tomas Hertl, Mitch Marner and Brett Howden. Brandon Saad, Reilly Smith or Braeden Bowman would be the top candidates to enter the lineup.

Bussi is expected to start at home against Vegas for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday, per Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer.

Bussi stopped 18 of 19 shots in 45:26 of ice time en route to a 5-4 double-overtime loss to Vegas in Game 3 on Saturday. He served in relief of Frederik Andersen in that game, but Bussi got the start for Game 4 and posted a 5-3 victory by stopping 18 of 21 shots. The 27-year-old had a 31-6-2 record, 2.47 GAA and .894 save percentage in 39 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. Vegas has averaged 3.70 goals per game in the 2026 playoffs.

Hart will protect the road goal versus the Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Thursday.

Hart has allowed four goals in each game of the series so far, posting an .861 save percentage overall. Despite the poor showing, he's managed to snag a couple of wins. Hart will need to improve between the pipes or get a lot of goal support in this pivotal Game 5 matchup.

Kuefler inked a two-year, two-way contract with the Islanders on Thursday.

Kuefler has yet to make his NHL debut after spending the past three seasons playing in the minors, primarily with AHL Bridgeport. This year, the 2022 sixth-round pick notched 10 goals and 15 assists in 67 regular-season contests for the minor-league club. While the winger could make his NHL debut at some point during the 2026-27 campaign, he is likely to spend the bulk of the campaign in the minors with Bridgeport.

McCormick announced Wednesday that he's ending his playing career.

McCormick had eight goals, 13 points, 97 PIM and 163 hits in 94 career regular-season NHL outings. The 34-year-old hasn't appeared in an NHL game since the 2023-24 campaign, and he didn't play at all in 2025-26 due to a hip injury.

Puustinen signed a two-year contract with Lulea HF of the SHL on Wednesday.

Puustinen had 12 goals and 40 points in 59 AHL regular-season outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Colorado in 2025-26. The 27-year-old also has seven goals and 24 points in 66 career regular-season NHL appearances.

Howden scored a goal and added two hits in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Howden has yet to be held off the scoresheet against Carolina, racking up four goals and two assists over four contests. His tally Tuesday tied the game at 3-3 in the second period, but the Golden Knights weren't able to pull ahead. Howden has a playoff-best 14 goals -- two more than his regular-season total -- and has added four assists, 37 shots on net, 58 hits and a plus-14 rating over 20 appearances this postseason.

Stone scored a goal on five shots and added six hits in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stone has scored four goals and added an assist over six games since he returned from a lower-body injury. The winger got the Golden Knights on the board with a goal off a rush in the first period. He's up to seven tallies, 12 points, 34 shots, 31 hits and a minus-1 rating through 15 playoff appearances. Stone has been back in a top-six role lately after initially playing on the third line following his injury.

Karlsson scored a goal and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Karlsson earned both points in the second period to help the Golden Knights erase a two-goal deficit. He has picked up four points, seven shots on net and a plus-6 rating over four contests against the Hurricanes. Overall for the playoffs, the center has three goals, six helpers, 23 shots, 12 blocked shots and a plus-11 rating as a reliable top-six forward.

Hart stopped 23 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Hart was blitzed for three goals on 14 shots in the first period. The Golden Knights wiped out that deficit in the second, but Jordan Staal's second goal of the game at 6:32 of the third was the difference. Nothing has come easy for Hart in this series -- he's allowed four goals in each game, a total of 16 goals against on 115 shots, which has put extra pressure on the Vegas offense. There's been no indication that a change is coming in the crease, so Hart will likely get the chance to bounce back in a pivotal Game 5 in Carolina on Thursday.