NHL Player News

Kiviranta (undisclosed) is day-to-day, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports Saturday.

Kiviranta missed the final two games of Colorado's first-round series win over the Kings. He hasn't been practicing, and it's unclear if he will be an option for Game 1 of Round 2 against Minnesota on Sunday. Kiviranta hasn't earned a point in two appearances this postseason while chipping in three shots on goal and five hits.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday that McAvoy was offered an in-person hearing for slashing Buffalo's Zach Benson on Friday.

McAvoy could begin the 2026-27 campaign with a suspension of six or more games because of the incident. He produced 11 goals, 61 points, 111 shots on net, 129 blocked shots and 79 hits across 69 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. He also had two assists, 13 shots on goal, 13 blocked shots and 16 hits in six 2026 playoff outings during Boston's first-round series loss to the Sabres.

Gudas (lower body) skated on his own Saturday, and the Ducks hope to have him back at some point during their second-round series against Vegas, per Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune.

Gudas hasn't been in the lineup since April 20 due to the injury. He had two goals, 13 points, 67 PIM and 164 hits in 56 regular-season outings. Based on the framing of Gudas' timeline, it doesn't sound like he will be ready for Game 1 against Vegas. When Gudas is available, Tyson Hinds might be the blueliner who exits the lineup.

Dahlin logged two assists, five shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Dahlin set up Alex Tuch on the opening tally and Josh Norris on the empty-netter to put the Sabres through to the second round. Over six games in the first round, Dahlin earned a goal, three assists, 21 shots on net, 10 hits, six blocked shots, six PIM and a plus-3 rating. The 26-year-old defenseman will continue to lead the Sabres' blue line and should offer well-rounded production for fantasy purposes.

Thompson logged two assists, five shots on goal, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 4-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Thompson had the secondary helper on both of the Sabres' first-period goals, which ended up being the difference in this series-clinching win. The 28-year-old contributed two goals, five assists, 26 shots on net, 10 hits, six blocked shots, 18 PIM and a plus-7 rating over six outings in his first playoff series. Thompson will look to remain effective and productive in a top-line role as the Sabres turn their sights to the second round against either the Canadiens or the Lightning.

Norris scored an empty-net goal on two shots, added five hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 4-1 win over the Bruins in Game 6.

Norris had missed the previous three games due to an undisclosed injury. With the empty-netter, the 26-year-old center has earned his first career playoff point, coming in his third postseason game. The center should continue to see middle-six minutes and power-play time if he can remain healthy. He was limited to 34 points, 69 shots on net, 24 hits, 27 blocked shots and 28 PIM over 44 regular-season outings.

Eriksson Ek (lower body) is questionable for Game 1 against Colorado on Sunday, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Eriksson Ek will travel with his teammates ahead of Minnesota's Round 2 series opener against the Avalanche. He fell awkwardly into the boards in Game 6 against Dallas on Thursday, but he managed to return to the contest. However, he didn't participate in Saturday's practice.

Brodin (lower body) will miss at least the beginning of Minnesota's second-round series against Colorado, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports Saturday.

Brodin won't accompany the Wild to Colorado ahead of Game 1 on Sunday. He also probably won't be available for Game 2, barring a change to his travel plans, and it's still unclear when he will return to the lineup. He sustained the injury in Tuesday's 4-2 victory against the Stars. Due to Brodin's absence, Jeff Petry played in Thursday's series-clinching 5-2 win over Dallas in Game 6.

Nikishin (concussion) appears poised to be a game-time decision against Philadelphia on Saturday in Game 1, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Nikishin still has one more test to take before clearing concussion protocol, and the Hurricanes will determine his playing status closer to pregame warmups. He hasn't earned a point in four playoff appearances, collecting two shots on goal, five blocked shots and six hits. The 24-year-old rookie registered 11 goals and 22 assists in 81 games during the 2025-26 regular season.

Ehlers (lower body) is expected to be in the lineup for Game 1 against Philadelphia on Saturday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.

Ehlers sat out last Saturday's series-clinching 4-2 win over Ottawa, but he will be available for the start of the second round of the postseason. He has supplied one assist, seven shots on goal, four blocked shots and four hits over three appearances during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ehlers will probably skate on the third line and work on the top power-play unit in Saturday's Game 1 matchup. During the 2025-26 regular season, he earned two goals and three points in four outings against the Flyers.