NHL Player News

Lehkonen is expected to undergo a shoulder procedure according to general manager Chris MacFarland, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports Thursday.

Lehkonen was red hot during the opening round series against the Jets, scoring a goal in each of the five games, but was relatively quiet against Dallas. In the six games versus the Stars, the 28-year-old winger tallied just one goal to go with two assists and 14 shots. At this point, the expectation is that Lehkonen will be ready for the start of training camp in the fall.

Hakanpaa (lower body) will not be in the lineup for Game 1 against Edmonton on Thursday, Stars' radio host Owen Newkirk reports.

Hakanpaa will miss his 27th straight game, including the last 13 games of the regular season. The defenseman was a force on the blue line when he was in the lineup, blocking 123 shots and picking up 196 hits in 64 games. He has not been practicing and there remains no timetable for his return.

Oettinger will guard the home crease Thursday in Game 1 against the Oilers, according to Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com.

Oettinger was outstanding Friday in clinching the Stars' second round series, as he turned aside 29 shots in a 2-1 double-overtime win over Colorado. Oettinger is 8-5 with a 2.09 GAA and a .918 save percentage, over the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was 1-0-1 in the regular season versus Edmonton, giving up four goals on 55 shots.

Landeskog (knee) will not be retiring and is focusing on returning for the 2024-25 campaign, Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports Thursday.

Landeskog's future was understandably in doubt considering he hasn't played in an NHL game since June of 2022. If given the all-clear ahead of next season, the 31-year-old winger should be in contention for a top-six role and should still be capable of putting up 25-30 goals.

Hintz (upper body) will not be in the lineup for Game 1 versus Edmonton on Thursday, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Coach Peter DeBoer is hopeful that Hintz will be healthy enough to return for Game 2 on Saturday. The top-line center will miss his third straight game, after he was injured during Game 4 in the second round, versus Colorado. Hintz has two goals and six points in 11 playoff games this season and will be replaced on the top line by Wyatt Johnston.

Skinner will tend the twine on the road in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Stars on Thursday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Skinner has faced less than 20 shots in each of his last four appearances, posting a 3-1 record to go with a 2.66 GAA and .848 save percentage over that stretch. Despite being benched for Games 4 and 5 of the Oilers' second-round series versus Vancouver, the 25-year-old backstop was able to reclaim the starting role from Calvin Pickard for the final two games of the best-of-seven series. Skinner will likely remain the preferred choice in net for Edmonton during the Western Conference Finals.

Bobrovsky will get the starting nod on the road against the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.

Bobrovsky is sporting a 2.37 GAA and a .902 save percentage through 11 postseason contests. He's been getting plenty of offensive support, as the Panthers have averaged 3.55 goals in the postseason, the most of any team remaining in the playoffs. Bobrovsky will be squaring off with Igor Shesterkin on the other side.

Shesterkin is expected to guard the home goal against Florida in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.

Shesterkin has led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Finals by posting an 8-2 record, 2.40 GAA and .923 save percentage in 10 playoff appearances this year. However, the 28-year-old goaltender has allowed at least three goals in each of his past three starts. Florida has excelled offensively in the postseason, averaging 3.55 goals per contest, so the Panthers will be a challenging adversary for Shesterkin.

Lindgren (undisclosed) is good to play in Game 1 against Florida on Wednesday, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today.

Lindgren's availability was put into question Tuesday because he stayed off the ice for a third straight day for maintenance reasons. It's possible the 26-year-old is playing through something, but it seems whatever that might be won't be enough to keep him out of the lineup. Lindgren has one assist, four PIM, 13 hits and 12 blocks in 10 playoff contests this year while averaging 20:36 of ice time.

Pospisil (upper body) will miss the remainder of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, per Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun.

Pospisil was doing phenomenal at the tournament, providing three goals and seven points in seven games with Team Slovakia, but he sustained the injury during Monday's contest versus Sweden. The severity of his injury isn't known yet, so it's not clear if Pospisil's offseason training or availability for the start of the 2024-25 campaign will be impacted. The 24-year-old recorded eight goals, 24 points, 107 PIM and 238 hits in 63 contests with Calgary as a rookie in 2023-24.