NHL Player News
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Jake McCabe D | TOR
Maple Leafs' Jake McCabe: Chips in with helper
McCabe notched an assist and blocked three shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators in Game 4.
The helper was McCabe's first point in four playoff contests. The 31-year-old blueliner has added 11 blocks, three hits, two shots on net and a plus-2 rating. He missed the last seven games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury, but he's had no trouble stepping back into a top-four role during postseason play. McCabe had 23 points, 118 hits, 135 blocks and a plus-23 rating over 66 regular-season outings, so he'll fill more of a shutdown role in the playoffs.
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Artem Zub D | OTT
Senators' Artem Zub: Garners helper in Game 4 win
Zub notched an assist in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4.
Zub picked up his first point of the postseason on a David Perron tally in the third period. The 29-year-old Zub has added two hits, six blocked shots, three shots on net and a minus-2 rating over four contests. He's playing in a top-four role as a shutdown defenseman, so expect his scoring to be limited while he continues to focus on his own zone.
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson D | TOR
Maple Leafs' Oliver Ekman-Larsson: Second goal of postseason
Ekman-Larsson scored a goal Saturday in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators in Game 4.
It was a beauty one-timer off a cross-ice pass from William Nylander that tied the game 3-3 in the third. It was Ekman-Larsson's second goal (six shots) in four playoff games this year. OEL came into the postseason off a 29-point regular season, and his leadership on the Toronto blue line -- especially after winning Lord Stanley's Cup last season -- could help carry the Leafs far.
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Ryan McDonagh D | TB
Lightning's Ryan McDonagh: Two assists in Saturday's win
McDonagh posted two assists in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Panthers in Game 3.
McDonagh has three helpers, five shots on net, five hits, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating over three playoff contests. He had a hand in goals by Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel in this contest. McDonagh's top-four role isn't in question, and he's been providing well-rounded numbers with a bit of offense and plenty of defensive work over the last two months.
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Devon Toews D | COL
Avalanche's Devon Toews: Bags apple in win
Toews logged a power-play assist and two PIM in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Toews set up Nathan MacKinnon's goal late in the first period. Through four playoff games, Toews has two points, four shots on net, two hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating. The 31-year-old will continue to focus on defense and chip in offense when he can while playing a massive role on the Avalanche's top pairing.
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Samuel Girard D | COL
Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Adds insurance tally
Girard scored a goal on three shots and added three hits in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Stars in Game 4.
Girard scored midway through the third period to produce the final score. The 26-year-old defenseman has impressed in the postseason, earning a goal, two assists, six shots on net, seven hits, three blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over four contests. He's playing on the second pairing and has enough talent to continue to be a decent depth scorer on the blue line.
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Jake Sanderson D | OTT
Senators' Jake Sanderson: Keeps team in playoffs with OT goal
Sanderson scored a goal and added an assist Saturday in a 4-3 overtime win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4.
Sanderson fired a wrist shot from the left point that fluttered through traffic and past Anthony Stolarz's glove. It came at 17:42 of the overtime frame. Sanderson, the Sens' top defender in 2024-25, has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last two games. He became the third-youngest member of the Senators to score a playoff OT goal (22 years, 292 days), behind Martin Havlat (21 years, seven days) and Kyle Turris (22 years, 248 days). The series returns to Toronto on Tuesday, with the Maple Leafs leading 3-1.
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Troy Stecher D | EDM
Oilers' Troy Stecher: Available for Game 4
Stecher (undisclosed) has been cleared from his injury and is available to play in Game 4 on Sunday versus the Kings, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reports.
If Stecher draws in, it'll likely be to replace Ty Emberson on the third pairing. Don't expect to see Stecher get much ice time, as the Oilers will likely continue to lean on their top blueliners throughout the postseason.
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Robert Hagg D | LV
Golden Knights' Robert Hagg: Black Aces summoned from minors
Hagg was summoned from AHL Henderson on Saturday, per the NHL media site.
Vegas also promoted Matyas Sapovaliv, Tanner Laczynski, Raphael Lavoie, Dysin Mayo, Callahan Burke and Carl Lindbom to serve as Black Aces because AHL Henderson didn't qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights likely won't use any of these players during the NHL postseason, barring a lengthy run of injuries. However, this will be a chance for them to soak up the playoff environment while being around the team.
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Johnathan Kovacevic D | NJ
Devils' Johnny Kovacevic: Questionable for Sunday
Kovacevic (undisclosed) is questionable for Sunday's Game 4 matchup versus Carolina, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Kovacevic sustained an injury early into Friday's 3-2 double-overtime win over the Hurricanes in Game 3. He hasn't earned a point in three outings this postseason while posting two shots on goal and eight hits. If Kovacevic is out for Sunday's game, Seamus Casey or Dennis Cholowski could draw into the lineup.