NHL Player News

Hague (lower body) will miss Game 3 on Saturday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hague had two goals, 12 points, 43 PIM, 154 hits and 111 blocks in 73 appearances in 2023-24. He also missed Wednesday's 3-1 win over Dallas due to the injury. Alec Martinez is likely to remain in the lineup due to Hague's continued absence.

Talbot is expected to start at home against Edmonton on Friday, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.

Talbot has struggled against the Oilers, allowing 10 goals on 75 shots (.867 save percentage) over two playoff contests. Edmonton ranked fourth offensively with 3.56 goals per game in the regular season, so the squad is likely to continue to give the veteran goaltender trouble, especially because Talbot's been floundering for a while now. He has a 2.92 GAA and an .897 save percentage over his past 17 outings dating back to March 7.

Shesterkin is slated to start on the road against Washington on Friday, according to Seth Orlemann of USA Today.

Shesterkin won the first two games of the series while stopping 42 of 46 shots (.913 save percentage). The Capitals ranked 28th offensively with just 2.63 goals per game in the regular season, so it's not surprising that they haven't given Shesterkin much trouble in the first round. That said, the series moving to Washington might help the Capitals, who were 22-12-7 at home compared to 18-19-4 on the road during the 2023-24 campaign.

Per Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun, Lyubushkin (personal) missed practice Friday, but is an option to play Saturday, according to coach Sheldon Keefe.

Lyubushkin left the team for the birth of his third child after Wednesday's loss to Boston. The 30-year-old rearguard is expected to return ahead of Game 4 versus Boston on Saturday. Lyubushkin had four assists, 64 hits and 30 blocked shots in 19 games with the Maple Leafs after he was dealt from Anaheim on Feb. 29. Look for Timothy Liljegren to remain in the lineup, should Lyubushkin be unavailable Saturday.

Hellebuyck will defend the road crease in Colorado on Friday, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.

Hellebuyck has struggled in the opening two games of the series, despite going 1-1, as he has allowed 10 goals on 77 shots. Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Colorado snapped Hellebuyck's six-game winning streak. He was 37-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 60 regular-season appearances. The Avalanche have had no problem finding the back of the net thus far, and will hope to continue the trend as the series shifts to Colorado for Games 3 and 4.

Annunen (illness) will back up Alexandar Georgiev on Friday versus Winnipeg, per Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.

Annunen missed the first two games of the series with an illness, but he is well enough to sit on the bench as Georgiev's backup netminder. Annunen was 8-4-1 with a 2.25 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 14 regular-season appearances.

Georgiev will be between the pipes at home for Game 3 versus Winnipeg on Friday, Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette reports.

Georgiev was downright bad in Game 1 on Sunday, giving up seven goals on 23 shots (.696 save percentage), but he bounced back in Game 2 to even up the best-of-seven series. With Justus Annunen (illness) ready to serve as the backup Friday, a bad performance in Game 3 could see Georgiev relegated to the No. 2 role going forward.

Marchment (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's Game 3 versus Vegas, according to Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine.

Marchment was injured in the third period during Wednesday's Game 2 and did not return. The Stars recalled Mavrik Bourque on Friday, giving the team an insurance policy in case Marchment or Radek Faksa (undisclosed) is unable to play Saturday.

Faksa (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day ahead of Saturday's Game 3 clash with Vegas, Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine reports.

Faksa has gone pointless in eight straight games, including the Stars' two postseason clashes against the Golden Knights. Ty Dellandrea could see his first ice time since April 6 against Chicago on Saturday if Faksa is officially ruled out.

Saros is on track to patrol the home crease versus Vancouver in Game 3 on Friday, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reports.

Saros has gone 1-1 while allowing four goals on 38 shots through the first two games of the series. Saros had some ups and downs this season, winning 35 games while logging sub-par peripheral stats with a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage. He'll continue to operate as a workhorse in goal for Nashville throughout its playoff run.