Here's the latest injury news from across the NHL! Detailed injury updates usually become scarce during the playoffs, presumably because teams don't want the opposition to target their injured players. As a result, the Injury Ward article will probably be put on hold until the offseason, when we'll review the injury landscape ahead of next year's campaign. If you ever need injury updates for a specific player, shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.

Craig Smith – Is officially day-to-day with a lower-body injury after taking a leg-on-leg hit in Game One against the Islanders. The injury kept him out of the lineup for Game Two, with Jake DeBrusk taking his spot alongside David Krejci and Taylor Hall on the second line. Smith was on the ice for Wednesday's practice, skating alongside his regular line mates and returning to his usual spot on the team's second power-play unit. It's not official yet, but that certainly suggests he'll be back in the lineup for Game Three on Thursday.

Tuukka Rask – The Bruins netminder is dealing with some nagging injuries but is still expected to start in Game Three against the Islanders on Thursday night. We don't know the nature of these ailments but it's worth mentioning that Rask missed stretches in March and April with a back injury. He's been great in the playoffs so far, posting a 2.06 GAA and .930 save percentage through seven appearances. With that being said, his most recent performance was his worst as he allowed four goals on 39 shots in Game Two against New York.

Vincent Trocheck – Left Game Two against the Lightning after a leg-on-leg collision with teammate Warren Foegele. When asked about Trocheck's status after the game, coach Rod Bring'Amour said "it doesn't look good". On Wednesday morning, Brind'Amour said that Trocheck was still being evaluated, so hopefully we'll get a more substantial update soon.

Nino Niederreiter – The Hurricanes forward missed Game One and Two with an upper-body injury and is "very, very doubtful" to return in Round Two of the playoffs. Cedric Paquette entered the lineup in Niederreiter's absence and Jordan Martinook was bumped up to the second line with Martin Necas and Vincent Trocheck.

Jonas Brodin – The defenseman sprained his left shoulder in Minnesota's Game Seven loss to the Golden Knights. It'll take a couple of weeks before he can start training again, but the injury isn't expected to affect his availability for the start of next season. 

Jon Merrill – On May 29^th, coach Dominique Ducharme revealed that Merrill would be sidelined for a week or two with an injury. On Wednesday morning, Ducharme said the lineup that played Game Seven against the Leafs would be the same one to play Game One against the Jets – which means no Merrill to start round two.

Artturi Lehkonen – The Canadiens forward appeared to suffer a head injury in Game Three of the first round after Rasmus Sandin unintentionally made contact with him up high. Lehkonen was sidelined for the remainder of the Montreal's first round series but he has been skating recently. Based on the team's Wednesday morning skate, it doesn't seem like there will be any changes from the Game Seven lineup – which means Lehkonen probably won't play in Game One against the Jets.

Oliver Wahlstrom – Reportedly suffered a leg injury after colliding with Mike Matheson and crashing into the boards awkwardly during Game Five against the Penguins.  He has been skating recently, but is officially day-to-day and isn't expected to play in Game Three against the Bruins on Thursday.

Kevin Hayes – The 29-year-old center underwent core muscle surgery last week, which comes with a recovery timeline of five weeks. After posting a 64-point-pace during the 2018-2019 campaign, Hayes paced for 49 points during the 2019-2020 season and 46 points in 2021. That performance in 2018-2019 is looking more and more like an outlier, but perhaps this surgery addresses an issue that had been holding him back recently.

Casey DeSmith – The Penguins netminder was dealing with a soft tissue groin injury at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. That explains why he wasn't able to step in for Tristan Jarry, who posted a disappointing 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage in the postseason.

Evgeni Malkin – The Russian superstar was dealing with a knee injury during the playoffs, but still managed five points in his four appearances. That sort of sums up Malkin's career: injured often, but deadly when healthy.

David Savard – An upper-body injury caused Savard to miss the first two games of Tampa's second round series against Carolina. Coach Jon Cooper says he expects to see Savard at some point in this series and that the defenseman may return in Game Three.

Jake Muzzin – The Leafs defenseman suffered a groin injury in Game Six against the Canadiens, which kept him sidelined for Game Seven. The injury came with a recovery timeline of at least three weeks, so it doesn't sound like something that will affect his availability for the beginning of next season. Muzzin was a solid option in multicategory leagues during the regular season this year, posting 103 shots, 101 hits, 94 blocks and 42 points through 53 appearances.

John Tavares – Toronto's captain sustained a concussion and knee injury after taking an accidental knee to the head from Corey Perry in Game One against the Canadiens. Fortunately, he didn't experience any structural damage to his head, neck or spine. The knee injury came with a recovery timeline of two weeks, which has just about run its course. However, recovering from a concussion is an unpredictable process that you can't really put a timetable on. Tavares had been skating recently and says he's doing really well.

John Carlson – The Capitals defenseman hurt his knee late the season after taking a puck to the leg. The injury may require surgery, but that decision hasn't been made just yet. 

Alex Ovechkin – Washington's captain suffered a leg injury on April 22^nd which caused him to miss seven of the team's final eight games of the regular season. In addition, Ovechkin dealt with a back problem during the playoffs. He didn't take any medicine or shots for the injury and he said the ailment didn't affect his play during the postseason.

T.J. Oshie – Suffered a "little tweak" to the midsection area late in the regular season. Even though he wasn't at 100-percent, he still managed four points in his five playoff appearances. The injury won't require surgery and Oshie expects he'll be able to start training again in a few weeks.

Lars Eller – The 32-year-old center suffered a groin injury in Game Two of Washington's series against Boston. He also dealt with a groin issue during the regular season, as well as a shoulder and neck injury. Fortunately, none of the ailments are expected to affect his offseason training or his availability for the start of next year's campaign.