NHL Playoffs Buzz: Dorofeyev out for Golden Knights in Game 6

Welcome to the NHL Playoff Buzz. The postseason is underway, and NHL.com has you covered with all the latest news.

Dallas Stars

Jason Robertson has been upgraded to day to day, Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Thursday.

Robertson, who led the Stars with 35 goals in the regular season, sustained a lower-body injury at the Nashville Predators on April 16 and has not played in the Western Conference First Round against the Colorado Avalanche.

The forward is skating and doing a little more each day, DeBoer said.

"I would say he's definitely not week to week," DeBoer said. "I would call him more day to day now. He's starting to get into that area, so he's still got some hurdles to go."

Miro Heiskanen, the Stars' No. 1 defenseman, is skating with the team but remains out with a lower-body injury. He hasn't played since Jan. 28.

Defenseman Nils Lundkvist is skating but further from a return. He hasn't played since Jan. 21 and was expected to be out for the season recovering from shoulder surgery.

"I guess if we played deep enough into the playoffs, they might revisit that, but we're not in that neighborhood," DeBoer said. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika

Vegas Golden Knights

Forward Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) will not play when the Golden Knights face the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round on Thursday (7:30 ET; FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).

Dorofeyev left a 3-2 overtime win in Game 5 on Tuesday at 15:56 of the third period and did not return. He has one goal and one assist in the series after leading the team in goals with a career-high 35 and 52 points in the regular season.

He will be replaced in the lineup by Victor Olofsson, who played in the first three games of the series.

Vegas leads the best-of-7 series 3-2. -- Paul Delos Santos

New Jersey Devils

Johnathan Kovacevic will have knee surgery and doesn't expect to be ready for the start of training camp in September.

The defenseman was injured in the first period of a 3-2 double overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round. Carolina won the best-of-7 series in five games.

"It was actually the first shift of the period when I went into a hit, and my knee felt a little bit funny, a little off," Kovacevic said on Thursday. "I played the rest of the period, but in the intermission, got it checked out and the doctor said I can't go back out there.

"I'm still kind of sorting things out but it looks like I'm going to have to get surgery and I'll be out for a decent amount of time. I don't anticipate I'll be ready for the start of next year."

Kovacevic said he will likely remain in New Jersey the next 2-3 weeks. On March 7, he signed a five-year $20 million contract ($4 million average annual value) with New Jersey that begins next season.

Additionally, defenseman Brenden Dillon revealed Thursday he sustained a neck injury in the second period of a 4-1 loss in Game 1. He was pushed awkwardly to the ice by Hurricanes forward William Carrier at 11:35 of the second and never returned.

"It was obviously a scary incident on the ice," Dillon said. "I've never had any concussion, neck, back injury, really anything bad, ever in my career. I had my helmet and skates on ready to go out for the third, but after talking with people it was the right decision for me not to go back out. I'm appreciative to coach [Sheldon Keefe] and the medical staff for pointing me in the right direction."

Dillon expects to have a normal summer of training and be ready for training camp. -- Mike G. Morreale