NHL Player News

Goncalves notched an assist and three hits in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.

Goncalves is set to fill a middle-six role in the postseason, though he had an impressive 20:07 of ice time Tuesday in his playoff debut. He also earned his first postseason point with a helper on a Brayden Point goal. Goncalves established himself with 20 points, 61 shots on net, 71 hits and a plus-7 rating over 60 regular-season appearances. He'll be a depth option in fantasy playoff pools, though the Lightning will need to turn things around after a disappointing Game 1.

Gaudette scored the game-tying goal to force overtime in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday.

Gaudette deflected a point shot past Anthony Stolarz at 14:47 of the third after a rare Leafs giveaway. It was his first playoff goal and point (12 games). Gaudette has averaged just 8:08 of ice time this postseason after averaging 10:25 across 81 games this season. He's a bit player -- so, nice game, but he's not fantasy material.

Point scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.

Point got the Lightning back within three goals at 13:04 of the second period, but a comeback never materialized. The center's offense was a bit unsteady late in the season -- he earned four goals and five assists over the last nine regular-season games, but three of those outings were multi-point efforts. The 29-year-old totaled 42 goals, 40 assists, 189 shots on net and a plus-17 rating over 77 regular-season contests, so he should be heavily involved in the scoring for the Lightning in the playoffs.

Guentzel scored a power-play goal on six shots and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.

Guentzel has scored four times over his last four games, including two power-play goals in that span. His first year with the Lightning saw the winger tally a career-best 41 goals while reaching the 80-point mark for the second time in his career. He's locked into a top-six role and a spot on the first power-play unit, so he should be a significant factor in the Lightning's offense during the playoffs.

Cirelli (undisclosed) did not finish Tuesday's Game 1 versus the Panthers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Cirelli left the bench a couple of times in the second period and didn't return after the second departure. There was no information on his status after the contest. His status for Game 2 on Thursday is up in the air -- if Cirelli can't play, Mitchell Chaffee would likely enter the lineup.

Verhaeghe notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Verhaeghe helped out on a go-ahead goal by Sam Reinhart late in the first period. The 29-year-old Verhaeghe is turning things around with at least one point in six straight games (three goals, four assists). He had a mediocre regular season of 20 goals and 53 points in 81 appearances, a drop of 19 points compared to 2023-24. He's still logging top-line minutes to begin the playoffs, which puts him in a position to rack up plenty of offense.

Barkov notched two power-play assists, three hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Barkov helped out on goals by Matthew Tkachuk and Nate Schmidt as the Panthers ran away with the series opener. The 29-year-old Barkov was limited to four of the last nine regular-season games and managed to put up a goal and three assists in that span. He dealt with an upper-body injury for part of that time, but the captain will likely lead by example and play through the pain during the playoffs. He had a total of 20 goals and 71 points in 67 regular-season appearances.

Domi scored the game-winning goal in overtime in a 3-2 win over the Senators.

Domi, who's usually a pass-first guy, decided to change things up with a shoot-first shift in OT. His first shot was stopped, but his second, which came off a drop pass from Simon Benoit, was a ripper off the left post and in past Linus Ullmark. Domi has an offensive streak in him, but it's hard to put up a load of points in the bottom six. However, the Leafs will go far if he can deliver secondary scoring this postseason.

Bennett scored a goal, dished an assist, doled out seven hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Bennett opened the scoring at 3:44 of the first period and helped out on the first of Nate Schmidt's two goals later in the contest. This was Bennett's first multi-point effort since his two-goal game versus Utah on March 27. He was limited to two helpers over the six contests in between, though he also missed four games due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old is known for elevating his game in the playoffs, and if he can do that after a career-best 51-point regular season, he'll give the Panthers valuable scoring from a second-line role.

Reinhart scored a goal on two shots, dished a power-play assist, added four PIM and logged two hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Reinhart racked up eight goals and nine assists over his last 17 games of the regular season, a span that included six multi-point efforts. The Panthers rested many players, including Reinhart, late in the season, and he looked pretty fresh for Game 1. The 29-year-old is one of the team's most important all-around forwards. He had 39 goals, 42 assists, 213 shots on net, 103 hits, 62 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 79 regular-season contests while seeing top-six minutes.