NHL Player News

Andersen is expected to protect the home net in Game 2 against Montreal on Saturday, per Walt Ruff and Peter Dewar of the Hurricanes' official site.

Andersen is coming off a 16-save effort in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After allowing only 10 goals in the first two rounds of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he surrendered five to Montreal in Thursday's defeat. Andersen has an 8-1 record with two shutouts, a 1.51 GAA and a .932 save percentage through nine appearances this postseason.

Wedgewood allowed two goals on 24 shots in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Wedgewood was unable to get a 1-0 lead across the finish line in the third period. He allowed the two goals in a span of 2:07 in the middle of the frame, and the Avalanche's offense couldn't bail him out. Prior to this series, Wedgewood hadn't lost consecutive games in regulation since Jan. 4-6. He's stopped 46 of 51 shots against Vegas so far. It's unclear if head coach Jared Bednar is planning on a goaltending change for Game 3 in Vegas on Sunday, but Wedgewood has been decent despite the results going against him.

Hart stopped 29 of 30 shots in Friday's 3-1 win over the Avalanche in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

Hart's certainly been tested in this series, but he's won two games on the road to put the Golden Knights in an outstanding position. He's turned aside 65 of 68 shots across those two victories and has matched his longest winning streak of the postseason (four games). It looks like it would take an injury to get Hart out of Vegas' crease at this point. Expect the 27-year-old to tend the twine on home ice in Game 3 on Sunday.

Hart will guard the road goal in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals versus the Avalanche on Friday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hart stopped 36 of 38 shots to earn the win in Game 1, and he'll look to repeat that effort to give the Golden Knights a commanding series lead. Overall, he has gone 9-4 with a 2.35 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 13 playoff outings.

Wedgewood is expected to guard the cage at home against Vegas in Game 2 on Friday, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reports.

Wedgewood will get the nod despite giving up three goals on 27 shots (.889 save percentage) in a Game 1 defeat to the Golden Knights. In the postseason, the 33-year-old backstop is 7-2 with a 2.32 GAA and .911 save percentage in nine outings. Even with the club giving Wedgewood the start, he figures to be on a short leash; another tough outing could give Mackenzie Blackwood another opportunity.

Andersen allowed five goals on 21 shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Andersen wasn't the only one to blame for this showing after a 12-day break, as the Hurricanes' defense was unusually shaky. He allowed as many goals in this contests as he did in each of the series sweeps the Hurricanes earned in the first two rounds. Even with a dud on his line, Andersen is 8-1 with a 1.51 GAA and a .932 save percentage over nine playoff games. He'll likely get the chance to bounce back in Game 2 on Saturday, but the Canadiens have already proven to be more of a challenge than either of the Flyers or Senators.

Dobes allowed two goals on 27 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Dobes gave up a goal 33 seconds into the game, but he allowed just one more while the Canadiens' offense handled the rest. This gave him consecutive wins for just the second time in the postseason. He's up to 9-6 with a 2.48 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 15 starts this postseason. This won't be an easy series, but Dobes has proven himself up to the challenge throughout the playoffs, so expect him to start Game 2 on Saturday.

Romanov posted a 20-save shutout in AHL Springfield's 2-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Game 4 on Thursday.

Romanov helped Springfield force a Game 5 with this win. He's allowed just seven goals on 119 shots over four games against WBS in the Atlantic Division Finals. Romanov is 7-3 with two shutouts, a 1.52 GAA and a .949 save percentage in 10 playoff contests.

Andersen will protect the home goal in Thursday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Canadiens, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Andersen is undefeated in the playoffs this year, going 8-0 with a 1.12 GAA and a .950 save percentage over the first two rounds. The 36-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down and should continue to operate as Carolina's No. 1 in goal. Andersen will face a Canadiens team that is averaging 3.07 goals per game this postseason.

Dobes will be between the road pipes in Game 1 against the Hurricanes on Thursday, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.

Dobes has started all 14 postseason games for the Habs this year, going 8-6 with a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage. The young netminder has been significantly better on the road in the playoffs, posting a 6-2 record compared to his 2-4 numbers at home.