NHL Player News

Forsberg led the Kings out for warmups Sunday and will start Game 1 against the Avalanche, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Forsberg spent much of the season as Darcy Kuemper's backup, playing in just 36 games in the regular season, but Forsberg will get the nod in goal for Game 1. The 33-year-old Forsberg earned it with a fantastic month of April, going 5-1-0 with a 1.48 GAA and a .944 save percentage. On the flip side, Kuemper allowed 19 goals over his final four starts of his regular season. Forsberg will have his hands full with the Avalanche, who led the league with 3.63 goals per game in the regular season.

Vejmelka was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports, indicating Vejmelka will defend the road net in Game 1 against Vegas on Sunday.

Vejmelka went 2-1-0 versus the Golden Knights during the regular season, allowing only five goals on 95 shots. He had a 38-20-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.75 GAA and an .896 save percentage across 64 appearances in the 2025-26 regular season.

Hart will get the start in net for Sunday's Game 1 against the Mammoth, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hart has appeared in only 18 games this season, but there aren't many hotter goalies in the sport right now. Since returning in April, the 27-year-old has won six straight starts and has allowed two goals or fewer in all but one of them. Hart has brought much-needed stability to a Golden Knights crease that has struggled this season overall. He brings an 11-3-3 record into the postseason with a 2.71 GAA and an .891 save percentage. The Mammoth ranked 12th in the NHL at 3.27 goals per game in the regular season.

Wedgewood will get the start in goal for Sunday's Game 1 against the Kings, Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports reports.

Wedgewood has appeared in four playoff games in his career, but this will be the first start in the playoffs for the 33-year-old. He had the best regular season of his career this year, playing in 45 games and going 31-6-6 with a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage. The Avalanche may use Mackenzie Blackwood at some point in the postseason as well, but it will be Wedgewood's net to open the postseason against the Kings, who had the fourth-worst offense in the NHL during the regular season at 2.68 goals per game.

Swayman will defend the road net against the Sabres on Sunday in Game 1, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

During the 2025-26 regular season, Swayman posted a 31-18-4 record with two shutouts, a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 55 appearances. He made 21 saves in a 3-1 win over Buffalo on Oct. 11 in his second game of the campaign.

Oettinger stopped 23 of 28 shots during the Stars' 6-1 loss to the Wild in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Saturday. Minnesota's final goal was scored into an empty net.

Two of the pucks to get past Oettinger came on Minnesota power plays, and there wasn't much he could do on the other three either, as his defense kept allowing high-danger chances from in close. The 27-year-old netminder had won five straight starts to close out the regular season, including two shutouts, but after Saturday's rout he sports a 2.99 GAA and .869 save percentage over his last 10 outings. Oettinger will look to bounce back in Game 2 on Monday.

Halverson was recalled from AHL Syracuse on Sunday.

Halverson could serve as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup in Game 1 against Montreal on Sunday if Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) remains unavailable. The 30-year-old Halverson posted a 24-11-6 record with a 2.42 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 43 AHL games during the 2025-26 regular season.

Wallstedt made 27 saves during the Wild's 6-1 win over the Stars in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Saturday.

A Jason Robertson power-play tally late in the second period spoiled Wallstedt's shutout bid, but the rookie netminder otherwise had an answer for everything Dallas fired his way. Wallstedt hasn't allowed more than two goals in seven straight starts dating back to March 19, and with Filip Gustavsson having struggled down the stretch during the regular season, Wallstedt is getting the chance to lock down the top job in the Wild crease for the team's postseason run.

Skinner stopped 17 of 20 shots in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 1.

Skinner was strong early on, but the Flyers scored a pair of goals in the third period. The 27-year-old Skinner went 4-5-4 with a 3.24 GAA and an .884 save percentage over 14 outings after the Olympic break. That's not a great run of form for the goalie, but he has the edge over Arturs Silovs for playing time. Skinner's experience could be the difference. Over three previous playoff runs, he has a combined 26-22 record with a 2.88 GAA, an .893 save percentage and four shutouts in 50 appearances. That includes taking the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the past two postseasons.

Vladar stopped 15 of 17 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Penguins in Game 1.

Vladar did his part, and the Flyers' defense also looked strong to limit the shots he faced. The 28-year-old netminder won five of his last six regular-season outings, posting a 1.81 GAA and a .921 save percentage in that span. Vladar will be the Flyers' clear No. 1 during their playoff run, though the Penguins should be able to offer a tougher challenge in later contests. Game 2 is set for Monday in Pittsburgh.