NHL Player News
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Stuart Skinner G | PIT
Oilers' Stuart Skinner: Gets starting nod Wednesday
Skinner will patrol the crease on the road in Game 2 against Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.
Skinner was shelled in Game 1 to the tune of six goals on 30 shots (.800 save percentage) in a losing effort to the Kings. Despite the tough performance, the 26-year-old netminder will get the start ahead of Calvin Pickard, who went 22-10-1 in his 36 regular-season outings. If Skinner stumbles again, his hold on the No. 1 job should probably be in doubt.
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Pheonix Copley G | LA
Kings' Pheonix Copley: Returns to minors
Copley was reassigned to AHL Ontario on Wednesday.
Copley was serving as the Kings' third-string goaltender with Los Angeles. The 33-year-old has a 2.49 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 42 regular-season outings with Ontario in 2024-25. Carter George was recalled from Ontario in a corresponding move.
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Logan Thompson G | WAS
Capitals' Logan Thompson: Exits ice first Wednesday
Thompson was the first goalie to leave the ice Wednesday, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports, indicating he'll be in the crease at home for Game 2 against the Habs.
Thompson was stellar in Game 1, stopping 33 of 35 shots (.943 save percentage) in a 3-2 victory over the Habs. While Washington split the crease for much of the season this year, it seems Thompson will get an extended run as the No. 1 option ahead of Charlie Lindgren in the postseason.
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Frederik Andersen G | CAR
Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen: Sharp again Tuesday
Andersen made 25 saves in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Devils in Game 2 of their first-round series.
Jesper Bratt banged home a rebound less than four minutes into the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead, but Andersen shut the door the rest of the way. The 35-year-old netminder has had a brilliant start to Carolina's playoff run, allowing two goals on 50 shots in two straight wins. Andersen will look to keep rolling in Game 3 on Friday as the series shifts to New Jersey.
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Jacob Markstrom G | NJ
Devils' Jacob Markstrom: Gets little help in Game 2 loss
Markstrom stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2 of their first-round series.
New Jersey grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a Jesper Bratt tally, but the game belonged to Carolina after that, with the game-winner coming on a Jordan Martinook shorthanded rush early in the second. Markstrom has played well to begin the postseason, giving up five goals on 71 shots, but that hasn't stopped the Devils from falling into an 0-2 hole. They'll try to turn things around when the series shifts to Jersey for Game 3 on Friday.
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Adin Hill G | LV
Golden Knights' Adin Hill: Let down by defense
Hill surrendered four goals on 16 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Wild in Game 2. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Defensive miscues, especially in the first period, were the root cause of Hill's poor outing. This ended his four-game winning streak, and it was the first time he'd allowed four or more goals since giving up six to the Kings on March 9. Hill has allowed six goals on 36 shots over two playoff contests -- the Golden Knights have limited how many shots he's seeing, but they're having trouble answering the Wild's top line. The series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Thursday, and Hill will likely tend the twine in that contest.
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Filip Gustavsson G | MIN
Wild's Filip Gustavsson: Evens up series
Gustavsson stopped 30 of 32 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 2.
Gustavsson bounced back from a Game 1 loss, cruising to victory in Vegas on Tuesday to tie the series at one game apiece. The Wild scored the first four goals of this contest, giving Gustavsson enough of a lead to protect despite the Golden Knights' push over the last 30 minutes. The series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Thursday, and it's a safe assumption Gustavsson will again get the nod in goal.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Lit up in Game 1 loss
Vasilevskiy stopped 10 of 16 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.
The Lightning's shot suppression game was fine, but the Panthers cashed in on all three of their power-play chances, which ultimately was the difference. This was one of Vasilevskiy's worst outings in quite a while -- he didn't allow more than five goals in any start in 2024-25. The last time he allowed six goals was Feb. 17, 2024, which also came against the Panthers. Vasilevskiy will be the man between the pipes for the Lightning, so expect him to get a chance to redeem himself Thursday in Game 2.
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Linus Ullmark G | OTT
Senators' Linus Ullmark: Absorbs Game 2 loss in OT
Ullmark made 18 saves Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Toronto.
The loss wasn't on Ullmark -- the Leafs were the better team, even if they didn't always play that way, especially in the middle frame. Ullmark has allowed nine goals in two losses to the Leafs in the first round, but a lot of those have come in tough circumstances. He's better than this, but his team looks outmatched, at least to this point.
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Sergei Bobrovsky G | FLA
Panthers' Sergei Bobrovsky: Picks up road win in playoff opener
Bobrovsky stopped 20 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.
Bobrovsky wasn't all that busy in the playoff opener, and he put in a good performance to give the Panthers a 1-0 series lead. He's won three of his last four starts while allowing nine goals on 88 shots in that span. Expect Bobrovsky to start every playoff game for the Panthers as long as he stays healthy.