NHL Player News

Hellebuyck made 21 saves in Monday's 2-1 win over the Blues in Game 2 of their first-round series.

The only puck to get past Hellebuyck came on a St. Louis power play late in the first period. The 31-year-old netminder is coming off the best regular season of his career with 47 wins, a 2.00 GAA and a .925 save percentage -- marks that ranked first, first and second in the NHL, respectively -- and Hellebuyck has carried that form right into the postseason. He'll look to put the Jets up 3-0 when the series shifts to St. Louis on Thursday for Game 3.

Binnington turned aside 20 shots in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Jets in Game 2 of their first-round series.

Winnipeg's opening goal late in the first period was particularly tough to swallow, as Binnington successfully poke-checked Mark Scheifele on a rush, only for a retreating Jimmy Snuggerud to deflect the puck into his own net. Binnington played better than he did in Game 1 but had the same result to show for it, and the 31-year-old netminder has now given up six goals on 47 shots to begin the Blues' postseason run. Binnington will need to maintain Monday's level of play and get more help from his teammates if they're going to get back into the series when it shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Thursday.

Thompson stopped 33 shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The 28-year-old netminder returned from an upper-body injury that had sidelined him since April 2 and blanked Montreal through the first two periods, only for the Habs to strike twice in the third to force OT. Thompson was still rewarded for his efforts when Alex Ovechkin potted the winner. A healthy Thompson will be crucial to the Capitals' chances of advancing after he posted a 31-6-6 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 save percentage during the regular season. He should be back between the pipes for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Montembeault made 29 saves in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Washington took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, but Montembeault stood tall in the third as Montreal rallied to tie it up -- only for Alex Ovechkin to tap home the winner in OT. After a regular season in which Montembeault nearly doubled his career-best win total to 31 and recorded four of his five career shutouts, the 28-year-old netminder will need to come up big if the Habs are going to even the series Wednesday.

Skinner stopped 24 of 30 shots in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1.

Skinner had been fantastic against the Kings in the regular season, going 1-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a .932 save percentage, but that wasn't the case in this series opener. The 26-year-old netminder posted an .896 save percentage in 51 regular-season appearances, representing the lowest mark of his three full years in the league, and there's no question he'll need to bounce back in the upcoming games of the series to avoid putting all the pressure on the offense.

Kuemper stopped 20 of 25 shots in Monday's 6-5 win over the Oilers in Game 1.

Kuemper was beaten four times in the final period, and at one point, it looked as if the Oilers were carrying all the momentum on their side heading to overtime until Phillip Danault stepped up and won it for the Kings. This was far from Kuemper's best outing, but there's a chance this was nothing more than an anomaly for the 34-year-old goaltender. After all, he posted a 31-11-7 record with a 2.02 GAA and a solid .921 save percentage across 50 appearances in the regular season.

Oettinger stopped 34 of 37 shots in Monday's 4-3 overtime win over the Avalanche in Game 2.

As has happened plenty of times in the past, Oettinger came through in a game where the Stars needed him to be at his best. Even though his recent performances have left a lot to be desired, as he's now given up three or more goals in six straight outings dating back to the regular season, Oettinger at least did enough to carry the Stars to victory. This was his first win of any kind since April 3, and the Stars will continue to rely on him. The next two games of the series will be in Colorado on Wednesday and Saturday.

Blackwood stopped 35 of 39 shots in Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 2.

Blackwood was solid in his first career playoff appearance Saturday in Game 1, turning aside 23 of 24 shots en route to a 5-1 win, but he couldn't repeat that output in Game 2. He was beaten once in each period and later gave up the decider at the 17:46 mark of overtime. Blackwood has stopped 58 of the 63 shots he's faced in the first two games of the series, which is good for a .920 save percentage.

Blackwood will defend the road cage Monday against the Stars in Game 2, according to Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine.

Blackwood was solid in his first career playoff appearance Saturday in Game 1, turning aside 23 of 24 shots en route to a 5-1 win. The Stars will presumably lay it all on the line Monday to avoid a 2-0 series deficit ahead of Game 3 in Colorado on Wednesday, but the absences of Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson due to knee injuries may be too much to overcome against a deep Avalanche squad.

Thompson (upper body) will the patrol the home blue paint Monday versus the Canadiens in Game 1, per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News.

This will be Thompson's first start since April 2 -- he missed the last seven games of the regular season due to his upper-body injury. Prior to getting hurt, the 28-year-old had lost his last three outings, which followed a six-game winning streak. He's appeared in just four postseason contests in his career, owning a 2-2-0 record, .921 save percentage and 2.35 GAA.