NHL Player News

Pickard will patrol the home crease versus Los Angeles on Thursday, per Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Pickard took over from Stuart Skinner midway through the third period in Game 2 and has led the Oilers to three straight wins after they lost the opening two games. Pickard has allowed eight goals on 91 shots in his three playoff starts versus the Kings. Los Angeles is second in NHL scoring during the playoffs, generating 4.00 goals per game.

Hill will be between the visiting pipes for Game 6 in Minnesota on Thursday, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Hill was stellar in Game 5 on Tuesday, turning aside 20 shots in a 3-2 overtime win versus the Wild. He is 3-2 in the playoffs thus far, allowing 15 goals on only 111 shots (.865 save percentage). He had a career-best regular season in 2024-25, posting a 32-13-5 record with four shutouts, a 2.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 50 appearances.

Andersen (undisclosed) is expected to practice with his teammates Friday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Andersen is sporting a 3-1 record, 1.59 GAA and .936 save percentage in four postseason contests. If the 35-year-old veteran is given the all-clear before the second-round series against Washington, he figures to reclaim the starting job from Pyotr Kochetkov, who posted an underwhelming .886 save percentage in his Game 5 appearance.

Stolarz will get the starting nod on the road for Game 6 against Ottawa on Thursday, Mark Masters of TSN reports.

Stolarz has been solid in the postseason, going 3-2 with a 2.25 GAA and .899 save percentage in his five clashes with the Senators. Even in the defeats, the 31-year-old Stolarz has been solid, something he'll need to continue to be if the Leafs are going to close out the series Thursday.

Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 30 shots in a Game 5 loss to Florida on Wednesday.

Vasilevskiy was subpar by his standards in the postseason, registering a 1-4 record, 3.27 GAA and .872 save percentage in five games versus the Panthers. Nominated for the Vezina Trophy, the 30-year-old netminder was fantastic again in the regular season, going 38-20-5 with six shutouts and a 2.18 GAA in his 63 outings. Vasilevskiy will look to continue his run of eight straight 30-win seasons as he heads into the 2025-26 campaign.

Bobrovsky stopped 26 of 29 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 Game 5 victory over the Lightning.

Bobrovsky went 4-1 with a 2.21 GAA and one shutout in the first-round series with Tampa Bay. The 36-year-old backstop will now turn his attention to either the Maple Leafs or Senators in the second round. Backed by an offensive that is generating 3.80 goals per game in the playoffs, Bobrovsky won't need to be perfect to continue racking up victories.

Thompson made 28 saves Wednesday in the Capitals' 4-1 win over the Canadiens in Game 5 of their first-round series.

He took a shutout into the third period, but early in the final frame, Emil Heineman somehow got his stick on a puck that flashed across the front of the net in mid-air, tipping it past Thompson. The 28-year-old netminder will head into a second-round clash with the Hurricanes carrying plenty of momentum, having posted a 2.23 GAA and .923 save percentage in five games against the Habs.

Dobes stopped 24 of 27 shots Wednesday in the Canadiens' 4-1 loss to the Capitals in Game 5 of their first-round series, with Washington's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

Two of the pucks that beat Dobes came on Washington power plays, and the Habs' offense didn't even get on the board until the third period. Sam Montembeault (lower body) has solidified his spot at the top of the depth chart for Montreal, but Dobes held his own in his first taste of the NHL, going 7-4-3 during 16 regular-season outings with a 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage. The 23-year-old Dobes should head into 2025-26 as the Canadiens' No. 2 netminder.

Binnington stopped 21 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Jets in Game 5. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

The scoring went back and forth early on, but the Jets took over late in the second period. This left Binnington with his third straight loss in Winnipeg, though he won both of the Blues' home games. He's given up 13 goals on 122 shots (.893 save percentage) through five playoff outings. Binnington is a virtual lock to start a must-win game on home ice when the series shifts back to St. Louis for Friday's Game 6.

Hellebuyck allowed three goals on 19 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Blues in Game 5.

It was far from a dominant performance for the 31-year-old, but the Jets' offense took care of business on home ice. Hellebuyck has allowed at least three goals in four of his five playoff outings this year, despite facing no more than 25 shots in any appearance, though he was pulled from the previous two games. The Jets lead this series 3-2 after Wednesday's win, and if Hellebuyck can overcome his road woes, he can send his team to the second round with a win in Friday's Game 6.