NHL Player News

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.

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.

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.

Stolarz made 26 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over the Senators on Tuesday.

Stolarz made some 10-bell saves Tuesday, especially in the second period when the Leafs really didn't play well. He would have had the win in regulation had the Leafs not coughed the puck up right onto a Senators stick that resulted in a goal with 5:13 left in the third. Stolarz signed in Toronto in the offseason because he had an opportunity to start and potentially win a Cup. Right now, he's looking good on both counts.

Gustavsson will start in goal on the road versus the Golden Knights in Game 2, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Gustavsson will look to even the series after being in goal for the 4-2 loss in Game 1. The 26-year-old netminder is expected to be the starter for the Wild throughout the playoffs, though they'll be in a precarious position in the first round if he can't snag a win Tuesday.

Bobrovsky will start on the road in Game 1 versus the Lightning on Tuesday, Rob Darragh of the Panthers' official site reports.

As expected, Bobrovsky has the net for the first game of the Panthers' playoff run. That's unlikely to change regardless of his performance this postseason, especially since Vitek Vanecek didn't have a great end to the regular season. Bobrovsky was occasionally unlucky late in the season, going 9-6-0 despite his elite 1.87 GAA and .916 save percentage over his last 15 outings.

Rodrigue was recalled from AHL Bakersfield on Tuesday.

Rodrigue appeared in two games with the Oilers during the 2024-25 regular season, posting a record of 0-1-0 with a 3.10 GAA and an .862 save percentage. He went 18-16-7 with a 3.12 and an .897 save percentage across 41 AHL regular-season outings in 2024-25. Rodrigue will be Edmonton's third goaltender in the playoffs behind Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.

Hill will tend the home twine Tuesday against Minnesota in Game 2, per Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Over his last four appearances, including the regular season, Hill is 4-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .904 save percentage. The 28-year-old made 18 saves on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win in Game 1 -- Matt Boldy, who scored twice, was the only Wild player to put the puck past Hill in that contest. As long as Vegas' blue line remains healthy, Hill will continue to be a strong option between the pipes.

Ullmark will guard the road goal against Toronto on Tuesday in Game 2, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ullmark allowed six goals on 24 shots in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 1. He has surrendered four or more goals in six of his 11 postseason appearances, posting a 3-7 record with an .877 save percentage. Still, if Ullmark bounces back, the series could be tied at 1-1 going back to Ottawa.

Markstrom will be between the road pipes against the Hurricanes on Tuesday in Game 2.

Markstrom handled his largest workload of the season in Game 1 on Sunday, turning aside 41 of 44 shots on net, but the Devils were able to muster up only one goal. It won't get any easier in Game 2, as New Jersey will be without Luke Hughes (upper body) and Brenden Dillon (lower body). Dennis Cholowski and Simon Nemec will make their playoff debuts due to those injuries, so Markstrom will need to be in top form in order to send the series back to New Jersey tied at 1-1.