NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy is set to start at home Tuesday against the Panthers in Game 1, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports.

Vasilevskiy finished the regular season playing at a high level, earning an 8-2-2 record, 1.73 GAA and .929 save percentage over his last 12 appearances. The Panthers are close to being fully healthy, but the status of Matthew Tkachuk (groin) for Game 1 has yet to be determined. Vasilevskiy has been excellent in postseason play throughout his 11-year career, sporting a 66-46-0 record, .920 save percentage and 2.41 GAA over 115 appearances.

Stolarz was the first goalie off ahead of Game 2 at home against the Senators on Tuesday, indicating he'll tend the twine, per Mark Masters of TSN.

Stolarz will look to extend his nine-game winning streak that dates back to March 20 versus the Rangers. During that stretch, the 31-year-old netminder has been phenomenal, posting a 1.44 GAA, .949 save percentage and three shutouts. If he can maintain even close to that level in the playoffs, Stolarz will be extremely hard to beat.

Andersen will get the starting nod at home versus the Devils in Game 2 on Tuesday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Andersen had been splitting the crease with Pyotr Kochetkov since the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he will make his third straight appearance in goal. In Game 1, the veteran backstop stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 4-1 victory over New Jersey. Barring a drastic drop-off, Andersen figures to see the bulk of the workload in the postseason.

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.