NHL Player News

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.

Markstrom saved 41 of 44 shots on goal in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1.

Markstrom was put under pressure by Carolina's offense throughout the entire game. While he allowed three goals, he played well to save 41 shots including eight chances with a man disadvantage. He ended his first game of the postseason with a .932 save percentage. Markstrom had a strong regular season with 26-16-6 record but has lost his last three outings and is winless since New Jersey's April 5 matchup versus the Rangers. If the Devils' blue line can provide Markstrom with a stronger backing for the rest of the series, he should be in a better spot to turn the tides in New Jersey's favor.

Andersen saved 23 of 24 shots on net in Sunday's 4-1 win over New Jersey in Game 1.

Andersen was steady in net all game as he allowed just one goal to New Jersey's Nico Hischier late in the second period. He wasn't tasked with defending many power plays and played with the lead for all but two and a half minutes of Game 1. Sunday's win was Andersen's first since April 2, which was Carolina's 74th contest of the regular season. He will boast a 1-0-0 playoff record with a 1.00 GAA and a .958 save percentage heading into his next outing of the postseason.

Kuemper will defend the home crease in Monday's Game 1 against Edmonton, Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports.

Kuemper didn't appear in either of the Kings' final two games of the regular season, but he'll unsurprisingly be in the net to begin postseason play. He's been sharp over the past month and a half, going 13-3-0 with a 1.27 GAA and .946 save percentage over his final 16 appearances of the regular season.

Montembeault will guard the road goal in Game 1 versus Washington on Monday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Montembeault will make his first NHL playoff start after posting a 31-24-7 record with four shutouts, a 2.82 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 62 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He allowed four goals on 35 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Dec. 7. Washington finished second in the league with 3.49 goals per game in the 2024-25 regular season.

Skinner will start Monday's Game 1 on the road at the Kings, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Skinner backstopped the Oilers on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, and he is going to be the go-to goalie in this postseason run as well. Skinner missed nine of the team's final 11 games with a head injury, but started two of the final three games to try to get back up to speed. The good news for Edmonton is that the 26-year-old goaltender has been fantastic against the Kings this season, going 1-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a .932 save percentage.

Binnington will tend the road twine for Game 2 against Winnipeg on Monday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Binnington has been struggling for victories of late, going 1-2-1 with a 2.96 GAA in his last four appearances, including a Game 1 loss Saturday. Still, the 31-year-old backstop shouldn't be expected to cede the starting role to Joel Hofer any time soon. During the regular season, the Jets converted on the power play at a league-best 28.9 percent rate, so Binnington will no doubt be begging his teammates to stay out of the box.

Hellebuyck is slated to start in Monday's Game 2 at home against the Blues, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Hellebuyck was stellar during the regular season but faltered slightly in Game 1 of the first-round series Saturday, allowing three goals on 17 shots (.824 save percentage). However, the Jets still secured a 5-3 victory, and Hellebuyck will have a chance to right the ship Monday.