NHL Player News

Dobes made 20 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday.

Dobes was confident and aggressive all night, and he definitely outplayed superstar opponent, Andrei Vasilevskiy. It was Dobes' second career NHL playoff win, and two of the three goals against him came on Lightning power plays. He had to be sharp Saturday, especially with Montreal struggling 5-on-5. This is Dobes' net, and he will need to be sharp Tuesday when the Bolts try to avenge their Game 1 loss.

Slafkovsky scored three power-play goals, including the overtime winner, in a 4-3 win over the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round.

Slafkovsky is the third player in Canadiens postseason history to score a hat trick that included the overtime winner. The others? Eric Desjardins in 1993 and Gerry Plamondon all the way back in 1949. The Habs have been in existence for 117 seasons, including 109 in the NHL. Slafkovsky was utterly dominant -- he had seven of the Habs' 20 shots on the night and was composed no matter what was happening on the ice. He has taken his game to a whole new level this season. Slafkovsky delivered his first 30-goal regular season, set a career mark in points (73) and finished fourth overall in scoring at the 2026 Winter Olympics for Team Slovakia. This could be the ascendence of another superstar.

Luukkonen will be between the home pipes in Game 1 against the Bruins on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.

Luukkonen finished the regular season on a high note, winning three straight games and seven of his final nine. Across that nine-game stretch, the Finnish netminder surrendered more than three goals on just one occasion. The lone rough patch happened to come against the Bruins, though, a matchup in which Luukkonen allowed four goals on 31 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss March 25. Boston struggled away from TD Garden in 2025-26, posting a 16-16-9 record on the road, while the Sabres finished the regular season with a 26-10-5 record at KeyBank Center.

Robidas scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Chicago's 5-1 win over Milwaukee on Sunday.

Robidas ended the regular season on a five-game point streak (one goal, seven assists). He had gone 11 contests without a goal before scoring Sunday. Robidas totaled 23 goals, 60 points, 191 shots and a plus-20 rating over 58 regular-season appearances. He will continue with the Wolves during their playoff run.

Nadeau scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Chicago's 5-1 win over Milwaukee.

Nadeau wrapped up the AHL regular season at 27 goals and 56 points across 52 appearances. The forward also had three goals over 12 NHL outings. Nadeau will stay with the Wolves as long as they're in the playoffs, but he could be called up among the Black Aces if the Hurricanes' playoff run outlasts the Wolves' effort.

Carbonneau notched three assists in QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand's 5-3 win over Newfoundland in Game 6 on Sunday.

Carbonneau is up to six goals and nine assists over 10 playoff outings. He earned three goals and five helpers in the Armada's six-game series win over the Regiment. Carbonneau will look to keep his offense rolling as the Armada turn their attention to a semifinal showdown with Moncton.

Varlamov (knee) has been returned from his conditioning role with AHL Bridgeport, per the AHL transaction log.

The Islanders' season is over, so there are no games left for Varlamov, who missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season, to get into this year. Nonetheless, this move is a good sign for the 37-year-old's ability to have a full offseason and readiness for training camp going forward. The veteran netminder hasn't suited up for NHL action since November of 2024.

Pyyhtia scored twice in AHL Cleveland's 6-4 win over Grand Rapids on Sunday.

Pyyhtia ended up at 21 goals and 28 assists across 59 appearances in the regular season. That includes seven goals over his last six games. Pyyhtia will look to continue his strong scoring as Cleveland enters the postseason.

Trineyev scored a goal and added two assists in AHL Hershey's 5-4 overtime win over Rochester on Sunday.

He snapped a three-game skid with the effort. Trineyev's third full AHL campaign was pretty successful with 17 goals, 45 points and a plus-10 rating over 62 appearances. He also got into his first two NHL games this year. Trineyev will look to help Hershey go on a playoff run in the coming weeks.

Dobes will get the start in net Sunday for Game 1 against the Lightning, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.

Dobes will get the nod for the postseason opener over 21-year-old rookie Jacob Fowler and veteran Sam Montembeault. The 24-year-old Dobes finished the regular season with a 29-10-4 record, a 2.78 GAA and a .901 save percentage while leading Montreal's netminders with 43 games played. He enters the postseason in a bit of a slump, having allowed at least three goals in four of his last five starts. Dobes will have his hands full with the Lightning, who ranked fourth in the NHL at 3.49 goals per game in the regular season.