NHL Player News

Lindholm scored a goal on two shots and added four hits in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 1.

Lindholm was limited to one assist over seven regular-season games in April. The 31-year-old is in a top-line role to begin the postseason, as his veteran experience makes him more trustworthy than Fraser Minten or Marat Khusnutdinov. Lindholm has been part of the postseason in four years during his career, collecting 13 goals and 27 points over 40 playoff appearances. He had 48 points in 69 regular-season outings this season, his highest point total in three years.

Geekie scored a goal on two shots and added two assists, including one on the power play, in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 1.

Geekie has six goals and two helpers over his last five games. The 27-year-old struggled for a stretch late in the regular season, producing just seven assists over 17 games between March 7 and April 5. He was a standout this season with 39 goals, 68 points, 181 shots on net and 110 hits over 81 regular-season contests. Geekie is a veteran of four previous postseasons, in which he totaled 10 points in 37 appearances. Expectations will be higher for him this spring since he's established himself as a high-end goal scorer.

Pastrnak scored a power-play goal on four shots, dished two assists, added two PIM and logged four hits in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 1.

Pastrnak had a hand in the first two goals of the game, scored by Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm. Late in the third period, Pastrnak scored one of his own, but the Bruins didn't have enough time to find an equalizer. He ended the regular season on a 10-game goal drought, so it's good to see him find the twine. The 29-year-old winger earned 100 points (29 goals, 71 assists) over 77 regular-season outings, and he played in eight straight playoffs, totaling 39 goals and 48 helpers over 90 games, from 2017 to 2024 before the Bruins failed to qualify last year.

Swayman stopped 34 of 37 shots in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 1. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Swayman had his hands full and couldn't hold the fort as the Sabres rallied in the third period. The Bruins pulled him late in the contest, and the Sabres cashed in with an Alex Tuch empty-netter that ended up being the deciding goal. This is Swayman's fifth year with some playoff action -- over his previous four postseason runs, he went 9-10 with a 2.38 GAA and a .922 save percentage across 20 games. In the regular season this year, he posted a career-high 31 wins with a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 55 outings. He'll likely get the nod again in Game 2 on Tuesday.

Samuelsson scored a goal on two shots, added nine hits and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.

Samuelsson had a career year in the regular season, but he faded a bit at the end with just seven points over his last 20 outings. In total, he had 13 goals and 41 points over 78 regular-season appearances. Samuelsson also logged 132 hits, 154 blocked shots and a plus-41 rating, so he'll provide some grit on the blue line in a top-four role.

Tuch scored an empty-net goal on four shots, added an assist, doled out 10 hits and went plus-2 in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.

Tuch upped the intensity for the postseason -- he didn't have more than five hits in any regular-season game. The veteran winger is coming off a regular season in which he produced 66 points, 195 shots on net, 90 blocked shots, 82 hits and 57 PIM over 79 appearances in a top-six role. Unlike many of the Sabres, Tuch isn't in his first rodeo with postseason hockey -- he had 33 points over 66 playoff outings over four years with the Golden Knights. That will give Tuch valuable leadership experience on an inexperienced roster.

Thompson scored twice on seven shots, dished an assist, added two PIM, logged three hits and went plus-3 in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.

Thompson was limited to three points over his last six outings of the regular season. The 28-year-old is getting his first taste of playoff action, but he should be able to adjust quickly to the increased physicality. Thompson will be counted on as a key part of the Sabres' offense after posting a 40-goal, 81-point regular season over 81 appearances. He will continue to work on the top line and first power-play unit.

Luukkonen allowed three goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.

It wasn't looking good for the Sabres for much of the game, but they rallied for four goals in a span of 6:46 during the third period. That gave them just enough of a cushion to weather a late comeback attempt by the Bruins. While it was far from a pretty outing, Luukkonen was able to get the win in his playoff debut. He had a good regular season with a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage over 35 appearances. Luukkonen is set to be the Sabres' No. 1 goalie to start the postseason, though any struggles could open the door for Alex Lyon to get some game action. The Sabres host Game 2 on Tuesday.

Vasilevskiy made 15 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.

Vasilevskiy allowed three power-play goals to Juraj Slafkovsky. The winner, which came off Slafkovsky's stick, found space glove-side inside the post. Vasilevskiy's angle was off on the shot; that's not something that happens often. He was outplayed by opposing goalie Jakub Dobes on Sunday. Vasilevskiy has struggled the last three postseasons, and the Bolts have seen Round 1 losses each of those years (once to the Maple Leafs, twice to the Panthers). The netminder had an exceptional regular season, but he still needs to exorcise his recent playoff demons.

Raddysh scored a power-play goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Sunday.

Raddysh continues to channel his best Al MacInnis with his hard shots from the point. Teammate Victor Hedman (personal) remains out, and Charle-Edouard D'Astous (undisclosed) was unable to return to Game 1 after a hard hit in the second period. Raddysh will remain the Bolts' lead actor from the back end in Game 2 on Tuesday.