NHL Player News

Andersen allowed five goals on 21 shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Andersen wasn't the only one to blame for this showing after a 12-day break, as the Hurricanes' defense was unusually shaky. He allowed as many goals in this contests as he did in each of the series sweeps the Hurricanes earned in the first two rounds. Even with a dud on his line, Andersen is 8-1 with a 1.51 GAA and a .932 save percentage over nine playoff games. He'll likely get the chance to bounce back in Game 2 on Saturday, but the Canadiens have already proven to be more of a challenge than either of the Flyers or Senators.

Suzuki notched three assists, four shots on goal, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Suzuki earned his third multi-point effort of the postseason. He had a hand in Cole Caufield's goal in the first period as well as both of Juraj Slafkovsky's tallies in the final frame. Suzuki is up to four goals, 12 assists, eight power-play points, 31 shots, 29 hits, 16 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating over 15 playoff outings. He should continue to generate plenty of offense from a top-line role.

Texier scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Texier's first-period tally ultimately held up as the game-winner. The 26-year-old forward has earned four points over his last six games while playing in a middle-six role. He's up to four goals, four helpers, 18 shots, 19 hits and a plus-7 rating across 15 playoff contests.

Demidov scored a goal on three shots and added two hits in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Demidov has scored in three of the last four games as he gets more comfortable with playoff hockey. The 20-year-old winger's goal Thursday put the Canadiens ahead 4-1 in the first period. He's earned three goals, five assists, 32 shots on net, 19 hits and a plus-2 rating over 15 playoff contests. Demidov is locked in on the second line and first power-play unit, with all but one of his points coming since the start of the second round.

Danault scored a goal on two shots, dished an assist, added three hits, blocked four shots and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Danault was active in the first period. He scored the go-ahead goal at 4:04, then set up Alexandre Texier's tally -- the eventual game-winner -- at 8:11. Danault was quiet early in the playoff but has scored in consecutive contests as he starts to get more involved. Through 15 playoff outings, he has two goals, eight points, 15 shots, 28 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating. Danault will continue to work in a middle-six role as a strong defensive center.

Caufield scored a goal, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Seth Jarvis scored 33 seconds in for Carolina, but Caufield answered at the one-minute mark to tie the game. The Canadiens controlled the scoring from there, and Caufield added a helper on Juraj Slafkovsky's first tally in the third period. Caufield is up to five goals, six assists, 35 shots on net, 23 hits and a minus-5 rating over 15 playoff outings while filling his usual roles on the top line and first power-play unit.

Slafkovsky scored twice on four shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Slafkovsky's pair of goals came in the third period to help the Canadiens fend off Carolina's comeback push. The 22-year-old winger has scored in just three of 15 playoff contests, but two of those instances have been multi-goal efforts. He's up to six tallies, six assists, 44 shots on net, 22 hits, 11 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating this postseason. Slafkovsky has earned eight of his 12 points on the power play, but all three in Thursday's contest came at even strength.

Dobes allowed two goals on 28 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Dobes gave up a goal 33 seconds into the game, but he allowed just one more while the Canadiens' offense handled the rest. This gave him consecutive wins for just the second time in the postseason. He's up to 9-6 with a 2.48 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 15 starts this postseason. This won't be an easy series, but Dobes has proven himself up to the challenge throughout the playoffs, so expect him to start Game 2 on Saturday.

Romanov posted a 20-save shutout in AHL Springfield's 2-0 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Game 4 on Thursday.

Romanov helped Springfield force a Game 5 with this win. He's allowed just seven goals on 119 shots over four games against WBS in the Atlantic Division Finals. Romanov is 7-3 with two shutouts, a 1.52 GAA and a .949 save percentage in 10 playoff contests.

Andersen will protect the home goal in Thursday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Canadiens, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Andersen is undefeated in the playoffs this year, going 8-0 with a 1.12 GAA and a .950 save percentage over the first two rounds. The 36-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down and should continue to operate as Carolina's No. 1 in goal. Andersen will face a Canadiens team that is averaging 3.07 goals per game this postseason.