NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy made 30 saves Friday in the Lightning's 1-0 overtime win over the Canadiens in Game 6 of their first-round series.

The Vezina Trophy finalist simply refused to let Tampa Bay's season end, producing his eighth career playoff shutout and first of this postseason in a dazzling performance. Through six games in the series against the Habs -- four of which have gone to overtime -- Vasilevskiy sports a 2.20 GAA and .905 save percentage, and he may need to come up big again in Game 7 on Sunday if the Bolts are going to get through to the second round.

Yamamoto scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 6.

Yamamoto kept the Mammoth from getting shut out, scoring at 7:41 of the third period. The Golden Knights answered with three goals after that to close out the series. Yamamoto saw second-line usage at even strength throughout the postseason, earning one goal, four assists, four shots on net, 22 hits and a plus-2 rating. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, though he's coming off his best campaign in three years with 23 points over 59 regular-season outings. That could be enough for the Mammoth to consider bringing him back on a depth deal after he played 2025-26 on a league-minimum contract.

Vejmelka allowed four goals on 25 shots in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Game 6. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Vejmelka helped the Mammoth to a 2-1 series lead after Game 3, but he followed it up by allowing 14 goals over the last three contests of the series. In all, the 29-year-old netminder went 2-4 with a 3.13 GAA and an .883 save percentage over six playoff outings in his first taste of postseason action. He's under contract for four more years, so expect Vejmelka to handle a starter's workload in 2026-27, though perhaps not at the same level as 2025-26, when he led the league with 64 regular-season appearances.

Smith scored an empty-net goal, added six hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 5-1 win over the Mammoth in Game 6.

Smith produced two goals, two assists, six shots on net, 30 hits and 10 PIM across six games in the first round. The winger's tally Friday put the icing on the Golden Knights' 4-2 series win in the first round. The 30-year-old figures to remain firmly in a bottom-six role, providing a physical edge and potentially some depth scoring throughout the rest of the playoffs.

Sissons scored a goal, added five hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 5-1 win over the Mammoth in Game 6.

Sissons scored at 9:39 of the third period, answering Kailer Yamamoto's tally for the Mammoth. With four points over six contests in the first round, Sissons showed his experience and value in a bottom-six role. He added six shots on net, 18 hits, four blocked shots and a plus-3 rating while primarily playing on the fourth line.

Howden scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 5-1 win over the Mammoth in Game 6.

Howden was quiet to begin the postseason, but he's earned four goals and an assist over his last three contests. That corresponds to a move into the top six for the 28-year-old, who is likely to stay there as long as he remains productive on offense. Howden will look to keep his scoring going against the Ducks in the second round.

Marner scored twice on seven shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Friday's 5-1 win over the Mammoth in Game 6.

Marner hadn't scored in the playoffs yet, but he came through with a chance to advance on the line. Marner's second-period tally stood as the game-winner, and he added a power-play marker in the third as the Golden Knights started to pull away with the lead. He finished the first round with two goals, five assists, 15 shots on net, five hits and a plus-5 rating over six appearances. In previous playoff runs with the Maple Leafs, Marner had 63 points across 70 contests over nine postseasons.

Hart stopped 22 of 23 shots in Friday's 5-1 win over the Mammoth in Game 6.

Hart's performance had been trending the wrong way, but he stepped up with his best outing of the series in this elimination game. With the effort, the Golden Knights are through to the second round, where they'll face the Ducks. Hart is 4-2 with a 2.72 GAA and an .892 save percentage over six games in the postseason, but it doesn't look like head coach John Tortorella has any intention of switching to Adin Hill until Hart shows more significant struggles.

Miner posted an 18-save shutout in AHL Colorado's 1-0 win over Henderson in Game 1 on Friday.

Miner has won all three of his playoff games for the Eagles this year, with two of them being shutouts. The netminder is expected to lead the way for the AHL club's playoff run, while another goalie is set to serve as the No. 3 during the Avalanche's postseason run at the NHL level.

Zadorov sustained a torn MCL in Game 3 of the Bruins' first-round series versus the Sabres, but the defenseman played through the injury, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports.

Given the severity of the injury, Zadorov's offseason training program is likely to be impacted. His status for the start of 2026-27 will be determined at a later time. Zadorov is under contract with the Bruins, so he'll be good to go for a shutdown role once he's healthy again.