NHL Player News

Geekie scored a goal in a 2-1 loss to the Lightning on Saturday.

It was Geekie's fourth goal in two games. He gave his team a 1-0 lead at the midpoint of the second period when he beat Andrei Vasilevskiy glove side on a breakaway. Geekie sits in a six-way tie for 13th on the NHL goal list with 38 snipes. He has 67 points, including 24 on the power play (12 goals, 12 assists), 178 shots, 110 hits, 33 blocks and 22 PIM in 79 games this season.

Dobson will not return to Saturday's game versus the Blue Jackets.

Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports Dobson blocked a shot off his thumb in the second period, though the Canadiens didn't specify the nature of his injury. In any case, the defenseman's status for Sunday's game against his former team, the Islanders, is in doubt. The Canadiens still have positioning to play for, but they may opt to take a cautious approach with Dobson anyway.

Swayman made 22 saves Saturday in a 2-1 loss to the Lightning.

Swayman and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy were locked in a duel, but the Boston netminder allowed the winning goal with only 1:35 left in the third period. It was a nice rebound effort for Swayman, who was pulled at 8:33 of the second period in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to Carolina after he allowed five goals on 23 shots. With the Bruins securing a playoff spot despite the defeat, Joonas Korpisalo will likely start Sunday's home game against New Jersey.

Vasilevskiy made 19 saves Saturday in a 2-1 win over Boston.

This game was as tight as a playoff contest. Vasilevskiy and Boston's Jeremy Swayman were both superb in the contest. The Tampa Bay netminder got back in the win column after two losses, moving back into sole possession of the NHL lead for wins (38). Vasilevskiy is 38-15-4 with two shutouts, a 2.30 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 57 appearances this season.

Hagel scored a goal on four shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over Boston.

Hagel got the Lightning on the board early in the third period when he broke in alone and scored five-hole on Jeremy Swayman. Hagel's 36th goal of the season set a new career high. He could have two more outings to get his timing back before the postseason begins, but he played well in his return after missing five games because of a lower-body injury.

Lilleberg scored a goal Saturday in a 2-1 in over the Bruins.

Lilleberg scored off a rebound with 1:35 left to give the Lightning the victory. The defensive-minded defender, who continues to wear a full cage to protect a broken jaw suffered early in March, had just three goals and seven assists in 47 games prior to Saturday. Still, he has two game-winning goals this season.

Mangiapane (undisclosed) is considered day-to-day after leaving Saturday's game versus the Blues, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Mangiapane was injured in the third period and didn't finish the contest. The 30-year-old winger's status for Monday versus the Sabres will be determined at a later time. That said, if he's still hurting early next week, the Blackhawks could opt to shut him down altogether.

Blackwood is expected to start at home against Vegas on Saturday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Blackwood stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 3-1 win over Calgary on Thursday. He has a 22-10-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .901 save percentage in 36 appearances with the Avalanche in 2025-26. Vegas is 4-0-1 while averaging 4.00 goals per game across five matches since John Tortorella took over as head coach.

Hart will guard the road goal versus the Avalanche on Saturday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hart has been on a three-game winning streak since returning from a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old will face his toughest test yet, especially with the Avalanche not expected to make significant changes to their lineup despite already securing the Presidents' Trophy. Colorado has gone 3-1-0 while scoring 10 goals over its last four games.

Hovorka scored a goal in AHL Charlotte's 2-1 loss to Hershey on Saturday.

Hovorka was quietly reassigned to the AHL after his Wednesday call-up. The 24-year-old defenseman's appearance Saturday makes him available for another call-up if necessary. He has 17 points over 54 AHL appearances in his second season in the league.