NHL Player News

Gaudette scored the game-tying goal to force overtime in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday.

Gaudette deflected a point shot past Anthony Stolarz at 14:47 of the third after a rare Leafs giveaway. It was his first playoff goal and point (12 games). Gaudette has averaged just 8:08 of ice time this postseason after averaging 10:25 across 81 games this season. He's a bit player -- so, nice game, but he's not fantasy material.

Point scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.

Point got the Lightning back within three goals at 13:04 of the second period, but a comeback never materialized. The center's offense was a bit unsteady late in the season -- he earned four goals and five assists over the last nine regular-season games, but three of those outings were multi-point efforts. The 29-year-old totaled 42 goals, 40 assists, 189 shots on net and a plus-17 rating over 77 regular-season contests, so he should be heavily involved in the scoring for the Lightning in the playoffs.

Guentzel scored a power-play goal on six shots and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1.

Guentzel has scored four times over his last four games, including two power-play goals in that span. His first year with the Lightning saw the winger tally a career-best 41 goals while reaching the 80-point mark for the second time in his career. He's locked into a top-six role and a spot on the first power-play unit, so he should be a significant factor in the Lightning's offense during the playoffs.

Cirelli (undisclosed) did not finish Tuesday's Game 1 versus the Panthers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Cirelli left the bench a couple of times in the second period and didn't return after the second departure. There was no information on his status after the contest. His status for Game 2 on Thursday is up in the air -- if Cirelli can't play, Mitchell Chaffee would likely enter the lineup.

Verhaeghe notched an assist, two shots on goal and three hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Verhaeghe helped out on a go-ahead goal by Sam Reinhart late in the first period. The 29-year-old Verhaeghe is turning things around with at least one point in six straight games (three goals, four assists). He had a mediocre regular season of 20 goals and 53 points in 81 appearances, a drop of 19 points compared to 2023-24. He's still logging top-line minutes to begin the playoffs, which puts him in a position to rack up plenty of offense.

Barkov notched two power-play assists, three hits and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Barkov helped out on goals by Matthew Tkachuk and Nate Schmidt as the Panthers ran away with the series opener. The 29-year-old Barkov was limited to four of the last nine regular-season games and managed to put up a goal and three assists in that span. He dealt with an upper-body injury for part of that time, but the captain will likely lead by example and play through the pain during the playoffs. He had a total of 20 goals and 71 points in 67 regular-season appearances.

Domi scored the game-winning goal in overtime in a 3-2 win over the Senators.

Domi, who's usually a pass-first guy, decided to change things up with a shoot-first shift in OT. His first shot was stopped, but his second, which came off a drop pass from Simon Benoit, was a ripper off the left post and in past Linus Ullmark. Domi has an offensive streak in him, but it's hard to put up a load of points in the bottom six. However, the Leafs will go far if he can deliver secondary scoring this postseason.

Bennett scored a goal, dished an assist, doled out seven hits and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Bennett opened the scoring at 3:44 of the first period and helped out on the first of Nate Schmidt's two goals later in the contest. This was Bennett's first multi-point effort since his two-goal game versus Utah on March 27. He was limited to two helpers over the six contests in between, though he also missed four games due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old is known for elevating his game in the playoffs, and if he can do that after a career-best 51-point regular season, he'll give the Panthers valuable scoring from a second-line role.

Reinhart scored a goal on two shots, dished a power-play assist, added four PIM and logged two hits in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Lightning in Game 1.

Reinhart racked up eight goals and nine assists over his last 17 games of the regular season, a span that included six multi-point efforts. The Panthers rested many players, including Reinhart, late in the season, and he looked pretty fresh for Game 1. The 29-year-old is one of the team's most important all-around forwards. He had 39 goals, 42 assists, 213 shots on net, 103 hits, 62 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 79 regular-season contests while seeing top-six minutes.

Tavares scored a goal and added an assist Tuesday in a 3-2 overtime win over the Senators.

Tavares has been outstanding so far this postseason with two goals and two assists in two outings. His goal Tuesday came on the power play midway through the first period to put the Leafs up 2-0. Tavares fired a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle that banked in off a Sens defender's skate at the top of the crease. He now has 50 points, including 25 goals, in 64 postseason games in his career.