NHL Player News

Skinner stopped 18 of 21 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 Game 4 victory over Los Angeles.

It wasn't the busiest game for Skinner, but the 25-year-old netminder did just enough for the one-goal win as the Oilers took the series 4-1. After allowing nine goals on 63 shots in his first two games of the series, Skinner looked better in his last three contests, posting a .951 save percentage. Edmonton will now get a few days off before they face the winner of the Vancouver-Nashville series in the second round.

Oettinger stopped 25 shots Wednesday in a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stars' first-round series.

Both goals he allowed came in the first period, and Oettinger slammed the door shut over the final 40 minutes to give Dallas its third straight victory. The 25-year-old netminder has a 2.31 GAA and .911 save percentage in his five starts this postseason, and he's given up exactly two goals in four straight outings. Oettinger will look to finish the job back in Vegas on Friday in Game 6.

Hill made 22 saves Wednesday in a 3-2 loss to the Stars in Game 5 of the Golden Knights' first-round series.

Two of Dallas' goals came on power plays, including Jason Robertson's game-winner in the second period, and Hill had little chance on the other in his first action so far this postseason. After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, Vegas has lost three straight games and will face elimination on home ice Friday. It's not clear whether Hill will be back between the pipes for Game 6 with the season on the line, or if coach Bruce Cassidy will turn back to Logan Thompson.

Oettinger will guard the home goal versus the Golden Knights in Wednesday's Game 5, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Oettinger recovered from losing the first two games of the series in Dallas by winning the next two in Vegas. He'll look to keep that momentum going back on home ice in a pivotal Game 5. Oettinger has allowed 10 goals on 108 shots over the first four contests of the first round.

Rittich is slated to start on the road against Edmonton in Game 5 on Wednesday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Rittich is getting his second straight start after saving 12 of 13 shots in a 1-0 loss to Edmonton in Game 4 on Sunday. Edmonton has a potent offense, which ranked fourth in the 2023-24 campaign with 3.56 goals per game, so the Oilers will probably fire considerably more shots in the upcoming tilt. Rittich had a 13-6-3 record, 2.15 GAA and .921 save percentage in 24 regular-season contests.

Skinner is expected to start at home against LA in Game 5 on Wednesday, per Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton.

Skinner earned a 33-save shutout over the Kings in Game 4 on Sunday, and he's stopped 60 of 61 shots (.984 save percentage) over his last two starts. That gives him a 3-1 record, 2.48 GAA and .919 save percentage in four playoff contests this year. The 25-year-old was streaky in the regular season, finishing with a 36-16-5 record, 2.62 GAA and .905 save percentage in 59 appearances, but Skinner seems to be on a roll with a chance to eliminate the Kings up for grabs.

Hill was the first goalie to leave the ice Wednesday and is expected to get the starting nod on the road against the Stars in Game 5 on Wednesday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hill will step into the crease for the first time in the postseason after Logan Thompson gave up six goals on 77 shots (.922 save percentage) in a pair of defeats to Dallas in Games 3 and 4. The 27-year-old Hill has played in only three of the Knights' last 16 contests, registering a 1-2-0 record and 3.68 GAA.

Andersen made 22 saves Tuesday in a 6-3 win over the Islanders in Game 5 of the Hurricanes' first-round series.

Carolina never trailed in the game as they cruised into the second round. Andersen has a firm hold on the No. 1 job in net for the 'Canes after beginning the playoffs with a 4-1 record, 2.25 GAA and .912 save percentage, but he'll face a tougher test in the next round against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Rangers.

Varlamov turned aside 32 of 37 shots Tuesday in a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Islanders' first-round series, with Carolina's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

With their season on the line, the Isles came out flat and were down 2-0 before the four-minute mark in the first period. While Varlamov played well enough to allow his team to rally and tie things up by the second intermission, the third period belonged to Carolina. The veteran netminder posted a 2.70 GAA and .914 save percentage in his five playoff appearances, numbers very similar to his 2.60 GAA and .918 save percentage during the regular season. Barring a trade, he'll return to man the crease in Long Island in 2024-25 alongside Ilya Sorokin.

Johansson, who was previously listed as being out with a lower-body injury, sustained a quad tear March 30, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports Wednesday.

Johansson finished the campaign with a 12-7-5 record, 3.37 GAA and .890 save percentage across 26 regular-season appearances. He still has one season left on his two-year, $1.55 million contract, so the 28-year-old goaltender will likely remain on the Lightning roster in 2024-25 as the backup netminder behind Andrei Vasilevskiy.