NHL Player News

Andersen will patrol the visiting crease against the Islanders on Saturday in Game 4, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Andersen is a perfect 3-0 versus the Islanders in the opening round. He has allowed six goals on 77 shots (.922 save percentage) as the Hurricanes have shut down the Islanders in the series. Andersen was also outstanding in the regular season, going 13-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and a .932 save percentage in 16 appearances.

Lindgren stopped 19 shots Friday during a 3-1 loss to the Rangers in Game 3 of the Capitals' first-round series.

John Carlson opened the scoring with a somewhat fluky goal early in the first period, but Lindgren gave up the lead less than a minute later when Chris Kreider tipped home a long-range shot, and the Rangers never looked back. The 30-year-old netminder has given up 11 goals on 81 shots through three playoff games, and while that shaky save percentage isn't entirely his fault, Lindgren's still begun the playoffs with three straight losses, leaving Washington on the brink of elimination.

Shesterkin made 28 saves Friday during a 3-1 win over the Capitals in Game 3 of the Rangers' first-round series.

John Carlson beat Shesterkin from the blue line with a knuckleball shot less than six minutes into the first period, but it only got the Rangers netminder mad, and he shut the door on Washington the rest of the way. Shesterkin has allowed only five goals on 75 shots while going 3-0 to begin the Rangers' postseason run, and they'll look for the sweep Sunday in Game 4.

Samsonov was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice, per Mark Masters of TSN, indicating he will defend the home crease in Game 4 versus Boston on Saturday.

It's a crucial game for the Maple Leafs as they trail the best-of-seven series 2-1. Samsonov has not been great in the first three contests of this postseason, giving up nine goals on 86 shots (.895 save percentage). If he has another weak showing in Game 4, Joseph Woll might get the nod for Tuesday's contest.

Saros permitted two goals on 12 shots in the 2-1 loss to the Canucks on Friday in Game 3.

Nashville put up 30 shots to dominate possession in the attacking zone, but Saros ended up with the loss after the Canucks converted on two of three power-play opportunities. Saros didn't carry over any momentum from his 17-save performance in Nashville's 4-1 victory over Vancouver in Game 2 on Tuesday. Now faced with a 2-1 series deficit, Saros will look to shake off the most recent loss in time for a pivotal Game 4 matchup on Sunday.

DeSmith denied 29 of 30 shots from the Predators on Friday, culminating in a 2-1 win to take Game 3.

DeSmith emerged with his first career playoff victory, as he drew his second straight start in place of Thatcher Demko (undisclosed). While the Predators scored with 3:12 remaining in the third period, it wasn't quite enough to flip the script. DeSmith was laser focused while helping his team kill all four penalties, plus he worked against the grain of the Canucks' minus-18 shot differential. Demko has a week-to-week return timeline, meaning DeSmith will likely draw the Game 4 start in Nashville on Sunday.

Talbot allowed six goals on 40 shots in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Oilers in Game 3.

Talbot has given up a total of 16 tallies over three games in the first round, so he's lucky the Kings are only down 2-1 in the series. The 36-year-old's play has been lackluster, but he's not getting a ton of help from his defense. Game 4 is Sunday, but it's unclear if the Kings will stick with Talbot much longer if he continues to struggle, which could open the door for David Rittich to get a look.

Skinner stopped 27 of 28 shots in Friday's 6-1 win over the Kings in Game 3.

Skinner turned in the first good goaltending performance on either side in this series, though he also had plenty of support from his offense. He's allowed 10 goals on 91 shots through three games, but the Oilers have scored 17 times to establish a 2-1 series lead. Skinner continues to hold the starting job, and he'll presumably get the chance to try to strengthen Edmonton's position in Sunday's Game 4.

Hellebuyck allowed five goals on 39 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 3. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Hellebuyck has now surrendered 15 goals on 116 shots over the last three games. The 30-year-old will likely need to get his game back to his regular-season form soon in order for the Jets to have a chance to fend off the Avalanche, who now lead the series 2-1. There's little reason to think Hellebuyck won't get the chance to play out of his slump, so expect him between the pipes for Game 4 on Sunday.

Georgiev stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.

Georgiev appears to have gotten himself back on track, allowing just four goals on 54 shots over the past two games, both being Avalanche wins. He had a rough second period Friday, but the Avalanche's offense took over in the third. Now that he has consecutive wins for the first time in over a month, there should be less chatter of head coach Jared Bednar switching away from Georgiev going forward. Game 4 is Sunday in Colorado.