NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy stopped 26 of 30 shots Thursday in a 5-3 loss to the Panthers, with Florida's final goal of Game 3 getting scored into an empty net.

The 29-year-old hasn't been able to steal a game for the Lightning in their first-round series, and as a result Tampa Bay is staring at the possibility of getting swept. Vasilevskiy hasn't played poorly, allowing nine goals on 94 shots in the Bolts' three losses, but he'll likely need to find another gear in order for the team to stay alive past Saturday's Game 4.

Lindgren was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, per Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post, putting him on track to start between the home pipes Friday for Game 3 versus the Rangers.

Lindgren allowed four goals in each of his two playoff games versus the Rangers. The two losses snapped a three-game winning streak Lindgren had at the end of the regular season, during which he gave up only three goals on 78 shots. The Rangers will enter Friday's contest with a 2-0 series lead.

Bobrovsky made 26 saves Thursday in a 5-3 win over the Lightning in Game 3 of the Panthers' first-round series.

Tampa Bay grabbed a 2-1 lead with two quick goals early in the second period, but Bobrovsky kept his focus and let the Florida offense get to work. The veteran netminder has the Panthers on the brink of a sweep, going 3-0 to begin the postseason while allowing seven goals on 71 shots (.901 save percentage). Look for him to make a fourth straight start in a potential series-clinching contest Saturday in Game 4.

Andersen stopped 29 of 31 shots in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Islanders in Game 3.

After alternating starts with Pyotr Kochetkov late in the regular season, Andersen's now started each of the first three games of Carolina's first-round series against the Islanders, posting an excellent .922 save percentage while helping the Canes jump out to a convincing 3-0 series lead. The 34-year-old netminder figures to be back in goal Saturday as Carolina will look for an opening-series sweep in Game 4 on the road.

Varlamov stopped eight shots after entering in relief of Ilya Sorokin in the second period of Thursday's 3-2 Game 3 loss to the Hurricanes.

After Varlamov dropped the first two games of the series, the Islanders turned to Ilya Sorokin on Thursday in an attempt to change the momentum. However, Sorokin allowed three goals on Carolina's first 14 shots before the Isles turned back to Varlamov midway through the second period. The 35-year-old Varlamov managed to hold the Canes scoreless over the game's final 30:33 minutes, though New York ultimately couldn't find a tying goal, leaving Sorokin with the loss. Varlamov figures to be back between the pipes for Saturday's do-or-die Game 4. Despite the Islanders' struggles thus far in the series, Varlamov's posted a solid .915 save percentage through his three postseason appearances.

Sorokin allowed three goals on 14 shots before he was replaced by Semyon Varlamov in the second period of Thursday's 3-2 Game 3 loss to Carolina. Sorokin was credited with the loss.

Looking to climb out of a 2-0 hole in the series, the Islanders elected to switch things up and turn to Sorokin in net for Game 3. The 28-year-old netminder allowed two goals on the first six shots he faced in the first period and a third tally to Sebastian Aho 7:14 into the second before he was pulled in favor of Varlamov. Sorokin seemed to be the Islanders' unquestioned starter after signing an eight-year extension prior to the season. However, he was outplayed down the stretch by Varlamov, who took over the top goaltending job heading into the playoffs. Sorokin went 25-19-12 during the regular season with a career-low .908 save percentage and 3.01 GAA.

Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal versus the Panthers on Thursday in Game 3, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.

Vasilevskiy has lost four games in a row, though the Lightning haven't scored more than twice in any of those contests. The 29-year-old will look for more goal support on home ice in Thursday's contest, as a loss would put Tampa Bay down 3-0 in the series.

Andersen is expected to start on the road against the Islanders in Game 3 on Thursday, per Andrew Gross of Newsday.

Andersen won the first two outings of this first-round series while stopping 42 of 46 shots (.913 save percentage). He was fantastic in the regular season, posting a 13-2-0 record, 1.84 GAA and .932 save percentage in 16 appearances. The Islanders weren't particularly strong offensively during the 2023-24 campaign, finishing 22nd with 2.99 goals per contest, so Andersen likely won't be challenged too much in the first round.

Bobrovsky will guard the road crease Thursday against Tampa Bay for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, per Alex Baumgartner.

Bobrovsky was solid in Game 2 on Tuesday, stopping 21 of 23 shots en route to a 3-2 win. The 35-year-old has played 72 career playoff games, recording a .905 save percentage and 31 total wins. The Lightning will undoubtedly be desperate to avoid falling in to a 3-0 series hole, so they'll likely come out firing Thursday.

Samsonov stopped 30 of 33 shots in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Bruins, with Boston's final goal of Game 3 getting scored into an empty net.

Jeremy Swayman and Samsonov were both perfect in the first period and still had a 1-1 goaltending duel going headed into the second intermission, but the Bruins pulled away after Jake DeBrusk notched a power-play tally just 67 seconds into the final frame. Samsonov has given up nine goals on 86 shots through the first three games of the playoffs, and with Toronto down 2-1 in the series, he might need to come up big in Game 4 on Saturday to keep his team in the series,