NHL Player News

Samsonov is slated to guard the road goal during Monday's Game 2 versus the Bruins, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Samsonov struggled in Saturday's Game 1, surrendering four goals on only 23 shots en route to a 5-1 defeat. He'll try to shake off that poor performance and help the Maple Leafs even the series at one game apiece Monday.

Varlamov was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports, indicating he will guard the road goal in Game 2 against Carolina on Monday.

Varlamov stopped 23 of 25 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1. The 35-year-old netminder has posted a record of 18-15 with a 2.30 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 35 career playoff appearances with the Islanders.

Oettinger will patrol the home crease Monday in Game 1 against Vegas, per Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine.

Oettinger posted a 35-14-4 record with three shutouts, a 2.72 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 54 games during the regular season. He won 10 of 11 outings to close out the year, earning two shutouts and a .941 save percentage during that span. However, Oettinger didn't have much success against the Golden Knights in 2023-24, allowing 10 goals on 87 shots en route to posting a mark of 0-1-2.

Saros stopped 17 of 20 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Canucks in Game 1.

Saros had a 2-1 lead to work with to begin the third period, but he gave up goals to Quinn Hughes and Dakota Joshua in a span of 12 seconds. The Predators didn't recover from that, sending Saros to his third loss in his last four outings. The 29-year-old had his worst numbers as an NHL regular with a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 64 outings this season, though he still went 35-24-5. The Predators will likely roll with Saros throughout the postseason despite his lackluster play of late.

Demko stopped 20 of 22 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Predators in Game 1.

Demko allowed four goals on 65 shots over two games to close the regular season following his return from a knee injury. The 28-year-old was facing a deficit for a large portion of Sunday's game, but the Canucks turned things around in the third period to get the win. He won a career-high 35 games with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 51 regular-season outings, so he's going to be tough for the Predators to solve over a full series.

Bobrovsky stopped 17 of 19 shots in Sunday's 3-2 Game 1 win over the Lightning.

While he didn't face many shots in Game 1, Bobrovsky was solid when needed. Brandon Hagel scored in the first period and then Bobrovsky kicked aside all shots sent his way until Steven Stamkos sniped one past him with 10 seconds left. Bobrovsky finished with an .895 save percentage and his first playoff win of the season. As the clear No. 1 netminder for the Panthers, plan for him to start every playoff game.

Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 27 shots in a 3-2 Game 1 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The third goal was an empty-netter.

With the score tied 1-1 early in the third period, Vasilevskiy allowed a power-play goal to Carter Verhaeghe that eventually lead to a game-winning empty-netter by Matthew Tkachuk. The Lightning would eventually score with 10 seconds left to pull within one, but it would prove to be too late at that point. Vasilevskiy finished with a .926 save percentage en route to his third loss in a row. The 29-year-old netminder is the clear No. 1 option for the Lightning, so expect him to get all the starts throughout the playoffs.

Georgiev allowed seven goals on 23 shots in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Jets in Game 1.

Georgiev's struggles from late in the regular season seeped into the first playoff game. The seven goals allowed matched a season high -- he also gave up seven in a shutout loss versus the Golden Knights on Nov. 4. Georgiev has played 125 regular-season contests over the last two campaigns, so overwork is a real concern, especially with the obvious signs of diminished performance. It's unclear if head coach Jared Bednar will stick with Georgiev or turn to Justus Annunen (illness) for Tuesday's Game 2.

Hellebuyck stopped 40 of 46 shots in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Avalanche in Game 1.

Hellebuyck was twice as busy as his Colorado counterpart Alexandar Georgiev, but the Jets' offense was more opportunistic. Hellebuyck allowed four or more goals in just 10 of his 60 regular-season appearances, posting a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage in a Vezina-caliber campaign. The 30-year-old will need more stability from his defense to avoid turning every game into a track meet versus the Avalanche. Game 2 is Tuesday in Winnipeg.

Saros will get the starting nod in Vancouver on Sunday, Zach Gilchriest of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros gave up four goals in each of his final three starts of the regular season, posting an .874 save percentage during that span. He faced the Canucks twice this season, going 0-2-0 while allowing eight goals on just 48 shots in the process. He went 35-24-5 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA through 64 games this season.