NHL Player News

Johansson (lower body) won't return for Sunday's opening game against Florida, Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site reports.

Johansson hasn't played since March 24. The 28-year-old netminder went 12-7-5 this season with an .890 save percentage and 3.37 GAA. Matt Tomkins will back up Andrei Vasilevskiy until Johansson is able to return.

Bobrovsky will protect the home net in Sunday's Game 1 against Tampa Bay, Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Bobrovsky went 3-0-1 with two shutouts and a .956 save percentage in four outings to conclude the 2023-24 campaign. In 58 appearances during the regular season, he posted a 36-17-4 record with six shutouts, a 2.37 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Bobrovsky also earned a mark of 2-1-0 versus the Lightning, stopping 66 of 74 shots. Tampa Bay ranked fifth in the league in 2023-24 with 3.51 goals per contest.

Vasilevskiy will guard the road goal Sunday in Game 1 versus Florida, according to Chris Krenn of the Lightning's official site.

Vasilevskiy struggled down the stretch, losing three of four starts and allowing 15 goals on 128 shots. In 52 appearances during the regular season, he provided a 30-20-2 record with two shutouts, a 2.90 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Vasilevskiy also lost two of three meetings against the Panthers, surrendering 12 goals on 103 shots. Florida ranked 11th in the league with 3.23 goals per game during the 2023-24 campaign.

Hellebuyck will patrol the home crease Sunday in Game 1 versus Colorado, per Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site.

Hellebuyck concluded the regular season with a .938 save percentage during his five-game winning streak. In 60 appearances during the 2023-24 campaign, he posted a 37-19-4 record with five shutouts, a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Hellebuyck also stopped 92 of 96 shots against the Avalanche en route to a mark of 3-0-0. The Avalanche finished first in the regular season with 3.68 goals per game.

Bussi was assigned to AHL Providence on Sunday.

Bussi served as Boston's emergency netminder in Saturday's playoff opener against Toronto. He has posted a 23-10-5 record this season with a 2.67 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 40 AHL outings.

Samsonov allowed four goals on 23 shots in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Bruins in Game 1. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Samsonov took his third straight loss, and he's allowed a total of 15 goals in that span. Prior to that, he won five outings in a row. Samsonov was effective with a 23-7-8 record this season, but his 3.13 GAA and .890 save percentage leave plenty to be desired. If head coach Sheldon Keefe mixes things up between the pipes, Joseph Woll appears to be next in line.

Swayman stopped 35 of 36 shots in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 1.

Swayman ended the season with a pair of losses, but he was good overall with a 25-10-8 record, a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He was dialed in Saturday, stopping everything but a David Kampf tally in the third period. After the game, head coach Jim Montgomery said it would be "hard to go away from" Swayman for Game 2 on Monday, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports. Montgomery almost always alternated starts between Swayman and Linus Ullmark in the regular season, but he may have hinted at going with the hot hand in the playoffs, at least in the first round.

Varlamov allowed two goals on 25 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 1. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Varlamov's strong play to help the Islanders get into the playoffs earned him the Game 1 start, but the team in front of him fell flat for the postseason opener. He has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last five outings. Varlamov was 14-8-4 with a 2.60 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 28 regular-season contests. Should he stumble again, head coach Patrick Roy may be forced to turn back to Ilya Sorokin quickly.

Andersen stopped 33 of 34 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Islanders in Game 1.

Andersen had a fairly easy time between the pipes, continuing his success from late in the regular season. He's won three contests in a row and 10 of his last 11 outings since he returned from a blood clotting issue at the start of March. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour rotated between Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov down the stretch, but it's unclear at this time if that pattern will continue during the playoffs, as it may have been designed to keep Andersen from being overworked before the postseason. Game 2 is Monday in Raleigh.

Swayman will protect the home net in Game 1 against Toronto on Saturday, according to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic.

Swayman posted a 25-10-8 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 44 appearances during the regular season. He also stopped 93 of 97 shots en route to going 3-0-0 versus the Maple Leafs. Toronto registered 3.63 goals per contest to finish second overall in 2023-24.