NHL Player News

Dostal stopped 30 of 34 shots in Monday's 4-3 loss against the Oilers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Dostal ended the regular season on a sour note after posting a save percentage below .900 in five of his last six starts, and that trend continued in this playoff opener. Dostal has a daunting task ahead of him, though, as the Oilers were among the best offenses in the league in the regular season and also welcomed Leon Draisaitl back from a lower-body injury that forced him to sit out the final 14 games of the regular season. Dostal should remain between the posts for Game 2 of the series Wednesday at Rogers Place.

Robertson scored a goal in Monday's 4-2 win over the Wild in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Robertson enjoyed an excellent regular season with 45 goals and 96 points while playing in every single game, and so far, he's scored in both of Dallas' postseason games. The star winger should continue to be one of the Stars' primary offensive weapons while skating on the second line next to Matt Duchene and Mavrik Bourque.

Duchene recorded a power-play goal and an even-strength assist in Monday's 4-2 win over the Wild in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Duchene gave the Stars a 2-1 lead in the second period with a power-play tally from close range following a set-up from Mikko Rantanen, and he later participated in the build-up of Jason Robertson's goal in the third frame. These were Duchene's first two points in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, and he figures to remain heavily involved in the Stars' offensive scheme due to his top-six role, as well as being a playmaking threat in the power play.

Johnston scored two goals, including an empty-netter on the power play, in Monday's 4-2 win over the Wild in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Johnston broke the deadlock for the Stars midway through the first period with a slap shot, and he'd later close out the scoring in the final minute when Minnesota was pushing for a late equalizer to send the game to overtime. Johnston had 45 goals and 86 points in 82 regular-season contests, and he's backing that up in the playoffs with three points (two goals, an assist) in his first two postseason contests.

Oettinger stopped 28 of 30 shots in Monday's 4-2 win over the Wild in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Oettinger was the main reason the first period ended in a 1-1 tie, as he made several huge stops that proved critical to the final outcome of this contest. He had a better performance than his Game 1 showing, where he gave up five goals on 28 shots for an .821 save percentage. Oettinger should remain between the pipes for Dallas in Game 3 in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Faber scored two goals on six shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Stars in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Faber accounted for all the offense the Wild were able to muster in this game, and the two goals he scored were also his first two career postseason goals. Faber isn't expected to be a go-to scoring threat for Minnesota in the playoffs, although it's worth noting he scored a career-high 15 goals in 80 regular-season games. He should continue to play a prominent role in the Wild's top defensive pairing going forward.

Wallstedt stopped 28 of 31 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Stars in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. The fourth goal he allowed was an empty-netter.

Wallstedt was impressive in the series opener, where he stopped all but one of the 28 shots he faced while posting a .964 save percentage, but he couldn't repeat that outing in Game 2. The 23-year-old should continue to protect the Wild crease in Game 3, which will take place in Minnesota on Wednesday. Through two playoff outings, Wallstedt has gone 1-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and .932 save percentage.

Martinook scored the game-winning goal Monday during the Hurricanes' 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Senators in Game 2 of their first-round series.

The veteran winger had a golden opportunity to win the game in the first OT period, but he got stoned by Linus Ullmark on a penalty shot. Martinook didn't miss when he got another chance to play hero, however, snapping home a shot from the slot with just over six minutes left in the second OT. Martinook has had productive playoff runs before -- he delivered three goals and 12 points in 15 games during the 2023 postseason for Carolina -- and through two games this time around, he's collected one goal, nine shots on net and nine hits in a bottom-six role.

Andersen stopped 37 shots Monday during the Hurricanes' 3-2 double-overtime win over the Senators in Game 2 of their first-round series.

Carolina handed the veteran netminder an early 2-0 lead, before Andersen finally allowed his first goal of the postseason on a fluky play -- Drake Batherson's centering pass deflected right back to him off Jaccob Slavin's skate, and Andersen was out of position as a result for the subsequent one-timer. The Senators tied things up before the second intermission, but Andersen locked things down for the remaining 54 minutes of the game. He's given up two goals on 61 shots to kick off the Hurricanes' playoff run, giving him plenty of momentum as the series shifts to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday.

Ullmark made 43 saves Monday during the Senators' 3-2 double-overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2 of their first-round series.

After Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, Ullmark allowed Ottawa to rally by shutting the door for the rest of regulation and then stayed sharp into extra time -- including a stop on a Jordan Martinook penalty shot in the first OT period -- before Martinook got his revenge in the game's 94th minute. Ullmark has allowed five goals on 75 shots to begin the playoffs, and he's not the reason the Senators head home for Game 3 on Thursday staring at a 2-0 series deficit.