NHL Player News

Guentzel (rest) won't play Wednesday versus the Rangers, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Guentzel will sit out the regular-season finale, ending the campaign with 38 goals and 88 points over 81 appearances. The 31-year-old winger will be back in a top-six role for the start of the postseason in Game 1 versus the Canadiens.

Point (rest) won't play Wednesday versus the Rangers, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Point will take the last game of the regular season off, ending with just 50 points over 63 appearances this year. He should be fine for Game 1 versus the Canadiens to start the playoffs.

Cirelli is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Rangers, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

Cirelli will get some rest in the regular-season finale. He ends the regular season with 52 points in 71 outings. He should be in a top-six role for Game 1 of the postseason against the Canadiens.

Bennett (lower body) won't play Wednesday versus the Red Wings, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bennett will finish the season on the shelf, missing three straight games. His status for the start of the 2026-27 campaign isn't known yet, but he should be fine if he doesn't need to get surgery. He had a career year offensively in 2025-26 with 58 points in 76 outings.

Verhaeghe (lower body) won't play Wednesday versus the Red Wings, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Verhaeghe will miss his third straight game to conclude the 2025-26 campaign. He ends with 25 goals and 55 points over 77 outings. The nature and extent of his injury are unclear, but if he avoids surgery, he should be good for the start of 2026-27.

Raddysh (undisclosed) is expected to be in the lineup Wednesday versus the Rangers, Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com reports.

Raddysh missed two games due to the injury. The Lightning will rest some other regulars, but Raddysh should be good for top-four minutes and power-play time in the regular-season finale.

Johansson (undisclosed) won't suit up Wednesday versus the Rangers, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Johansson will be out for a second straight game. The 30-year-old netminder will have his next chance to return in Game 1 of the playoffs versus the Canadiens. Johansson will likely be the backup once he's healthy, as Andrei Vasilevskiy will see the vast majority of the playing time for the Lightning's postseason run.

Vasilevskiy will not start Wednesday's home game versus the Rangers as previously expected, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Vasilevskiy appeared to be the starter after he was the first goalie off the ice at Wednesday's morning skate, but the Lightning have seemingly changed their plans. With Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) unavailable, Vasilevskiy will be Brandon Halverson's backup in Tampa Bay's regular-season finale.

Halverson will start at home versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Halverson will get the nod after Andrei Vasilevskiy was initially expected to start. This is unlikely to be an injury-related issue -- Halverson is up with the team because Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) is unavailable. Halverson made a brief relief appearance Dec. 13 versus the Islanders but has otherwise spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL.

Ellis will start at home versus the Stars on Wednesday, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports.

Ellis will get the nod in Buffalo's regular-season finale. He'll likely open the postseason as backup to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, while Alex Lyon (lower body) is on the mend. Ellis earned his first career shutout in his last start, a 37-save effort Thursday versus the Blue Jackets.