NHL Hockey Player News

The Stars have two very capable goaltenders and both will probably see playing time during the round-robin but Bishop will start the opener. He was 21-16-4 with a 2.50 GAA and .920 SV% in 43 starts this seasons. In two starts vs. the Golden Knights, Bishop was 1-0-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .917 SV%.

Michael Raffl was hurt in the third period of the Flyers' win over the Bruins on Saturday, opening the door for Farabee to play against the Capitals on Thursday. There's no indication what line Farabee will play on but he comes in having picked up 21 points (8G / 13A) in 52 games.

Raffl was hurt in the third period of the Flyers' win over the Bruins on Saturday. He went into the boards left first and had to be helped off of the ice and down the tunnel. Look for Joel Farabee to draw into the lineup to replace Raffl on Thursday.

Vasilevskiy will start the Lightning's first round-robin game after leading the NHL with 35 wins and posting a 2.56 GAA and .917 SV% in the regular season. As good as he was throughout the season, he struggled against the Capitals, giving up eight goals on 68 shots (.882 SV%) in two games.

The Oilers went with Mike Smith in Game 1 and it was an unmitigated disaster. Smith gave up five goals on 23 shots before the midway point and was then replaced by Koskinen, who stopped 18 of the 19 shots that he faced. Koskinen, who was 18-13-3 with a 2.75 GAA and .917 SV% in the regular season will be making his first career NHL playoffs start.

Hellebuyck surrendered three goals on 32 shots in the Jets' Game 1 loss. It wasn't Hellebuyck's best effort but the Jets were badly outplayed. With Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine both out today, Hellebuyck will need to be on top of his game more than ever. He is now 11-13 with a 2.47 GAA and .919 SV% in 24 career playoff starts.

Talbot stopped 17 of 18 shots in the Flames Game 1 win over the Jets. It's probably the easiest win Talbot will ever get in the postseason. Today the Jets will be shorthanded with both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine getting injured in Game 1. Talbot was 2-2-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .913 SV% in four afternoon starts during the 2020 seaosn.

Price was terrific in Game 1, stopping 39 of 41 shots in the Canadiens 3-2 overtime win. He was not sharp before the season was paused so the long layoff may have done the veteran some good. Price comes into Game 2 having not given up more than three goals in a game in his last 11 playoff starts.

With Jesper Fast out, Fogarty gets the call for Game 2. Expect Julien Gauthier to move up into the top-9, opening up a spot for Fogarty on the fourth line. The 27-year-old had no points in seven regular-season games.

Talbot stopped 17 of 18 shots in the Flames Game 1 win over the Jets. It's probably the easiest win Talbot will ever get in the postseason. Today the Jets will be shorthanded with both Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine getting injured in Game 1. Talbot was 2-2-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .913 SV% in four afternoon starts during the 2020 seaosn.

Mrazek stopped 24 of 26 shots in the Hurricanes 3-2 win over the Rangers in Game 1. In typical Hurricanes fashion, Henrik Lundqvist was a lot busier in the first game of the series but Mrazek stood tall when he was called upon. Mrazek is now 6-5-0 with an .896 SV% in 12 career playoff games with the Hurricanes.

Murray allowed three goals on 35 shots in the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 1. Despite the loss, the Penguins will go right back to their more experienced netminder in Game 2. Dating back to the 2018 playoffs, Murray has lost seven straight playoff games, while posting a 2.89 GAA and .905 SV%.

Lundqvist gave up a goal on the first shot that he faced in Game 1 but settled in, stopping 34 of 37 shots in a 3-2 loss. He was a surprise starter with Igor Shesterkin deemed "unfit to play" and that will be the case again in Game 2. Lundqvist has now lost his last three playoff starts dating back to 2017, giving up 11 goals on 99 shots (.889 SV%).

Hedman stayed back in Tampa at first due to personal reasons but joined his teammates on Friday and practiced on Saturday. Head coach Jon Cooper said that Hedman "hasn't really skipped a beat," so he'll play in the first game of their round-robin schedule.