Anders Nilsson

Bengt Per Anders Nilsson (born 19 March 1990) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nilsson was drafted 62nd overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders and played in the NHL with the Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, and Ottawa Senators. Internationally, Nilsson led Sweden to a gold medal at the 2018 World Championships. Playing career On 27 April 2011, the New York Islanders signed Nilsson to a three-year entry-level contract. He was initially assigned to the Islanders American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Nilsson was recalled by the Islanders after Evgeni Nabokov was injured in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. He made his NHL debut on 19 November 2011, against the Boston Bruins, in relief of Rick DiPietro. He let in 3 goals on 17 shots, while playing 40 minutes, as the Islanders lost 6–0. He got his first start in the NHL on 21 November 2011, against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On 4 March 2012, he earned his first NHL victory and shutout in a 1–0 home win against the New Jersey Devils. In doing so, he became the first goalie in Islanders history to record a shutout for his first win. In his next start, on 10 March 2012, he almost shutout the Devils a second time, but the Devils scored two goals in the last two minutes of the game, resulting in a 2–1 loss for the Islanders. Nilsson saw limited action with the Sound Tigers in 2012–13, as he was diagnosed with an unknown, fatigue-inducing illness in January 2013. The illness was later determined to be a vitamin B12 deficiency. At the end of the season, Nilsson joined the Islanders for the playoffs but did not play. During the 2013–14 season, Nilsson was again assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He was recalled on 18 November 2013 and played in five games with the Islanders, going 0–2–2 before being sent back to Bridgeport. Nilsson joined the Islanders again on 1 March 2014 after sending Kevin Poulin to Bridgeport. He finished the season playing in 19 games for the Islanders compiling a record of 8–7–2. On 26 May 2014, as a restricted free agent, Nilsson decided to sign a contract with Russian club Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League. Ak Bars issued a release confirming the signing. On 4 October 2014, Nilsson's NHL rights were traded by the Islanders to the Chicago Blackhawks in a trade for Nick Leddy.