NHL Player News
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Ilya Samsonov G | LV
Golden Knights' Ilya Samsonov: Winning streak ends
Samsonov allowed two goals on 26 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers.
Samsonov's six-game winning streak came to a close, though he still had a decent performance. He's gone seven starts without allowing more than two goals, giving him a 2.61 GAA and a .908 save percentage alongside an 11-4-1 record through 16 outings. Adin Hill will start Sunday versus the Wild, while Samsonov can be tentatively projected for Tuesday's game in Nashville if the Golden Knights continue to alternate their goalies.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Stands tall in loss
Vasilevskiy made 23 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Devils on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy's elite technical skills were on full display during the game, but he couldn't get his glove on Stefan Noesen's quick release from the edge of the crease. Vasilevskiy is 6-3-1 in his last 10 starts and has allowed two or fewer goals six times in that span. Overall, he's 18-12-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season. He is in the NHL's top-nine netminders, stats-wise, and he's a fantasy rock.
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Jacob Markstrom G | NJ
Devils' Jacob Markstrom: Brilliant performance in win
Markstrom made 23 saves in a 3-2 overtime win over the Lightning on Saturday.
Markstrom was sharp -- he made a highlight-reel save on Brayden Point in the third period when he stretched out in desperation with his left arm to make the stop. It preserved the Devils' lead at the time. Markstrom sits fourth in the NHL with a 2.19 GAA and top-13 in save percentage (.911). He's tied with Jake Oettinger for second in wins (21). As expected, Markstrom has been superb in his first campaign with New Jersey.
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Igor Shesterkin G | NYR
Rangers' Igor Shesterkin: Wins over Vegas
Shesterkin stopped 29 of 30 shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Golden Knights.
A little time off seems to have served Shesterkin well, as he's won his first two starts since returning from a four-game absence due to an upper-body injury. He was able to limit the damage to a Mark Stone power-play goal in this contest, and the Rangers gave him just enough support to win. Shesterkin is up to 13-15-1 with a 2.98 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 29 appearances. They've got another tough matchup set for Tuesday in Colorado.
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Yaroslav Askarov G | SJ
Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Can't contain Wild's top line
Askarov allowed three goals on 22 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Wild.
The Wild's top line scored in each period, though the last goal came with Askarov attempting to get off the ice for an extra attacker. Since he was caught in his own zone when the puck went in, the goal was still charged to him despite the 22-year-old having no chance to play the shot. He's had few poor outings so far, but this was among his worst at the NHL level this season. Askarov is down to 3-3-2 with a 2.39 GAA and a .917 save percentage over eight appearances. The Sharks begin a five-game road trip when they visit Detroit on Tuesday, and it wouldn't be surprising for Askarov to start three of those games, as Alexandar Georgiev hasn't done anything to justify earning more playing time.
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Marc-Andre Fleury G | PIT
Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury: Stellar in win
Fleury stopped 36 of 37 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Sharks.
Fleury had been battling an illness earlier in the week, but he was able to handle the goaltending duties for the first half of a back-to-back. The Sharks actually put forth a pretty good effort, but Fleury was up to the task, allowing just a William Eklund tally in the second period. This was Fleury's third straight win, and he's allowed just four goals on 83 shots in that span, which includes one relief appearance. He's now 9-3-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 14 appearances. Filip Gustavsson is likely to start Sunday in Vegas, but he's been struggling lately, which could open the door for Fleury to see a larger share of starts if those struggles persist.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Fourth shutout of season
Lankinen made 20 saves Saturday in a 3-0 win over Toronto.
It was his fourth shutout this season and seventh in the NHL. Lankinen has continued to see a solid workload while Thatcher Demko recovers from back spasms. Monitor daily activations closely to take advantage of Lankinen's play.
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Dennis Hildeby G | TOR
Maple Leafs' Dennis Hildeby: Rough game against Canucks
Hildeby made 15 saves in a 3-0 loss to Vancouver on Saturday.
The first shot of the game sailed by Hildeby off Brock Boeser just 31 seconds into the game. It was an ominous omen, but the loss wasn't really on Hildeby -- his entire team didn't show up. Hildeby needs to be developing in the minors to fulfill his potential. He's a dynasty guy, not a redraft one. He has a 3.18 GAA and .891 save percentage in five starts this season.
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Connor Ingram G | EDM
Hockey Club's Connor Ingram: Narrow loss in return to action
Ingram stopped 30 of 32 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Islanders.
This was Ingram's first start since Nov. 18. He looked sharp in his return to an NHL crease, but the Islanders' top line tagged him for a pair of third-period goals to take the result. Ingram dropped to 6-5-3 with a 3.49 GAA and an .877 save percentage over 14 appearances. Ingram will need to do better than those season-long numbers if he's going to make an honest challenge to Karel Vejmelka's status as Utah's top goalie. The team hosts the Canadiens on Tuesday.
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Marcus Hogberg G | NYI
Islanders' Marcus Hogberg: Steady in win over Utah
Hogberg allowed one goal on 22 shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over Utah.
Hogberg can't really be faulted for the goal against, as it was a tipped-in shot off the stick of Nick Schmaltz. The 30-year-old Hogberg has allowed four goals on 80 shots over four appearances (two starts) at the NHL level this year. He started Saturday because Ilya Sorokin (illness) was unavailable, and Hogberg would likely continue to see playing time should Sorokin not be healthy in time for Tuesday's home game versus the Senators.