NHL Player News

Saros stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

Saros gave up both goals in a span of 14 seconds in the third period. That tied the game at 2-2, but when Kieffer Bellows restored the lead for Nashville, Saros made it stick to earn his third straight win. He's allowed eight goals on 73 shots in that span, so he still hasn't really been at his best lately. The Finnish netminder improved to 16-25-6 with a 2.94 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 48 starts this season. The Predators have a back-to-back up next with games in Anaheim on Friday and in Los Angeles on Saturday -- look for Saros and Justus Annunen to split those starts.

Dostal stopped 36 of 42 shots in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Capitals. The seventh goal was an empty-netter.

Dostal was pelted with pucks and didn't hold up very well against the NHL's top offense. He allowed three goals in the third period as the Capitals pulled away with a win despite the Ducks' strong scoring Tuesday. Dostal dropped to 19-17-5 with a 3.04 GAA and a .910 save percentage across 41 appearances. He may have to wait for his second attempt at reaching the 20-win mark, as the Ducks are back in action at Utah on Wednesday before hosting the Predators on Friday, which will likely be Dostal's next start.

Thompson stopped 25 of 29 shots in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Ducks.

The teams traded goals at a high rate in the first and third periods, and the Capitals came away with just enough more on offense to give Thompson his third straight win. He's allowed 10 goals in that span, and he's given up three or more tallies in seven of his nine outings since the start of February. That slip in performance hasn't hurt his record (28-4-5), but his GAA is up to 2.36 with a .916 save percentage over 37 appearances. The Capitals will likely continue alternating starts between Thompson and Charlie Lindgren -- look for Lindgren to play Thursday against the Kings while Thompson is tentatively on track for a Saturday matinee start in San Jose.

Vasilevskiy made 27 saves in a 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

His team played well for the first half of the game, but they really chased the game after the Canes got their second goal. Vasilevskiy couldn't hold back the Canes snipers. Bottom line, the superstar can't win them all.

Kochetkov made 23 saves in a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour was effusive about his goalie after the game. "'Kooch' was dynamite really. We didn't give up a heck of a lot, and when we did, he was there. So that was the difference in the game." It was Kochetkov's fourth consecutive win, and he's 9-2-2 in his last 13 games. He's in a platoon with Frederik Andersen, which will keep both men fresh. You need to have 'Kooch' in your blue paint when the Canes have him in theirs.

Blackwood made 22 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.

It was a tight contest, but Blackwood was beaten by Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy in the shootout to seal the win for the Wild men. He has been excellent in Mile High since his arrival. Blackwood is 18-7-3 with a 2.17 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 27 starts, and he's 7-2-1 with one shutout in his last 10 starts.

Gustavsson stopped 27 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout victory over the Avalanche.

Gustavsson stopped two attempts in the shootout. He's now 25-14-3 with a 2.56 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 43 starts for the Wild this season, and he's 6-4-0 with one shutout and 24 goals allowed across his past 10 outings. Gustavsson hasn't quite resurrected his greatness from his first campaign in Minny (22-9-7 with a 2.10 GAA and a .931 save percentage), but he's shown that he's a lot more than his forgettable 2023-24.

Fedotov made 19 saves Tuesday in a 5-2 loss to Ottawa.

Fedotov had been playing well lately, but Tuesday was a truly rough outing, and we don't know if he can regain his recent solid streak. Fedotov allowed four goals, and the third one had a horrible odor -- so much so that cameras caught coach John Tortorella rubbing his forehead in quiet frustration. Philly has a tough stretch of games coming up with Tampa Bay (twice), Carolina, Washington, Dallas and Toronto in its path over the next two weeks. You would be wise to make Fedotov and Samuel Ersson spectators over this span.

Sorokin will be in goal on the road versus the Kings on Tuesday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Sorokin has won four of his last five starts, allowing just 12 goals in that span. The Kings have scored 14 goals over their last six games, going 2-3-1 in that span, so this could be a favorable matchup for Sorokin.

Saros will protect the road goal versus the Sharks on Tuesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros has allowed 13 goals over his last four games, but he's won three of those outings. He'll be in goal for a favorable matchup Tuesday, though Saros was pulled from his last outing versus the Sharks on Jan. 21 after allowed four goals on eight shots in what ended up being a 7-5 win for the Predators.