NHL Player News
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Jordan Binnington G | STL
Blues' Jordan Binnington: Decent effort in loss
Binnington stopped 28 of 30 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders. The third goal was an empty-netter.
Binnington has alternated wins and losses over his last four outings, but he's given up just nine goals in that span. The Islanders' second line controlled the scoring Saturday, with Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson responsible for the goals on Binnington's ledger. The 31-year-old goalie is now 6-9-1 through 17 appearances, adding a 3.04 GAA and an .891 save percentage. Those ratios aren't great, but his playing time can't be ignored in fantasy -- at least as long as he continues to see the vast majority of the starts over Joel Hofer.
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Sam Montembeault G | MON
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Pulled early in loss
Montembeault allowed five goals on 25 shots before being pulled after two periods in Saturday's 6-2 loss to Vegas.
Montembeault, who won three of four outings with a .966 save percentage going into Saturday's game, started well with a scoreless first period before it all came apart. The Golden Knights capitalized on sloppy play in front of the goalie in the second period, putting five pucks past him on 13 shots. Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis had seen enough and replaced him with Cayden Primeau to start the third period. The 28-year-old Montembeault hasn't finished the game three times in 15 starts. The Canadiens' next matchup is Tuesday at home against Columbus.
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Ilya Sorokin G | NYI
Islanders' Ilya Sorokin: Ends skid Saturday
Sorokin stopped 24 of 25 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Blues.
Sorokin was only bested by a Jake Neighbours power-play tally early in the third period. This was Sorokin's first win in five outings -- he had allowed 13 goals while going 0-2-2 over his last four starts. For the season, the 29-year-old is at a 5-5-3 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The Islanders' lack of offense is a concern, but Sorokin should at least offer good ratios. The Islanders face the Red Wings on Monday after losing 2-1 in Detroit on Thursday, with Sorokin stopping 29 of 31 shots in that outing.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Bends but doesn't break in barrage
Lankinen made 26 saves in a 4-3 win over Ottawa on Saturday.
He bent but didn't break late in the third period when the Senators stormed the castle. Lankinen allowed two late goals in a 2:47 span with the Sens net empty and the extra attacker on the ice. One of those goals came while the Sens were up six-on-four, and Lanks barely had a chance. Still, it was a strong rebound for Lankinen, who'd been lit up for 16 goals in his previous four games. His play continues to give the Orcas a chance while Thatcher Demko (knee) is on IR.
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Elvis Merzlikins G | CLB
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Escapes with shootout win
Merzlikins stopped 32 of 36 shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Hurricanes.
Merzlikins let three separate one-goal leads slip away, and Jackson Blake put the Hurricanes ahead 4-3 at 13:23 of the second period. That lead nearly lasted to the finish, but Kirill Marchenko saved the day by tying the game with 1:06 left in regulation. Merzlikins handled the rest, getting through overtime and stopping all three shootout attempts to earn his fourth straight win. In that span, he's been a little shaky with 13 goals allowed. The 30-year-old netminder improved to 6-5-1 with a 3.08 GAA and an .894 save percentage through 12 starts. He's the no-doubt starter for the Blue Jackets right now, and he'll likely get the nod for Wednesday's home game versus the Canadiens.
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Spencer Martin G | CAR
Hurricanes' Spencer Martin: Takes shootout loss in short outing
Martin stopped one shot in overtime and two of three shootout attempts, taking the loss in a 5-4 shootout defeat to the Blue Jackets after entering the game for Pyotr Kochetkov (upper body).
Martin's outing was a short one, and Sean Monahan had the lone shootout tally to decide the game. Depending on the severity of Kochetkov's injury, Martin may be set for No. 1 duties in goal moving forward -- there was no update after the game. Martin is 1-2-1 with 10 goals allowed on 77 shots through five appearances this season, with his lone win being a shutout. The Hurricanes' next game is a tough one at home versus the Stars on Monday.
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Jake Oettinger G | DAL
Stars' Jake Oettinger: Fifth straight win
Oettinger made 27 saves in a 4-2 win over the Lightning on Saturday.
Both goals that got past him were second-chance rebounds that his defensemen were beaten to by Anthony Cirelli. The win was Oettinger's fifth consecutive victory, and he's now 11-3-0 this season. Those 11 wins are second only to Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck as tops in the NHL. Oettinger carries a heavy workload in Dallas, but Casey DeSmith is an above-average backup who wins. Watch for the Stars to consider some load management for Oettinger later in the season, so he's ready for the postseason. But not right now -- he's as hot as they come.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Tough third period leads to loss
Vasilevskiy made 24 saves in a 4-2 loss to the Stars on Saturday.
The game was knotted 2-2 until the 6:55 mark of the third, but the Stars got two in 58 seconds on two separate rushes, and they never looked back. Vasilevskiy came into the match on a three-game winning streak, but even the best can't win them all. The Bolts have four games next week with three against strong teams (Avs, Caps, Preds and Leafs). It'll be a good test for Vasilevskiy, who has been one of the NHL's best goalies this season.
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Pyotr Kochetkov G | CAR
Hurricanes' Pyotr Kochetkov: Injured in overtime
Kochetkov (upper body) sustained an injury during overtime versus the Blue Jackets on Saturday, and there was no update on his status after the contest, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.
Kochetkov looked to take a blow to the head, per Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports. Prior to the injury, Kochetkov allowed four goals on 31 shots. With the Hurricanes already missing Frederik Andersen (knee) into late January in a best-case scenario, this could develop into a crease crisis for the team. Spencer Martin is likely to take over as the starter during Kochetkov's absence, and Yaniv Perets would be in line for a call-up, but it wouldn't be surprising for Carolina to attempt to make a trade if there's bad news about Kochetkov's recovery timeline.
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Adin Hill G | LV
Golden Knights' Adin Hill: Coasts to win
Hill stopped 15 of 17 shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over Montreal.
The two teams played to a scoreless tie after one period, but Vegas broke it open in the second with five goals. The second period has been the Golden Knights' worst; they entered tied for 23rd with 17 second-period tallies and had been outscored 23 to 17. To that point in the game, Hill was coasting, having faced just eight shots. The Canadiens came out with energy in the third and put a couple past the goalie, but Vegas was never threatened. The win was Hill's third in the last four starts and ninth of the season. Vegas continues its road trip Monday in Philadelphia.