NHL Player News

Sorokin posted a 30-save shutout in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.

Sorokin earned his second shutout of the year and the 20th of his career in this performance against the NHL's top team. Given that he had allowed at least three goals in seven of his previous nine outings, this was a bit of a surprise performance, especially in hostile territory. Sorokin improved to 13-13-4 with a 2.83 GAA and a .902 save percentage over 30 starts this season. The Islanders' three-game road trip concludes Saturday in Utah, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Sorokin start that contest as well.

Woll made 28 saves in a 6-3 loss to Carolina on Thursday.

He allowed five goals, at least two of which he'd like back. The Canes tight defensive style smothered the Leafs' scorers and took advantage of them offensively, too. Woll didn't play his best game, but he's been mostly solid this season. He'll shake it off and be ready next time out.

Hill stopped 17 of 20 shots in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Islanders. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

The Islanders built up a 3-0 lead shortly after the middle of the game, and the Golden Knights couldn't solve Ilya Sorokin. Hill can't be blamed for this loss too much -- turnovers were a problem for Vegas throughout the night. Hill has allowed 12 goals over his last six outings while going 4-2-0 in that span, and he's at 17-7-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 26 starts overall. If the Golden Knights continue to alternate their goalie starts, Ilya Samsonov would face the Rangers on Saturday before Hill gets the nod Sunday against the Wild.

Kochetkov made 30 saves in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Nicholas Robertson beat him, but he then made some huge saves in the third to preserve the lead and get the win. Kochetkov has won just twice in his last six starts (2-3-1), and his overall stats (16-9-1, 2.52, .902) continue to fuel rumors the Canes will go shopping for net insurance before the deadline. If so, Kochetchov's value could take a hit.

Gibson stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief of Lukas Dostal in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Blues.

Gibson was sharp, but the Blues eased up after dominating the first 30 minutes of the contest. The 31-year-old netminder has allowed just seven goals on 112 shots over four appearances in January, and with Dostal starting to falter, the door may be open for Gibson to get more playing time. Gibson is 7-5-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 16 appearances. He should start one of the next two games, either Saturday in Philadelphia or Sunday in Carolina.

Dostal stopped 16 of 22 shots before he was relieved by John Gibson in the second period of Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Blues.

Dostal just didn't have it Thursday, as the Blues put up four goals in the opening 14 minutes. The 24-year-old netminder has lost four of his last six outings, but this was easily his worst performance of the season. He's now at a 10-12-3 record with a 2.93 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 25 contests. He'll likely get a chance to redeem himself in the near future as the Ducks tackle a back-to-back this weekend. They visit Philadelphia on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday.

Daccord (upper body) appeared in relief Thursday, stopping all four shots he faced in a 6-2 loss to Columbus.

It was his first appearance since Dec. 22 when he went down the an injury. Philipp Grubauer has struggled this season, so we expect Daccord to get the starter's reins fast. He's 12-9-2 with a 2.47 GAA and .913 in 24 appearances, compared with Grubauer's 5-13-1 record, 3.62 GAA and .875 save percentage.

Grubauer allowed five goals on 19 shots to Columbus on Tuesday before being replaced at 15:45 of the second period. The Kraken lost 6-2 to the Blue Jackets.

Columbus was good, and Seattle was sloppy, especially in the second period. Grubauer has lost four consecutive games (0-3-1), and he's 5-13-1 with a 3.62 GAA and .875 save percentage in 19 games. Don't trust him with your net.

Hofer allowed two goals on 23 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Ducks.

The Blues spotted Hofer a 4-0 lead before he let in a goal, and that initial lead was never threatened. Hofer has allowed 11 goals over his last three games, but he's won two of them. The 24-year-old is now 9-4-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .902 save percentage over 15 appearances this season. A little consistency could go a long way for Hofer to try to challenge Jordan Binnington's grip on the No. 1 role in goal.

Merzlikins made 29 saves in a 6-2 win over Seattle on Thursday.

Merzlikins has won three consecutive games, and he's 6-1-1 in his last eight games. He allowed five goals in those two losses, and two or fewer in just three games. In other words he tends to let in more goals than any of us would like. Merzlikins is keeping his team in pretty much every game, but his overall stats remain inflated (3.12 GAA and .889 save percentage).