NHL Player News

Miner will make his first NHL start during Wednesday's road game against Chicago, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Miner made his NHL debut in mid-November and turned aside 12 of 13 shots (.923 save percentage) in relief during a loss to the Capitals. He was recalled by the Avalanche on Friday since Scott Wedgewood (lower body) was placed on injured reserve, and Miner will make his first NHL start in a favorable matchup, as the Blackhawks are scoring just 2.53 goals per game this season, which is tied for the second-worst mark in the league.

Georgiev stopped 38 of 41 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Georgiev watched from the bench for the previous two games as Yaroslav Askarov defeated the Lightning and the Devils. The 28-year-old Georgiev couldn't keep things going for the Sharks, taking his fifth straight loss, though this was the first time he gave up fewer than four goals in that span. The veteran netminder is now 9-12-0 with a 3.53 GAA and an .876 save percentage through 24 appearances. If Askarov keeps playing well, Georgiev could find himself in the backup role and potentially even in danger of being scratched on occasion once Vitek Vanecek (face) is ready to return.

Samsonov allowed two goals on 22 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Samsonov won his sixth straight start in this contest, and he hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of those games. The Golden Knights' defense has helped -- he also hasn't faced more than 31 shots in any of those six wins. The 27-year-old netminder improved to 11-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 15 outings. He has been alternating starts with Adin Hill, and that's unlikely to change as long as the results continue to be positive.

Gibson gave up three goals on 33 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames.

This was Gibson's third start in the last four games, suggesting he may be pushing Lukas Dostal for playing time. The 31-year-old Gibson has allowed seven goals while going 2-0-1 over three appearances in January. He's now 7-5-2 with a 2.79 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 15 appearances, his best ratios in six years. Sustaining that level of play behind a young team may be tough, but Gibson needs to be rostered in fantasy if he's going to see at least half of the starts in Anaheim. The Ducks begin a road trip Thursday in St. Louis and have a weekend back-to-back ahead with stops in Philadelphia on Saturday and Carolina on Sunday.

Fedotov made 14 saves in a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Tuesday.

Two of the goals came on the power play. Fedotov has played two straight games, both against Toronto, after starting just one in December. His last win came Nov. 29, and he's 0-1-1 since. Fedotov is a break-glass-and-use-only-in-emergency goalie.

Woll made 30 saves in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Woll's uptick in consistency of late has helped produce five straight wins with just 10 goals allowed. He has already started 19 games this season (he started 23 last year), and his record is 19-14-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Plus the team in front of Woll has elevated its game, especially defensively, while they continue to score. It's a great scenario for Woll, but we need to keep an eye on his workload and adjust accordingly.

Wolf allowed two goals on 28 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks.

Wolf has now won four of his last starts, though he hasn't had any particularly tough matchups in that span. He did enough Tuesday to make sure the Flames were never behind, and he was rewarded with the win when Jonathan Huberdeau scored 2:05 into the extra session. Wolf improved to 13-6-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 21 appearances. Dan Vladar will likely start Wednesday's road game versus the Kings.

Kotchetkov made 31 saves in a 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

This was a heartbreaker -- Brayden Point drove a stake through the Canes' heart with the game-winner with 52 seconds left in the third. Kochetkov has just one win since the holiday break (1-3-1), and there are plenty of murmurs around the league that the Canes will go shopping for a netminding upgrade/insurance. Depending on that outcome, Kochetkov's yo-yo value of late could end up flattening. Insulate your team if you can.

Pickard logged 5:25 of ice time in the first period of Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Bruins.

Stuart Skinner had to leave the game late in the first period after a collision, and Pickard didn't face a shot while coming into the game cold. Skinner was good to go after the intermission. Pickard has typically started roughly once a week this season -- every three-to-four games -- but if Skinner has any lingering issues, he could be called upon sooner. The Oilers' road trip has two stops left, as they'll be in Pittsburgh on Thursday and in Chicago on Saturday.

Vasilevskiy made 30 saves in a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

He allowed a rare softie to Andrei Svechnikov in the second period, but he was otherwise strong. Vasilevskiy had lost four straight games and to lesser lights including the Habs, Sharks and Ducks. Still, he's 17-12-1 in 30 starts with a 2.36 GAA and a .915 save percentage. Vasilevskiy is a top-10 goaltender this season, and the Bolts are in the top Wild Card spot in the East. You know what to do.