NHL Player News

Hofer made 33 saves in a 6-4 loss to Columbus on Saturday.

He allowed five goals, a couple of which were as soft as toffee. It was a bad game for Hofer, who is 1-1-1 with 11 goals allowed in his last three games. His season has been up and down like a yo-yo, and that makes him a tough fantasy play. Hofer started the year with three straight wins followed by three consecutive losses. He then rang up four wins in a row before this recent stretch. Hofer is a fantasy risk, so look elsewhere until his game stabilizes.

Dobes stopped 22 of 23 shots in Saturday's 2-1 shootout win over the Avalanche.

After shutting out Florida in his NHL debut a week ago, Dobes was nearly perfect against Colorado, limiting the Avalanche to a first-period power-play goal to earn his second win in as many NHL starts. He's given up just one goal on 57 shots while taking down a couple of legit NHL powerhouses; the Avs entered the contest having won six straight and were 11-3-0 since Dec. 1. The Canadiens discovered themselves on a six-game road trip, during which it went 4-2-0, beating Florida, Tampa Bay, Vegas and Colorado. If the head coach doesn't stick with Dobes' hot hand for Monday's game against Vancouver, then his next start will likely come during a back-to-back set next weekend, either Friday at Washington or Saturday at home against Dallas.

Merzlikins made 29 saves in a 6-4 win over the Blues on Saturday.

He and opponent Joel Hofer played ping-pong in the third period, where the teams went back and forth for five goals in a span of 3:40. Merzlikins and the Jackets buckled a bit after that to let the Blues back in the game until Mathieu Olivier scored into the empty net with 1:01 left in the third. Merzlikins is 4-1-1 in his last six starts, but he's allowed 21 goals in that span, including two five-goal losses. Your format will dictate how you use him.

Grubauer will start at home versus the Oilers, per Sound of Hockey.

Grubauer is set to make his fourth straight start as Joey Daccord (upper body) continues to be sidelined. Grubauer will have a tough matchup against the Oilers, who have won four of their last six games while scoring 21 goals in that span.

Reimer will protect the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Saturday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

Reimer has not started in the last five games, so he may have to shake off some rust. He's gone 1-4-1 with a 3.04 GAA and an .888 save percentage over eight outings between Anaheim and Buffalo this season. The Golden Knights have scored 25 goals over their last six games, going 5-1-0 in that span, so this will be a tough test for Reimer.

Annunen will protect the road goal versus the Flames on Saturday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Annunen is set to start the second half of a back-to-back after Juuse Saros pitched a shutout Friday in Vancouver. The 24-year-old Annunen allowed five goals on 38 shots against the Wild on Tuesday, taking the loss while playing in a back-to-back situation again. The Predators' schedule stretches out a bit after Saturday, so Annunen may not see as much playing time in the near future.

Markstrom made 21 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on Saturday.

Markstrom has lost two in a row, but he remains third in the NHL with a sparkling 2.18 GAA and second in wins (19). His team wasn't great in front of him, and there were some unlucky bounces off the officials that contributed to San Jose's goals. Plus the winning goal went in with just 25 seconds left in the third period. Markstrom will leave this behind him and be dialed in next time out.

Pickard will start on the road versus the Kraken on Saturday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Pickard will get the nod in the second half of a back-to-back after Stuart Skinner won on home ice over the Ducks on Friday. Pickard has routinely started once every three to four games since the start of November, going 5-3-0 with a 2.53 GAA and an .899 save percentage in that span. Saturday's contest is the start of a four-game road trip for the Oilers.

Vasilevskiy will protect the road goal versus the Kings on Saturday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Vasilevskiy is 4-2-0 with a 2.36 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last six games. The 30-year-old has been sharp lately, but the Kings' defense rarely gives much ground, so goal support could be hard to come by. On the other hand, the Kings can also do some damage on offense -- they've scored 22 goals over their last six contests.

Kuemper is expected to start at home against Tampa Bay on Saturday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Kuemper has a 10-2-5 record, 2.29 GAA and .914 save percentage in 18 outings in 2024-25. He's coming off a 33-save shutout over New Jersey on Wednesday. The Lightning lead the league in goals per game with 3.86.