NHL Player News

Luukkonen stopped 15 of 17 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Blackhawks.

Luukkonen wasn't at his best Friday, though to be fair, he didn't need to be after the Sabres built a 4-0 lead in the first period. Despite the easy win, the 25-year-old netminder has now posted a save percentage below .890 in three of his last four appearances. He's gone 2-6-1 with a 3.86 GAA and an .869 save percentage since the beginning of December (nine starts).

Soderblom stopped 22 of 24 shots in relief during Friday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Soderblom entered the ice after Petr Mrazek allowed four goals on 11 shots in the first period. Even though the 25-year-old Swede was decent between the pipes, the Blackhawks couldn't overcome the early four-goal deficit. Soderblom has been putting up respectable numbers of late, going 3-1-0 with a 2.37 GAA and a .917 save percentage over his last five appearances while significantly outplaying Mrazek in that stretch.

Mrazek was pulled from Friday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres at the end of the first period after stopping seven of 11 shots.

Mrazek allowed four goals in the first period before Arvid Soderblom, who finished with 22 saves, replaced him to start the second. This one looked like a promising matchup for Mrazek and the Blackhawks, but the team looked overmatched on both ends of the ice. Mrazek's struggles continue, as he's gone winless in his last six appearances, going 0-5-0 with an inflated 4.74 GAA and a woeful .844 save percentage in that stretch.

Lyon stopped both shots that he faced after coming on in relief for Cam Talbot in Friday's 5-2 loss to Toronto.

Lyon entered the game in the final frame after Cam Talbot was blitzed for five goals over the first 40 minutes of play. It was Detroit's first game with new head coach Todd McLellan, so Lyon might have the opportunity to grab the reigns of the No. 1 netminding gig with a new bench boss. Through 12 appearances in 2024-25, Lyon is 5-5-0 with an .894 save percentage and a 2.99 GAA.

Talbot allowed five goals on 21 shots before being replaced in goal by Alex Lyon in the third period of Friday's 5-2 loss to Toronto.

Talbot surrendered four goals at even strength and one with the man advantage. The veteran netminder has lost four consecutive outings, allowing at least three goals in three of those contests. The 37-year-old is struggling like the rest of his teammates -- Friday was the first game with Todd McLellan as head coach after Detroit parted ways with Derek Lalonde on Thursday. Perhaps that switch will spark a change in Motor City going forward. Talbot has a 6-9-2 record, .906 save percentage and 2.98 GAA through 19 appearances.

Woll turned aside 23 of 25 shots in Friday's 5-2 win over Detroit.

Woll rebounded between the pipes Friday after allowing nine goals over back-to-back losses before the holiday break. The 26-year-old was never in much danger of losing his third consecutive game -- Toronto went into the third period with a comfortable 5-0 lead. Woll had conceded at least three goals in four consecutive games, so he curbed that trend in the victory -- albeit against a Detroit club that ranks 30th in the NHL with 2.54 goals per game. Woll owns a 10-6-0 record, .909 save percentage and 2.57 GAA through 16 appearances.

Georgiev allowed five goals on 35 shots in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Golden Knights. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.

Georgiev kept the Sharks competitive through two periods, but it all fell apart in the third. Vegas scored twice while shorthanded in a span of 23 seconds to flip the script, and the Sharks couldn't recover, sending Georgiev to his third straight loss. In that span, he's given up 13 goals on 99 shots. He's now 9-10-0 with a 3.52 GAA and an .872 save percentage over 22 appearances between the Sharks and the Avalanche. Georgiev is a clear fade in any moderately tough matchup. Yaroslav Askarov will likely start Saturday's home game versus the Sharks.

Hill stopped 22 of 25 shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the Sharks.

The Sharks put up a good battle through two periods, but the Golden Knights took over in the third to lift Hill to his seventh win in his last eight starts. The 28-year-old netminder has allowed three or more goals just three times in that span. He's now 16-5-2 on the year while sporting a 2.63 GAA and a .904 save percentage through 23 starts. The Golden Knights return home for their next game Sunday versus the Flames.

Vejmelka stopped 33 of 35 shots in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Artturi Lehkonen scored both goals Vejmelka surrendered, and the Avalanche winger would add the second empty-netter to complete his hat trick. Vejmelka has now lost consecutive decisions in regulation for the first time since mid-November. The 28-year-old still offers excellent play, though the goal support has ebbed and flowed at times this year. Overall, Vejmelka is 8-9-2 with a 2.32 GAA and a .918 save percentage through 21 appearances. Utah has a back-to-back up next with a favorable matchup in Seattle on Monday followed by a tougher game in Edmonton on Tuesday.

Blackwood stopped 34 of 35 shots in Friday's 4-1 win over Utah.

Blackwood picked up his fourth win in five starts since being acquired by Colorado from San Jose, and he also has a stellar 1.82 GAA and .940 save percentage in that span. The 28-year-old was able to limit the damage to a tipped-in Nick Schmaltz power-play goal in the third period. Blackwood improved to 10-10-3 with a 2.75 GAA and a .917 save percentage through 24 appearances this season. He signed a five-year contract at a $5.25 million cap hit earlier Friday, so he appears to be the goalie of the present and near future for the Avalanche. He should be an excellent fantasy netminder for the rest of the campaign.