NHL Player News

Annunen gave up a goal on 13 shots in relief of Juuse Saros in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Blues, who also scored an empty-netter.

Annunen was fine on mop-up duty after Saros gave up five goals on 15 shots. The 24-year-old Annunen has allowed six goals on 102 shots over four appearances in December, showing his value in a backup role. It's tough to trust either of Nashville's goalies this season, but that's more of a criticism of the team in front of them. Annunen has an 8-5-0 record with a 2.83 GAA and an .894 save percentage over 15 appearances between the Predators and the Avalanche this year. He's likely to start one of the next two games, either Monday in Winnipeg or Tuesday in Minnesota.

Saros stopped 10 of 15 shots in Friday's 7-4 loss to the Blues.

Saros was pulled late in the second period after one of his worst performances of the season. He's now 2-5-1 over eight starts in December, and he's allowed at least three goals in six of those games. The 29-year-old is down to 8-15-6 with a 2.81 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 29 starts this season. His workload gives him value in fantasy, but he's been volatile in terms of performance. The Predators have a tough road back-to-back up next with stops in Winnipeg on Monday and Minnesota on Tuesday.

Hofer gave up four goals on 30 shots in Friday's 7-4 win over the Predators.

Hofer wasn't at his best -- this was the fourth time he's given up at least four games this season -- but he received plenty of support. He's getting results when he plays, going 4-0-1 over his appearances in December. For the season, the 24-year-old goalie is 8-3-1 with a 2.75 GAA and a .905 save percentage over 13 appearances in 2024-25. Hofer has started consecutive contests just once this season, so it's likely Jordan Binnington will get the nod versus the Sabres on Sunday.

Kochetkov conceded four goals on 23 shots in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Devils.

The trend of Kochetkov alternating wins and losses continued Friday. The Russian netminder hasn't won or lost back-to-back games since November. Carolina emphasizes puck possession and shot quantity, meaning Kochetkov rarely has to handle a heavy workload. That could prevent him from getting into a groove, as goaltenders may prefer to face more rubber. On the bright side, Kochetkov has yet to have a disastrous performance in 2024-25 -- he hasn't allowed more than four goals in a game through 22 appearances.

Oettinger stopped 15 of 18 shots in Friday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild.

The Stars controlled the pace of the game, but the Wild scored twice in a 57-second span in the third period. Oettinger then let in the decisive goal to Brock Faber 35 seconds into overtime. This was Oettinger's third straight loss, with the Stars being outscored 11-6 in that span. The team has gone seven consecutive games without scoring more than three goals, which has put a lot of pressure on the goalies. The Stars could have a chance to break that rut in Chicago on Sunday.

Markstrom stopped 29 of 31 shots in Friday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Markstrom allowed two goals at even strength in Friday's win but was fantastic overall against a high-powered offense. The Swedish netminder has posted six consecutive victories. The 34-year-old is 8-0-1 in December and has turned aside 171 of 181 shots on goal in that span. Markstrom has a 19-6-2 record, a .914 save percentage and a 2.11 GAA through 27 appearances. Markstrom trails only Connor Hellebuyck for the league lead in wins (22). Jake Allen will most likely draw the road start in the second half of the home-and-home set with Carolina on Saturday.

Gustavsson stopped 27 of 29 shots in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over the Stars.

Gustavsson has won both of his starts since he returned from a lower-body injury. The 26-year-old didn't get much help early in Friday's contest, but the Wild scored twice in 57 seconds in the third period to tie the game before Brock Faber won it in the extra session. Gustavsson improved to 16-5-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .922 save percentage over 24 appearances. The Wild's next game is at home Sunday versus the Senators.

Saros will protect the road goal versus the Blues on Friday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros has gone 2-1-1 with 10 goals allowed over his last four games. The 29-year-old will start against a team that is averaging 2.50 goals per game this season, ranking 30th in the league. Saros has looked better lately and this is a chance for him to get some momentum going after the holiday break.

Gibson (upper body) has recovered from taking a stick to the face Monday versus the Golden Knights, but he missed Friday's practice due to an illness, Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports.

Gibson is expected to suit up for Saturday's contest versus the Flyers, but head coach Greg Cronin has not specified how he'll divvy up the goaltending duties for the weekend's back-to-back. The Oilers are also in town Sunday, which would be the tougher of the two matchups. As long as the Ducks don't call up a goalie prior to Saturday's contest, consider Gibson good to go.

Grubauer is slated to guard the road goal Saturday versus the Canucks, Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times reports.

Joey Daccord (undisclosed) is banged up, so Grubauer is set to make his first start in a week. Over five outings in December, Grubauer has gone 2-3-0 with an .894 save percentage (152 saves on 170 shots). Ales Stezka will be his backup as long as Daccord is out.