NHL Player News

Georgiev stopped 27 of 31 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

It looked like Georgiev might pull off a revenge win for a bit, as the Sharks led 2-1 after two periods. The Avalanche put three past him in the third, including a pair of goals from Joel Kiviranta that showed why Colorado was willing to flip him for Mackenzie Blackwood. Georgiev is now 9-9-0 through 21 appearances including 1-2-0 with 11 goals allowed on 84 shots over his first three starts as a Shark. He's registered a 3.44 GAA and a .873 save percentage this season, and those marks are unlikely to improve much playing behind a young and porous defense. The Sharks have another tough matchup in Edmonton on Saturday.

Blackwood stopped 32 of 34 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Blackwood's third start with the Avalanche came against the team that traded him away earlier in the month. The Sharks led 2-1 after two periods, but the Avalanche rallied to support their goalie, who had another strong showing between the pipes. Blackwood has allowed exactly two goals in each of his three starts with his new team, going 2-1-0. For the year, he's 8-10-3 with a 2.87 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 22 contests. It'll likely be Scott Wedgewood in goal for Friday's game versus the Ducks.

Lankinen allowed two goals on 20 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Lankinen returned from an illness and put in a good effort to keep the game even through two periods. William Karlsson had the game-winning goal early in the third period, sending Lankinen to his third loss in his last five outings. The 29-year-old netminder dropped to 14-5-3 with a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 22 games. Thatcher Demko will likely start Saturday versus the Senators, and it's possible the Canucks opt for some sort of timeshare in the crease now that both goalies are healthy.

Hill stopped 19 of 20 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Canucks.

Hill allowed a season-high six goals to the Oilers in his last start, but he bounced back with a sharp performance Thursday. The 28-year-old gave up just a Teddy Blueger tally in the first period. Hill improved to 14-5-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 21 appearances. The Golden Knights' next game is at home versus the Kraken on Saturday.

Saros made 15 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins on Thursday.

Saros has had an unlucky run with just one win over his last 10 contests, going 1-5-4, but he's been sharply consistent in that span -- Saros has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of those 10. Saros is a fantasy pillar, but his ratios (2.72 GAA, .907 save percentage) are suppressed because of his team's overall struggles. General manager Barry Trotz claims he's not going to blow things up, but Saros (and his managers) would benefit immensely from a change in front of him.

Vladar gave up three goals on 29 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators.

Vladar dealt with a minor lower-body injury that kept him out of action for one game. He returned as the backup Tuesday and then took the crease for this contest, turning in a decent effort. He's still allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings, the lone exception being a shutout win over the Blue Jackets on Dec. 3. Vladar is down to 6-6-5 with a 3.07 GAA and an .886 save percentage over 17 appearances. The Flames have often alternated goalies when the wins aren't flowing, so don't be shocked if Dustin Wolf starts the team's last game before the holiday break, which is Saturday at home versus the Blackhawks.

Ullmark stopped 29 of 31 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Flames.

Ullmark also had an assist on Brady Tkachuk's game-winning tally. This was Ullmark's seventh straight win, and it was just the second time in that span he's allowed multiple goals. The Swede improved to 12-7-2 with a 2.37 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 22 appearances. His hot streak has come with a heavy workload due to the absence of Anton Forsberg (undisclosed), who has been unavailable for the last three games. Ullmark will likely start one of the Senators' contests this weekend, either Saturday in Vancouver or Sunday in Edmonton, but it wouldn't be surprising for Leevi Merilainen to get a game in that back-to-back set.

Jarry made 22 saves in a 5-4 overtime win over Nashville on Thursday.

Jarry has stressed his managers for years because of his inconsistency. But he's 6-1-1 in his last eight starts, and the Pens are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Jarry hasn't totally turned a corner -- he allowed four or more goals in four of his last eight starts. But the Pens continue to trot him out there about half the time, so choose your match-up games carefully.

Binnington allowed three goals on 11 shots Thursday before being replaced by Joel Hofer in a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay.

Binner has been in the spin cycle over the last couple weeks, going 0-4-1 in his last five starts. Overall, he's 8-13-3 with a 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage, and the Blues are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Binnington could use some time on your bench until he and his team right their proverbial ship.

Vasilevskiy made 31 saves in a 3-1 win over the Blues on Tuesday.

Pavel Buchnevich was the only member of the Blues that lit the lamp. He converted a back door pass from Robert Thomas on an extended shift in the zone. Vasilevskiy has now won three straight games and is 15-9-1 on the season. But the pressure on him remains -- the team doesn't have a reliable back-up and at some point, that will come back to haunt them. Monitor Vasilevskiy's workload carefully. If things don't change, you may need a contingency to address exhaustion.