NHL Player News

Sorokin stopped 27 of 29 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Kings, with Los Angeles' final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The Isles managed to put only 20 shots on net against Darcy Kuemper, including a measly three in the first period, and Sorokin didn't get much support in his own end either -- Kevin Fiala's game-winner in the second period was fired through a partial screen supplied by Grant Hutton. Sorokin has started six straight games since Semyon Varlamov (lower body) has been unavailable, going 3-2-1 with a 2.29 GAA and .919 save percentage, and Sorokin could keep hold of the No. 1 job even once Varlamov is healthy rather than slipping back into a timeshare.

Greaves was elevated from AHL Cleveland on Wednesday.

Greaves' promotion could be an indication that Elvis Merzlikins or Daniil Tarasov is dealing with an injury or illness ahead of Thursday's clash with the Capitals. In his nine appearances last year, the 23-year-old Greaves went 3-6-0 with a 3.49 GAA. He's been significantly better in the minors this year, going 8-4-2 with a 3.21 GAA and .902 save percentage. If there is an injury in the goalie tandem, Greaves could be pressed into service against Anaheim or Carolina on Saturday or Sunday, respectively.

Kuemper turned aside 19 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Islanders.

Anders Lee ended any thoughts of a shutout midway through the second period, but otherwise Kuemper was relatively unbothered on the night. The veteran goalie has won two straight starts since returning from an undisclosed injury, and on the season Kuemper has gone 6-2-3 in 12 appearances with a 2.38 GAA and .907 save percentage.

Kochetkov stopped 21 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

He gave up tallies to Luke Kunin in the first and second periods, but Kochetkov shut the door in the third as Carolina rallied from a one-goal deficit. The 25-year-old netminder has alternated wins and losses over four starts since returning from a concussion, and on the season he's 12-4-0 over 17 appearances with a 2.64 GAA and .894 save percentage. With Frederik Andersen (knee) not expected back until some time in February, Kochetkov should continue to see a heavy workload.

Vanecek made 25 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead into the third period as Vanecek made some big stops early, but after Brent Burns tied it up on a tic-tac-toe passing play early in the third, the netminder couldn't find a knuckling shot that Jalen Chatfield fired through traffic with less than three minutes to go. It's not yet clear how San Jose will divvy up the workload in the crease between Vanecek and Alexandar Georgiev, but neither veteran should get too comfortable since Yaroslav Askarov is still waiting in the wings in the AHL. On the season, Vanecek carries a 3-7-1 record in 13 appearances with a 3.83 GAA and .883 save percentage.

Skinner stopped 21 of 22 shots in Tuesday's win over the Lightning.

There wasn't much Skinner could've done to stop Jake Guentzel's thunderous snap shot from the center of the ice, but other than that, the 26-year-old netminder was impressive once again. Skinner gone 4-1-0 over his last five appearances, posting an elite 1.41 GAA and a .947 save percentage in that stretch. He had some inconsistent stretches early in the season, but it's been encouraging to see him find more success in recent weeks.

Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Oilers.

The 30-year-old Russian netminder couldn't do anything to deny Connor McDavid's first-period goal, and Vasilevskiy was a victim of an unfortunate situation in the sequence that led to the game-winning goal in the second period. He denied a breakaway attempt from Leon Draisaitl, but when Vasilevskiy tapped the puck away, it ricocheted off Victor Hedman's leg to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead. Despite the loss, Vasilevskiy had another strong showing, and he's now posted a save percentage of at least .920 in each of his last three starts. Over his last 10 games, the 30-year-old has gone 6-4-0 with a 2.33 GAA and a .910 save percentage.

Saros stopped 24 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Flames.

The Predators are slumping badly amid an eight-game losing streak, and Saros hasn't escaped the team's overall struggles. The 29-year-old has gone 0-4-3 over his last seven starts, allowing three or more goals in each contest while posting a 3.46 GAA and an .882 save percentage throughout this losing run. Saros hasn't won a game since a 4-1 victory over the Jets on Nov. 23, and even though his role between the Predators' pipes isn't under any threat, he doesn't carry a lot of upside at the moment due to the team's recent struggles.

Vladar stopped 17 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Predators.

Vladar has given up three or more goals in three of his last four starts, and even though he's gone 2-1-1 with a 3.22 GAA and an .874 save percentage in that span, those numbers are inflated by the 16-save shutout he recorded against the Blue Jackets on Dec. 3. He's failed to record a save percentage above .860 in the other three games during that span, so his numbers haven't been promising of late.

Daccord stopped 32 of 33 shots in Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Daccord returned from an illness that kept him out for Sunday's game versus the Rangers. He looked good through regulation and overtime, limiting the damage to an Aleksander Barkov tally set up by Sam Reinhart. Both of those Panthers scored in the shootout, sending Daccord to the defeat. The 28-year-old netminder is 12-6-2 with a 2.42 GAA and a .916 save percentage, numbers nearly identical to what he posted over 50 games last season. The Massachusetts native will likely be between the pipes at home against the Bruins on Thursday.