NHL Player News

Blackwood allowed four goals on 11 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Senators.

Aside from when he was pulled for an extra attacker, Blackwood played the whole game. He wasted a strong defensive effort from the Sharks -- the 11 shots against made this easily the lightest workload he's faced all season. Blackwood dropped to 4-8-3 with a 3.14 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 15 appearances. He's been the Sharks' top option in goal so far, but his overall numbers limit his fantasy value to formats where playing time matters more than results. Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek are likely to split the upcoming home-and-home set versus the Kraken, which begins in San Jose on Friday before wrapping up in Seattle on Saturday.

Ullmark stopped 36 of 39 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Sharks.

Ullmark put an end to his four-game losing skid, and he had to be sharp to do so. The Sharks rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third period, but Adam Gaudette's second goal of the game with 4:12 left was enough to earn the win for the Senators. This was Ullmark's heaviest workload in a start this season. He's now 5-7-1 with a 3.09 GAA and an .886 save percentage over 14 appearances. He'll likely split the next two starts with Anton Forsberg, as the Senators finish their California trip with a back-to-back in Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.

Hill stopped 33 of 34 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Avalanche.

Hill played big in the third period and overtime, and he also turned aside four of five shootout attempts. His heroics were not enough, as Valeri Nichushkin scored in the fifth round of the shootout, an encore to his game-tying goal in the second period. Hill has had a few uneven performances this season, but he's allowed just nine goals across his last five starts despite a 3-1-1 record in that span. The 28-year-old is now 9-4-2 with a 2.84 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 15 starts this season. The Golden Knights have a home back-to-back up next as they host the Jets on Friday and Utah on Saturday. Hill and Ilya Samsonov are likely to split those games.

Georgiev stopped 18 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 shootout win over the Golden Knights.

Georgiev didn't have to do much, but he never had a lead to protect. The Golden Knights' chances faded in the third period and overtime as the Avalanche took over the pace, and Georgiev stopped all five shootout attempts. The 28-year-old has now won his last six decisions, allowed two goals or fewer in four of them. He's 7-5-0 with a 3.26 GAA and an .875 save percentage over 14 outings (13 starts) this season. While he's not turning in top-tier performances, Georgiev has the starting role and looks to have regained some confidence after a terrible start to 2024-25. The Avalanche have a tricky back-to-back up next, with a visit to Dallas on Friday before they return home to face the Oilers on Saturday.

Daccord stopped 28 of 33 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Ducks.

Daccord couldn't sweep the home-and-home set after winning in Anaheim on Monday. The 28-year-old ended up having his worst game of the season -- the five goals allowed were a season high. He's now at a 10-5-1 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 16 starts. Daccord has functioned as the No. 1 goalie in November, but he'll likely split the next two games with Philipp Grubauer as the Kraken visit San Jose on Friday before hosting those same Sharks on Saturday.

Gibson allowed two goals on 44 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Kraken.

Gibson remains undefeated in regulation, going 4-0-1 through his first five starts this year. He's been between the pipes for three of the last four games for the Ducks -- it's too soon to say he's retaken the No. 1 job from Lukas Dostal, but it's trending in that direction. Gibson has maintained a 2.57 GAA and a .925 save percentage so far. The Ducks' next two games are both fairly challenging matchups, as they host the Kings on Friday and the Senators on Sunday.

Hellebuyck stopped 30 of 33 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Kings. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Hellebuyck had a fine effort, but the same can't be said for the team in front of him -- they mustered just 14 shots on net against David Rittich. This loss ended a three-game winning streak for Hellebuyck, who dropped to 15-3-0 on the year. He's added a 2.11 GAA and a .928 save percentage through 18 starts, and this setback shouldn't take the shine off his overall performance. The Jets have a couple more tough matchups on this road trip, as they visit the Golden Knights on Friday and the Stars on Sunday.

Rittich stopped 13 of 14 shots in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Jets.

It doesn't always make sense -- Rittich rebounded from a seven-goal meltdown against the Sharks by having an easy win over the Jets. He's now alternated wins and losses over his last six outings since taking over Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) in the starter role. Rittich is 8-6-0 with a 2.52 GAA and an .885 save percentage through 14 appearances this season. The Kings have a back-to-back up next, beginning with Friday's road game in Anaheim before they host the Senators on Saturday.

Primeau stopped 20 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win against Columbus.

Primeau backstopped Montreal's first overtime win of the season. His defense let him down on the first two goals and the third got past him on a carom off a Montreal skate. It was a hopeful outing for Primeau, who made his first start since Nov. 11. He entered the night with a 4.59 goals-against average and .842 save percentage, which explains the recent lull in activity. Montreal continues its road trip Saturday in New York against the Rangers.

Shesterkin made 26 saves in a 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Shesterkin has allowed at least three goals in each of his past four starts, a span in which he went 1-3-0. It's important to note that in two of those games, Shesterkin faced 43 or more shots. The Rangers are struggling through a four-game losing streak, three of which have been hung on Shesty. Prior to the losing streak, the Rangers had not lost consecutive games all season. He's one of the NHL's best netminders, so this is nothing more than a blip.