NHL Player News

Grubauer stopped 21 of 23 shots in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Rangers.

Grubauer kept the game close, but an Alexis Lafreniere backdoor tap-in in the second period and a Zac Jones blast from the faceoff circle in the third were enough to sink him. This was Grubauer's first action since Nov. 5 -- he missed three games due to an accident at home. The 32-year-old is now 1-6-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .881 save percentage over seven starts. Joey Daccord has been better by every measure and will likely continue to see a slight edge in starts, especially since the Kraken don't have a back-to-back for nearly two weeks.

Samsonov stopped 20 of 24 shots in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Capitals. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Samsonov got his first start since Oct. 30, having missed five games due to an undisclosed injury before returning in a backup role Friday at Utah. There was a little rust for Samsonov, who took his second straight loss despite the Golden Knights driving play toward the Capitals' end. He's now 3-2-1 with a 3.15 GAA and an .897 save percentage over six starts. Samsonov likely won't have to wait long for his next start, as the Golden Knights open a road trip with a back-to-back in Toronto and Ottawa on Wednesday and Thursday.

Thompson stopped 40 of 42 shots in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Thompson won both of his starts against his former team this year. He faced a lot of pressure in his return to Vegas but stood tall and rode an Alex Ovechkin hat trick to the win. Thompson has been right at home with the Capitals, going 8-0-1 with a 2.63 GAA and a .913 save percentage over nine starts. The Capitals wrap up their current road trip in Utah on Monday, which will likely be a Charlie Lindgren start.

Hofer allowed four goals on 24 shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

Hofer allowed three goals at even strength and one on the power play. After starting the season with three straight wins, the 24-year-old has lost three consecutive outings. This was the Winnipeg native's first start in 10 days, as Jordan Binnington continues to see the bulk of the workload between the pipes. Hofer has a 3-3-0 record, .893 save percentage and 3.45 GAA.

Kochetkov turned aside 29 of 30 shots in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Blues.

Kochetkov had a seven-game win streak snapped against Utah on Wednesday, but he got back on track Sunday against St. Louis. The 25-year-old has been one of the league's better netminders through the early portion of the campaign -- Kochetkov is tied for second in the NHL with nine wins. The Russian backstop is up to a 9-2-0 record, .904 save percentage and 2.42 GAA overall.

Lankinen will defend the home crease Sunday against the Predators, Ben Kuzma of Postmedia reports.

Lankinen will have a chance to get back in the win column Sunday against one of his former teams -- the Finnish netminder spent the past two seasons with the Predators. The 29-year-old sports an 8-2-2 record, .907 save percentage and 2.60 GAA through 12 outings with Vancouver. Nashville ranks last in the NHL with 2.28 goals per game across 18 contests.

Grubauer will be in the blue paint for Sunday's home matchup against the Rangers, Colin Stephenson of Newsday relays.

Grubauer will make his first start since allowing five goals in a loss to Colorado on Nov. 5. The 32-year-old has lost three consecutive contests, and he's 1-5-0 with an .877 save percentage and a 3.27 GAA through six appearances. The Rangers rank fifth in the league with 3.67 goals per game through 15 contests.

Samsonov will be between the pipes for Sunday's home tilt against the Capitals, Jesse Granger of The Athletic relays.

Samsonov will make his sixth start of the season Sunday -- it's the Russian netminder's first appearance since allowing six goals in a loss to the Kings on Oct. 30. The 27-year-old spent the first three years of his career with the Capitals, and he's 2-1-0 with an .897 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA against his former club. Washington has scored 67 goals through 16 games.

Thompson will guard the road goal Sunday versus the Golden Knights, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.

Thompson is coming off a 30-save effort in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto. He has a 7-0-1 record with a 2.71 GAA and a .906 save percentage through eight appearances this season. Thompson made 24 saves in a 4-2 win over Vegas on Oct.15. The Golden Knights sit second in the league with 4.12 goals per game in 2024-25.

Hofer will guard the road goal against Carolina on Sunday, Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hofer will get the second half of the Blues' back-to-back after Jordan Binnington played in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over Boston. The 24-year-old Hofer has a 3-2-0 record with a 3.33 GAA and a .903 save percentage through five appearances this season. Carolina ranks fourth in the league with 4.00 goals per game and earned a 4-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday.