NHL Player News

Merzlikins made 29 saves in Monday's 5-4 overtime win over the Rangers.

The Blue Jackets seemed to have the game well in hand when they took a 4-0 lead into the second intermission, but Merzlikins not only lost his shutout just 30 seconds into the third frame, he nearly lost the game entirely as the Rangers fired 17 shots his way as part of a furious comeback effort. Kirill Marchenko was able to beat Igor Shesterkin in OT to salvage the win for the visitors, however. Merzlikins has won four of his last five as he maintains a timeshare with Jet Greaves, posting a 2.40 GAA and .906 save percentage over that stretch.

Saros turned aside 27 of 30 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Red Wings, with Detroit's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

After a stellar showing for Finland at the Olympics en route to a bronze medal, Saros has returned to Nashville and been dragged back down by the team's defensive struggles. The veteran netminder has allowed at least three goals in 11 straight NHL outings dating back to Jan. 13, going 4-3-3 over that stretch with a rough 4.06 GAA and .877 save percentage.

Talbot picked up the win in Monday's 4-2 victory over the Predators, stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced after replacing John Gibson (upper body) to begin the second period.

Gibson left after taking a hard shot off the shoulder, but Red Wings coach Todd McLellan indicated after the game that the issue wasn't thought to be serious. It was Talbot's first win in 2026, with his last W coming back on Dec. 28, and he's fallen firmly behind Gibson on the depth chart since then. Over six outings since the beginning of January, Talbot's gone 1-2-2 with a 3.39 GAA and .899 save percentage.

Forsberg stopped 35 of 38 shots in Monday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche. The fourth goal was an empty-netter with two seconds left in the game.

Forsberg has been struggling of late, and while Monday's game was a tough test, he was still beaten three times, though his .921 save percentage suggests his performance wasn't all that bad. The Swedish netminder has racked up three losses in his last five outings, and that includes the 8-1 loss to the Oilers in which he allowed four goals in relief. Forsberg owns a 3.45 GAA and .894 save percentage in four appearances since the league resumed following the Olympics.

Blackwood stopped 19 of 21 shots in Monday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Blackwood was beaten once in the first period, courtesy of a power-play goal from Brandt Clarke, and once more in the second when Angus Booth tipped the puck in from close range. Other than that, though, Blackwood was solid enough to secure his second consecutive win. He has a 2.03 GAA while stopping 64 of 70 shots faced in his three appearances since the league resumed following the Olympics break.

Tolopilo stopped 31 of 37 shots in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Stars.

Tolopilo has dropped his last three starts, going 0-1-2 in that span, but perhaps more worrisome is the fact that he's posted a save percentage below .900 in his past two outings. The 25-year-old netminder has been limited to 11 appearances this season, but his numbers haven't been very good with a 3-4-2 record, a 3.32 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Expect Tolopilo to remain as the Canucks' No. 2 option between the pipes behind Kevin Lankinen for the foreseeable future.

Oettinger stopped 13 of 14 shots in Monday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Oettinger allowed a goal at the 7:57 mark of the first period when Evander Kane deflected a shot past him, but the star netminder cruised the rest of the way. Oettinger has won each of his last eight starts, and while he's a reliable source of wins and solid numbers, his record is better than the underlying numbers suggest. Over that eight-game winning streak, he's posted a 2.58 GAA and a subpar .879 save percentage while stopping 152 of 173 shots faced.

Forsberg will be between the home pipes Monday against the Avalanche, per the NHL media site.

Forsberg is coming off his best performance of the season -- he posted a 29-save shutout in Saturday's 2-0 win over Calgary. Prior to that game, he had allowed at least four goals in three straight appearances, a stretch in which he went 0-2-0 with 13 goals allowed on 68 shots (.809 save percentage). The 33-year-old will have his hands full Monday against the league's top team, as the Avalanche rank first in the NHL in both goals per game (3.79) and shots per game (34.2).

Head coach Todd McLellan said after Monday's game against Nashville that Gibson (upper body) is believed to be fine but will be further evaluated when the team returns to Detroit, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gibson exited Monday's matchup following the first period after taking a shot in his shoulder area. He didn't get feeling back right away but was walking around following the game, and McLellan didn't sound too concerned about the issue. Whether Gibson will be an option for Wednesday's matchup against the Golden Knights remains to be seen, but it at least doesn't sound like the netminder's injury is a long-term concern.

DeSmith will tend the twine for Tuesday's road game versus the Flames, Sam Nestler of DLLS Stars reports.

DeSmith will take the second game of the Stars' back-to-back while Jake Oettinger features on the road against the Canucks on Monday. The 34-year-old DeSmith has allowed two or fewer goals in all but one of his last seven outings, but he has still been saddled with a 3-2-1 record in that span.