NHL Player News
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Ilya Samsonov G | LV
Golden Knights' Ilya Samsonov: Defeats Kraken
Samsonov stopped 21 of 23 shots in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Kraken.
The Kraken's two goals came on the power play, but Samsonov was otherwise quite good in his third straight win. He's allowed just five goals on 65 shots in that span. For the season, the 27-year-old netminder is 8-3-1 with a 2.97 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 12 starts. The Golden Knights' next game is at home versus the Ducks on Monday, but it's not clear if Samsonov will get a chance to build some momentum or if Adin Hill will take his turn in the crease.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: Stumbles in overtime loss
Lankinen allowed five goals on 20 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Senators.
Lankinen had one of his worst games of the year. The Canucks were able to overcome three of the deficits he created, but Jake Sanderson ended it in favor of the Senators just 13 seconds into overtime. This was Lankinen's second start and defeat in a row (0-1-1), dropping him to 14-5-4 with a 2.61 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 23 starts this season. Expect Thatcher Demko to get the starting nod Monday versus the Sharks.
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Leevi Merilainen G | OTT
Senators' Leevi Merilainen: Wins in overtime
Merilainen allowed four goals on 25 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Canucks.
Merilainen allowed the Canucks to bounce back from three deficits but still came away with the win when Jake Sanderson scored 13 seconds into the extra session. Merilainen made his first NHL appearance since the 2022-23 season and earned his first career win. The 22-year-old has been backing up the red-hot Linus Ullmark since Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) went down with an injury last weekend. Don't expect Merilainen to get many starts, though he could make another appearance when the Senators resume playing after the holiday break in a road back-to-back against Winnipeg (Dec. 28) and Minnesota (Dec. 29).
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Joseph Woll G | TOR
Maple Leafs' Joseph Woll: Allows five goals in defeat
Woll made 28 saves in a 6-3 loss to the Islanders on Saturday. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
He allowed five goals for the first time this season. Woll will see the bulk of the starts while Anthony Stolarz (knee) is sidelined, but he has been sharing time with the duo of Dennis Hildeby and Matt Murray recently due to the team's busy schedule. The 26-year-old Woll has a 9-5-0 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 14 appearances this season.
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Alex Lyon G | DET
Red Wings' Alex Lyon: Taken down by Habs
Lyon allowed five goals on 24 shots in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Canadiens.
Lyon and the Red Wings had a 1-0 lead six minutes into the game before Montreal scored three times in five minutes to finish the first period. In two starts since returning from a lower-body injury, Lyon has looked rusty while allowing nine goals and posting a .791 save percentage. The Red Wings return home to face St. Louis on Monday.
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Elvis Merzlikins G | CLB
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Unravels in third period
Merzlikins stopped 25 of 30 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.
Merzlikins had a shutout until the third period when the Flyers' offense burst to life with four goals. Owen Tippett then scored at 3:30 of overtime to complete Merzlikins' collapse. The 30-year-old netminder has allowed at least four goals in four of his last six games. He's down to a 10-9-3 record with a 3.13 GAA and an .889 save percentage through 22 starts. He's had some good moments, but 2024-25 is shaping up to look like the last three years -- mediocre at best. The Blue Jackets host the Canadiens on Monday.
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Samuel Ersson G | PHI
Flyers' Samuel Ersson: Holds on for overtime win
Ersson stopped 21 of 25 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Blue Jackets.
The Flyers rallied from three deficits in the third period, and then Owen Tippett completed the comeback at 3:30 of overtime. This was Ersson's second win in five starts since he came back from a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old has allowed 19 goals in that span despite facing no more than 25 shots in any of those games. Ersson is up to 7-5-2 with a 3.09 GAA and an .881 save percentage through 16 appearances. He's still atop the depth chart in goal, though his poor recent performance should allow Aleksei Kolosov to see a decent share of playing time in the backup role. Ivan Fedotov also remains on the NHL roster, making the Flyers' crease crowded, and one to avoid in fantasy.
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Ilya Sorokin G | NYI
Islanders' Ilya Sorokin: Shakes down Leafs on Saturday
Sorokin made 26 saves in a 6-3 win over Toronto on Saturday.
William Nylander beat him twice and Bobby McMann found twine once, but that was it. With Anthony Duclair's return Saturday, Sorokin finds himself finally playing behind a full Isles squad. His skills are elite, and you could see his fantasy value rise if the team can find a new level. Right now, Sorokin is 10-10-4 with a 2.82 GAA, .903 save percentage and one shutout. The Isles play the Sabres on Monday, and Sorokin is likely to close out the pre-holiday break with a start.
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Connor Hellebuyck G | WPG
Jets' Connor Hellebuyck: Shuts out Wild
Hellebuyck posted a 19-save shutout in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Wild.
Hellebuyck won for the sixth time in his last seven outings, and he earned his league-leading fourth shutout in the process. He's given up 13 goals over that aforementioned seven-game span. Hellebuyck improved to 21-5-1 with a 2.07 GAA and a .927 save percentage through 27 starts. He's been elite while seeing one of the heaviest workloads in the league. The Jets have a tough matchup in Toronto on Monday.
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Jesper Wallstedt G | MIN
Wild's Jesper Wallstedt: Gets no help in loss
Wallstedt stopped 19 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-0 loss to the Jets.
Wallstedt has lost both of his NHL appearances this season. He's given up eight goals on 51 shots. The Wild didn't do him any favors Saturday, failing to score on their 19 shots against Connor Hellebuyck in the contest. Wallstedt continues to serve as backup to Marc-Andre Fleury while Filip Gustavsson (lower body) is on the mend. The Wild have one more game before the holiday break, Monday at home versus the Blackhawks, so it's unclear when Wallstedt might see his next action.