NHL Player News

Merzlikins stopped 24 of 27 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Flyers.

Merzlikins was originally scheduled to start Monday versus the Kings before that game was postponed due to severe winter weather. The extra time off didn't hurt Merzlikins, as he picked up his third win in four outings despite giving up a hat trick to Travis Konecny in this contest. Merzlikins is now 9-8-1 with a 3.76 GAA and an .882 save percentage over 19 starts this season. The Blue Jackets have a road back-to-back up next with games in Chicago on Friday and St. Louis on Saturday. Expect Merzlikins and Jet Greaves to split those starts.

Martin stopped 31 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders.

Martin took his third straight loss, a span in which he's given up 12 goals on 93 shots. The 30-year-old has been alternating starts with Jonathan Quick lately, but neither goalie has posted many positive results during the absence of Igor Shesterkin (lower body). Martin is now 1-3-0 over six appearances, allowing a total of 20 goals on 147 shots (.864 save percentage). The Rangers are at home Thursday for a rematch with the Islanders, which will likely see Quick get the nod.

Rittich stopped 14 of 16 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.

Rittich didn't have to face much pressure since the Rangers sat Artemi Panarin (not injury related), taking a major weapon out of the lineup. Rittich has faced fewer than 30 shots in each of his last seven outings, though he's a mere 3-3-1 in that span, with this being just the third time in those games he's allowed two goals or fewer. For the season, he's at a 12-7-3 record with a 2.54 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 22 starts. Ilya Sorokin will probably get the nod for Thursday's rematch with the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Gibson will defend the home crease against the Capitals on Thursday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Gibson snapped an eight-game winning streak in a 3-1 loss to the Kings on Tuesday, but he'll still tend the twine for a third consecutive matchup Thursday. He made a road start against Washington on Dec. 20, turning aside 24 of 26 shots (.923 save percentage) in a 5-2 victory.

Kolosov was reassigned to AHL Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Dan Vladar (lower body) was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move. Vlada will return to action as the starter for Wednesday's road game in Columbus. Samuel Ersson will serve as the No. 2 option, which leaves Kolosov as the man to head down to the AHL. The 24-year-old Kolosov has gone 0-2-0 with a 4.00 GAA and an .830 save percentage across four outings with Philadelphia this season. He also has a 2.54 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 19 outings with Lehigh Valley in 2025-26.

Dobes is slated to guard the cage at home against the Avalanche on Thursday, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.

Dobes will make consecutive starts for the first time since early December, despite having gone 6-0-1 in his last seven outings. At this point, the starting gig in Montreal seems to be up for grabs. As such, a couple more strong starts from Dobes could see him unseat Sam Montembeault as the Habs' No. 1 option.

Blackwood will be between the pipes for Wednesday's road game against Ottawa, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.

Blackwood has had mixed results in recent outings, but he'll be in the crease for a third consecutive game Wednesday. Across his last three starts, he's gone 1-2-0 with a 4.06 GAA and an .850 save percentage. Ottawa is tied for ninth in the league with 3.29 goals per game this season.

Martin will defend the road crease against the Islanders on Wednesday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Martin has settled for losses in two of his last three starts, going 1-2-0 with a 3.42 GAA and .882 save percentage during that time. However, he'll draw the start in the first half of a back-to-back set Wednesday. The Islanders are scoring 2.81 goals per game this season, which is the eighth-worst mark in the NHL.

Vladar (lower body) will be activated off injured reserve to start Wednesday's road clash against the Blue Jackets, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

With head coach Rick Tocchet confirming Vladar is good to go for Wednesday's contest, the netminder will make his return following a six-game absence. Across 28 appearances this season, the 28-year-old Vladar has a 16-7-4 record, a 2.46 GAA and a .905 save percentage. His return should help shore up the Flyers' defense, which has allowed at least four goals in four of their last six games. Vladar will face a Blue Jackets offense that ranks 20th in the NHL with 3.00 goals per game, giving him a favorable matchup for his return.

Allen stopped 22 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Jets.

Allen made his first start since beating the Oilers on Jan. 20, but for the most part, his recent games have been underwhelming. The 35-year-old netminder has dropped four of his five starts in January, posting a 3.29 GAA and a subpar .876 save percentage. That, coupled with his backup role behind Jacob Markstrom, suggests Allen's fantasy upside is limited to games with favorable matchups.