NHL Player News
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Logan Thompson G | WAS
Capitals' Logan Thompson: Starting against Colorado
Thompson will start Thursday's home game against the Avalanche, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Thompson was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, but he was also late getting onto the ice and appeared to be in some discomfort. He appeared to tweak something during Sunday's win over the Golden Knights, but he specified after Thursday's morning skate that he's "all good" and will be between the pipes against the Avalanche. Thompson has been effective over the first month and a half of the season, posting an 8-0-1 record, 2.63 GAA and .913 save percentage over nine appearances.
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Elvis Merzlikins G | CLB
Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins: Draws home start
Merzlikins will start Thursday's home game against the Lightning, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Merzlikins has been effective across his last two starts, posting a 2-0-0 record, 1.50 GAA and .942 save percentage in games against the Penguins and Bruins. The 30-year-old will attempt to keep his momentum up Thursday but will face a tough test against the Lightning, who rank seventh in the league with 3.53 goals per game.
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Linus Ullmark G | OTT
Senators' Linus Ullmark: Starting Thursday
Ullmark will be between the home pipes versus Vegas on Thursday, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.
Ullmark has been shaky his last two starts, allowing 10 goals on only 50 shots. The Swedish netminder is 4-5-1 with a 2.99 GAA and an .884 save percentage in 11 appearances this season. Ullmark is off to his worst start since the 2018-19 season, when he was 15-14-5 with a 3.11 GAA and a .905 save percentage with Buffalo. The Golden Knights will look to get back on track after they were shut out 3-0 in Toronto on Wednesday.
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Jake Oettinger G | DAL
Stars' Jake Oettinger: Solid in win over Sharks
Oettinger stopped 21 of 23 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sharks.
Oettinger returned to the lineup after resting in the 4-2 loss to the Ducks on Monday, and the star goaltender was excellent between the pipes in a game that turned out to be more complicated than expected. Oettinger has been on a tear of late and has won each of his last four starts, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .935 save percentage in that span. He's cemented his place as one of the elite goaltenders in the league.
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MacKenzie Blackwood G | SJ
Sharks' Mackenzie Blackwood: Allows five goals Wednesday
Blackwood stopped 26 of 29 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Stars. The final two goals were empty-netters in the closing minutes of the third period.
Blackwood had a decent outing all things considered, as the game was close until the final two minutes where the Stars scored a pair of empty-netters. Blackwood has made four starts in a row for the Sharks, posting a 1-2-1 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 save percentage in that span. It wouldn't be surprising if Blackwood gets some rest in the coming games given his recent workload.
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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G | BUF
Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Earns shutout in return
Luukkonen recorded a 23-save shutout in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Kings.
Luukkonen missed about a week with an undisclosed injury, but a light schedule in that span meant he only sat out two games. The 25-year-old was excellent in his return, earning his first shutout of the season and his fourth win in his last six appearances, a span in which he's allowed more than two goals just one time. Luukkonen is up to a 7-4-1 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 13 outings, numbers roughly in line with his breakout performance from 2023-24. He should operate as the Sabres' No. 1 goalie moving forward. The team wraps up its California trip with a back-to-back featuring games in Anaheim on Friday and San Jose on Saturday, so expect Luukkonen and James Reimer to split those starts.
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David Rittich G | LA
Kings' David Rittich: Good game not enough
Rittich stopped 18 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Sabres.
Rittich was good while facing a light workload, but Jason Zucker's power-play tally early in the third period was the difference. Rittich has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last five appearances (four starts), but he's taken two losses in that span. The 32-year-old slipped to 6-5-0 through 11 appearances while adding a 2.37 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season. Rittich will continue to see a heavy workload until Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) can return from injured reserve.
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Joey Daccord G | SEA
Kraken's Joey Daccord: Earns first shutout of season
Daccord posted a 24-save shutout in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.
Daccord wasn't as busy as Juuse Saros, who stopped 33 of 35 shots. It took the Kraken until late in the second period to get on the board with a Daniel Sprong goal, and that was ultimately all the support Daccord needed. The 28-year-old netminder played in five of the Kraken's six games during this homestand, winning all of his appearances and allowed just eight goals on 131 shots (.939 save percentage) in that span. For the season, he's at a 9-3-1 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .923 save percentage over 13 starts. The Kraken have a two-game road trip up next, beginning with a visit to Los Angeles on Saturday.
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Juuse Saros G | NSH
Predators' Juuse Saros: Receives no help in loss
Saros allowed two goals on 35 shots in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Kraken. The third goal was an empty-netter.
Saros turned in a strong effort, but the same can't be said for his teammates, who couldn't convert on any of their 24 shots. The 29-year-old has been in net all four times the Predators have been shut out this season, and this was also his second loss of the campaign against the Kraken. Saros is down to 5-9-2 with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 16 outings. The 29-year-old Finn could be in line for a tough matchup when the Predators host the Jets on Saturday.
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Juuse Saros G | NSH
Predators' Juuse Saros: Guarding goal Wednesday
Saros will protect the road goal versus the Kraken on Wednesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Saros allowed three goals on 27 shots to defeat the Canucks on Sunday for his first win in his last three starts. The 29-year-old has had some rough moments this season, but he's allowed just 10 goals over his last five games despite a 2-2-1 record in that span. The Kraken have won four of their last six games with 18 goals scored in that span.