NHL Player News

Hofer allowed two goals on 19 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks. The last two Chicago goals were empty-netters.

Hofer wasn't able to replicate what he showed in the Blues' season opener when he had a 25-save shutout against the Stars. The Blues at least kept it close, but Hofer ended up with his first loss of the season. Despite the poor result Tuesday, the 26-year-old's play should give him the edge for starts if head coach Jim Montgomery starts to lean on one goalie. Hofer and Jordan Binnington have alternated so far, and it's not yet clear if that pattern will continue Thursday at home versus the Sharks.

Knight allowed two goals on 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Blues.

Knight put together a positive outing and got enough goal support to earn his first win in three starts. The 25-year-old netminder is seeing plenty of playing time early in the season, as expected. He's allowed 10 goals on 92 shots over his three games, but this was the first time this season he's faced a team that wasn't in the playoffs last year. The Blackhawks have a quick one-game road trip to face the Islanders on Thursday.

Shesterkin stopped 17 of 19 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Shesterkin was perfect in the first period before the Islanders struck twice in a span of 1:56 early in the second, with Bo Horvat scoring on the power play and Calum Ritchie tying the contest at 2-2. Shesterkin shut the door from there, stopping all seven shots he faced in the third while the Rangers pulled away. He finished with 17 saves to earn his third consecutive win, and the Rangers have won their last four contests since dropping the season opener against Boston on Sept. 29. In his four appearances, Shesterkin has stopped 89 of the 96 shots he's faced, good for a 92.7 save percentage.

Varlamov stopped 19 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Rangers. The Rangers' final two goals were empty-netters.

Varlamov surrendered goals to Oliver Bjorkstrand (twice) and Alexis Lafreniere. He stopped all six shots he faced in the third before heading to the bench as the Islanders pushed for a late equalizer, but the Rangers took advantage of that scenario to score two empty-netters. This was Varlamov's first NHL regular-season appearance since November 2024, and he should remain the No. 2 option between the posts behind Ilya Sorokin, meaning his opportunities to contribute from a fantasy perspective will be limited and matchup-based.

Ellis stopped 18 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Wild.

Ellis allowed goals to Danila Yurov and Maxim Shabanov during a 1:45 span in the second period but was perfect the rest of the way, giving Buffalo's offense an opportunity to rally. The Sabres erased the two-goal deficit in the third before Noah Power delivered the winner in overtime. This was Ellis' first appearance of the season, and he should remain as the Sabres' No. 2 option between the posts behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, although he could lose some opportunities once Alex Lyon (upper body) returns to the roster, which could happen sooner rather than later. For now, though, Ellis should continue as the backup behind Luukkonen, meaning his opportunities to see action will remain limited, and his fantasy upside will remain matchup-based.

Wallstedt stopped 25 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Sabres.

Wallstedt carried a shutout and a 2-0 advantage into the third period before Buffalo rallied. Noah Ostlund and Tage Thompson scored 5:43 apart to force overtime, and Owen Power beat him with 37.4 seconds remaining in the extra frame to complete Buffalo's comeback. This was the first time Wallstedt allowed more than one goal in any of his three starts this season, and the 23-year-old should remain the undisputed No. 1 option between the posts for the Wild as long as Filip Gustavsson (hip) remains on injured reserve. In three starts, Wallstedt has stopped 70 of 75 shots faced.

Daccord will guard the home goal against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, Jayd Serdy of the Kraken's official site reports.

Daccord is set to start for the third time in four games this season. He's won both of his previous outings, stopping 56 of 58 shots in two games against the Flames. The Golden Knights will present more of a challenge as one of the top teams in the Pacific Division.

Hart will start on the road versus the Kraken on Tuesday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Hart has gone 1-1-0 with six goals allowed on 46 shots over his first two games of the season. The 28-year-old will start for the third time in four contests for Vegas. Seattle has started the year hot with 13 goals over three games, though 12 of those tallies came in two matchups against the Flames.

Ersson is starting Tuesday's road game against the Red Wings, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ersson replaced Linus Ullmark (undisclosed) in the third period of Monday's 4-1 victory over the Bruins and allowed a goal on nine shots. Ullmark won't dress for the second half of the back-to-back set, so Ersson will make his first start of the season Tuesday, while Jonas Johansson will operate as the backup. Ersson made 33 regular-season appearances for Philadelphia last year, going 14-11-5 with a 3.12 GAA and .870 save percentage.

Ullmark (undisclosed) will not play in Tuesday's road clash against Detroit, per Jackson Starr of the Senators' official site.

With the call-up of Jonas Johansson Tuesday afternoon, Ullmark's absence Tuesday was expected. The 33-year-old netminder left Monday's 4-1 win over the Bruins after he was involved in a collision with winger JJ Peterka. However, head coach Travis Green mentioned that Ullmark is doing fine, so he likely avoided a long-term injury. The veteran backstop is off to a strong start in the 2026-27 campaign, where he has compiled a 2-0-0 record, a 1.20 GAA and a .949 save percentage across 39 shots on net between two appearances. In Ullmark's absence, Samuel Ersson will make his first regular-season start with the Senators.