NHL Player News

Vanecek will be between the home pipes Sunday versus the Blue Jackets.

Vanecek will get his first start since Dec. 29. The 30-year-old is currently mired in a terrible stretch, as he is 0-8-1 with an .867 save percentage and a 3.24 GAA over his last nine appearances. Vanecek will look to earn his first victory since Oct. 26 against a Columbus squad that is on the second half of a back-to-back and has lost four consecutive games (0-3-1). He also has a tremendous track record against the Blue Jackets, going 7-0-0 with a 1.55 GAA and a .950 save percentage across seven career outings against them.

Annunen will start Sunday's home game against the Capitals.

Annunen hasn't appeared in any of the Predators' five games since the start of the calendar year, but he'll draw the start in the second half of a back-to-back set Sunday. He's picked up wins in each of his last two appearances, going 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .938 save percentage.

Greaves will start Sunday's contest against the Mammoth, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

After getting both ends of the Blue Jackets' previous two back-to-backs, Greaves got the front end of this back-to-back off Saturday, snapping a streak of eight consecutive starts. The last three haven't gone too well, as he allowed 13 goals and took the loss in each. The 24-year-old has a 12-12-6 record, a 2.74 GAA and a .907 save percentage on the season. The Mammoth enter play Sunday having won three straight games and scored three goals or more in all three.

Askarov will be the starting goaltender Sunday against the Golden Knights, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Since his torrid month of November, Askarov has allowed at least three goals in 12 straight starts. As a result, his numbers have taken a bit of a dip. The 23-year-old is 16-10-1 on the season with a 3.44 GAA and an .893 save percentage. The Golden Knights enter Sunday having won three straight games, scoring at least four goals in each contest.

Korpisalo will protect the home cease against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Joe McDonald of NHL.com reports.

Korpisalo will get the second half of Boston's back-to-back after Jeremy Swayman played in Saturday's 10-2 win over the Rangers. The 31-year-old Korpisalo has a 7-8-0 record with a 3.42 GAA and an .888 save percentage through 16 appearances this campaign. Pittsburgh ranks 11th in the league with 3.23 goals per game this season.

Skinner will start Sunday's contest against the Bruins, Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff reports.

Skinner has been red-hot during his personal three-game winning streak, allowing just one goal in each start. The 27-year-old is 3-3-0 with a 2.56 GAA and an .893 save percentage in his Penguins tenure. He will attempt to stay hot against the Bruins, who are on the second of a back-to-back but fresh off of potting 10 goals against the Rangers.

Demko (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Sunday.

Demko will be out for at least the next four games, starting with Monday's road matchup against Montreal, after being injured in Saturday's 5-0 loss to Toronto. However, it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. The Canucks recalled Nikita Tolopilo from AHL Abbotsford on Sunday under emergency conditions to serve as Kevin Lankinen's backup during Demko's absence.

Commesso was assigned to AHL Rockford on Sunday.

Commesso went 1-1-0 in Chicago's last two games, stopping 55 of 60 shots and posting a 36-save shutout in Saturday's 3-0 win over Nashville. The Blackhawks also returned Stanislav Berezhnoy to the minors, which could bode well for the availability of Spencer Knight (illness) and Arvid Soderblom (illness) ahead of Monday's home matchup against Edmonton.

Hellebuyck will be in net for Sunday's battle with the Devils, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.

It has been a tough stretch of hockey for Hellebuyck lately. The 32-year-old has allowed four goals in three straight games, and he hasn't won a start in his last 11 tries dating back to Dec. 13. His season-long stat line shows a 9-12-4 record, a 2.69 GAA and a .901 save percentage on the season. The Devils enter the contest having lost three consecutive games while scoring just two goals over that span.

Merilainen turned away 18 of 21 shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.

Merilainen struggled across the middle of Saturday's contest as he allowed three consecutive goals en route to the loss. Overall, he now has a 6-10-0 record with a 3.48 GAA and an .866 save percentage across 17 appearances this season. The 23-year-old goaltender has lost each of his last three outings amidst the Senators' four-game losing streak. With Linus Ullmark (personal) still away from the team, Merilainen should continue to see a decent chunk of starts but remains a risky option in fantasy.