NHL Player News

Hart stopped seven of 12 shots before he was pulled from Monday's 5-2 loss to the Wild.

Hart gave up two goals in the first period and another three in the first 6:56 of the second before he was pulled. Akira Schmid took over and stopped 15 shots over the rest of the game, and Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Schmid was tabbed the starter for Wednesday's home game versus the Predators. With 16 goals allowed on 94 shots over his last four games, Hart's quality of play has taken a dip amid a challenging sequence of opponents. Schmid's performance Wednesday could have a large impact on the Golden Knights' goaltending usage heading into January. Hart is 4-2-3 with a 3.18 GAA and an .883 save percentage through nine starts so far.

Gustavsson stopped 14 of 16 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights.

The Wild gave their hosts little room to play, allowing Gustavsson to face a season-low workload. The Golden Knights' two goals came after they fell behind 5-0, so the lead was never really in doubt for Minnesota. Gustavsson has won six of his last seven outings, allowing just 12 goals on 173 shots in that span. For the season, the 27-year-old netminder is up to 13-8-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 25 starts. The Wild remain on the road for the next five games while their arena plays host to the World Junior Championship. Their next matchup is in San Jose on Wednesday in a New Year's Eve matinee.

Vanecek allowed four goals on 26 shots in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Predators.

Vanecek let a trio of one-goal leads slip away in this contest. A double-dip from Steven Stamkos in a span of 1:38 in the middle of the third period ended up sending Vanecek to his sixth straight regulation loss, and it's his ninth defeat (0-8-1) in a row. The 29-year-old has allowed four goals in five of those losses, though he's also been a bit unlucky during the nearly two-month-long skid. For the season, he's at a 2-9-1 record with a 2.92 GAA and an .879 save percentage in 12 appearances. He'll likely get the bulk of the starts while Karel Vejmelka (upper body) is out, but Vanecek is a risky option for most fantasy formats.

Saros stopped 28 of 31 shots in Monday's 4-3 win over the Mammoth.

Saros allowed a goal in each frame, which saw the Predators fall behind each time. Steven Stamkos picked up the slack, scoring the tying and winning goals in the third period, and Saros made the lead stand to the end. The 30-year-old Saros has won four of his last six games, and he's allowed 16 goals on 163 shots in that span to provide fairly steady work between the pipes. On the year, he's up to 15-12-3 with a 2.93 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 30 appearances. The Predators will likely split the next two games between Saros and Justus Annunen, with a road back-to-back coming up with matchups versus Vegas on Wednesday and Seattle on Thursday.

Schmid is slated to start at home against the Predators on Wednesday, according to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Schmid has lost out on playing time over the last month to Carter Hart, but Hart was lit up for five goals on 12 shots in Monday's loss to the Wild, so Vegas will turn back to Schmid for Wednesday's game. Schmid also replaced Hart in goal during Monday's defeat, stopping all 15 shots he faced. As for Wednesday's matchup, the Predators have been a more formidable opponent of late -- they have won four of their last five games while netting 16 goals in that span.

Hellebuyck stopped 18 of 20 shots on goal in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Oilers. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Hellebuyck's struggles continued Monday, as he allowed two goals in the second period, which proved to be too large of a hole for Winnipeg's offense to climb out. With the loss, the 32-year-old netminder now has a 9-9-3 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 21 appearances this season. Since his return from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for just under a month, he has a 1-3-3 record and an .893 save percentage in seven contests. While he remains a solid option in all fantasy formats with the highest ceiling of any netminder in the NHL, expectations should be tempered in the meantime while he looks to find his groove. Hellebuyck's next opportunity to guard the crease is Wednesday in Detroit, which is the first half of a back-to-back.

Pickard stopped 41 of 42 shots on net in Monday's 3-1 win over the Jets.

Pickard earned his way back to the win column in Monday's contest with his first performance of 40-plus saves since Apr. 27. With the win, he is up to a 4-5-2 record with an .874 save percentage and a 3.69 GAA across 14 appearances this season. Monday's win was the 33-year-old netminder's first since Dec. 4, snapping a three-game losing streak. While he has played subpar throughout the first half of this season, Monday's performance was by far his best of the year and is a strong building block for him moving forward. With Tristan Jarry (lower body) projected to be sidelined for at least another week, Pickard should see a few more opportunities in the interim while rotating starts with Connor Ingram. Pickard is a solid short-term streaming option, and his next chance to take the ice is Wednesday against the Bruins.

Daccord will be between the home pipes Monday against the Canucks, Joe Pohoryles of Emerald City Spectrum reports.

Daccord will get the net Monday after Philipp Grubauer was between the pipes for Sunday's 4-1 win over the Flyers. Daccord has won back-to-back outings following a two-game skid, stopping 69 out of 73 shots combined in victories over the Sharks and Kings. The 29-year-old has struggled against Vancouver during his career, registering a 2-2-1 record, 3.12 GAA and .886 save percentage over six appearances.

Saros will tend the twine Monday in Utah, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros hasn't allowed more than three goals in each of his last seven outings, stopping a combined 182 of 200 shots (.910 save percentage). The veteran goaltender has played well in December, going 7-3-0 with a 2.63 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 10 appearances. The Mammoth rank 19th in the NHL with 2.97 goals per game and have lost three of their last five matchups.

Greaves is expected to start on the road against Ottawa on Monday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Greaves has won his past two starts while stopping 47 of 50 shots (.940 save percentage). He's 10-9-5 with a 2.66 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 24 outings in 2025-26. Ottawa ranks eighth in goals per game with 3.27.