NHL Player News

Lankinen stopped 38 of 42 shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Bruins.

Lankinen was kept busy in this contest, but he was up to the challenge, doing enough to allow the Canucks to stay close. The 30-year-old then turned aside seven straight shootout attempts to pick up the win. Lankinen had gone 0-5-1 over his previous six outings, and this was his first victory since Nov. 16 versus the Lightning. The Finnish netminder is now 5-10-3 with a 3.51 GAA and an .880 save percentage over 18 appearances. Thatcher Demko is still likely to see a majority of the starts in goal moving forward. The Canucks' next game is Monday in Philadelphia.

Ersson made 23 saves in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Rangers on Saturday.

He carried Philadelphia into the third period with a 4-2 lead, but the Rangers turned up the heat, ultimately tying the game on the power play with 2:34 left in the game. Ersson is 0-2-2 with an .864 save percentage in his last four starts. He's going to need to focus his game with Dan Vladar (upper body) on the shelf.

Dostal is expected to start at home against Columbus on Saturday, per Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett.

Dostal will try to rebound after stopping just three of seven shots before being yanked in Friday's 8-3 loss to Dallas. He's 12-7-1 with a 2.91 GAA and an .899 save percentage in 20 appearances this season. The Blue Jackets are tied for 21st in goals per game with 2.88.

Merzlikins will protect the road goal versus the Ducks on Saturday, Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett reports.

Merzlikins was pulled from his last start Dec. 11 versus the Senators, and he hasn't seen the crease since. That will change with this contest, though it's a tough matchup for Merzlikins. The Ducks have scored 13 goals over their last five games, going 1-3-1 in that span, but they still have a top-tier offense that could pose a challenge for Merzlikins.

Daccord will protect the road goal versus the Sharks on Saturday, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Daccord put forth a 42-save effort in a loss to the Flames on Thursday, and he'll be rewarded with consecutive starts for the first time since Seattle's first two games of December. The 29-year-old netminder has just one win in his last eight outings, so he's a bit of a risky fantasy option. The Sharks have scored 23 goals over their last six games, going 4-2-0 in that span.

Shesterkin made 28 saves in a 5-4 shootout win over the Flyers on Saturday.

Shesterkin surrendered two power-play goals in the second period, but then bricked things up, especially in overtime when he was the difference maker killing off two 4-on-3s to force the shootout. Shesterkin allowed 18 goals (.893) in his last six starts (3-2-1), but his overtime exploits Saturday could signal that this porous period is over.

Fedotov posted an 18-save shutout in AHL Cleveland's 2-0 win over Laval on Saturday.

Fedotov picked up his fourth in a row, and he's allowed just four goals on 85 shots in that span. This was his first shutout since his AHL debut, which was Oct. 10. The netminder is 8-6-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 16 games, and he'd likely get a call-up if Elvis Merzlikins or Jet Greaves were to become unavailable for the Blue Jackets.

Saros will protect the home goal versus the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Saros will get a chance to bounce back from his 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs have scored just 11 goals over their last six games, going 2-2-2 in that span, and they were shut out by the Capitals on Thursday.

Kochetkov will protect the road goal versus the Lightning on Saturday, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Kochetkov will get the second half of a back-to-back after Brandon Bussi took a 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers on Friday. The 26-year-old Kochetkov has won his last two outings, allowing four goals on 44 shots. The Lightning have scored 13 goals in four games going into Saturday's matchup, but lit the lamp eight times in one contest while struggling with consistency.

Vasilevskiy will guard the home goal versus the Hurricanes on Saturday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Vasilevskiy stopped 18 of 20 shots in Thursday's loss to the Kings, which was his first action since Dec. 2. The 31-year-old netminder is back to handling No. 1 duties between the pipes for the Lightning. He has a tough matchup Saturday, though the Hurricanes are on the second half of a back-to-back after dropping a 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers on Friday.