NHL Player News

Pickard will be between the road pipes in Minnesota on Saturday, per Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels.

Pickard is currently the No. 1 goaltender for Edmonton, with Tristan Jarry on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury suffered Thursday versus Boston. Pickard has been mediocre this season, posting a 3-4-2 mark with a 3.91 GAA and an .858 save percentage. The Wild have generated 3.03 goals per game, which is tied with Detroit for 15th in the NHL this year.

Mrazek stopped 14 of 18 shots in relief of Lukas Dostal in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.

This was Mrazek's first appearance since he suffered a lower-body injury that ultimately cost him about two weeks. He likely would have been in line to start Saturday versus the Blue Jackets, but a 45:41 relief appearance Friday may change the Ducks' plans. Mrazek remains at 3-3-0 through eight appearances, and he's added a 3.85 GAA and an .868 save percentage this season. If his performance continues to be poor, the Ducks might turn to Ville Husso in the backup role, as he had some positive moments while both Mrazek and Dostal were on the shelf.

Dostal allowed four goals on seven shots in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.

Dostal couldn't take advantage of the Stars being on the second half of a back-to-back, as he didn't make it through one period. With eight goals allowed on 55 shots over his last three outings, Dostal is experiencing a slight rough patch since returning from an upper-body injury. He's at a 12-7-1 record with a 2.91 GAA and an .899 save percentage through 20 outings overall. His quick hook Friday may have been a move to keep him fresh enough to play Saturday versus the Blue Jackets, but the Ducks didn't announce their intentions after the contest.

DeSmith stopped 22 of 25 shots in Friday's 8-3 win over the Ducks.

DeSmith picked up his third straight win, and he didn't have to work too hard for it. The Stars led 4-1 after one period and kept rolling in the second before easing up in the third. DeSmith is now 9-1-3 with a 2.20 GAA and a .920 save percentage over 13 appearances this season. He's been among the best backup netminders in the league this year, though his playing time has often been little more than once per week. Jake Oettinger is likely to get the nod Sunday at home versus the Maple Leafs.

Vejmelka allowed two goals on 22 shots in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Devils.

Vejmelka's three-game winning streak came to an end, though this wasn't a bad performance for the 29-year-old netminder. He allowed goals to Connor Brown and Stefan Noesen (on the power play). Vejmelka is now 15-10-2 with a 2.69 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 28 outings overall. He continues to handle a starting role for the Mammoth, and he'll probably get the nod versus the reeling Jets on Sunday.

Markstrom stopped 32 of 33 shots in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mammoth.

Markstrom picked up just his second win in six outings this month with one of his best performances of the season. He's up to 9-7-1 with a 3.40 GAA and an .881 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's been largely outplayed by Jake Allen (2.49 GAA, .912 save percentage), but both goalies have 17 starts to their name so far. The Devils' next game is Sunday at home versus the Sabres.

Hellebuyck stopped 23 of 26 shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche.

A pair of first-period goals and a Parker Kelly tally in the third sent Hellebuyck to a third straight loss (0-2-1). The 32-year-old netminder is doing well to keep the defeats close, but the Jets continue to struggle with scoring enough to support him. Hellebuyck is down to 9-8-1 with a 2.40 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 18 starts. The Jets' next game is Sunday in Utah. Fantasy managers who are chasing wins may want to explore trading Hellebuyck for a goalie on a more stable team, though he's unlikely to damage a roster's ratio stats.

Wedgewood allowed two goals on 22 shots in Friday's 3-2 win over the Jets.

Wedgewood has won his last two starts, allowing four goals on 51 shots in that span. After dealing with a back issue earlier in December, he's settled back into sharing the crease with Mackenzie Blackwood. Wedgewood is up to 15-1-4 on the year with a 2.11 GAA and a .920 save percentage through 22 starts. Both Avalanche goalies remain strong fantasy options due to win potential, and each should get one more start before the holiday break.

Markstrom will guard the road goal versus the Mammoth on Friday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Markstrom has fallen into a timeshare with Jake Allen recently. The 35-year-old Markstrom has gone just 1-4-0 with 18 goals allowed over his last six outings, which is right in line with his poor performance this season. The Mammoth have won three of their last four games, scoring 15 goals in that span.

Hellebuyck was the first goalie off the ice during Friday's morning skate, indicating he'll be between the road pipes versus the Avalanche, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.

Hellebuyck has allowed just five goals on 82 shots since returning from arthroscopic knee surgery. However, the Jets' poor offense in that span has limited him to a 1-1-1 record. Friday's matchup is a rough one, as the Avalanche have the best offense in the NHL by a wide margin, which make this a challenging situation for Hellebuyck.