NHL Player News

Askarov allowed five goals on 24 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks.

Askarov has skidded to the finish line this season, losing four straight contests (0-3-1) while allowing 19 goals on 128 shots in that span. He dropped to 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 47 starts this season. Askarov likely won't be asked to make consecutive starts to close out 2025-26 -- look for Alex Nedeljkovic to tend the twine in Winnipeg for the season finale Thursday.

Knight stopped 15 of 17 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sharks.

Knight was able to put an end to an eight-game losing streak in the Blackhawks' season finale. He didn't have a great performance, but his teammates picked him up with a strong third period. Knight ends the campaign at 19-25-11 with a 2.82 GAA and a .902 save percentage over 55 starts. That kind of workload will make him a viable fantasy option in 2026-27, though the Blackhawks will need to make some progress, particularly in their defensive zone, to flip his record around.

Beckman recorded a 20-save shutout in QMJHL Chicoutimi's 5-0 win over Quebec in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Beckman picked up his second straight shutout to help the Sagueneens sweep the Remparts. He's now 8-0 in the playoffs with a superb 0.75 GAA and a .962 save percentage. He'll have some time to rest up before the semifinal round, as there's still one series to be decided in the QMJHL's quarterfinals.

Malek recorded a 25-save shutout in AHL Utica's 3-0 win over Belleville on Wednesday.

Malek picked up his third shutout of the season and improved to 13-14-3 with a 2.75 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 31 outings. He's won three of his last five contests for the Comets. Nico Daws and Malek figure to close out the season as Utica's goaltending duo.

Grubauer (lower body) won't suit up Wednesday versus the Golden Knights, per the NHL media site.

Grubauer will miss a fifth straight game due to the injury. He was on the ice before Monday's morning skate against the Kings, but it's unclear if he accompanied the team on the road. That casts plenty of doubt on his availability for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Avalanche.

Daccord (lower body) won't suit up versus the Golden Knights on Wednesday, per the NHL media site.

Daccord will miss his third straight game, and it is looking unlikely that he will return before the end of the campaign. The Kraken have one remaining game on the 2025-26 schedule, a road matchup against the Avalanche on Thursday.

Kokko will guard the road goal versus the Golden Knights on Wednesday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Kokko is 1-1-0 with five goals allowed on 56 shots over the last two games while he fills in at the NHL level. This will be his third straight start, and he could go again Thursday versus the Avalanche if Joey Daccord (lower body) and Philipp Grubauer (lower body) both remain out.

Johansson (undisclosed) won't suit up Wednesday versus the Rangers, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Johansson will be out for a second straight game. The 30-year-old netminder will have his next chance to return in Game 1 of the playoffs versus the Canadiens. Johansson will likely be the backup once he's healthy, as Andrei Vasilevskiy will see the vast majority of the playing time for the Lightning's postseason run.

Vasilevskiy will not start Wednesday's home game versus the Rangers as previously expected, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Vasilevskiy appeared to be the starter after he was the first goalie off the ice at Wednesday's morning skate, but the Lightning have seemingly changed their plans. With Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) unavailable, Vasilevskiy will be Brandon Halverson's backup in Tampa Bay's regular-season finale.

Halverson will start at home versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports.

Halverson will get the nod after Andrei Vasilevskiy was initially expected to start. This is unlikely to be an injury-related issue -- Halverson is up with the team because Jonas Johansson (undisclosed) is unavailable. Halverson made a brief relief appearance Dec. 13 versus the Islanders but has otherwise spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL.