NHL Player News

Merzlikins will get the starting nod at home versus the Senators on Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins has given up five or more goals in four of his last five outings, while posting a 2-2-1 record and .850 save percentage. With the Latvian struggling, he has found himself relegated to the No. 2 role in Columbus behind Jet Greaves. Still, Merzlikins could play his way into a split share of the goaltending duties if he can start to put together some better performances.

Cooley stopped 23 of 27 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Red Wings.

Cooley was making his first start since Dec. 2, when he allowed four goals on 16 shots in a loss to Nashville, and the outcome was identical this time around. The 28-year-old goaltender has won just one of his last five appearances, going 1-2-1 with a 3.05 GAA and a subpar .883 save percentage in that span.

Gibson stopped 34 of 37 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Flames.

Gibson was magnificent Wednesday en route to posting at least 34 saves for a second straight game. He's won each of his last four starts despite allowing at least three goals in three of those contests. He has a 2.50 GAA and .929 save percentage over that stretch, providing a safety blanket for a Red Wings offense that has also scored four or more goals in each of those starts.

Knight posted a 21-save shutout in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Rangers.

Knight notched his second shutout of the season -- and first since a 4-0 victory over the Flames on Nov. 7. Knight has won three of his last five starts, going 3-1-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .903 save percentage in that span. His numbers would be even better if he hadn't suffered a 6-0 defeat against the Kings on Dec. 6, though.

Shesterkin stopped 22 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Blackhawks.

Shesterkin has dropped his last two starts while allowing two goals each time. However, a drop in form was expected for the star netminder, who had won five of his six previous starts before this negative run. He hasn't allowed more than three goals in any of those eight outings, posting a 5-2-1 mark with a 2.38 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Forsberg stopped 30 of 33 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Kraken.

A goalie needs to be his team's best penalty killer, and Forsberg wasn't able to live up to that standard in Wednesday's defeat. All three of the Kraken's goals came on their power plays, including one that was a result of a tripping penalty by Forsberg himself that led to the tying tally. He's down to 4-2-3 on the year with a 2.72 GAA and an .896 save percentage over nine appearances. Forsberg will continue to handle backup duties behind Darcy Kuemper. The Kings' next back-to-back is a week away, so Forsberg shouldn't have to wait long for his next start.

Daccord stopped 24 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.

Daccord gave up a shorthanded goal to Alex Laferriere and a power-play tally to Kevin Fiala. The Kraken countered with three power-play goals of their own to help Daccord snap a run of five straight losses (0-4-1). The 29-year-old netminder is up to 8-7-4 on the year with a 2.94 GAA and an .893 save percentage over 19 outings. The Kraken's next game is Friday in Utah.

Vejmelka stopped 32 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Panthers.

Vejmelka overcame giving up two goals in a span of 1:44 to Sam Bennett in the second period. He was steady for most of the third, but Anton Lundell's tally in the final minute decided the contest. Vejmelka has lost his last two appearances, and he's given up seven goals on 62 shots in that span. For the season, the 29-year-old netminder is at a 12-9-2 record with a 2.72 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 24 starts. The Mammoth host the low-scoring Kraken on Friday.

Bobrovsky stopped 27 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Mammoth.

Bobrovsky won his second outing in a row, but this was a much more convincing effort than Saturday, when he allowed six goals on 31 shots. The 37-year-old can blame his defense for a pair of Dylan Guenther breakaway tallies in Wednesday's contest. Bobrovsky is up to 12-8-1 on the year with a 2.98 GAA and an .882 save percentage through 21 starts. The Panthers will likely turn to Daniil Tarasov for a tough matchup Thursday versus the Avalanche, but Bobrovsky should be ready to go for Saturday's road game in Dallas.

Murashov posted a 34-save shutout in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 3-0 win over Hartford on Wednesday.

Murashov picked up his eighth win and second shutout in 11 outings for the Baby Pens this season. He's 8-2-0 with a 1.56 GAA and a .943 save percentage in the AHL, and he also went 1-1-1 with a shutout over four games in the NHL. Murashov looks to be the Penguins' goalie of the future, though the organization will be happy to see him have at least one dominant full season in the minors before giving him a longer NHL look.