NHL Player News

Pickard allowed four goals on 22 shots in relief of Stuart Skinner in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Stars.

Pickard played the final two periods after Skinner gave up four goals on eight shots in the first. This could have been a chance for Pickard to stake a claim to a larger role in the crease, but he again came up short, though he was able to avoid the loss. The 33-year-old is at a 2-3-2 record with a 4.04 GAA and an .847 save percentage through nine appearances. It's unclear which goalie will start Saturday in Seattle.

Skinner was pulled from Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Stars after giving up four goals on eight shots in the first period.

Skinner has given up at least four goals in five of his last eight outings. Early in the season, his performance was just enough to keep the Oilers afloat, but he's taken a step back and simply isn't making enough saves most of the time. He's down to an 8-7-3 record with a 3.18 GAA and an .878 save percentage in 18 starts. Calvin Pickard allowed four goals on 22 shots in relief Tuesday, so Skinner's ongoing struggles have yet to really yield consequences in playing time. The Oilers are back in action for a road game Saturday in Seattle, where Skinner was tagged with a loss after allowing three goals on 23 shots in an Oct. 25 game.

Oettinger stopped 22 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Oilers.

Oettinger wasn't at his best, but after a four-goal first period from the Stars, he had plenty of leeway. This was his fifth win in his last six starts, a span in which he's allowed just 15 goals. For the season, he's up to 10-4-2 with a 2.74 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 16 starts. Casey DeSmith is likely to start Wednesday in Seattle, but Oettinger should be penciled in for Friday's home game versus the Mammoth.

Oettinger will defend the road net against the Oilers on Tuesday, Mike Heika of the Stars' official site reports.

Oettinger is coming off a 34-save performance in Thursday's 4-2 win over Vancouver. He has a 9-4-2 record with one shutout, a 2.72 GAA and a .902 save percentage through 15 appearances this season. Edmonton is tied for 16th in the league with 3.08 goals per game this campaign.

Cournoyer was named the ECAC Rookie of the Week on Monday.

Cournoyer has claimed that award twice in the last three weeks. This time, he posted two wins for Cornell University over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Union College, allowing just two goals on 43 shots. Cournoyer is up to a 6-1-0 record with a 1.30 GAA and a .953 save percentage over seven games as a freshman this year.

Dobes will tend the twine in Utah on Wednesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Dobes got back in the win column Saturday against Toronto on the heels of his four-game losing streak. His 24-save performance against the Leafs was his best showing in a month -- Dobes hadn't allowed two goals or less since Oct. 22 in Calgary prior to Saturday. As for Wednesday's opponent, the Mammoth have won back-to-back games over the Rangers and Golden Knights following a four-game skid. Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther clicked on Utah's second line after being reunited in Monday's 5-1 win over Vegas, combining for seven points, so this could be a challenging task for Dobes and the Canadiens in the first game of their road trip out west.

Merilainen allowed two goals on 22 shots in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Kings.

Both goals allowed came in the third period, as Warren Foegele and Brandt Clarke (on the power play) were able to get pucks past Merilainen. The 23-year-old goalie took just his second loss of the season (3-2-0), but he's allowed only two goals in three of his five outings. He's maintained a 3.24 GAA and an .875 save percentage on the year, numbers skewed by the seven-goal mishap in his season debut versus the Sabres on Oct. 15. Merilainen won't get a lot of chances to play, as Linus Ullmark has done fairly well in a starting role this season. The Senators reach the midpoint of their current seven-game road trip when they visit the Golden Knights on Wednesday.

Kuemper stopped 27 of 28 shots in Monday's 2-1 win over the Senators.

The game was scoreless through two periods. Kuemper remained steady in the third, allowing just a Fabian Zetterlund goal at 10:49 of the frame, which the Kings answered with a Brandt Clarke power-play tally. This was Kuemper's first win in his last three outings, but he has been good this month, going 5-2-1 with a 1.76 GAA and a .927 save percentage in eight appearances. Overall, he's 8-4-4 with a 2.30 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 16 outings. Kuemper and Anton Forsberg figure to split the Kings' next two games, which are Friday in Anaheim and Saturday at home versus the Ducks.

Lindbom allowed three goals on 22 shots in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Mammoth. The last two Utah goals were empty-netters.

Lindbom did a decent job of keeping the game close despite the success of the Mammoth's second line. The 22-year-old faced just a 2-1 deficit after two periods, but Logan Cooley scored three of his four goals in the game during the third, with the last two going into the empty net, to make the final score look worse than it was. Lindbom has yet to find the win column this season, going 0-4-2 with a 3.16 GAA and an .872 save percentage in six outings. His time to make a positive impression is running low, as Carter Hart (suspension) is eligible to play with the big club Dec. 1, at which point Lindbom will likely be returned to AHL Henderson. Lindbom figures to get one more start in the NHL, either Friday versus the Canadiens or Saturday versus the Sharks.

Luukkonen is slated to start Wednesday in Pittsburgh, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.

Luukkonen has won back-to-back games for the first time this season, stopping 49 of 53 shots (.925 save percentage) in victories over Chicago and Carolina on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Finnish goaltender is 3-2-1 with a 2.67 GAA and an .897 save percentage across six appearances this season. After starting the year on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury, Luukkonen seems to be closing in on being the team's clear-cut No. 1 option, as Colten Ellis and Alex Lyon have received their share of starts in 2025-26.