NHL Player News

Sorokin saved all 33 shots he faced in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Rangers.

Sorokin's first shutout of the season was a much-needed strong outing after a sluggish start to the year. Overall, the 30-year-old netminder has a 4-4-2 record with a 3.00 GAA and an .893 save percentage across 10 appearances. After three regulation losses to start the year, Sorokin has only one such defeat in his last seven games. His play is trending upward, and if Sorokin can continue to find the win column every other game, he can be trusted again in most fantasy formats. For now, however, it is good to have a backup plan if Sorokin falls back into a slump. His next chance to take the ice is Monday against New Jersey.

Hofer stopped 26 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Kraken.

The 25-year-old was the busier of the two netminders on the night, facing 30 shots to Philipp Grubauer's 19, but Hofer still had the Blues in position to win until Chandler Stephenson snuck a shot through traffic to tie it with just two seconds left in regulation. He then had little chance on Shane Wright's OT winner after a defensive breakdown by Brayden Schenn during 3-on-3 play. Hofer was making his second straight start as St. Louis searches for some consistency in the crease, and through four appearances in November he's gone 1-1-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .918 save percentage, numbers which could give him the edge on Jordan Binnington for now.

Grubauer made 16 saves in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blues.

The veteran netminder seemed headed for the loss until Chandler Stephenson tied the game with two seconds left in regulation, before Shane Wright capped a dominant OT by the Kraken with the winner. It was Grubauer's first win of the season in only his third appearance, but he figures to see a heavy workload in the short term while Joey Daccord (upper body) is on the shelf.

Schmid stopped 25 of 29 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Schmid gave up three goals over the first two periods before settling in enough to allow the Golden Knights to force overtime. However, Jacob Trouba scored 4:28 into the extra session to hand Schmid the loss. This was just the second time in eight outings Schmid has been tagged for four-plus goals. He's gone 6-1-1 with a 2.51 GAA and a .901 save percentage so far. The 25-year-old has been alternating starts with Carl Lindbom recently, but it's unclear if that pattern will continue for the Golden Knights' four-game week ahead, which begins Monday at home versus the Panthers.

Mrazek stopped 36 of 39 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Golden Knights.

Mrazek has allowed 14 goals on 104 shots, but he's still undefeated, albeit two of his three wins have come in overtime. This was his best start of the season, despite a blown two-goal lead in the third period. The 33-year-old needs to get his performance in line so the Ducks don't run Lukas Dostal into the ground early in what's looking like a promising season. Expect Dostal to get the nod versus the Jets on Sunday.

Pickard stopped 16 of 21 shots in relief of Stuart Skinner in Saturday's 9-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Skinner gave up four goals on 13 shots and had a worse game by save percentage. That said, Pickard did nothing to stop the bleeding -- a better performance could have helped him stake a claim to more playing time. Over six appearances, Pickard is 2-2-1 with a 4.00 GAA and an .836 save percentage, putting him among the worst goalies this year in both categories. It's unclear who will start Monday's home matchup versus the Blue Jackets. The Oilers embark on a seven-game road trip that includes a pair of back-to-back sets after that, so both Pickard and Skinner will need to improve to avoid sending the team's season off the rails.

Skinner stopped nine of 13 shots before he was relieved by Calvin Pickard in Saturday's 9-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Skinner played just under half of the game, and the Oilers let him stay in for a couple of minutes after giving up the fourth goal before replacing him at a TV timeout. While Skinner hasn't been awful this season, he hasn't been good enough to lift the Oilers out of their early doldrums. Edmonton sits seventh in the Pacific Division after Saturday's action, just one point away from fourth. More concerning is the Oilers' minus-10 goal differential, which is more directly within Skinner's control. He's now 4-4-3 on the year with a 2.81 GAA and an .889 save percentage through 11 starts. The Oilers host the Blue Jackets on Monday and head east for a seven-game road trip afterward.

Wedgewood stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 9-1 win over the Oilers.

Wedgewood got plenty of help, as four different Avalanche skaters had two goals in Saturday's contest. He has posted four straight wins, and that's come over a five-game span for the Avalanche, which suggests he's still got at least a timeshare with Mackenzie Blackwood. Wedgewood is up to 9-1-2 with a 2.37 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 13 starts this season. Blackwood is likely to get the start in Vancouver on Sunday, but it remains to be seen how the workload will be divided moving forward. Head coach Jared Bednar could opt to go with the hot hand outside of back-to-back sets.

Swayman made 30 saves in a 5-3 win over Toronto on Saturday.

It was Swayman's third straight win and fourth in his last five contests (4-1-0). He's been working to improve the subpar look of his overall numbers this season, which include a 6-4-0 record with a 3.09 GAA and an .899 save percentage.

Merzlikins stopped 21 of 25 shots in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Canucks.

Merzlikins took his second straight loss, and this was the third time in seven outings that he's allowed four goals. The 31-year-old was playing from behind for a large part of this contest, including most of the third period. He's now 4-3-0 on the year, but his 3.14 GAA and .909 save percentage indicate some volatility in trusting him for fantasy. The Blue Jackets have alternated goalies all year, and if that pattern holds, Jet Greaves would start Monday in Edmonton while Merzlikins would get Tuesday's game in Seattle.