NHL Player News

Skinner allowed four goals on 34 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers.

Skinner had a 3-1 lead to protect from midway in the second period, but the Rangers scored twice in a span of 3:46 in the third to wipe that advantage out. J.T. Miller then scored in overtime, putting four goals on Skinner's line for the first time in eight outings this season. The 26-year-old has gone 3-3-2 with a 2.59 GAA and an .896 save percentage so far, which is virtually textbook mediocrity. Skinner will keep seeing a majority of the starts since Calvin Pickard hasn't been any better. Skinner didn't start more than two games in a row during October, so it's unclear if he'll get the nod Saturday versus the Blackhawks.

Bussi made 26 saves in a 6-2 win over the Islanders on Thursday. He also picked up a goalie assist.

The game was tighter than the score shows -- the Canes went into the third with a 3-1 lead before the offense took things up a notch. Bussi is 3-1-0 in four starts with a 2.25 GAA and .916 save percentage. The 27-year-old goalie made his NHL debut this season at age 27 years after four pro seasons, mostly in the AHL. So far, Bussi is having a stellar start to his NHL career.

Rittich made 27 saves in a 6-2 loss to Carolina on Thursday.

The Canes are one of the best teams in the East, so they didn't make things easy for Rittich and the Isles. He allowed six goals, two more than in his previous two games combined. Rittich has won two games this season -- that's half of the Islanders' wins in an ugly start that has them at the bottom of the East. Spot starting is one of the only options for fantasy managers, and the matchup matters.

Shesterkin stopped 33 of 36 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.

The Oilers led 3-1 in the middle of the second period, but the Rangers tied it up in the third and won on a J.T. Miller goal in overtime. Getting some support had to look like an oasis in a desert for Shesterkin, who has received one goal or less of help from his teammates in five of his nine outings. He ended an 0-3-2 skid with this win, improving to 3-4-2 with a 2.32 GAA and a .916 save percentage this season. The Rangers wrap up their road trip in Seattle on Saturday. Shesterkin is 4-0-1 with a 2.18 GAA and a .934 save percentage in five career games against the Kraken.

Vasilevskiy made 20 saves Thursday in a 2-1 overtime win over the Stars.

The only puck that got past Vasilevskiy was a redirection from the front of the net, and he didn't have a chance. He was stellar, and it looks like his lackluster start is behind him. Vasilevskiy has won three straight games, including impressive outings against Vegas and Dallas, and he's allowed just four goals in those three matchups. That's a stark contrast to the 17 goals he allowed in his first five games (0-3-2).

Oettinger made 30 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

The game-winner came off the stick of Anthony Cirelli, who came in on a breakaway after a Mikko Rantanen turnover. Oettinger has been sharp this season. He has a 5-2-2 record with one shutout, a 2.53 GAA and a .913 save percentage in nine starts. He's 2-0-2 in his last four starts, giving Dallas at least a point in each of those games.

Binnington stopped 15 of 18 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks.

Binnington dropped his fifth straight outing, and he didn't exactly put in a confident performance. During the skid, he's allowed three or more goals on 20 or fewer shots in three of the starts. That simply isn't good enough to give the Blues a chance to win on a regular basis. Binnington is at a 2-4-2 record with a 3.21 GAA and an .860 save percentage across nine outings this season. The Blues visit the Blue Jackets on Saturday, but Binnington makes for a risky fantasy option as long as he's leaking this many goals.

Lankinen stopped 36 of 39 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Blues.

The Blues had far more pressure in the game, but Kiefer Sherwood's hat trick and Lankinen's play between the pipes got the game to a shootout. There, Lankinen made three more saves to secure the win, which was just his second in five outings. He's at a 2-3-0 record with a 3.53 GAA and an .885 save percentage. The 30-year-old has filled a backup role behind Thatcher Demko, though the Canucks have not given more than two consecutive starts to Demko, so Lankinen should still carve out a decent amount of playing time.

Vladar made 32 saves in a 4-1 win over the Predators on Thursday.

Valdar has been a bit of revelation in Philly -- this was his fourth win in six starts (4-2-0), and he's sporting a career-best 1.67 GAA and .939 save percentage to begin the year. That's likely to regress, as he has no track record for this type of performance. However, Vladar should be trusted until the cracks start to show.

Saros made 14 saves in a 4-1 win over the Flyers on Thursday.

Saros has been strong for a struggling team. He put up back-to-back wins prior to Thursday's loss, and he is 4-3-2 in nine starts with a 2.84 GAA and a .905 save percentage. Saros is doing everything in his power to give his team a chance. However, the Preds have struggled to score -- they have scored more than two goals in a game just once in their last eight contests. At some point, this situation will change. Until then, Saros is a tough option in leagues that prioritize wins, but his solid counting stats may offset that, depending on the format.