NHL Player News

Primeau stopped 18 of 24 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Primeau wasn't at his best in his first two starts, but this was his first loss of the season. He's allowed 13 goals on 80 shots while serving as Anthony Stolarz's backup over the first month of the season. Joseph Woll (personal) has resumed practicing with the Maple Leafs but still needs time to get up to game speed. With no back-to-back sets in the next week, it's unclear if Primeau will get another start with the big club before Woll returns to action.

Merzlikins stopped 33 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

Merzlikins has won three straight starts. He was in control for this one, with the help of a big performance from the Blue Jackets' third line, though the Maple Leafs got a couple of goals back late in the game. Merzlikins improved to 4-1-0 with a 2.97 GAA and a .915 save percentage over five outings this season. He has alternated starts with Jet Greaves, and if that pattern holds, Greaves would play at home versus the Blues on Saturday, while Merzlikins would draw a road start Sunday against the Islanders.

Primeau will defend the road crease against Columbus on Wednesday, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Primeau will draw his third start of the year in the second half of Toronto's back-to-back after Anthony Stolarz played in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Calgary. Over his previous two outings this season, Primeau has gone 2-0-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .875 save percentage.

Talbot is set to start on the road against LA on Thursday, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports Wednesday.

Talbot has a 3-1-0 record, 2.98 GAA and .890 save percentage in five outings this year. He will get his first start since he allowed seven goals on 30 shots last Thursday against the Islanders. The Kings might be a tough team for a goaltender looking to rebound, though. LA has gone 4-0-1 in its past five games while averaging 3.20 goals over that stretch. Following the clash against the Kings, Detroit plans to start John Gibson in Anaheim on Friday.

Gibson will serve as the starting netminder for Friday's road game against Anaheim, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Red Wings have a back-to-back set to close out the week, and Cam Talbot will start Thursday in Los Angeles while Gibson handles the second half of the back-to-back in a matchup against his former team. Gibson has started in five of the Red Wings' last six games, going 4-1-0 with a 2.60 GAA and .902 save percentage during that time.

Vasilevskiy stopped 18 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Predators.

Vasilevskiy has now won consecutive starts after an 0-3-2 start to the year. His recent success has corresponded with tighter defense -- he's faced just 39 shots over his two wins, allowing three goals. Getting in the win column should help the 31-year-old regain some confidence for when things get tougher again. He's at a 2-3-2 record with a 2.86 GAA and an .893 save percentage over seven starts. The Lightning host the Stars on Thursday before heading out west for a three-game road trip.

Sorokin stopped 17 of 21 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Bruins. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Sorokin has allowed at least three goals in all seven of his starts this season, going 2-4-1. He's given up four goals in five of those outings, but he hasn't been worse than that yet. Tuesday's performance was a disappointment since the Islanders took an early 2-0 lead and Sorokin couldn't make it last, though two of the Bruins' four goals against him were on power plays. With a 3.75 GAA and an .868 save percentage so far, Sorokin's best attribute has been ample playing time. David Rittich will start Thursday's road game against the Hurricanes, and it's expected Sorokin will get the nod for Friday's road matchup versus the Capitals.

Ersson is day-to-day after tweaking something, head coach Rick Tocchet told Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Ersson isn't expected to miss much time, but he's questionable for Thursday's home game against Nashville. The 26-year-old goaltender has a 2-1-1 record, 3.08 GAA and .876 save percentage in four appearances this season. Ersson has started in Philadelphia's last two games, and the Flyers won both of those clashes, so perhaps Philadelphia will utilize him in net again Thursday if he's healthy. In the scenario where Ersson is unavailable, then Dan Vladar will presumably get the start, and Philadelphia will recall a goaltender from the minors to serve as Vladar's understudy.

Korpisalo stopped 33 of 35 shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

Korpisalo snapped his three-game losing streak with a strong performance. It didn't begin well, as the Islanders had two goals within five minutes, but he was able to settle in and allow the Bruins to make their comeback with a strong second period. Korpisalo is 2-3-0 with a 3.62 GAA and an .870 save percentage over five contests. He's in a backup role behind Jeremy Swayman, though three back-to-back sets have allowed Korpisalo some early playing time. The Bruins' next game is at home versus the Sabres on Thursday.

Tarasov turned aside 15 shots in regulation and overtime and one of three shootout attempts in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Anaheim.

The Panthers outshot the Ducks 33-17 through 65 minutes, but Tarasov couldn't do much on either puck that got past him. Leo Carlsson's shorthanded goal came on a defensive zone breakdown by Florida, and there wasn't much anyone could have done to stop Cutter Gauthier's blistering one-timer on the power play. Tarasov is still looking for his first win with the Panthers, going 0-2-1 in three starts with a 2.64 GAA and an .886 save percentage. His opportunities to play this season will likely remain limited behind Sergei Bobrovsky.