NHL Player News

Hildeby is expected to get the starting nod against the Canadiens at home Saturday, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic reports.

Hildeby came into Thursday's clash versus Carolina in relief of the injured Joseph Woll (lower body), stopping all nine shots he faced. With Anthony Stolarz (upper body) also sidelined, the Leafs may have to give the 24-year-old Hildeby a heavy dose of starts heading into the Christmas break.

Merilainen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Rangers, with New York's final tally getting scored into an empty net.

Merilainen has seen his workload pick up of late, as he's started three of the last six games for the Sens. The results haven't been there -- the 23-year-old has lost all three of those starts, giving up nine goals on 79 shots (3.13 GAA and .886 save percentage) during the skid, but those numbers are actually an improvement on his 3.36 GAA and .876 save percentage for the season. Ottawa seems intent on making sure Linus Ullmark doesn't get overworked, but Merilainen isn't inspiring much confidence when he does find himself in the crease.

Shesterkin turned aside 25 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Senators.

The Rangers grabbed a 2-0 lead before the 10-minute mark in the first period, and Shesterkin made sure the home side never got level, with the only two pucks to get past him on the night coming on Ottawa power plays. The 29-year-old netminder has allowed three goals or fewer in six straight starts, going 5-1-0 over that stretch with a 2.18 GAA and .922 save percentage as he slips back into his Vezina form.

Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Predators.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner took a shutout into the third period after Carter Verhaeghe had given the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the first, but the lack of support eventually caught up to Bobrovsky. Ryan O'Reilly jammed a puck past him midway through the third, before Steven Stamkos slotted homer the winner with less than a minute left in OT. Bobrovsky has gone four straight starts without getting into the win column, posting an 0-3-1 record during that skid, and since the beginning of November he's gone 5-5-1 in 11 outings with a 3.23 GAA and .875 save percentage.

Saros made 30 saves in Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Panthers.

Carter Verhaeghe got a puck past Saros late in the first period, but the veteran netminder shut down the Florida offense the rest of the way, giving Nashville a chance to finally solve Sergei Bobrovsky in the other crease. Saros has won three straight starts, allowing just five goals on 86 shots during that stretch to even his record on the season at 9-9-3 with a 2.86 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 21 appearances.

Merzlikins stopped 28 of 33 shots in Thursday's 6-5 shootout win over the Red Wings.

Merzlikins has won consecutive starts for the second time this season, as he also went on a three-game winning streak from Oct. 21 - Oct. 29. This was the first time he has made back-to-back starts in 2025-26, but given his shaky play of late, head coach Dean Evason might continue to split the workload in the crease between Merzlikins and Jet Greaves until one of them proves capable of being the clear-cut No. 1 option.

Talbot stopped 26 of 31 shots in Thursday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

Talbot continues to play regularly between the pipes behind a struggling Red Wings defense, but his performances haven't exactly helped the cause. Talbot is winless across his last four appearances, going 0-2-2 with a 3.94 GAA and an .838 save percentage over that stretch.

Korpisalo stopped 37 of 39 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Blues.

The 39 shots Korpisalo faced in this game were the second-most in a single game this season, but he was excellent in limiting the damage to just two goals allowed. This was his first win in almost a month, as his previous win came Nov. 6 against the Senators. In between wins, Korpisalo went 0-3-0 with a 4.13 GAA and an .869 save percentage across four appearances.

Binnington stopped 22 of 27 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Bruins.

Binnington continues to play poorly, and this was his fourth straight game in which he posted a save percentage below the .900 mark. Over that four-game stretch, Binnington has gone 1-2-1 with a 4.05 GAA while allowing 13 goals on 89 shots against him.

Kuemper stopped 34 of 36 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks.

Kuemper took his third straight loss (0-2-1), but he's allowed a reasonable eight goals on 91 shots in that span. The 35-year-old hasn't been the problem during the Kings' recent struggles, but it'll be tough for him to win regularly until the team's offense improves. On the year, Kuemper is 8-6-5 with a 2.35 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 19 appearances. The Kings have a rematch with the Blackhawks on Saturday.