NHL Player News

Vejmelka stopped six of nine shots before he was pulled from Monday's 6-3 loss to the Sharks.

Vejmelka was spared the loss since the Mammoth were able to cover the three goals he allowed, but this was an ugly performance. The 29-year-old has allowed three-plus goals in three of his last six appearances. He remains at 10-7-2 on the year, but his GAA is up to 2.87 while his save percentage slipped to .882 after the poor outing. Vitek Vanecek didn't exactly impress in relief, stopping 18 of 21 shots, but Vejmelka's recent inconsistency could open the door for more of a timeshare in the crease. The Mammoth's road trip continues in Anaheim on Wednesday.

Swayman will occupy the road crease Tuesday against the Red Wings.

Swayman has won back-to-back outings and three of his past four, posting a 1.46 GAA and a spectacular .955 save percentage during that span. The Alaska native has allowed two goals or less in five of his last six appearances, and he'll go up against a Detroit club that is tied for 22nd in the league with 2.88 goals per game in 2025-26. Swayman owns a 7-4-0 record, .911 save percentage and 2.20 GAA over 11 career matchups against the Red Wings.

Askarov stopped 31 of 34 shots in Monday's 6-3 win over the Mammoth.

Askarov earned his fifth win in his last six outings. The teams traded five goals in the first period, with the Sharks leading 3-2 before piling on three more in the second to give Askarov more than enough support. The 23-year-old has allowed 15 goals over that six-game hot stretch, and he continues to cement his status as the team's No. 1 option in net over Alex Nedeljkovic. Askarov is up to a 10-6-1 record with a 2.96 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 17 appearances. The Sharks host the Capitals on Wednesday before embarking on a five-game road trip.

Hofer stopped 19 of 20 shots in relief of Jordan Binnington in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Ducks.

Hofer entered the game midway through the first period after Binnington was pulled following the Ducks' second goal. Hofer did well to keep things close, but the Blues' offense couldn't give him any support. Hofer was able to avoid the loss, as Binnington was responsible for the decisive goal. For the season, Hofer is 3-5-2 with a 3.29 GAA and an .882 save percentage over 13 appearances. Inconsistency from both goalies has prevented either from breaking away with the starting job, though Binnington has had an edge in starts. The Blues begin a three-game road trip in Boston on Thursday, and a back-to-back over the weekend in Ottawa on Saturday and Montreal on Sunday should allow both goalies to get playing time soon.

Binnington was pulled from Monday's 4-1 loss to the Ducks after allowing two goals on five shots.

Head coach Jim Montgomery clearly wanted to send a message to his team by pulling Binnington early. It didn't work, as the Blues failed to get another goal, leaving Binnington with the loss despite his early exit. This was his first regulation loss since Nov. 5 versus the Capitals. On the year, Binnington is 6-6-5 with a 3.20 GAA and an .878 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's maintained a slight edge over Joel Hofer for starts, but it's not yet clear who will get the nod in Boston on Thursday for the start of a three-game road trip.

Husso stopped 21 of 22 shots in Monday's 4-1 win over the Blues.

Husso gave up a goal to Jordan Kyrou in the first period, but that was it. Over his first three games of the season, Husso is 2-1-0 with six goals allowed on 50 shots, with his one loss coming in a brief relief appearance. The 30-year-old will likely see a majority of the starts until Petr Mrazek (lower body) or Lukas Dostal (upper body) returns. The Ducks don't have any back-to-backs in the near term, so expect Husso to get the nod Wednesday at home versus the Mammoth.

Cooley will guard the road cage Tuesday against the Predators, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Cooley has seen his workload increase lately, and he's registered a 3-0-1 record while stopping 127 of 137 shots (.927 save percentage) over his last five appearances. The California native has played better than Dustin Wolf recently, so the Flames are riding the hot hand, which has led to Cooley receiving his third consecutive start. The 28-year-old Cooley has momentum on his side heading into a matchup against a Nashville club that sits 30th in the NHL with 2.52 goals per game this season.

Wedgewood is slated to draw the home start against the Canucks on Tuesday, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports.

Wedgewood had his eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Wild on Friday, but he was hardly at fault in that matchup, as he turned aside 37 of 39 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss. The 33-year-old has been one of the stories of the season, posting a 13-1-3 record with one shutout, a 2.08 GAA and a .921 save percentage through 18 appearances. He has a favorable matchup Tuesday against a 10-13-3 Vancouver squad that has dropped back-to-back games and five of its last six (1-4-1).

Skinner will defend the home crease Tuesday versus Minnesota, according to Tony Brar of Oilers TV.

Skinner has alternated wins and losses over his last four starts, but he had a great showing Saturday in Seattle, recording a 26-save shutout in a 4-0 win. It's been a relatively rough season for the 27-year-old, but he still has a hold on the No. 1 gig over Calvin Pickard. Skinner will have his hands full Tuesday against one of the hottest teams in the NHL -- the Wild are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games.

DeSmith will tend the road twine Tuesday versus the Rangers, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

DeSmith has been excellent lately, going 5-0-1 with a 1.46 GAA and a .943 save percentage across his last six appearances. The veteran netminder has allowed just three combined goals on 44 shots in back-to-back wins over Seattle and Ottawa. The Rangers are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Lightning on Saturday and have underwhelmed at home this season (2-8-1).