NHL Player News

Askarov stopped 36 of 43 shots in Saturday's 7-6 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Askarov didn't exactly impress in his first start of the season, squandering two separate multi-goal leads before giving up a goal to Leo Carlsson in overtime to complete the collapse. It's a start like this that shows why the Sharks seem intent on splitting time between Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic early in the campaign. The 23-year-old Askarov is the goalie of the future, and he'll get his chances in 2025-26, but fantasy managers may want to see him as more of a streaming option when he gets a favorable matchup. The Sharks' next game is a tough one at home versus the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Mrazek stopped 17 of 23 shots in Saturday's 7-6 overtime win over the Sharks.

Mrazek's Ducks debut was a poor one, though he was able to escape with a win thanks to his teammates' comeback performance. The 33-year-old is expected to fill the backup role behind Lukas Dostal and is unlikely to get much more than one start per week. The Ducks have no back-to-back sets next week, so it's unclear when Mrazek will get his next opportunity between the pipes.

Demko allowed two goals on 36 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Oilers. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Demko was left out to dry by his teammates, as the Oilers outshot the Canucks 37-15. The 29-year-old netminder has looked good to start 2025-26, allowing just three goals on 54 shots while going 1-1-0 in his first two starts. Demko could get the nod again at home Monday versus the Blues, who are coming off a 4-2 win over the Flames on Saturday.

Pickard stopped 14 of 15 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Canucks.

The Canucks didn't put up much of a fight, and Pickard stopped everything but a Brock Boeser tally early in the third period. It was a stronger showing than Stuart Skinner's shootout loss to the Flames on Wednesday. Pickard wouldn't have to do much to earn at least a 50-percent share of the starts in the Oilers' crease, and that'll be even easier for him to achieve if Skinner's performance remains mediocre. Head coach Kris Knoblauch hasn't yet named a starter for the first game of the Oilers' upcoming road trip, which is Tuesday against the Rangers.

Wedgewood allowed four goals on 22 shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Stars.

Wedgewood wasn't particularly sharp against an opportunistic Dallas offense in this contest. He's now allowed six goals on 80 shots while going 2-0-1 over three games to begin 2025-26. Mackenzie Blackwood (lower body) may not make the Avalanche's road trip to Buffalo on Monday and Columbus on Thursday, which would open the door for Wedgewood to make another pair of starts.

Vasilevskiy made 24 saves in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.

The Bolts started well but were chasing the game after the Devils opened the scoring before the midway point of the first period, and went down 3-0. Tampa Bay has lost two straight to start the season for the first time since 2008. It's a small sample, so we'll give them some time to right the ship. Vasilevskiy will be instrumental in stabilizing the squad, and he'll put the two losses and nine goals against behind him pretty quickly.

Markstrom made 14 saves in a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The Bolts came out strong but quickly shrank after the Devils scored at the 8:30 mark of the first period. Even still, Markstrom had to be strong between the pipes. The netminder is now 1-1-0 with a 4.04 GAA and an .837 save percentage this season. We're not concerned; those numbers should improve over the next couple of weeks.

Oettinger stopped 35 of 39 shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Avalanche.

Oettinger has allowed eight goals on 64 shots over his two starts this year, but the Stars have given him enough support to walk away with a pair of wins. The 26-year-old is talented enough to get on track in short order, so fantasy managers shouldn't fret about him allowing a lot of goals. The Stars have their home opener up next, as they'll host the Wild on Tuesday for a third straight divisional game to begin 2025-26.

Gardner posted a 32-save shutout in WHL Saskatoon's 3-0 win over Kamloops on Saturday.

Gardner earned the eighth shutout of his junior career, which is third-most in Blades history. The 19-year-old netminder inked an entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets in March. He's still a few years away from being a true contender for NHL minutes, but he's had excellent numbers throughout his time in the WHL and is off to a 5-1-0 start with a 1.56 GAA and a .942 save percentage in six games this season.

Talbot made 20 saves in Saturday's 6-3 win over Toronto.

The Red Wings were down 2-0 by the 12:29 mark of the first, but Talbot battened the hatches and gave his team a shot at a comeback. The score was actually closer than it seemed -- the Wings scored two empty-net goals. Talbot remains the No. 2 netminder behind John Gibson, but he will still deliver fantasy value. Gibson needs to prove he can resurrect his career as a starter while staying healthy, and Talbot is a solid insurance policy.