NHL Player News

Hellebuyck stopped 32 of 37 shots in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Stars.

The reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner failed to make a big impact in this season opener, allowing five goals en route to a loss. To put things into context, Hellebuyck allowed five or more goals just seven times throughout last year's regular season and playoffs. Fantasy managers should continue to trust Hellebuyck even if this wasn't the start of the season many hoped for. His next chance to play will come against the Kings on Saturday.

Oettinger stopped 21 of 25 shots in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Jets.

Oettinger was beaten once in the first period and three more times in the third, but the Stars provided him with enough support on offense so he could open the season with a win. Oettinger should be one of the best goaltenders in fantasy once again in 2025-26, as he figures to handle a big workload on a contending team. He went 36-18-4 with a 2.59 GAA and .909 save percentage last season.

Binnington stopped 16 of 21 shots in Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Wild.

Binnington was stellar in the preseason after posting a .973 save percentage on 73 shots faced, but he was unable to carry over those strong numbers in the campaign opener. Binnington went 28-22-5 with a 2.69 GAA and a .900 save percentage across 56 regular-season appearances in 2024-25, so there's a strong chance this subpar showing was just a one-off performance from the veteran netminder. Binnington will aim to bounce back when the Blues take on the Flames on Saturday.

Gustavsson stopped the 26 shots he faced in Thursday's 5-0 win over the Blues.

Gustavsson responded every time he was needed and couldn't have posted a stronger performance to open the season. The Swedish netminder had a 31-19-6 record, 2.56 GAA and .914 save percentage in 58 regular-season appearances with the Wild in 2024-25, and he figures to have a big workload again in 2025-26. His next chance to feature will come against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Nedeljkovic allowed four goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.

Vegas earned its first two goals, but Nedeljkovic had some sour luck on the last two. Jack Eichel tied the game at 18:26 of the third period with a long-range shot that skipped off the ice and eluded Nedeljkovic. In overtime, the 29-year-old netminder tried to play the puck well outside his crease but turned it over, allowing Reilly Smith to score the game-winner. It's a team debut to forget for Nedeljkovic, who will compete with Yaroslav Askarov for starts this season. Expect Askarov to get the nod in Saturday's home game against the Ducks.

Schmid stopped 20 of 23 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Sharks.

Schmid handled the second half of a back-to-back, but he never had a lead to protect. The Sharks took three separate leads, only for the Golden Knights to answer each one. A fluky goal on a dump-in by Jack Eichel tied it late in the third period, and Reilly Smith scored on a misplay by Alex Nedeljkovic to seal the win in overtime. Schmid didn't put a great effort on display in his season debut, but Adin Hill struggled in the season opener versus the Kings on Wednesday. It's still possible the Vegas crease ends up as a timeshare, but Schmid has a shorter leash if the team opts to upgrade its goaltending group. It'll likely be Hill between the pipes in Seattle on Saturday.

Dostal allowed three goals on 31 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Kraken.

Dostal gave up a tally in each period and didn't get enough help from his teammates to keep the game competitive. While it's a discouraging start to the year, Dostal is poised to take a step up in his second campaign as a full-time starter. The 25-year-old should continue to provide reliable goaltending, and if the Ducks improve as a team throughout the year, he'll collect more wins than the 23 he had over 54 outings in 2024-25. Dostal is a low-end No. 2 with potential in fantasy this season. The Ducks play in San Jose on Saturday for the second game of the campaign.

Daccord stopped 35 of 36 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.

Daccord was tested early and often in the season opener, but he limited the damage to a Beckett Sennecke goal in the first period. Expect a heavy workload for Daccord throughout 2025-26 after he played in a career-high 57 games last year, going 27-23-5 with a 2.75 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The 29-year-old is the clear No. 1 on the Kraken's roster, while Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray will compete for starts in the backup role. The Kraken have a tougher test ahead when they host the Golden Knights on Saturday.

Wolf allowed five goals on 26 shots in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Canucks.

It was likely overly optimistic for the Flames to expect Wolf to pull off a second win in as many nights on the road. The 24-year-old started off fine, but the Canucks tallied four times on 10 shots in the third period to run away with this game. The silver lining for fantasy managers is that Wolf appears set for a heavy workload in 2025-26. He's allowed eight goals on 61 shots over two games so far and will need reliable goal support from a relatively unimpressive lineup to put him in position for wins, but the playing time alone elevates him to No. 1 status in fantasy.

Markstrom conceded five goals on 32 shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes. One of the Hurricanes' goals was an empty-netter.

Markstrom and his club were in a tightly-contested game late in the final frame, but the Hurricanes exploded for three goals in the final three minutes. This was far from his best performance, though better days should be coming for Markstrom, as the Devils will likely give him plenty of offensive support throughout the season. Look for the Swedish netminder to get the nod again Saturday in Tampa Bay.