NHL Player News
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MacKenzie Blackwood G | COL
Avalanche's Mackenzie Blackwood: Nabs win No. 20
Blackwood made 20 saves on 22 shots in Sunday's 3-2 overtime win over the Capitals.
The 29-year-old netminder wound up in the history books as he surrendered Alex Ovechkin's 1,000th career NHL goal (regular season and playoffs) on a third-period power play, but Blackwood did enough to come away with his second straight win and his 20th of the season. Over nine outings since the Olympic break, Blackwood has gone 4-3-0 with a 2.87 GAA and .872 save percentage.
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Adin Hill G | LV
Golden Knights' Adin Hill: Quiet performance in win
Hill stopped 13 of 15 shots on net in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Stars.
Despite making his lowest save total in a complete game this season, Hill earned Sunday's win due to a strong defensive effort from Vegas in the second and third periods. Overall, the 29-year-old netminder now has a 9-8-3 record, a 3.03 GAA and an .869 save percentage across 22 appearances this season. Over his past five appearances, which includes a blundered start against the Mammoth, his overall play has improved with a 3-2-0 record, a 1.94 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Hill is trending in the right direction and is a solid fantasy option in two-goalie formats for the time being.
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Dylan Garand G | NYR
Rangers' Dylan Garand: Tough shootout loss in debut
Garand turned aside 35 of 37 shots in regulation and overtime but failed to stop either shootout attempt he faced in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Jets.
Making his NHL debut, the 23-year-old netminder kept the Rangers in the game with some big saves, but Garand was out-matched in the shootout by Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi. With the Rangers headed for the draft lottery and not the playoffs, Garand could see steady work over the final weeks of the season behind Igor Shesterkin, as the team has little reason to deploy 40-year-old Jonathan Quick (upper body) even if he gets healthy.
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Eric Comrie G | WPG
Jets' Eric Comrie: Secures shootout win
Comrie stopped 27 of 29 shots in regulation and overtime and both the shootout attempts he faced in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.
Both tallies against Comrie came in the second period as the hosts rallied from one-goal deficits, but the 30-year-old netminder prevented the Rangers from ever taking a lead. It was Comrie's sixth straight win dating back to Jan. 9, a stretch in which he's produced a sparkling 1.48 GAA and .943 save percentage.
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Darcy Kuemper G | LA
Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Drops result in overtime
Kuemper gave up four goals on 34 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Mammoth.
Kuemper is 2-0-3 with 12 goals allowed over his last five games. He's generally played well in that stretch, though Kuemper hasn't been able to elevate his game when facing stronger offenses. He's now 17-13-12 on the year with a 2.68 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 44 appearances. He'll likely get the nod Tuesday in Calgary, as the Kings need to lean on their top netminder while battling for a playoff spot.
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Karel Vejmelka G | UTA
Mammoth's Karel Vejmelka: Gets overtime win against Kings
Vejmelka stopped 33 of 36 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Kings.
Vejmelka let the Mammoth's first three leads slip away, but the Kings never found a lead against him. This was Vejmelka's second win in a row, though it's also the fifth time in six games he's allowed at least three goals. The 29-year-old netminder is up to 32-18-3 with a 2.67 GAA and an .899 save percentage through 54 appearances this season. The Mammoth's goaltending workload distribution has gotten a little unpredictable, but it's likely a safe assumption to pencil in Vejmelka for a critical home matchup Tuesday versus the Oilers.
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Jonas Johansson G | TB
Lightning's Jonas Johansson: Concedes four goals Sunday
Johansson stopped 25 of 29 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Flames.
Johansson wasn't able to finish off a perfect road trip for the Lightning, but he at least got them one standings point with a lockdown third period. He is winless over his last five outings, giving up 24 goals on 154 shots in that span. For the season, the veteran backup is 10-9-2 with a 3.26 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 23 appearances. The Lightning are likely to turn back to Andrei Vasilevskiy at home Tuesday versus the Wild, but with a back-to-back coming up over the weekend, Johansson shouldn't have to wait long for his next start.
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Devin Cooley G | CGY
Flames' Devin Cooley: Surprises Lightning in overtime
Cooley stopped 32 of 35 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning.
The Flames couldn't hold onto a 3-1 lead in regulation, but Cooley kept them from falling behind. Ryan Strome provided the heroics with the game-winning goal in overtime, giving Cooley consecutive wins for the first time since Jan. 10-15. The 28-year-old Cooley is up to 9-9-4 with a 2.49 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 26 outings this season. Cooley and Dustin Wolf have alternated starts over the last week-plus, which could be how the workload goes for the rest of the season with Calgary far adrift in the standings.
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Alex Lyon G | BUF
Sabres' Alex Lyon: Yields six goals in overtime loss
Lyon stopped 27 of 33 shots in Sunday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Ducks.
Lyon's six-game winning streak came to an end with one of his worst outings of the season. He had not given up more than three goals in any game during his streak. The 33-year-old is at a 20-8-4 record with a 2.64 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 34 contests this season. Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have alternated starts lately, and one hiccup by Lyon shouldn't be enough to cause head coach Lindy Ruff to deviate from that pattern. If it holds, Luukkonen would face the Bruins on Wednesday while Lyon's next start would be against the Red Wings on Friday.
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Ville Husso G | ANA
Ducks' Ville Husso: Wins high-scoring battle
Husso stopped 24 of 29 shots in Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over the Sabres.
Husso got a rare start outside of a back-to-back situation. He didn't play all that well, but it was a high-scoring game, and the Ducks were able to get the win in the end. The 31-year-old netminder is up to 8-7-1 with a 3.14 GAA and an .893 save percentage over 16 appearances this season. Expect Lukas Dostal to be back between the pipes Tuesday in Vancouver to start a three-game road trip.