NHL Player News

Ersson will patrol the road crease versus the Lightning on Monday.

Ersson has allowed three or more goals in all but one of his six outings but has still managed a 3-1-2 record. Even with the wins, the Swedish netminder is sporting career-worst numbers in both GAA (3.30) and save percentage (.846) to start the year. With a back-to-back against the Islanders and Devils on Friday and Saturday, respectively, Ersson is in line to make multiple starts this week.

Hofer will tend the twine on the road versus the Rangers on Monday.

Hofer has been splitting the workload with Jordan Binnington of late, featuring in two of the Blues' last five outings. In those appearances, the 25-year-old Hofer hasn't exactly impressed, posting a 0-1-1 record with seven goals allowed on 62 shots. Still, it seems the starting job is up for grabs in St. Louis, and a win Monday could improve Hofer's chances of getting more opportunities in the crease.

Merzlikins will defend the road crease against Washington on Monday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins has seen limited playing time recently, starting just once in the Blue Jackets' last eight games while Jet Greaves has served as the primary netminder. However, Merzlikins will have a chance to tend the twine Monday against a tough opponent, as the Capitals rank seventh in the league with 3.23 goals per game this season.

Shesterkin was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Blues.

Shesterkin is in the midst of a two-game losing streak, in which he's given up seven goals on 59 shots (.881 save percentage). However, he had a three-game winning streak prior to his recent skid and will attempt to turn things around against the Blues, who are scoring 2.68 goals per game this season, which is tied for the fifth-worst mark in the NHL.

Vasilevskiy was the first goalie off Monday, Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home versus the Flyers.

Vasilevskiy is riding a three-game winning streak during which he has allowed just three goals on 80 shots for a .963 save percentage. After a rough start to the year in which the veteran backstop lost five straight appearances, it seems Vasilevskiy has turned things around. In his last 10 outings, the Russian is 8-2-0 with a 2.06 GAA, though he is still looking for his first shutout of the 2025-26 campaign.

Thompson was the first goalie to leave the ice ahead of Monday's home game versus Columbus, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports, indicating he'll be in goal.

Thompson has given up four or more goals in three of his last four outings, posting a 1-2-1 record, 4.44 GAA and .840 save percentage in that span. If the 28-year-old backstop continues to struggle, it could open the door for Charlie Lindgren to get a few more opportunities between the pipes.

Rittich posted a 19-save shutout in Sunday's 1-0 shootout win over the Kraken.

Rittich didn't have much work in this game, as the 19 shots faced were a season low for the 33-year-old veteran, but he still responded when needed. This was his first shutout of the season, and it also extended Rittich's winning streak to three starts. Over that stretch, he's allowed just four goals on 72 shots for an impressive .944 save percentage. The Islanders seem to be rotating goaltenders, so there's a reasonable chance Rittich won't be defending the crease against the Bruins on Wednesday.

Daccord posted a 34-save shutout in Sunday's 1-0 shootout loss to the Islanders.

Daccord was magnificent through 65 minutes of action between regulation and overtime, but he was beaten twice in the shootout, and that forced him to settle for a defeat. Daccord seems to be trending in the right direction of late, although two games aren't enough to believe he's back to his best self yet. Over his last two outings, Daccord has gone 1-0-1 while allowing two goals on 58 shots (.966 save percentage).

Wallstedt posted a 32-save shutout in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Jets.

Wallstedt has been absolutely dominant between the posts of late. This was his third shutout across his last four starts, as he also achieved this feat against the Ducks (Nov. 15) and Flames (Nov. 9), recording 28 and 36 saves in those games, respectively. The 23-year-old netminder has won each of his last five starts, posting a 0.99 GAA and an outstanding, yet unsustainable, .970 save percentage over that stretch.

Comrie stopped 27 of 30 shots in Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Wild.

Comrie started for a third straight game due to the absence of Connor Hellebuyck (knee), and once again, the results weren't encouraging. He's gone 1-2-0 with a 3.02 GAA and an .887 save percentage in his three starts since Hellebuyck went down. Expect him to remain as the Jets' No. 1 goaltender until Hellebuyck is ready to return, which is not expected to occur for at least four to six weeks at a minimum.