NHL Player News

Luukkonen will get the start for Sunday's game against the Hurricanes, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Luukkonen is getting back-to-back starts for the first time this season and will make only his sixth start overall. The 26-year-old has a 2-2-1 record, 3.01 GAA and .881 save percentage in his five appearances. The Hurricanes have scored at least three goals in five straight games and boast the second-best offense in the NHL at 3.62 goals per game, so Luukkonen will have his work cut out for him Sunday.

Andersen will defend the road net against the Sabres on Sunday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Andersen has lost his last three outings (0-1-2) while surrendering 10 goals on 69 shots. He has a 5-4-2 record this season with a 3.07 GAA and an .883 save percentage through 11 appearances. Buffalo is tied for 14th in the league with 3.14 goals per game this campaign.

Vladar made 32 saves on 35 attempts on goal in Saturday's 6-3 win over New Jersey.

Vladar's breakout campaign continued Saturday as he allowed just one goal in each period. With the win, the 28-year-old goaltender is up to an 8-4-0 record, a 2.42 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 13 starts this season. Vladar has won four of his last six games for a Flyers team that has been surprisingly competitive so far this season. His start Saturday marked his third consecutive time leading Philadelphia onto the ice, suggesting Vladar has established himself as the top option in net over Samuel Ersson. Vladar hasn't exceeded 30 starts in any previous regular season, so it remains to be seen how he handles a larger workload moving forward, but he has been one of the league's best netminders so far and is a strong streaming option in fantasy.

Allen stopped 23 of 29 shots on goal in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Flyers.

Allen had a rough go of things in the first period as he allowed four total goals, three of which were just 26 seconds apart. With the loss, the 35-year-old netminder drops to a 7-4-0 record, a 2.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 12 appearances this season. Saturday's outing marked his highest number of goals against this season, and he's lost four of his last six starts after a 5-0-0 start to the season. Since the return of Jacob Markstrom from a lower-body injury, Allen has maintained a solid chunk of the opportunities in net, but Allen's playing time could decline if his recent struggles continue.

Bobrovsky gave up four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Daniil Tarasov early in the second period of Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

Jack Roslovic snuck a puck past Bobrovsky from a sharp angle just 25 seconds into the first period, and it was all downhill from there for the two-time Vezina Trophy winner. Bobrovsky will get a chance to reset, as Tarasov has already been announced as Monday's starter in Nashville, which will likely put the Panthers' No. 1 goalie back between the pipes at home Wednesday against the Flyers. On the season, Bobrovsky has a 10-6-0 record in 16 outings, but a 2.80 GAA and .887 save percentage that are below his usual standards.

Knight will get the start Sunday against the Avalanche, Tracey Myers of NHL.com reports.

Knight has been one of the league's best goaltenders this season, sporting a .922 save percentage that's the second best in the NHL. The 24-year-old is coming off of a loss in his last start, surrendering three third-period goals to the Kraken on Thursday. The Avalanche will present a stiff test for the young netminder; Colorado leads the league with 4.14 goals per game and has one regulation loss through 21 games.

Skinner made 35 saves in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers.

Edmonton grabbed a 3-1 lead before the first intermission, and Skinner made sure Florida never got level. The 27-year-old netminder continues to get by on strong offensive support -- he's allowed at least three goals in seven of his last eight outings, stumbling to a 3.59 GAA and .868 save percentage over that stretch, but he's still managed to come away with a 4-3-1 record.

DeSmith stopped 31 of 33 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Flames.

DeSmith's winning streak ended at three games. This was a good performance -- he kept the Stars in it long enough for them to dig out of a 2-0 hole, but he gave up two goals on four attempts in the shootout to take the defeat. He's now 4-1-2 with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage over seven starts, which has helped the Stars feel comfortable giving Jake Oettinger about one game off per week. DeSmith shouldn't have to wait long for another turn -- the Stars' road trip ends with a back-to-back featuring games in Edmonton on Tuesday and Seattle on Wednesday. He won his previous start against each of those teams, stopping 23 of 26 shots in a shootout win versus the Oilers on Nov. 4, followed by a win over the Kraken on Nov. 9 in which he saved 30 of 31 shots.

Cooley stopped 28 of 30 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the Stars.

Cooley let a 2-0 lead slip away in the third period, but he redeemed himself by turning aside three of four shootout attempts. He's won his last two starts -- in the last two games -- and he is now 2-2-1 with a 1.81 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Success may be counter-productive for the Flames' long-term plans this year, but Cooley is giving the team a strong enough performance between the pipes that should allow Dustin Wolf to get more rest. Wolf will likely start the Flames' road-trip opener in Vancouver on Sunday.

Schmid gave up four goals on 33 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Saturday's game had firewagon potential after the teams combined for five goals in the first period. Schmid couldn't protect Vegas' 3-2 lead that came out of that, and a turnover in overtime ended up sending him to a defeat, his first in four games. He hasn't lost in regulation since Oct. 25 versus the Panthers. Schmid has been reliable with a 9-1-3 record, a 2.45 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 13 appearances. The 25-year-old netminder started three games in a row for the first time this year, further cementing his status as the No. 1 goalie until Adin Hill (lower body) returns or Carter Hart (suspension) is elevated to the active roster. The Golden Knights' next game is in Utah on Monday.