NHL Player News

Vladar turned aside 30 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Oilers.

A defensive miscue at center ice by Cam York led to a two-on-none break in OT by Edmonton, and there wasn't much Vladar could do to stop Jack Roslovic's game-winner. The 28-year-old netminder has still had a fantastic beginning to his first season with the Flyers, allowing two goals or fewer in eight of 10 outings while going 6-3-1 with a 2.15 GAA and .919 save percentage. Vladar's career high in wins is 14, set with the Flames in 2022-23, but he's on pace to blow past that mark by Christmas.

Skinner made 20 saves in Wednesday's 2-1 overtime win over the Flyers.

A Matvei Michkov power-play tally late in the second period spoiled his shutout bid, but Skinner otherwise had an answer for everything Philly fired at him. The 27-year-old netminder has just one regulation loss in his last seven starts, going 4-1-2 over that stretch, but for the most part his success has been due to his offense -- he's got a 3.15 GAA and .876 save percentage in those seven outings.

Johansson turned aside six of seven shots after replacing Andrei Vasilevskiy to begin the third period of Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

It was a frustrating night for the Lightning in general, as they scored three times in the first period but still headed into the intermission down 4-3, and their offense went cold the rest of the way. Vasilevskiy got lifted as much to save him from himself as to try and spark Tampa Bay into a comeback that never materialized. The one puck that did get past Johansson in the third, on a Vincent Trocheck shot from the slot, came with a little bit of contact from Alexis Lafreniere that wasn't judged to rise to the level of goalie interference. Johansson is 3-1-0 through five appearances this season with a 2.83 GAA and .913 save percentage, and with the Bolts facing back-to-back games this weekend, look for him to get one of those starts.

Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Jonas Johansson to begin the third period of Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

The two teams combined for seven goals in the first period alone but the Lightning offense went quiet for the final 40 minutes. Vasilevskiy tripped over his own skates, shifting in his crease on a Vincent Trocheck tally late in the second that gave New York a 5-3 lead, Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper decided to mercifully give his netminder the final frame off. Vasilevskiy hasn't looked his usual Vezina-worthy self to begin the season, going 5-5-2 in 12 outings with a 2.92 GAA and .892 save percentage, but he has plenty of time to get into a groove.

Shesterkin made 33 saves in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Lightning.

The two teams combined for seven goals in the first period, but Shesterkin shut the door on the Bolts over the final 40 minutes as the Rangers pulled away. The 29-year-old netminder has struggled to find some consistency along with the rest of his team, but on the season he's gone 6-6-2 in 14 starts with a respectable 2.50 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Knight stopped 33 of 37 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils.

Knight failed to uphold three separate leads in the game, and defenseman Simon Nemec completed his hat trick in overtime to send Knight to the defeat. While Knight has gone 2-1-2 over his last five games, he's allowed a reasonable 15 goals in that span, which is notable because he's faced at least 30 shots in each of those outings. The 24-year-old is at a 6-3-3 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .923 save percentage over 12 appearances. Knight has been an integral part of the Blackhawks' early success this season, so expect him to continue seeing ample playing time. Chicago's next game is at home versus the high-scoring Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Markstrom allowed three goals on 20 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blackhawks.

Markstrom still had a mediocre outing under a light workload for his third straight game, but this was enough to get the win with the help of Simon Nemec's hat trick. The 35-year-old Markstrom has gone 3-1-0 with 10 goals allowed over his last four games. For the year, he's 5-2-1 with a 3.67 GAA and an .870 save percentage across eight appearances. The Devils' next game is on the road versus the Capitals on Saturday.

Ellis stopped 32 of 36 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Mammoth. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Ellis held the Mammoth to one goal over the first two periods, but the home team erupted in the third to run away with the game. It ends up as a middling effort for the 25-year-old, who is 1-1-0 with six goals allowed on 67 shots over his first two NHL appearances. Ellis has been battling with Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for playing time, though none of the three goalies has yet to get on a hot streak to seize the top job. Given the crowded crease, it's unclear when Ellis might play again.

Vejmelka stopped 17 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

Vejmelka has just two wins over his last five outings, and both have been over the Sabres. The 29-year-old allowed the first two goals of the game to Isak Rosen, but the Mammoth were able to fire back with five straight tallies to take the win. Vejmelka is now 8-4-0 on the year with a 2.84 GAA and an .882 save percentage over 12 starts. He's faced more than 25 shots in just three of his outings as Utah's defense keeps traffic from getting to the net, but he hasn't really put in a dominant performance yet. The Mammoth's next game is Friday at home versus the Islanders.

Vasilevskiy will protect the home goal versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.

The Lightning are going through a light part of the schedule, having not played since Saturday, so Vasilevskiy should be fully rested for this contest. The Rangers have been more dangerous on the road this year, but they're averaging just 2.41 goals per game overall, making this a favorable matchup. Vasilevskiy has gone 5-1-0 with just 12 goals allowed on 155 shots (.923 save percentage) over his last six games.