NHL Player News

Rittich is expected to defend the cage on the road versus Utah on Friday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Rittich will take the second game of the Islanders' back-to-back, while Ilya Sorokin gets the nod on the road versus Vegas on Thursday. In his five outings this year, the 33-year-old Rittich has logged a 3-2-0 record to go with a 3.41 GAA and zero shutouts.

Sorokin is scheduled to tend the road twine Thursday against the Golden Knights, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports Tuesday.

Sorokin has won back-to-back games and three of his last four while allowing two goals or less in three of those contests. The Russian netminder had to be sharp in New Jersey on Monday -- the Devils generated 25 high-danger chances, per Andrew Gross of Newsday. Sorokin appears to be rounding into form after a slow start to the season, and he'll head to Vegas with a 5-4-2 record, 2.90 GAA and .898 save percentage over 11 starts.

Montembeault will get the starting nod at home against Los Angeles on Tuesday, Marc Antoine Godin of Radio Canada reports.

Montembeault is undefeated in regulation over his last three outings, posting a 2-0-1 record, 2.89 GAA and .895 save percentage. Heading into the season, it seemed likely that Montembeault could push the 60-game mark; instead, youngster Jakub Dobes has been forcing himself into the crease share by going 6-0-1 with a 2.25 GAA in his seven outings. Still, Montembeault remains the No. 1 option for the Habs, even if he does see less of the crease than expected.

Shesterkin made 27 saves in Monday's 6-3 win over the Predators.

The Rangers finally scored some goals and won their first game of the season at Madison Square Garden, but Shesterkin played a big role in the victory too as he shut down every Nashville skater except for rookie Matthew Wood, who beat him twice on the power play en route to a hat trick. Shesterkin has given up more than three goals only once in his last five starts, going 3-2-0 with a 2.79 GAA and an .896 save percentage during that stretch as he tries to find some consistency along with his teammates.

Annunen turned aside five of six shots after replacing Juuse Saros to begin the third period of Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.

Annunen didn't even see the puck that got past him -- the netminder knocked it into the net himself with his skate while crossing the crease to cover the near post as Artemi Panarin buzzed around behind the net. It's Annunen's first relief appearance of the season after four rough starts, and Nashville's No. 2 goalie isn't making a case for more playing time -- he has a record of 0-3-1 as well as a 3.98 GAA and an .840 save percentage.

Saros gave up five goals on only 12 shots before being lifted for Justus Annunen to begin the third period of Monday's 6-3 loss to the Rangers.

Saros bore the brunt of an overdue offensive eruption by the Rangers on home ice, giving up two goals in the first period and three in the second before getting the hook. The veteran netminder has just one win in his last six starts, going 1-4-1 with a 3.72 GAA and an .865 save percentage during that rough stretch.

Markstrom stopped 21 shots in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders.

The veteran netminder did well just to earn New Jersey a point in the standings, but there wasn't much he could do against a full-speed Mathew Barzal on the winning tally. Markstrom has bounced back nicely from an eight-goal disaster against the Avalanche at the end of October, going 2-0-1 to begin November while allowing seven goals on 87 shots (.920 save percentage) as he alternates starts with Jake Allen.

Sorokin made 33 saves in Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Devils.

Sorokin nearly picked up the win in regulation, but Simon Nemec blasted a shot through heavy traffic with five seconds left in the third period to tie it up. The Islanders made it up to their netminder, not allowing a shot in OT before Mathew Barzal potted the winner. Sorokin has just one loss in his last eight starts, going 5-1-2 with a 2.45 GAA and a .914 save percentage during that span, and over his last four outings, he's given up just six goals on 118 shots (.949 save percentage).

Saros will be between the road pipes against the Rangers on Monday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Saros is 1-3-1 over his last five appearances, allowing 16 goals on 144 shots during that stretch (.889 save percentage). The 30-year-old holds a 5-4-1 record, .940 save percentage and 1.76 GAA across 11 career outings against the Rangers. New York is 4-2-0 in its last six games.

Markstrom will patrol the home crease Monday versus the Islanders, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.

Markstrom has won back-to-back games after allowing eight goals in his return from a lower-body injury against Colorado on Oct. 28. The Swedish netminder has a 4-2-0 record, 3.95 GAA and .871 save percentage across six appearances this season. The Islanders are coming off a 5-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday and rank ninth in the NHL with 3.33 goals per game in 2025-26.