NHL Player News

Shepard made 19 saves in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Blue Jackets.

With Washington having the top seed in the Eastern Conference locked up and resting both Alex Ovechkin and Charlie Lindgren ahead of the playoffs, Shepard didn't get a lot of help against a Columbus squad fighting for its life. It was the first NHL appearance of the season for the 29-year-old netminder. While Lindgren will likely get the nod Sunday in a rematch with the Blue Jackets, Shepard could be between the pipes for one of the Caps' two remaining regular-season games next week, Tuesday against the Islanders or Thursday against the Penguins.

Binnington stopped 14 of 17 shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Kraken.

In addition to a poor performance in regulation, Binnington allowed three goals on seven shootout attempts to take the loss. This result was unpleasant for the Blues -- they're now a point back of the Wild for the first wild-card spot, and the Flames have two games in hand to try to erase a four-point deficit for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Binnington has faltered at a bad time, allowing 11 goals while going 1-1-1 over his last three games. For the season, he's 27-22-5 with a 2.72 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 55 outings. Despite his recent struggles, he's the No. 1 goalie for a reason, so don't be surprised to see him start Tuesday versus Utah if the Blues still need to punch their postseason ticket.

Grubauer stopped 20 of 23 shots in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over the Blues.

Grubauer let a couple of one-goal leads slip away, but he never let the Blues pull out too far ahead. In the shootout, he played a starring role, stopping five of seven attempts to help the Kraken get the win. Grubauer is up to 8-17-1 with a 3.49 GAA and an .875 save percentage over 26 outings. He's redeemed himself a bit since a stint at AHL Coachella Valley, going 3-2-0 with 11 goals allowed on 129 shots (.915 save percentage) over his last five outings. Still, don't be surprised to see Joey Daccord get the nod for the Kraken's season finale at home versus the Kings on Tuesday.

Lankinen stopped 30 of 33 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Wild.

The Canucks made the most of their chances early, building a 2-0 lead through two periods. Lankinen couldn't make it stick, giving up third-period tallies to Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno before Mats Zuccarello completed the Wild's comeback in overtime. Lankinen has five losses in his last six games, going 1-2-3 with 21 goals allowed. The 29-year-old is at 25-15-10 with a 2.64 GAA and a .901 save percentage through 50 appearances. Lankinen proved his value by stabilizing the crease when Thatcher Demko was out of action early in the season, but Lankinen's 10 overtime and shootout losses show just how much was left on the table this year. The Canucks host the Sharks on Monday and the Golden Knights on Wednesday to close out 2024-25.

Gustavsson stopped 12 of 14 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.

Gustavsson didn't face much traffic, but the Canucks had a 2-0 lead going into the third period. The Wild overcame that deficit in the third period and won with a Mats Zuccarello tally in overtime. This win puts Minnesota in the first wild-card spot, leaving the Blues in more danger should the Flames make a push. Gustavsson is 3-3-2 over his last eight outings, and he improved to 31-19-6 with a 2.57 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 57 contests overall. He will likely start the Wild's regular-season finale versus the Ducks on Tuesday.

Annunen stopped 24 of 28 shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Annunen has allowed 15 goals across his last three outings, going 1-2-0 in that span. The 25-year-old has been splitting the crease with Juuse Saros lately since the Predators have nothing to play for but pride in a terrible 2024-25 campaign. Annunen is 15-15-1 with a 3.18 GAA and an .883 save percentage over 34 outings between Nashville and Colorado this season. If the workload pattern continues, Saros could face Utah on Monday, and Annunen may draw a tough matchup against the Stars on Wednesday in the Predators' regular-season finale.

Dobes made 34 saves Saturday in a 1-0 overtime loss to Toronto.

The Habs played a strong game in front of Dobes, and he was outstanding. The ice was tilted toward him -- Anthony Stolarz made just 15 saves on the night. Mitch Marner was the only Maple Leafs player to beat Dobes. The first-year goalie has played well this season, recording a 7-4-3 record, 2.74 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Stolarz made 15 saves Saturday in a 1-0 overtime win over Montreal.

Stolarz has won seven straight outings, stopping 175 of 186 shots. The 31-year-old's game continues to sharpen into focus as he heads into his first NHL postseason as a starter. The win secured home-ice advantage for the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs.

Hill stopped 14 of 17 shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Predators.

The Predators overcame a 3-1 deficit early in the third period, but the Golden Knights took the win with two goals over the last two minutes. Hill certainly wasn't at his best, but he did enough to earn his third straight win and his seventh victory in nine outings. He's now gone 12 games without allowing more than three goals -- he won't be dominant in every start, but he's rarely completely overwhelmed. Hill is at 32-13-5 with a 2.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 50 appearances. The Golden Knights' last two regular-season games are a back-to-back set on the road, with stops in Calgary on Tuesday and in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Kuemper made 22 saves in a 5-4 win over Colorado on Saturday.

Despite uncharacteristic struggles in the defensive zone, the Kings still emerged victorious, but Kuemper's streak of starts allowing two goals or fewer ended at 15 games. Since the NHL expanded in 1967-68, Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff owns the longest streak at 16 games (2003-04), according to Dan Greenspan of NHL.com. Kuemper is having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He's 30-11-7 with a 2.05 GAA and a .921 save percentage.