NHL Player News

DeSmith stopped 29 of 34 shots in Saturday's 5-3 loss to Utah.

DeSmith is 0-2-1 with 15 goals allowed over his last three games, though he's faced at least 32 shots in each of his last six outings. The 33-year-old has also taken on a larger role as the Stars build in some rest for Jake Oettinger late in the regular season. DeSmith is down to 14-8-2 with a 2.63 GAA and a .913 save percentage over 26 outings. The Stars have two games left before the postseason -- look for DeSmith and Oettinger to split the starts between Monday's game in Detroit and Wednesday's game in Nashville.

Blackwood made 27 saves in a 5-4 loss to the Kings on Saturday.

Blackwood has lost his last three games and four of his past five outings. However, this one wasn't really on him. The Avs sat a lot of guys, including Nathan MacKinnon (undisclosed), Cale Makar (rest) and Devon Toews (rest), to prep for the postseason, so the game turned into a bit of a shinny match. Blackwood himself may get rested soon -- he's heading into his first NHL playoffs, and the Avs expect to go a long way. He has a 22-12-3 record in 36 starts with the Avs since being acquired from San Jose on Dec. 9, and his 2.33 GAA and .913 save percentage are the best of his career.

Vejmelka stopped 21 of 24 shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Stars.

Vejmelka has won five of his last seven outings, though this was the third time he's given up three goals in that span. The 28-year-old benefited from Utah's power play going a perfect 4-for-4 in the contest. Vejmelka is up to 26-21-8 with a 2.52 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 57 appearances. He's started 23 games in a row, but he may catch a breather soon since Utah's season ends with a back-to-back. The team's last two games are Monday in Nashville and Tuesday in St. Louis.

Knight stopped 37 of 41 shots in Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Jets.

Knight's strong performance in goal was a key reason why the Blackhawks made it to the shootout. The 23-year-old netminder allowed two goals in the second period and another two in the third frame before stopping six shots in overtime. However, Winnipeg's Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti would get the better of Knight in the shootout to steal the win. Knight has a 16-16-3 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA through 37 appearances between Chicago and Florida this season. While he lacks the win totals of top netminders in fantasy, he's garnered a high save volume over the past few weeks to produce a solid output in most formats. Knight will probably get at least one more start before the end of the 2024-25 campaign, with Chicago set to play a road back-to-back against Montreal on Monday and versus Ottawa on Tuesday.

Hellebuyck saved 28 of 32 shots on net in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Blackhawks.

Saturday's performance was out of character for Hellebuyck, who has allowed four goals or more just eight times across 62 appearances this season. He allowed a shorthanded marker and a power-play goal in the first period before surrendering two more tallies late in the third frame. After Josh Morrissey tied the game to send it to overtime, Hellebuyck took care of business in the extra frame before stopping two attempts in the shootout en route to the victory. The 31-year-old netminder is up to a 46-12-3 record with a 2.02 GAA and a .924 save percentage this year. Hellebuyck is as close to a shoo-in for the Vezina Trophy as a goaltender can be, as he is on pace to finish the season as the third netminder in NHL history to top the league in wins, save percentage, GAA and shutouts. Hellebuyck probably won't play in Sunday's home game versus Edmonton, and it remains to be seen if he'll get the nod for Winnipeg's regular-season finale in Anaheim on Monday. Although the 31-year-old hasn't been kept out of the net for back-to-back games all season, the Jets might opt to make an exception to allow him to get plenty of rest ahead of what they hope will be a deep playoff run.

Hogberg made 19 saves in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers on Saturday.

Hogberg was much better Saturday than Thursday when he allowed eight goals against the Rangers. He allowed just one goal in the shootout through five rounds to take the loss in Saturday's contest. Hogberg hasn't won since Jan. 18, going 0-3-3 in eight appearances. The 30-year-old netminder is a journeyman with just 45 starts (11-22-12).

Ersson made 37 saves in a 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders on Saturday.

He was also perfect through five rounds of the shootout. Ersson has impressed in stretches this season, which hit a high point in late January when he was selected to represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off and in February when he beat the United States. Ersson has won three of his last four starts with the Flyers (3-1-0), but playing behind a porous team makes him a risk every time he hits the ice. Still, he could be an interesting option after Philadelphia rounds the corner.

Samsonov (upper body) won't return to the lineup Saturday versus the Predators.

Samsonov is set to miss his eighth straight game. His last chances to return during the regular season will be in a road back-to-back with contests in Calgary on Tuesday and in Vancouver on Wednesday. It's unclear at this time if Samsonov will be able to suit up for either of those games.

Skinner will start in goal on the road versus the Jets on Sunday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Skinner returned in the backup role Friday versus the Sharks, and he'll get back between the pipes a game later. Calvin Pickard will likely draw the start in Monday's home matchup versus the Kings in the second half of Edmonton's back-to-back. Skinner was out for seven games due to a head injury, and before his absence, he was 4-3-0 with a 3.11 GAA and an .873 save percentage over nine games in March.

Blomqvist, who is playing for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, has recovered from his undisclosed injury, Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey reports Saturday.

Blomqvist has a 2.93 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 15 outings with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2024-25. He also has a 4-9-1 record, 3.81 GAA and .885 save percentage across 15 appearances with Pittsburgh. Unless Tristan Jarry or Alex Nedeljkovic sustains an injury, Blomqvist will probably spend the rest of the campaign in the minors.