NHL Player News

Annunen stopped 24 of 27 shots in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Stars.

Annunen was making his second start of the season -- and first since allowing five goals in a 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs on Oct. 14 -- but settled for another loss. Firmly entrenched as Juuse Saros' backup, Annunen shouldn't have a lot of fantasy upside as a backup who's allowed eight goals on 53 shots faced through two contests in 2025-26.

Woll (personal) participated in Monday's practice, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

According to Alter, Woll has been skating every other day for the past few weeks. The 27-year-old Woll could head to the minors for a conditioning stint with AHL Toronto in the near future. He hasn't been in the crease yet this season and needs more time to return to game speed. Once he's ready to play, Woll will probably share starts with Anthony Stolarz.

DeSmith stopped 23 of 25 shots in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Predators.

DeSmith started for the first time since Oct. 16, when he allowed five goals on 26 shots in a 5-3 loss to the Canucks, but he limited the damage to only two goals in this one. The offense backed him up enough to allow the 34-year-old veteran to earn his first win of the season. As a low-usage backup behind Jake Oettinger, DeSmith isn't expected to carry a lot of fantasy upside in the near future, though most of his starts should come in favorable matchups.

Wallstedt stopped 19 of 25 shots in Sunday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Wallstedt was beaten twice in the first period, twice more in the second frame, again in the final period and once more in overtime. Wallstedt is firmly entrenched as Filip Gustavsson's backup, and his performances haven't shown he's ready to embrace a bigger role between the pipes any time soon. Through three starts, Wallstedt has gone 1-0-2 with a 3.46 GAA and an .863 save percentage.

Askarov stopped 28 of 33 shots in Sunday's 6-5 overtime win over the Wild.

Askarov allowed five or more goals for the third time across five starts this season. The 23-year-old netminder, who started consecutive games for the first time Friday and Sunday, might return to the bench ahead of Tuesday's game against the Kings since the Sharks have been rotating netminders regularly so far this season. Askarov hasn't inspired a ton of confidence between the pipes, either -- he's gone 1-3-1 with a 4.80 GAA and an .855 save percentage in his five starts so far.

Merilainen is expected to patrol the home crease against Boston on Monday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Merilainen surrendered seven goals on 26 shots in an 8-4 blowout loss to Buffalo on Oct. 15 before heading to the minors for a brief stint. He made 23 saves in a 6-5 shootout win over Boston on Jan. 18 last season. The Bruins rank 15th in the league with 3.20 goals per game this campaign.

Ullmark is slated to start Tuesday's road game against Chicago, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

While Leevi Merilainen will draw the start at home against the Bruins on Monday, Ullmark will return to the net for the second half of the back-to-back set. Over his first eight starts of the season, Ullmark has gone 4-3-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .870 save percentage.

Shepard was recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday.

Shepard was sent to the minors ahead of the regular season, but he'll rejoin the Senators ahead of a back-to-back set to begin the week. However, Shepard is expected to dress as a backup over the team's next two games, as Leevi Merilainen will serve as the starting netminder Monday against Boston, while Linus Ullmark will start in Chicago on Tuesday.

Pickard stopped 23 of 27 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canucks.

Pickard was sharp enough in the third period to get the game to overtime, but he was beaten on a Kiefer Sherwood tip-in goal 1:43 into the extra session. With at least four goals allowed in each of his last three outings, Pickard is not playing well enough in the backup role to provide a meaningful challenge to Stuart Skinner's starting job. If both goalies continue to top out at average, the Oilers will likely feel pressure to make a change in the crease, and Pickard's $1 million cap hit makes him the easier netminder to move out in a trade. The Oilers don't have a back-to-back within the next week, so it's unclear when Pickard will get his next start.

Demko stopped 26 of 29 shots in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.

It wasn't the prettiest performance, especially after blowing a 3-1 lead in the third period, but Demko ultimately got the job done. He's won three of his last four starts, though he has allowed three goals in three of those games. The 29-year-old goalie is at a 4-2-0 record with a 2.36 GAA and a .922 save percentage over six outings. Demko has alternated starts with Kevin Lankinen for much of the season, but the former is getting the better results and may earn a majority of the playing time. The Canucks host the Rangers on Tuesday.