NHL Player News

Saros allowed seven goals on 26 shots playing the first two periods of Tuesday's 8-4 loss to Columbus.

Columbus sits in the NHL's top-10 for goals scored this season, so a big game like this really shouldn't be a surprise. Saros also can't really be faulted with a young team in front of him that seemed to pile on self-inflicted wounds. He's had a rough season, but he's an elite netminder. Saros will be a better option in future seasons.

Hill stopped 17 of 20 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Oilers.

Hill had won five straight outings, but the Oilers' three-goal second period did him in this time around. He's gone eight games without allowing more than three goals, providing steady play between the pipes for the playoff-bound Golden Knights. The 28-year-old dropped to 29-12-5 with a 2.47 GAA and a .908 save percentage through 46 appearances. Ilya Samsonov (upper body) is bothered by an injury, so Hill could see a heavy workload for a while. The Golden Knights' next game is at home Thursday versus the Jets.

Merzlikins made 24 saves Tuesday in an 8-4 win over Nashville.

Merzlikins still plays sieve far too often -- he has allowed four or more goals in five of his last 10 starts (3-5-1). All three of those victories have come on a three-game run over the last week, but at the same time, Merzlikins has also allowed 13 goals in that span and 18 in his last four (3-0-1). The Jackets are pushing for the second wild card, and Elvis could keep winning with the kind of goal support he gets. The team is tied for fourth in the East with 242 goals for, and they're in the top-10 overall.

Pickard stopped 20 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Pickard has won four of his last seven outings, going 4-1-1 in that span. He's allowed more than two goals just once in that stretch. The Golden Knights didn't have a lot of shot volume but put on a fair amount of pressure while chasing the game in the third period, but Pickard held firm. He's up to 19-8-1 with a 2.69 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 31 outings. Stuart Skinner (head) remains out, allowing Pickard to operate as the No. 1 netminder. He'll likely have a chance to go for his 20th win of the season when the Oilers visit the Sharks on Thursday.

Wolf stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to Utah. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Wolf came up empty for his third outing in a row, a span in which he's 0-2-1 with nine goals allowed on 74 shots. The 23-year-old is still starting a majority of the time for the Flames, but this performance ended a run of him allowing three or more goals in seven straight games. Wolf is down to 24-16-6 with a 2.66 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 46 appearances. The Flames' playoff hopes are growing dim, and while Wolf hasn't been bad, Dan Vladar has won his last three outings and may command a larger share of starts. The Flames host the Ducks on Thursday.

Sorokin made 19 saves in a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Sorokin allowed three goals, including two blocker side, in the loss. Unfortunately, the Isles have lost six straight; four of those have come with Sorokin in net. The team is five points from the second wild card, and the Russian netminder is going to have to perform miracles to get them to the postseason.

Vejmelka stopped 33 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Flames.

Vejmelka won his second game in a row, and he's allowed two or fewer tallies in three straight contests. The 28-year-old is still seeing a heavy workload, and that's likely to continue until Utah is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Vejmelka is up to 23-20-7 with a 2.56 GAA and a .905 save percentage across 52 outings, matching his career high in games played. Utah will have a couple of tough matches for the remainder of the week, as the team hosts the Kings on Thursday and the Jets on Saturday.

Vasilevskiy made 27 saves in a 4-1 win over the Islanders on Tuesday.

The only goal that beat him was a Bo Horvat shortie under the blocker on a first-period 2-on-1. Vasilevskiy's Vezina-quality season continues with his third-straight win and sixth in his last seven starts. Two of those six wins have been by shutout. Overall, Vasilevskiy is 36-19-3 with a 2.16 GAA (third-best in the NHL) and a .922 save percentage (second-best).

Dostal will protect the home goal versus the Sharks on Tuesday, Derek Lee of The Hockey News reports.

Dostal will get the nod for a third game in a row. This is even after he took a 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in his last outing Sunday, making 20 of 23 saves. The 24-year-old has a much easier matchup on the schedule Tuesday, as the Sharks have just 13 goals in their last six games.

Wolf will protect the road goal versus Utah on Tuesday, Derek Wills of Sportsnet 960 The Fan reports.

Wolf gets the nod in the second half of a back-to-back after Dan Vladar won 3-2 in the shootout Monday versus the Avalanche. The 23-year-old Wolf went 4-3-3 with a 2.95 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 10 games in March. Both Utah and Calgary face uphill battles for a playoff spot, but if Wolf can come away with a win, that will just about end any realistic chance of Utah playing in the postseason.