NHL Player News

Markstrom turned aside 21 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Chicago.

The Devils grabbed an early 2-0 lead with goals 27 seconds apart in the first period, and Markstrom made sure the home squad was never able to draw level. It's only the second win in March for the veteran netminder, who's gone 2-5-1 in his last eight starts with a 3.87 GAA and .847 save percentage. New Jersey is comfortably in a playoff spot -- they're nine points clear of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division -- so Markstrom should get every opportunity down the stretch to regain his form ahead of the postseason.

Hogberg stopped all five shots he faced after replacing Ilya Sorokin early in the third period of Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Canucks.

Head coach Patrick Roy made the desperation switch in the crease after the Islanders fell behind 4-2, but the move didn't pay off. Hogberg has made three appearances (two starts) in nine games since coming off IR in early March, allowing seven goals on 67 shots while going 0-1-1. With New York leaning heavily on Sorokin while fighting for a playoff spot, Hogberg may not get many opportunities between the pipes over the final weeks of the season.

Sorokin gave up four goals on 19 shots before being replaced by Marcus Hogberg early in the third period of Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Vancouver.

With the Isles sitting one point back of the Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, head coach Patrick Roy made a desperation move to try and wake up his squad after New York fell behind 4-2, but it didn't work. Sorokin may be showing signs of fatigue without Semyon Varlamov (lower body) to help shoulder the load -- he's started 11 of 13 games in March, going 6-3-2 on the month with a 2.78 GAA and .907 save percentage.

Demko made 26 saves in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Islanders.

The 29-year-old netminder has started two straight games since returning from a lower-body injury that had sidelined him since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he's won them both. The Canucks sit three points back of the Blues in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and if Demko is healthy and back in something close to peak form, he should see a heavy workload over the final weeks of the season.

Pickard stopped all three shots he faced in relief of Stuart Skinner (head) in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Stars.

Skinner left in the third period after a collision with Mikko Rantanen. Pickard did his part to give the Oilers a chance at an improbable comeback, which fell one goal short of forcing overtime. Skinner won't travel to Seattle for Thursday's game, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports, so expect Pickard to get the starting nod for that game, while Collin Delia or Olivier Rodrigue are due to be called up to fill the backup role. Pickard would likely handle the bulk of the goaltending duties as long as Skinner is out. Through 28 appearances this season, Pickard is 17-7-1 with a 2.61 GAA and a .901 save percentage.

Oettinger stopped 41 of 44 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.

Oettinger won his fourth straight start, but it came with some late drama. He fended off the Oilers' early push, but they were able to score three times in a span of 9:05 in the third period to make it close. During his winning streak, Oettinger has allowed a total of eight goals on 125 shots. He's up to 34-15-3 with a 2.50 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 52 appearances this season. The Stars will likely give the net to Casey DeSmith for Thursday's game versus the Flames, but Oettinger should get his next start in Seattle on Saturday.

Korpisalo stopped 31 of 37 shots in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Ducks.

A pair of goals late in the second period ended up being too much for the Bruins to overcome, though Korpisalo gave up two more in the third. He's lost his last four results, going 0-3-1 with 15 goals allowed over five appearances in that span. For the season, the Finnish goalie is at a 10-9-3 record with a 2.89 GAA and an .893 save percentage through 25 contests. The Bruins' defense is a mix of unremarkable and inexperienced due to the absences of Charlie McAvoy (shoulder), Hampus Lindholm (kneecap) and Nikita Zadorov (personal), so neither Korpisalo nor Jeremy Swayman make for reliable fantasy goalies. The Bruins wrap up their current road trip in Detroit on Saturday. They've alternated goalies over the last eight games, so Swayman is likely to start that contest, while Korpisalo could be tasked with a brutal matchup versus the Capitals on Tuesday if the pattern holds.

Gibson stopped 23 of 25 shots in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Bruins.

The hapless Bruins continue to struggle, and Gibson was able to take advantage of that with his second straight win since returning from a lower-body injury. The 31-year-old netminder has allowed three goals on 59 shots across those two games. Gibson improved to 11-10-2 with a 2.72 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 28 appearances this season. Gibson has alternated starts with Lukas Dostal since his return, so don't be surprised to see Dostal start Friday versus the Rangers.

Skinner (head) won't travel with the Oilers for their road game Thursday in Seattle, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Skinner got clipped in the head by Mikko Rantanen in the third period of Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Stars. While he was able to avoid a previous injury last Thursday, it doesn't look like Skinner will be so lucky this time around. Look for Calvin Pickard to start Thursday in Seattle, while Collin Delia or Olivier Rodrigue would be candidates for an emergency call-up to fill the backup role during Skinner's absence. Skinner allowed four goals on 21 shots and took the loss in Wednesday's contest.

Skinner is slated to start at home versus the Stars on Wednesday.

The Oilers will use the same lineup as they did in a 5-4 win over the Kraken on Saturday, which indicates Skinner will be in goal for the first half of a back-to-back. The 26-year-old is 4-2-0 with a 2.90 GAA and an .880 save percentage through eight appearances in March. This will be a tough matchup for him, though he won his most recent game against the Stars on March 8, making 21 saves in a 5-4 win.