NHL Player News
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Samuel Ersson G | PHI
Flyers' Samuel Ersson: Picks up shootout win
Ersson stopped 22 of 25 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Kings.
This was a close battle for much of the game, but Ersson still played well enough to help the Flyers get the win. He stopped both attempts in the shootout to secure the victory, his third in his last four outings. The Swedish netminder is now 11-10-5 with a 3.28 GAA and an .864 save percentage over 28 appearances, so it's unlikely he'll unseat Dan Vladar as the Flyers' top goalie. Look for Vladar to get the nod Saturday in San Jose to close out this road trip.
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Karel Vejmelka G | UTA
Mammoth's Karel Vejmelka: Earns 28-save shutout
Vejmelka recorded a 28-save shutout in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Golden Knights.
Vejmelka snapped a three-game skid with his second shutout of the season. The Mammoth provided a quick 3-0 lead in the first period, which was plenty of support. Vejmelka is up to 31-18-3 with a 2.67 GAA and an .898 save percentage over a league-leading 53 starts. He's five games away from matching his workload from last season, and he already has a career high in wins. The Mammoth are back in action Friday at home versus the Ducks, which will likely be a start for Vitek Vanecek.
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Akira Schmid G | LV
Golden Knights' Akira Schmid: Strong in relief appearance
Schmid stopped all 14 shots he faced in relief of Adin Hill in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Mammoth.
The Mammoth did get an empty-netter to seal the deal, but Schmid was sharp in his first game action since March 6. Hill was in his sixth straight start before getting pulled 8:12 into Thursday's contest. Schmid remains at 16-9-6 on the year with a 2.54 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 33 appearances. Both goalies should get a look this weekend -- the Golden Knights visit the Predators on Saturday and the Stars on Sunday.
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Adin Hill G | LV
Golden Knights' Adin Hill: Makes no saves in loss
Hill didn't stop any of the three shots he faced in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Mammoth.
Hill was pulled after 8:12 of game time, allowing two goals to Clayton Keller and Jack McBain. This was Hill's season-high sixth straight start, which may have played a role in his performance, though the Golden Knights didn't give him any support. Hill is down to 8-8-3 with a 3.08 GAA and an .869 save percentage over 21 starts this season. Both Hill and Akira Schmid should get a look over the weekend in a back-to-back as the Golden Knights visit Nashville on Saturday and Dallas on Sunday.
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Kevin Lankinen G | VAN
Canucks' Kevin Lankinen: On hook for six goals
Lankinen stopped 24 of 30 shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Lightning.
Lankinen was left in to face the whole barrage. The Lightning ran away with the game with a quick start to the second period to stretch their lead to 4-0. Lankinen won his previous start, but he's 1-8-1 over his last 12 outings with at least four goals allowed in six of those games. For the season, he's at an 8-22-5 record with a 3.67 GAA and an .875 save percentage across 38 appearances. Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo are sharing the goaltending duties to close out the year for the Canucks, with the team's next game being Saturday versus the Blues.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy G | TB
Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Cruises to win
Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 21 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.
The Lightning scored the first four goals, so Vasilevskiy didn't have to do much work to get this win. He's won four of his last six outings, but this was his first instance of consecutive victories since his nine-game winning streak ended Feb. 28 versus the Sabres. Vasilevskiy is up to 32-12-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .913 save percentage over 47 starts this season. The Lightning have a back-to-back this weekend -- Vasilevskiy will likely face the Oilers on Saturday before Jonas Johansson gets the Flames on Sunday.
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Alex Lyon G | BUF
Sabres' Alex Lyon: Logs shutout for sixth straight win
Lyon posted a 23-save shutout in Thursday's 5-0 win over the Sharks.
This was Lyon's sixth straight win, a span in which he's allowed just 11 goals. The 33-year-old got plenty of support from his teammates in this contest as well, which was his third shutout of the campaign. He's up to 20-8-3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 33 appearances this season. He's one win shy of matching his career-best total from the 2023-24 campaign when he was with the Red Wings. Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen continue to alternate starts, which lines up Luukkonen for Saturday in Los Angeles and Lyon for Sunday in Anaheim.
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Alex Nedeljkovic G | SJ
Sharks' Alex Nedeljkovic: Ugly outing Thursday
Nedeljkovic stopped 11 of 16 shots in Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Sabres.
Nedeljkovic didn't make a save in the second period, and the Sabres were able to get by on efficiency. Nedeljkovic has lost his last two games, giving up 10 goals on 53 shots in those outings. For the season, he's down to 13-11-3 with a 2.92 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 31 appearances. He'll have the crease until Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) is able to return.
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Jakub Dobes G | MON
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Strong game in playoff atmosphere
Dobes made 25 saves in a 3-1 loss to Detroit on Thursday. He allowed two goals.
The game was tied until the 16:35 mark of the third. Dobes is 3-2-0 in his last five starts with a .917 save percentage He is 22-8-4 with a 2.91 GAA and .893 save percentage in 34 appearances this season. It was a playoff atmosphere in Detroit, and Dobes proved he was up to the pressure. Montreal and Detroit are tied in points for third place in the Atlantic Division.
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John Gibson G | DET
Red Wings' John Gibson: Rebounding after rough patch
Gibson made 32 saves in a 3-1 win over Montreal on Thursday.
Juraj Slafkovsky was the lone Habs player to beat him; it came on a rebound on the power play late in the second period. Gibson may be back on track after scuffling for a couple of weeks. He has won two straight after going 2-3-1 in seven starts since the Olympic break, and 3-6-2 in 14 starts since Jan. 27. Overall, Gibson is 26-15-3 with four shutouts, 2.53 GAA and .907 save percentage in 46 starts this season. That GAA is the 11th best in the NHL among netminders with at least 21 games played; his save percentage is 15th best in the NHL.