NHL Player News

Merzlikins made 28 saves in Thursday's 1-0 overtime loss to the Panthers.

With the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes fading, Merzlikins returned to the team after attending to a personal matter and stood on his head in a goaltending duel with former Columbus star Sergei Bobrovsky. There wasn't much Elvis could do on Aleksander Barkov's power-play tally just 29 seconds into OT, however. Merzlikins is 0-4-1 over his last five starts, a stretch in which he's posted a 3.24 GAA and an .899 save percentage, and the erratic netminder will need to deliver more performances like Thursday's if the Jackets are going to close the gap on the Canadiens, and leapfrog the Rangers and Islanders, for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Bobrovsky turned aside all 25 shots he faced in Thursday's 1-0 overtime win over the Blue Jackets.

Locked in a goaltending duel with the man who replaced him in the Columbus crease, Elvis Merzlikins, Bobrovsky simply refused to lose and made some huge saves in regulation before Aleksander Barkov potted the winner on a power play just 29 seconds into OT. It was Bobrovsky's fifth shutout of the season, one back of league leader Connor Hellebuyck, and he's allowed three goals or less in all nine of his starts since play resumed after the 4 Nations Face-Off -- a stretch in which Bob has gone 6-3-0 with a dazzling 1.58 GAA and a .932 save percentage.

Nedeljkovic will get the starting nod at home against the Blue Jackets on Friday, Michelle Crechiolo of the Penguins' official site reports.

Nedeljkovic will be in the pipes for the first time since March 7, with Tristan Jarry having featured in five straight games for the Pens. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic is currently mired in a five-game losing streak, having gone 0-5-0 with a 4.43 GAA in his last six outings. Barring a strong performance by Nedeljkovic, the Penguins will likely turn back to Jarry for the bulk of the workload the rest of the way.

Markstrom stopped 23 of 27 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Flames. The fifth marker was an empty-netter.

The Devils took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but neither Markstrom nor the shorthanded defensive corps in front of him could rise to the occasion and make it stick. The 35-year-old netminder has dropped five of six decisions since returning from a knee injury at the beginning of March, stumbling to a 4.22 GAA and an .833 save percentage over that stretch, but New Jersey's spot in the postseason still seems fairly secure -- the Devils sit eight points clear of the Rangers and Islanders, the teams on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble, with 12 games left on their schedule.

Wolf turned aside 26 shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Devils.

New Jersey took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but Wolf was able to reap the rewards when his offense caught fire late. The 23-year-old netminder snapped a brief 0-2-1 skid with the win, but he may be fading as he wraps up his first full NHL campaign -- he's allowed at least three goals in five of his last six outings while posting a 2.97 GAA and an .899 save percentage.

Forsberg stopped 19 of 20 shots after replacing Linus Ullmark late in the first period of Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

The one puck to get past Forsberg came on a Colorado power play, and in general, the 32-year-old looked much sharper than Ullmark on the night. The Senators have been leaning very heavily on Ullmark as they try to secure a playoff spot -- Forsberg has made only one start since the 4 Nations Face-Off, although he's been needed in relief twice during that stretch -- but they may have to split the workload a little more evenly over the final weeks. Over his last 10 appearances dating back to Jan. 19, Forsberg has gone 5-2-0 with a 2.18 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

Ullmark gave up four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Anton Forsberg late in the first period of Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring midway through the first frame by sneaking a quick shot through Ullmark's five-hole, and the netminder was never able to regain his footing. It was Ullmark's second straight loss after a 6-0-1 stretch, and his heavy workload as Ottawa pushes for a playoff spot may be catching up to him -- he's started 11 of 12 games since play resumed after the 4 Nations Face-Off, posting a 3.55 GAA and an .889 save percentage during that span.

Wedgewood made 15 saves in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Senators.

Colorado scored four times in the first period to remove most of the drama from the game, but Wedgewood did take a shutout bid into the third that got spoiled by a Dylan Cozens power-play tally. The journeyman netminder has won five straight starts in March, posting a stellar 1.40 GAA and a .939 save percentage on the month as he muscles his way into a timeshare with Mackenzie Blackwood.

Romanov allowed three goals on 29 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes.

While Romanov took the loss in his first NHL start, he did well to keep things close. The 25-year-old has a chance to prove his value to the Sharks' organization while Yaroslav Askarov (lower body) remains on the mend at AHL San Jose. Romanov has allowed five goals on 40 shots over two NHL appearances this season. The Sharks' next game is Saturday versus the Bruins, which will likely afford Alexandar Georgiev a chance to return to the crease.

Andersen stopped 24 of 25 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Sharks.

The lone goal against Andersen was a shorthanded tally by William Eklund in the first period. He stood tall the rest of the way, allowing the Hurricanes' offense to do its job in the win. Andersen has won four outings in a row, allowing just six goals on 98 shots in that span. For the season, he's at a 10-5-0 record with a 2.08 GAA and a .915 save percentage. As usual, only injuries have slowed down the 35-year-old, who continues to share the crease with Pyotr Kochetkov. Assuming the goalie rotation holds, Kochetkov will get the nod Saturday versus the Kings while Andersen is lined up to start Sunday against the Ducks, one of his former teams.