NHL Player News

Merzlikins will get the starting nod at home against the Panthers on Thursday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins is mired in a four-game losing streak during which he posted a 3.82 GAA and .885 save percentage. Despite the recent slump, the 30-year-old netminder still has a chance of matching his 2021-22 win total (27), but he'll need to start producing victories sooner rather than later.

Shesterkin will start Thursday's home game against the Maple Leafs, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin has been charged with losses in his last two starts, going 0-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage. The Maple Leafs are tied for ninth in the NHL with 3.19 goals per game this season.

Sorokin was the first goalie off during Thursday's morning skate, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against Montreal.

Sorokin has picked up wins in six of his last nine starts, going 6-2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .923 save percentage during that time. He made a road start against the Canadiens on Dec. 3 and turned aside 25 of 27 shots (.926 save percentage) en route to an overtime loss.

Gustavsson notched a 34-save shutout in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Kraken.

Gustavsson notched his fifth shutout of the season, putting him in a tie for second in the league behind Connor Hellebuyck (six). This was Gustavsson's second shutout in March, and he's gone 5-2-1 with 14 goals allowed over eight appearances this month. The Swede is up to 27-15-4 with a 2.51 GAA and a .917 save percentage across 47 appearances. He'll likely get the nod again for Saturday's home game versus the Sabres.

Grubauer stopped 24 of 27 shots in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Wild. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Grubauer gave up three goals within the first 4:29 of the contest. The Kraken were able to make an effort on offense with 34 shots on net, but they couldn't solve Filip Gustavsson, handing Grubauer his first loss in three outings since he returned from AHL Coachella Valley. The 33-year-old netminder is down to 7-16-1 with a 3.59 GAA and an .873 save percentage over 24 appearances. Grubauer has been far too inconsistent to be trusted in fantasy, and he's unlikely to see much more than one start a week for the remainder of the campaign. Look for Joey Daccord to draw the start in Saturday's road game versus the Oilers.

Blackwood stopped 24 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Blackwood did not start the last two games while recovering from an illness. He was able to get back between the pipes, but he didn't get enough goal support in Wednesday's contest. This was Blackwood's second loss in a row, though he's allowed just three goals on 49 shots over those games. For the season, he's at a 24-17-6 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 48 appearances. Scott Wedgewood will likely start Thursday versus the Senators, but Blackwood should get the nod for Saturday's road trip finale in Montreal.

Woll stopped 38 of 39 shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Woll limited the damage to a Valeri Nichushkin power-play tally in the second period. This was Woll's fifth win in six starts, and it was the third time in that span he's been called on to make 30-plus saves. The 26-year-old netminder is up to 24-12-0 with a 2.70 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 36 appearances this season. He's started back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 1 and 4, so Woll's recent strong play may have allowed him to claw back some work from Anthony Stolarz, who will likely get the nod Thursday on the road versus the Rangers.

Grubauer will start Wednesday's road game versus the Wild, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports.

Since coming back to the big club March 2, Grubauer has won both of his starts, allowing three goals on 49 shots. He'll have a tough task Wednesday, as the Kraken are on the second half of a back-to-back after Joey Daccord backstopped them to a 6-2 win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. The Wild have been lacking on offense lately -- they haven't exceeded three goals in any of their last six games, with their last instance above that mark being a March 4 win over the Kraken.

Askarov (lower body) is expected back on at practice with AHL San Jose in the coming week, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports Wednesday.

Askarov won't be ready to rejoin the Sharks until at least the end of March or the start of April -- though the organization may decide to let him finish out the year with the Barracuda instead of bringing him back to the NHL. In his 13 appearances for the Sharks, the 22-year-old backstop went 4-6-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .896 save percentage.

Romanov is set to start at home against Carolina on Thursday, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.

It will be Romanov's first career NHL start after making three relief appearances for the Sharks over the past two seasons. He's posted a 1.81 GAA and a .927 save percentage over those outings. The 25-year-old also has a 3.10 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 21 appearances with AHL San Jose in 2024-25. Carolina ranks eighth in goals per game with 3.24.