NHL Player News

Ullmark will be between the home pipes versus San Jose on Saturday, Claire Hanna of TSN reports.

Ullmark was strong Wednesday, stopping 35 of 38 shots in a 4-1 loss to Winnipeg, as he had no chance on any of the goals that beat him. The 31-year-old netminder will try to halt a four-game losing streak against the Sharks. Ullmark is 12-11-2 with three shutouts, a 2.66 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 27 appearances this season. San Jose ranks 30th in the league with only 2.57 goals per game this campaign.

Luukkonen will guard the home net Saturday against the Canadiens, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.

Luukkonen started Thursday in Carolina but was pulled early in the first period after allowing two goals on seven shots. The 25-year-old netminder will look to bounce back against a Montreal team that's won three straight, scoring 13 goals in that span. Luukkonen is 20-16-4 this season with an .894 save percentage and 3.01 GAA.

Thompson will defend the home crease versus Tampa Bay on Saturday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.

Thompson was saddled with a rare loss in his last outing, giving up three goals on 25 shots in a 3-1 loss to Calgary on Tuesday. The loss gave Thompson a 25-3-5 record with a 2.28 GAA and a .919 save percentage across 33 starts this season. The Lightning are generating 3.57 goals per game, second in the NHL this season.

Gustavsson stopped 25 of 29 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Gustavsson was done in by allowing three goals in a span of 5:42 during the middle of the second period, which turned a 2-1 Wild lead into a 4-2 deficit. He's now down to 22-13-3 after his second loss in a row. He also has a 2.67 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 39 outings this season. The Wild return home to face the Bruins on Sunday.

Blackwood stopped 18 of 20 shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Wild.

Blackwood was lightly tested in the win, his fourth in his last five outings. Over that span, he's allowed 12 goals, and he hasn't faced more than 29 shots in any of those games as the Avalanche's defense has stepped up to keep pucks from getting to the net. The 28-year-old is up to 22-16-5 with a 2.49 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 44 appearances. The Avalanche's next game is Tuesday versus the Penguins, followed by Thursday's game against the Sharks and a Saturday showdown with the Maple Leafs. If Blackwood continues to see a large share of the starts, he'll be a strong play in weekly leagues for the week ahead.

Kuemper stopped 26 of 32 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Stars.

The Stars led 3-1 after one period, but head coach Jim Hiller didn't pull Kuemper. This likely indicates that David Rittich will handle the second half of a back-to-back when the Kings visit the Blues on Saturday, and the team wanted to keep him fresh at the expense of Kuemper's performance. This outing ended a four-game winning streak for Kuemper, and it was his worst game since an eight-goal meltdown Oct. 14 versus the Senators, which preceded one of his stints on injured reserve. Kuemper dropped to 18-7-6 with a 2.33 GAA and a .913 save percentage over 32 contests this season.

Oettinger stopped 29 of 31 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Kings.

Oettinger struggled in his last start versus the Blue Jackets, but he handled things well Friday to pick up his second in in three starts. He's allowed 10 goals in that span on a total of 96 shots, so he hasn't been at his best since the 4 Nations Face-Off. Oettinger is now 28-13-2 with a 2.42 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Stars continue their four-game homestand against the surging Blues on Sunday.

Shesterkin stopped 14 of 17 shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.

Shesterkin went 3-4-0 in February, allowing three or more goals on five occasions. Friday's effort was a particularly poor one, as the Maple Leafs didn't generate much overall but cashed in a goal each period to get the win. Shesterkin is down to 20-21-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .904 save percentage across 43 starts this season. The Rangers continue their four-game homestand Sunday versus the Predators, which would be a favorable matchup for Shesterkin should he get the nod, but it's also in the first half of a back-to-back. If Jonathan Quick instead gets the nod Sunday, Shesterkin would get another crack at the Islanders on Monday after defeating them with a 36-save effort Tuesday at UBS Arena.

Stolarz stopped 33 of 35 shots in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

Stolarz was kept busy, but he was up to the task, earning his fourth straight win since returning from a knee injury. During the streak, the 31-year-old has allowed 10 goals on 132 shots, good for a .924 save percentage. He's at a 13-5-2 record with a 2.21 GAA and a .927 save percentage over 21 starts this season. Joseph Woll was able to back up Friday after feeling under the weather -- Stolarz starting this contest disrupted the Maple Leafs' goalie rotation, and it's unclear which netminder will get the nod for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

Gustavsson will guard the road goal versus the Avalanche on Friday, per the NHL media site.

Gustavsson will get the second half of a back-to-back, taking the tougher opponent after Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal for Thursday's 6-1 loss to Utah. Gustavsson has gone 4-3-0 over his last seven games, but he has a 2.88 GAA despite a .910 save percentage in that span. The Avalanche's offense isn't deep, but he'll still have to contend with the NHL's leading scorer this season in Nathan MacKinnon (90 points), which could be trouble if the Wild run out of gas later in the game.