NHL Player News

Merzlikins will tend the twine for Tuesday's home tilt versus Dallas, Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers reports.

Merzlikins is coming off a 27-save victory over the Blackhawks on Saturday that ended a four-game losing streak for the backstop. Tuesday's tilt will be the sixth straight appearance for the 30-year-old netminder, a trend of heavy work that figures to continue into the closing weeks of the 2024-25 campaign.

Sorokin exited the ice first Tuesday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports, indicating he'll be between the pipes at home against the Rangers.

Sorokin is mired in a three-game losing streak during which he's given up four or more goals in each outing. Prior to his slump, the Russian netminder had been riding a seven-game winning streak that went with a 1.16 GAA. Even with Sorokin slumping, he is unlikely to cede the starting job to Jakub Skarek, so fantasy players can expect Sorokin to continue getting plenty of work.

Ersson will get the starting nod at home against the Penguins on Tuesday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson is riding a two-game winning streak during which he posted a 2.50 GAA, which includes a win over the Penguins on Feb. 8. The 25-year-old netminder needs just three more victories to reach the 20-win mark for the second consecutive campaign and could best his win total (23) from last season before the 2024-25 campaign wraps up.

Merilainen was placed in the AHL's concussion protocol Monday, Steve Lloyd of TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Merilainen reportedly told head coach David Bell that he was fine, so it's unclear if he will be an option to face AHL Manitoba on Wednesday. While the netminder's injury won't immediately impact the Senators, it could be an issue if Linus Ullmark or Anton Forsberg gets hurt in the short term.

Kuemper stopped 21 of 23 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights.

Kuemper has been on a roll of late and secured the win for a fourth consecutive start, allowing three or fewer goals in each of those contests. The 34-year-old has been excellent in the new year. He posted a 5-4-1 record with a 1.72 GAA and a .938 save percentage across 10 games in January and remains undefeated in February, going 4-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

Samsonov stopped 14 of 19 shots in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Kings.

Samsonov was making his first start since the break, and it's safe to say he didn't look at his best after posting his worst save percentage of the season for a single game. The 28-year-old Russian has made three appearances this month, and the results have been underwhelming, as he's gone 1-2-0 with a 3.47 GAA and an .825 save percentage. In fact, Samsonov didn't post a save percentage above .880 in any of those contests. The Golden Knights have been alternating starts between the pipes, so Adin Hill is likely to defend Vegas' crease against the Blackhawks on Thursday.

Samsonov will tend the road twine Monday in Los Angeles, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Samsonov allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 4-3 win over the Bruins in his last start before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The 28-year-old has a 13-7-2 record, .897 save percentage and 2.72 GAA across 22 appearance in 2024-25. The Kings rank 19th in the NHL with 2.87 goals per game this season. Samsonov is 4-2-0 in his career versus Los Angeles.

Husso was acquired by the Ducks from the Red Wings on Monday in exchange for future considerations.

Husso had been playing in the AHL since being assigned to Grand Rapids on Jan. 18. In nine appearances with Detroit this season, the Finnish netminder posted a 1-5-2 record, .866 save percentage and 3.69 GAA. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that John Gibson (upper body) won't be sidelined for much longer, so Husso will most likely remain in the minors with AHL San Diego. The 30-year-old Husso will be an unrestricted free agent come July.

Vasilevskiy made 36 saves on 37 shot attempts in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Kraken.

Vasilevsky tended a clean net for the first 55 minutes of Sunday's contest before conceding Seattle's lone goal of the night. Sunday's contest raised his record to 26-15-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 44 outings this season. He ranks third among goaltenders in wins and tied for second in save percentage. The 30-year-old netminder remains an elite play between the pipes down the stretch and is on pace to contend for the 35-win mark on the season, a level he hasn't reached since 2021-22. His next opportunity to guard the crease is Tuesday at home against the Oilers.

Kuemper will get the starting nod at home against Vegas on Monday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper is riding a three-game winning streak, during which he has posted a 2.67 GAA and .896 save percentage. With David Rittich having lost four of his last five outings, the Kings may rely heavily on Kuemper heading into the final weeks of the NHL season -- though a road back-to-back against Dallas and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, respectively, will likely see the duo split the workload.