NHL Player News

Garand was called up from AHL Hartford on Saturday.

Jonathan Quick is expected to get the start Saturday, as Igor Shesterkin started against the Penguins on Friday and suffered an upper-body injury that should keep him out of action 1-2 weeks, necessitating the recall of Garand to back up Quick. Garand had a 12-7-4 record with a 2.68 GAA and a .913 save percentage across 23 AHL appearances before his recall.

Bobrovsky will serve as the starting netminder at home against the Senators on Saturday.

Bobrovsky snapped a four-game winning streak Tuesday against the Capitals, as he allowed four goals on 24 shots (.833 save percentage) en route to the loss. However, he'll have an opportunity to bounce back in the Panthers' final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off. Bobrovsky started on the road against the Senators in the second game of the regular season, and he took the loss while turning aside 28 of 30 shots (.933 save percentage).

Kochetkov will defend the home crease against Utah on Saturday, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal reports.

Kochetkov will draw the start in the Hurricanes' final game before the 4 Nations Face-Off as he continues to split time in the net with Frederik Andersen. Across Kochetkov's last six appearances, he's gone 3-1-2 with a 2.32 GAA and a .907 save percentage.

Nedeljkovic stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 3-2 road win over the Rangers.

Despite allowing two of the game's first three goals across Friday's first 24 minutes, Nedeljkovic kept the Penguins' net tidy for the last 36 minutes. The 29-year-old netminder has a 12-9-5 record with a 2.93 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Nedeljkovic has established himself as Pittsburgh's top goaltender and is unbeaten in regulation over his past four starts. During this stretch, he has a 1.45 GAA and a .939 save percentage. Considering this momentum, Nedeljkovic has some fantasy value as a streaming option in any fantasy format.

Merzlikins will guard the home cage against the Rangers on Saturday, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

Merzlikins hasn't been at his best over the last three games, as the 30-year-old netminder is 0-2-1 while allowing 11 goals on 93 shots (.882 save percentage). He is 19-13-4 with a 2.96 GAA and an .895 save percentage across 36 appearances this season. Merzlikins will face the Rangers, who dropped a 3-2 decision to Pittsburgh on Friday. New York is averaging 2.96 goals per game this season, 14th in the NHL.

Ersson will patrol the home crease versus Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Ersson has looked good in his last two games despite going 0-1-1. He has allowed five goals on 74 shots (.932 save percentage) in the pair of games, giving him a 15-10-3 mark with a 2.84 GAA and an .894 save percentage. Ersson will face the Penguins, who are coming off a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Friday and have generated 2.88 goals per game, 17th in the NHL this season.

Miner was loaned to AHL Colorado on Saturday.

Miner was the backup netminder this week to Mackenzie Blackwood, as Scott Wedgewood was on the sidelines due to an upper-body injury. The Avalanche don't play again until Feb. 22 with the NHL taking a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Miner has allowed four goals on 33 shots in a pair of NHL appearances this season.

Oettinger stopped 33 of 37 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings.

The Stars led for all of 1:59 in this game, which came in the middle of the third period. Oettinger has lost two straight outings heading into his stint with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Oettinger dropped to 26-12-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 40 starts this season. Casey DeSmith is likely to get the nod for the second half of a back-to-back when the Stars visit the Sharks on Saturday as they look to avoid a winless road trip through California.

Rittich stopped 26 of 30 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout win over the Stars.

Rittich didn't have a great performance, but he got the job done against a tough opponent. The 32-year-old netminder turned aside both of the Stars' shootout attempts to secure the win. Rittich improved to 12-11-0 with a 2.67 GAA and an .886 save percentage over 24 contests this season, though he had lost his previous three outings before this win. Darcy Kuemper, who welcomed a child Friday, is probable to start Saturday against the Ducks.

Pickard allowed two goals on 19 shots in relief of Stuart Skinner in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.

That's a tough way for a six-game winning streak to end. Pickard entered at the start of the second period with the Oilers down 3-2, and while he outplayed Skinner's poor performance, Pickard was responsible for Martin Necas' game-winning goal in the third. For the season, Pickard is now 14-5-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 21 appearances. The Oilers' season resumes Feb. 22 in Philadelphia, followed by a visit to the Capitals on Feb. 23, so both Pickard and Skinner should start one game each just after the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off.