NHL Player News

Skinner gave up three goals on 12 shots in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.

The Oilers were down 3-2 after one period, and head coach Kris Knoblauch decided to replace Skinner with Calvin Pickard for the remainder of the game. The Oilers were able to get Skinner off the hook but didn't pull at any point and ended up with a close loss. The 26-year-old remains at 20-12-4 with a 2.74 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 37 appearances this season. When the season resumes, the Oilers will embark on a road trip that begins with a back-to-back -- they visit the Flyers on Feb. 22 and the Capitals on Feb. 23, so Skinner and Pickard are likely to split the first two games after the break.

Blackwood stopped 23 of 27 shots in Friday's 5-4 win over the Oilers.

Blackwood played back-to-back games in Alberta, and came away with wins in both. This was a challenging matchup, as expected, but Blackwood held firm in the third period and made Martin Necas' tally with 4:22 left in the frame stand as the game-winner. The 28-year-old Blackwood goes into the 4 Nations Face-Off break a winner in five of his last seven starts, improving to 20-15-5 with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 41 appearances. He won't be on international duty during the break, so he'll have two weeks to rest up before the season resumes with a back-to-back on the road -- the Avalanche visit Nashville on Feb. 22 and St. Louis on Feb. 23.

Saros stopped 24 of 30 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Blackhawks.

Saros was unable to snap his skid, losing a fifth straight result. He's given up 23 goals over his last six games. He has won consecutive games just twice this year, and neither of those have turned into a winning streak beyond two contests. Saros dropped to 11-23-6 with a 2.95 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 41 starts. It'll likely be Justus Annunen between the pipes for Saturday's home game versus the Sabres, so Saros will be ice-cold going into his stint with Team Finland for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Mrazek stopped 31 of 33 shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Predators.

Mrazek had lost his last three outings, but the Blackhawks erupted with plenty of goal support in this contest. It was also the first time since Jan. 8 that Mrazek was able to limit an opponent to two or fewer goals -- he had given up 25 tallies over his last six games. The 32-year-old netminder is now 10-18-2 with a 3.27 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 31 starts this season. It wouldn't be surprising to see Arvid Soderblom get the nod for Saturday's game in St. Louis.

Wedgewood (upper body) is projected to be out of action for Friday's game versus the Oilers, per the NHL media site.

Once again, Wedgewood is listed among the scratches, leaving Trent Miner to serve as Mackenzie Blackwood's backup for Friday's contest. Wedgewood will now have two weeks to recover during the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Avalanche resume their schedule Feb. 22 in Nashville.

Blackwood will start on the road versus the Oilers on Friday, Conor McGahey of Altitude TV reports.

Blackwood will start both halves of a back-to-back, as the Avalanche apparently don't want Trent Miner facing the Oilers with Scott Wedgewood (upper body) still ailing. Blackwood made 27 saves on 29 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Flames. The 28-year-old has won four of his last six starts with just 12 goals allowed in that span, though the Oilers' offense is always good to produce a challenge, especially in the second half of a back-to-back.

Saros will protect the road goal versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Predators Radio Host Max Herz reports.

Saros is in a skid, having lost his last four outings while allowing a total of 13 goals on 129 shots (.899 save percentage) in that span. He'll have a favorable matchup to try to turn things around, as the Blackhawks have scored just 15 goals over their last six games, going 1-3-2 in that span.

Oettinger is set to start on the road Friday versus the Kings, per Mike Heika of the Stars' official site.

Oettinger stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 2-1 loss to Anaheim on Tuesday. He's 26-12-1 with a 2.31 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 39 outings. The Kings are tied for 19th in goals per game with 2.84.

Rittich is slated to start at home against Dallas on Friday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Rittich has an 11-11-0 record, 2.62 GAA and .887 save percentage in 23 appearances in 2024-25. His last start came Jan. 30 when he stopped 30 of 32 shots in a 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay -- the final goal was scored on an empty net. Dallas ranks 10th in goals per game with 3.17.

Gustavsson will guard the home cage versus the Islanders on Saturday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Gustavsson has been great in three of his last four starts, allowing four goals on 91 shots (.956 save percentage), while conceding six goals on a whopping 52 shots in a 6-0 loss in Ottawa on Saturday. Gustavsson is 21-11-3 with three shutouts, a 2.61 GAA and a .915 save percentage across 36 appearances in 2024-25. The Islanders are generating 2.72 goals per game, 26th in the NHL this season.