NHL Player News

Ersson will serve as the starting netminder for Monday's home game against the Devils, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson snapped a five-game winning streak Thursday against the Rangers, and he got the night off in the second half of the back-to-back set Friday against the Islanders. Despite his shaky outing against the Rangers in which he allowed five goals on 36 shots (.861 save percentage), he's been mostly effective recently, as he posted a 1.58 GAA and .930 save percentage during his recent winning streak. The Devils are tied for 11th in the NHL with 3.08 goals per game this season, and the Flyers' offense has totaled just four goals over the last three matchups.

Skarek was recalled from AHL Bridgeport on Monday.

The Islanders moved Marcus Hogberg (upper body) to injured reserve in a corresponding move. Skarek has a 5-11-1 record with a 3.22 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 20 minor-league appearances this season. With the Islanders set to play four times in six days, there's a chance Skarek could make his NHL debut if Hogberg and Semyon Varlamov (lower body) remain unavailable. However, Ilya Sorokin will handle most of the starts.

Hogberg (upper body) was designated for injured reserve Monday.

Based on his retroactive placement date (Jan. 25), Hogberg can be expected to miss at least the next three games for the Islanders, though it could certainly be longer. With Semyon Varlamov (lower body) still on the shelf, the team called up Jakub Skarek to serve as the No. 2 option behind Ilya Sorokin for the time being. It's a disappointing blow for the 30-year-old Hogberg, as he has managed decent numbers in seven NHL appearances this season, going 2-2-0 with a 1.45 GAA and .947 save percentage.

Wallstedt (undisclosed) gave up two goals on 32 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout defeat to AHL Texas.

Wallstedt was back in action for the first time since suffering his undisclosed injury back in late December. With the 22-year-old youngster fit again, he should be available if needed by Minnesota -- though it would likely take an injury to Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury for Wallstedt to be promoted to the NHL roster.

Merilainen stopped 34 of 35 shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over Utah.

Merilainen allowed a second-period goal to Clayton Keller, one of the hottest players in the NHL over the last two weeks, but he was excellent the rest of the way. The 22-year-old has won five of his last seven starts, going 5-1-1 with a 1.69 GAA and a .940 save percentage over that span. He's expected to remain the top option between the pipes for Ottawa as long as Linus Ullmark (back) remains out.

Vejmelka stopped 24 of 27 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Senators.

Vejmelka has started in four of Utah's last seven games, but the results haven't been positive. The 28-year-old has dropped three of those contests while allowing three or more goals in each defeat. However, the lone win was a 26-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Wild on Thursday. Even though Vejmelka has been all over the place of late, he's looked decent in recent weeks. He's made eight appearances in January, going 3-4-1 with a 2.65 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

Knight stopped 22 of 25 shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Many Knights proved stronger than one in this contest, as the 23-year-old goalie was unable to contained Vegas' bottom six over the first two periods. Knight has now lost consecutive starts, though it's somewhat notable that the Panthers' goalie usage in a pair of back-to-back sets resulted in him facing the tougher opponent (Los Angeles and Vegas) compared to Sergei Bobrovsky (Anaheim and San Jose). In his consecutive losses, Knight has allowed a modest five goals on 53 shots, so the poor results shouldn't hurt his playing time even with Bobrovsky winning both of his starts during the trip. For the season, Knight is 9-8-1 with a 2.47 GAA and a .905 save percentage over 20 appearances. The Panthers return home to face the Kings on Wednesday.

Hill stopped 32 of 33 shots in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Panthers.

Hill started consecutive games for the first time in nearly a month. It seemed like a bold strategy for the Golden Knights considering the 28-year-old's recent struggles, but it paid off, as Hill limited the Panthers to an Anton Lundell goal early in the third period. This was Hill's third win over seven outings in January, and he's allowed exactly one goal in all of those victories. For the season, he's at a 19-9-3 record with a 2.60 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 31 starts. It's unclear if this game represents a shift in the Golden Knights' goaltending plans, but their next opponent is Dallas, a team Hill surrendered four goals to in Thursday's loss, so it's possible Ilya Samsonov will handle that rematch Tuesday.

Mrazek gave up three goals on 27 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Wild. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Mrazek lost for the fourth time in his last six games, and he's allowed at least three goals in five of those outings. The 32-year-old didn't get any help over the first two periods Sunday, and the Blackhawks' comeback effort fell short in the third. Mrazek is now 9-17-2 with a 3.26 GAA and an .895 save percentage over 29 starts this season. The Blackhawks embark on a brutal three-game road trip over the next week, beginning with Tuesday's game against the Lightning followed by matchups with the Hurricanes on Thursday and the Panthers on Saturday.

Gustavsson gave up two goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.

The Wild led 3-0 after two periods, and while the Blackhawks made it interesting in the third, Gustavsson was able to protect the lead. He earned his first win since Jan. 4 -- the 26-year-old had allowed at least four goals in five straight outings while going 0-4-0 over that span. Gustavsson was one of the top goalies through November, but injuries to key players in the Wild's lineup have taken a toll on his numbers, though the team has gotten closer to full health over the last week. He's now at a 19-10-3 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .913 save percentage through 33 starts. The Wild have a back-to-back up next, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Gustavsson start Wednesday in Toronto while Quebec native Marc-Andre Fleury makes one last start in Montreal on Thursday.