NHL Player News
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Yaroslav Askarov G | SJ
Sharks' Yaroslav Askarov: Loses to former team
Askarov stopped 32 of 38 shots in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Predators.
Askarov, who was dealt from Nashville to San Jose this past offseason, fared no better against his former team in this game than Alexandar Georgiev did Tuesday in Music City. This was Askarov's third straight loss, and he's allowed 13 goals in that span. The 22-year-old is down to 3-5-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 10 contests. It's a poor time for a slump, as Vitek Vanecek (face) could resume practicing soon, and it's possible his return will lead to Askarov's return to the AHL if he can't get his performance back on track. Neither Askarov nor Georgiev will be recommended in fantasy for Saturday's home game against the Panthers.
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Justus Annunen G | NSH
Predators' Justus Annunen: Bends but doesn't break
Annunen stopped 30 of 35 shots in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Sharks.
Annunen didn't have the benefit of joining in progress for this game as he did in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Sharks. Despite the ugly stat line, Annunen came away with his fourth straight win, though he blew a three-goal lead during the second period. The 24-year-old netminder is now 12-6-0 with a 2.95 GAA and an .894 save percentage over 20 appearances between the Predators and the Avalanche this season. Juuse Saros will likely be back between the pipes Saturday in Anaheim.
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Charlie Lindgren G | WAS
Capitals' Charlie Lindgren: Earns shutout in return to action
Lindgren posted a 22-save shutout in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.
This was Lindgren's first game action since Jan. 10 versus the Canadiens. The 31-year-old had lost his previous four results (0-2-2), but he snapped that skid with his first shutout of the season. His upper-body injury gave Logan Thompson a chance to gain some momentum between the pipes, so it's possible Lindgren may not see the steady 50-50 split of playing time there was prior to his absence. Lindgren is 10-8-2 with a 2.65 GAA and a .900 save percentage over 21 outings. The Capitals continue their road trip in Vancouver on Saturday.
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Joey Daccord G | SEA
Kraken's Joey Daccord: Gets no help in loss
Daccord stopped 29 of 31 shots in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Capitals. The third goal was an empty-netter.
This was always going to be a challenging matchup, but the Kraken's offense went quiet, which didn't help Daccord's cause. He kept it from being a more lopsided contest, but he ended up with his second loss over eight outings in January. He's allowed more than two goals just twice this month. Daccord is 16-11-2 with a 2.47 GAA and a .916 save percentage through 31 games. The Kraken host the Penguins on Saturday.
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Alex Nedeljkovic G | SJ
Penguins' Alex Nedeljkovic: Leaky in loss
Nedeljkovic stopped 29 of 33 shots in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Nedeljkovic allowed a pair of goals in the first and third periods, but the Penguins' offense didn't put up much of a fight. This was just his second loss in his last five games, a span in which he's allowed 15 goals. The 29-year-old's performance has run the gamut lately, which may make him a frustrating goalie to roster in fantasy. He's 9-8-4 with a 3.26 GAA and a .893 save percentage over 22 appearances. The Penguins' road trip continues Saturday in Seattle.
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John Gibson G | DET
Ducks' John Gibson: Defeats hometown team
Gibson stopped 31 of 32 shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Penguins.
The Ducks' offense was strong and gave Gibson plenty of help to end his losing streak -- he went 0-3-1 over his last five outings. The 31-year-old netminder is now 8-8-2 with a 2.76 GAA and a .913 save percentage through 20 appearances. Goal support was the main problem in his previous losses -- the Ducks hadn't scored in a Gibson start since Jan. 7. The Ducks' next game is Saturday at home versus the Predators, but the team has been alternating between Gibson and Lukas Dostal for most of January.
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Thatcher Demko G | VAN
Canucks' Thatcher Demko: Tagged for six-spot in loss
Demko allowed six goals on 34 shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Oilers.
That won't boost morale -- Demko lost for the third time in four starts, and he's allowed 16 goals in that span. Kevin Lankinen (illness) was well enough to back up, but it's possible the Canucks did not want to put him in unless absolutely necessary, leaving Demko to suffer instead. For the season, Demko is down to 3-5-3 with a 3.47 GAA and an .867 save percentage over 12 outings. It arguably can't get much worse for the 29-year-old, who should probably be avoided in fantasy for Saturday's home matchup against the Capitals.
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Daniil Tarasov G | FLA
Blue Jackets' Daniil Tarasov: Just one win since late October
Tarasov made 36 saves in a a 7-4 loss to Carolina on Thursday. He allowed six goals.
The Blue Jackets went up 2-0 in the first period, but then the Hurricanes made landfall, and they never looked back. Tarasov is 4-6-2 in 12 starts this season, but he has just one win since Oct. 22. He could evolve into an NHL starter -- the guy has the talent -- but Tarasov needs the team in front of him to stabilize because it's hard to carry any NHL club from the blue paint. Keep him on your bench unless he catches fire.
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Frederik Andersen G | CAR
Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen: Gets 300th NHL win
Andersen made 18 saves in a 7-4 win over Columbus on Thursday.
It was his 300th NHL win. He is 300-128-52, including 74-28-4 with Carolina. Andersen is the second-fastest in league history to 300 NHL wins (501 games) behind Andrei Vasilevskiy (490). The Great Dane has always impressed when he's in the net, but injuries have held him back most of his career. This season, the 35-year-old Andersen has played six games (5-1-0), and he has a 2.15 GAA and .912 save percentage.
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Calvin Pickard G | EDM
Oilers' Calvin Pickard: Earns fourth straight win
Pickard allowed two goals on 26 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Canucks.
Pickard has won his last four starts, allowing a total of 10 goals in those games. The Canucks were down 5-0 before they got on the board, but Pickard never let them threaten the Oilers' lead. Overall, the 32-year-old netminder improved to 12-4-0 with a 2.50 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 18 appearances. The Oilers' next three matchups are all fairly favorable and at home, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Pickard get at least one game in that stretch to avoid overworking Stuart Skinner.