NHL Player News

Merzlikins made 34 saves in a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He allowed five goals.

The big guns had Merzlikins in a corner all night. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists, while Victor Hedman and Jake Guentzel each had two goals and an assist. Elvis had won three straight (and the Jackets had won four in a row) prior to Tuesday. Merzlikins has the Blue Jackets in the top Wild Card spot; the team last made the postseason in 2020. Despite this rough start, he's a solid activation as Columbus surges.

Johansson made 30 saves in a 6-2 win over Columbus on Tuesday.

Johansson is now 7-5-1 in 13 starts, but his 3.15 GAA and .895 save percentage are unimpressive. Still, the Bolts are white-hot right now (9-1-0 in the last 10 games), so Johansson is a must-play whenever he's in the blue paint.

Wedgewood allowed one goal on 33 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Penguins.

Wedgewood hadn't won since Jan. 18, though he had made just two starts in between victories. The 32-year-old was sharp despite the inconsistent playing time lately, allowing just a Rickard Rakell goal late in the second period. Wedgewood is now 7-6-1 on the year with a 2.66 GAA and a .903 save percentage across 16 appearances. Mackenzie Blackwood is likely to face his former team Thursday when the Avalanche host the Sharks.

Luukkonen made 22 saves in a 6-2 loss to San Jose on Tuesday. He allowed five goals.

His team didn't give him much help -- his teammates were outmatched in every part of the game, including compete. Luukkonen has lost two straight games with eight goals allowed in that span. The Sabres are 0-3-1 in their last four after winning six of the previous seven. Luukkonen is a solid netminder, but he cannot win games single-handedly.

Skinner gave up two goals on 16 shots in relief of Calvin Pickard in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Ducks.

Skinner didn't have to wear the loss, but he didn't do anything to help the Oilers attempt a comeback. The 26-year-old has gone five appearances without a win, allowing a total of 18 goals on 131 shots in that span. Skinner remains at 20-15-4 on the year with a 2.87 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 41 games played. He'll likely start Thursday versus the Canadiens, but if the Oilers make a trade for a goalie, Skinner will be on notice that his No. 1 job is at risk.

Pickard stopped seven of 11 shots in one period of Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Ducks.

Pickard held firm early in the contest, but he gave up four goals in a span of 6:41 to close out the first period. Stuart Skinner took over in goal for the final two frames. The loss still belonged to Pickard, his third in five outings dropping him to 15-7-0 with a 2.76 GAA and an .896 save percentage through 24 appearances this season. It'll likely be Skinner between the pipes for Thursday's game versus the Canadiens. Given Pickard's recent struggles, it's possible the Oilers will pursue a goalie at the trade deadline.

Georgiev made 20 saves in a 6-2 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.

Georgiev started for the second-straight game with Vitek Vanecek backing up for trade-related reasons. He made 25 saves in a 3-2 shootout win over Toronto on Monday. Georgiev last won back-to-back games in early December, and he had won just once between Dec. 17-Feb. 27 (1-12-1). It's a nice two-game run, but we don't trust it. Keep Georgiev on your bench.

Dostal allowed two goals on 34 shots in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers.

The Oilers' ever-dangerous power play cashed in twice, but the Ducks made plenty of noise at even strength to give Dostal the support to get the win. He's won four of his last six outings, allowing 14 goals in that span. The 24-year-old netminder is up to 18-14-5 with a 2.88 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 37 appearances this season. John Gibson should be penciled in to start Wednesday in Vancouver, though he remains in the rumor mill ahead of Friday's deadline, so plans could change rapidly if the Ducks make a move. In any case, Dostal has earned at least a 50-50 split of the starts down the stretch.

Markstrom stopped 17 of 21 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Stars.

Markstrom had some shaky moments in this contest, but it wasn't solely his fault. The 35-year-old has now lost both games since he returned from a knee injury, allowing a total of six goals on 45 shots. He's at a 21-11-5 record with a 2.24 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 38 starts this season. The Devils' suffocating defense will keep the opposing team's shot totals down, so Markstrom has a better chance of helping fantasy managers with wins and GAA. The Devils have a tough matchup for their next game Friday at home versus the Jets.

DeSmith stopped 25 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Devils.

The Stars led 3-1 after the second period, but the Devils pulled themselves back into it. DeSmith didn't let them get ahead, and Thomas Harley scored with less than five seconds left in regulation to secure the victory, which was DeSmith's fifth in a row. In that span, the 33-year-old backup netminder has allowed just 11 goals. He's 11-6-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 19 appearances this season. DeSmith has reached the 15-win mark twice in his career, but it doesn't seem likely he'll get enough playing time down the stretch to reach that mark again. Look for Jake Oettinger to start two of the next three games, while DeSmith should feature again during one of the two contests during a road back-to-back over the weekend.