NHL Player News

Ullmark will guard the visiting net in Florida on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ullmark returned to action Tuesday after missing 19 games with a back injury. He looked sharp despite absorbing a 4-3 loss, stopping 34 of 37 shots in Tampa Bay. Ullmark is 12-8-2 with three shutouts, a 2.41 GAA and a .915 save percentage. The Panthers are generating 3.27 goals per game, sixth in the league this season.

Vejmelka will be between the visiting pipes in Carolina on Saturday, per Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Vejmelka is sharing the net with Connor Ingram, and it's Vejmelka's turn Saturday. He is 12-14-4 with a 2.46 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The Hurricanes are generating 3.22 goals per game, tied for eighth in the NHL this season.

Quick will defend the visiting crease in Columbus on Saturday, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports.

Quick became the first American-born goaltender to win 400 career games Sunday, stopping 34 shots in a 4-2 victory over Vegas. Quick is 7-5-2 with a 3.04 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 17 games this season. The Blue Jackets are averaging 3.22 goals per game, tied for eighth in NHL scoring.

Shesterkin (upper body) stopped 23 of 26 shots in Friday's 3-2 home loss to the Penguins.

All three goals Shesterkin conceded came in the second period. The 29-year-old goaltender has an 18-19-2 record with a .906 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA but has run into trouble with a 1-4-0 record in his last five appearances. As the Rangers push toward a playoff spot, the team's top goaltender should continue to see plenty of starts, assuming he recovers from an upper-body injury that will sideline him through the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Shesterkin is dealing with an upper-body injury that carries a recovery timetable of 1-2 weeks, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports.

Shesterkin started Friday's game against the Penguins and was charged with the loss while allowing three goals on 26 shots (.885 save percentage). While he'll be dealing with his injury over the next week or two, he may not be forced to miss game action for the Rangers due to the league's break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Dylan Garand was recalled by New York to serve as Jonathan Quick's backup on the road against the Blue Jackets on Saturday.

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.