NHL Player News

Ersson will patrol the home crease versus Pittsburgh on Saturday, according to Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Ersson has looked good in his last two games despite going 0-1-1. He has allowed five goals on 74 shots (.932 save percentage) in the pair of games, giving him a 15-10-3 mark with a 2.84 GAA and an .894 save percentage. Ersson will face the Penguins, who are coming off a 3-2 win over the Rangers on Friday and have generated 2.88 goals per game, 17th in the NHL this season.

Miner was loaned to AHL Colorado on Saturday.

Miner was the backup netminder this week to Mackenzie Blackwood, as Scott Wedgewood was on the sidelines due to an upper-body injury. The Avalanche don't play again until Feb. 22 with the NHL taking a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Miner has allowed four goals on 33 shots in a pair of NHL appearances this season.

Oettinger stopped 33 of 37 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings.

The Stars led for all of 1:59 in this game, which came in the middle of the third period. Oettinger has lost two straight outings heading into his stint with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Oettinger dropped to 26-12-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .911 save percentage across 40 starts this season. Casey DeSmith is likely to get the nod for the second half of a back-to-back when the Stars visit the Sharks on Saturday as they look to avoid a winless road trip through California.

Rittich stopped 26 of 30 shots in Friday's 5-4 shootout win over the Stars.

Rittich didn't have a great performance, but he got the job done against a tough opponent. The 32-year-old netminder turned aside both of the Stars' shootout attempts to secure the win. Rittich improved to 12-11-0 with a 2.67 GAA and an .886 save percentage over 24 contests this season, though he had lost his previous three outings before this win. Darcy Kuemper, who welcomed a child Friday, is probable to start Saturday against the Ducks.

Pickard allowed two goals on 19 shots in relief of Stuart Skinner in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.

That's a tough way for a six-game winning streak to end. Pickard entered at the start of the second period with the Oilers down 3-2, and while he outplayed Skinner's poor performance, Pickard was responsible for Martin Necas' game-winning goal in the third. For the season, Pickard is now 14-5-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 21 appearances. The Oilers' season resumes Feb. 22 in Philadelphia, followed by a visit to the Capitals on Feb. 23, so both Pickard and Skinner should start one game each just after the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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.