NHL Player News

Tomkins was loaned to AHL Syracuse on Sunday.

Tomkins has been the backup goalie behind Andrei Vasilevskiy in the last two games due to the absence of Jonas Johansson (lower body). If Johansson doesn't return to the lineup in Tuesday's home game versus Ottawa, Tampa Bay could recall Tomkins from the minors.

Wolf stopped 22 of 24 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Red Wings. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Wolf came up short in his first attempt to reach the 20-win mark, but he still put in a decent effort. He's allowed two or fewer goals in four of his last seven games. The 23-year-old is now 19-9-2 with a 2.50 GAA and a .917 save percentage over 30 starts. Dan Vladar will likely get the nod at Seattle on Sunday, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Wolf draw a tough assignment at home versus the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Talbot stopped 33 of 34 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Flames.

Talbot gave up a power-play goal by Nazem Kadri in the third period. The 37-year-old Talbot has allowed just five goals over his four-game winning streak, which includes one shutout. He's at 15-10-2 with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 29 games this season. Alex Lyon will likely get the crease Sunday versus the Canucks, but Talbot should be back between the pipes in Seattle on Tuesday.

Skinner made 24 saves Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Toronto.

The Maple Leafs came in waves in the first period and stacked up a 3-0 lead. Skinner put his queasy start to the season behind him, and he's looked solid until a recent rough patch. He's 1-3-1 in his last five starts, allowing 14 goals on 145 shots. Skinner will be fine, and Edmonton will give him lots of goals to work with.

Woll made 45 saves in a 4-3 win over Edmonton on Saturday.

Woll was on point throughout the game. He made several 10-bell saves, including a big glove grab on Corey Perry in the last second of the game that preserved the win. Woll is 18-10-0 in 27 starts and 28 appearances. Anthony Stolarz (knee) will return soon to help spell him off because Woll is young and has never carried a heavy workload in any league. Still, Woll is a mandatory start. It's hard to go wrong with him in the blue paint.

Vasilevskiy made 33 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders on Saturday.

Tony DeAngelo beat him on a breakaway 33 seconds into the extra frame to take the win. Vasilevskiy has a sparkling 2.30 GAA and .918 save percentage, but he's also just 3-3-2 in his last eight outings. We're not overly concerned with the win-loss record -- Vasy is one of the NHL's best, and his ratios reflect that.

Merilainen posted a 16-save shutout in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Wild.

The Senators kept traffic away from Merilainen, outshooting the Wild 52-16 in the contest. This was Merilainen's third career shutout, all of which have come this season. The 22-year-old has won six of his last eight outings, and he's allowed more than two goals in just one of those contests. Overall, the Finn is 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage over 12 games. Linus Ullmark (back) is close to a return, but Merilainen has outplayed Anton Forsberg -- it's unclear who the Senators will tab to take on the backup role once Ullmark is healthy.

Gustavsson allowed six goals on 52 shots in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Senators.

Gustavsson received no help in any capacity -- the Wild mustered just 16 shots on net while giving up chances in spades. The Senators put the game to rest with three goals during a five-minute power play in the third period after Ryan Hartman's match penalty at the end of the second. Gustavsson had won his previous two starts, but before that, he went five straight games allowing at least four goals. The 26-year-old is now 20-11-3 with a 2.66 GAA and a .913 save percentage through 35 starts, but he's allowed 54 goals over 17 games since the start of December. The Wild's next game is Tuesday in Boston.

Saros made 33 saves on 35 shots in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Penguins. Pittsburgh's final goal was scored on an empty net.

Saros returned to the crease after missing Friday's contest in Buffalo due to an illness. He looked good close to the net but surrendered two shots from long distance to Philip Tomasino and Sidney Crosby. The 29-year-old keeper now has an 11-21-6 record, four shutouts, a .902 save percentage and a 2.84 GAA across 39 contests this season. Saros should continue to receive the majority of the opportunities to guard Nashville's net, but as the Predators have just 43 points on the year, he will have less value in leagues that value goalie wins. The netminder's next chance to start will be at home Monday against the Senators.

Nedeljkovic tended his first shutout of the season, stopping all 25 shots he saw in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Predators.

Saturday's performance was Nedeljkovic's best of the season and the ninth shutout of his career. The 29-year-old netminder is up to an 11-9-4 record with an .899 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA in 25 appearances. He has excelled as of late with a 4-2-0 record and 172 saves across his last six outings. For the time being, the Penguins have found a direction for their crease and will likely continue to view Nedeljkovic as their top option. His inconsistencies from earlier this season, however, make him a play suited best for deeper leagues. His next opportunity to guard the crease will be Tuesday against New Jersey.