NHL Player News

Skinner was not on the ice ahead of Monday's game versus Seattle while awaiting the birth of his child, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

With Skinner away, the Oilers will roll with Calvin Pickard in net against the Kraken for Monday's home contest. At this point, it's probably a game-time decision whether Skinner will link up with the team to serve as the backup or if the club will recall a goalie, likely Collin Delia, from the minors for Monday's matchup.

Pickard will tend the twine during Monday's home game against the Kraken, Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports.

Although Pickard has seen somewhat sporadic playing time in January, he's been sharp when called upon, going 4-0-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .900 save percentage over five appearances. However, he'll start for the second time in the last three games since Stuart Skinner is expecting the birth of his child shortly. Pickard made a start in Seattle on Jan. 4 and turned aside 16 of 18 shots (.889 save percentage) en route to a 4-2 win.

General manager Kyle Davidson said Monday that he's hopeful that Brossoit (knee) will be able to return at some point this season, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Brossoit has dealt with a knee injury since the start of the regular season, and he's been out indefinitely after undergoing a procedure in late November. Although the Blackhawks haven't been particularly competitive this season, Davidson still maintains hope that Brossoit will be back in game action sometime during the final two and a half months of the regular season. Brossoit may not see considerable playing time if he's able to return, as Davidson also said Monday that he wouldn't be concerned with carrying three goaltenders on the active roster.

Allen will start Monday's road game against the Flyers, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Allen has picked up wins in his last two outings, and he'll attempt to remain effective against the Flyers, who rank 16th in the NHL with 2.94 goals per game. Over 16 appearances this season, Allen has gone 7-8-1 with a 2.67 GAA and .902 save percentage.

Binnington was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll start at home against the Canucks.

Binnington picked up his third shutout win of the season Jan. 3 against Ottawa, but he hasn't been particularly sharp since then, going 2-4-0 with a 3.07 GAA and .892 save percentage over his last six outings. He'll have a fairly favorable matchup Monday, as the Canucks are averaging 2.79 goals per game this season, which is the 10th-worst mark in the league.

Ersson will serve as the starting netminder for Monday's home game against the Devils, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Ersson snapped a five-game winning streak Thursday against the Rangers, and he got the night off in the second half of the back-to-back set Friday against the Islanders. Despite his shaky outing against the Rangers in which he allowed five goals on 36 shots (.861 save percentage), he's been mostly effective recently, as he posted a 1.58 GAA and .930 save percentage during his recent winning streak. The Devils are tied for 11th in the NHL with 3.08 goals per game this season, and the Flyers' offense has totaled just four goals over the last three matchups.

Skarek was recalled from AHL Bridgeport on Monday.

The Islanders moved Marcus Hogberg (upper body) to injured reserve in a corresponding move. Skarek has a 5-11-1 record with a 3.22 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 20 minor-league appearances this season. With the Islanders set to play four times in six days, there's a chance Skarek could make his NHL debut if Hogberg and Semyon Varlamov (lower body) remain unavailable. However, Ilya Sorokin will handle most of the starts.

Hogberg (upper body) was designated for injured reserve Monday.

Based on his retroactive placement date (Jan. 25), Hogberg can be expected to miss at least the next three games for the Islanders, though it could certainly be longer. With Semyon Varlamov (lower body) still on the shelf, the team called up Jakub Skarek to serve as the No. 2 option behind Ilya Sorokin for the time being. It's a disappointing blow for the 30-year-old Hogberg, as he has managed decent numbers in seven NHL appearances this season, going 2-2-0 with a 1.45 GAA and .947 save percentage.

Wallstedt (undisclosed) gave up two goals on 32 shots in Saturday's 3-2 shootout defeat to AHL Texas.

Wallstedt was back in action for the first time since suffering his undisclosed injury back in late December. With the 22-year-old youngster fit again, he should be available if needed by Minnesota -- though it would likely take an injury to Filip Gustavsson or Marc-Andre Fleury for Wallstedt to be promoted to the NHL roster.

Merilainen stopped 34 of 35 shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over Utah.

Merilainen allowed a second-period goal to Clayton Keller, one of the hottest players in the NHL over the last two weeks, but he was excellent the rest of the way. The 22-year-old has won five of his last seven starts, going 5-1-1 with a 1.69 GAA and a .940 save percentage over that span. He's expected to remain the top option between the pipes for Ottawa as long as Linus Ullmark (back) remains out.