NHL Player News

Vasilevskiy made 18 saves Tuesday in a 6-2 loss to Boston.

He allowed four goals -- the most he's allowed in a game since Nov. 30 -- but it was a rough night for Vasilevskiy overall. His season numbers (2.38 GAA and .913 save percentage) are great production for a netminder that has sometimes dipped in the third quarter of the season. Vasilevskiy will bounce back.

Blackwood stopped 27 of 29 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Rangers.

It wasn't looking good for the Avalanche until Artturi Lehkonen tied the game late in the third period. Devon Toews added the game-winner in overtime, but Blackwood deserves a lot of credit for keeping the score close until the offense took over. He has won four of his six outings in January and still has yet to give up more than two goals as a member of the Avalanche. For the season, he's 15-11-4, including a 9-2-1 record with the Avalanche. He's added a 2.49 GAA and .920 save percentage over 31 appearances when accounting for his time with the Sharks. Blackwood is likely to get the nod Thursday against the Oilers, though Scott Wedgewood is healthy after a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury and may snag a start some time soon despite the Avalanche having no back-to-backs for nearly two weeks.

Samsonov allowed four goals on 22 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Predators. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Samsonov has followed up a six-game winning streak by losing his last two starts. This was his ugliest outing recently -- he had given up no more than two goals in any of his last seven starts after surrendering six tallies in a Nov. 30 loss to Utah. Samsonov dropped to 11-5-1 with a 2.70 GAA and a .904 save percentage over 17 starts this season. The Golden Knights' next two games are in a back-to-back, and based on the recent workload distribution, it's likely to be Adin Hill in goal Friday versus the Hurricanes, while Samsonov lines up to face the Blackhawks on Saturday to conclude Vegas' three-game road trip.

Swayman made 43 saves in a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

He set a new season-high for saves with the victory. Swayman played huge at times to keep a busy Bolt offense at bay. Since Christmas, the netminder has started in eight games -- more than any other netminder in the NHL. He has a .925 save percentage in that span.

Annunen stopped 19 of 22 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Golden Knights.

Annunen was able to get a positive result despite a natural hat trick by Pavel Dorofeyev. The 24-year-old Annunen had a large cushion to work with after the Predators scored the first four goals of the game, and he was just able to hold on for his fourth win in six outings. The Finnish netminder is now 10-6-0 with a 2.88 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 18 games between the Predators and the Avalanche this season. Juuse Saros is likely to return to the crease for Thursday's home game versus the Blackhawks.

Lankinen gave up six goals on 33 shots in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Jets.

Lankinen followed up a shutout win over the Maple Leafs with a stinker of a result Tuesday. Kyle Connor put up a natural hat trick in the first period, and the Jets hardly let up in the contest as they ran away with the win. Lankinen has lost five of his last seven outings, though he's allowed more than two goals just twice in that span. He's 16-8-6 with a 2.63 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 30 games played, and he's likely to surpass his career highs of 37 appearances and 17 wins. It's likely Thatcher Demko will get a chance to start Thursday versus the Kings.

Woll made 19 saves Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to Dallas.

He's lost two straight games and allowed nine goals in that span, and he's allowed four or more goals in three of his last four games. Woll continues to have solid upside, but the pressure of a heavy workload without the safety net of Anthony Stolarz (knee) seems to be weighing on him. The team has also lost three straight games for the first time since going 0-2-1 from Oct. 22-26. Woll plays behind a great team, so this minor skid will reverse very soon. Keep the faith.

Hellebuyck stopped 23 of 24 shots in Tuesday's 6-1 win over the Canucks.

Kyle Connor had a natural hat trick in the first period, giving Hellebuyck more than enough support. Nils Hoglander had the only goal for the Canucks, spoiling Hellebuyck's shutout bid with 10:44 left in the third period. The 31-year-old goalie has won three straight games while allowing a total of three goals on 74 shots in that span. Overall, he improved to 27-6-2 with a 1.99 GAA and a .929 save percentage through 35 starts. The Jets' next game is at home versus the Kraken on Thursday.

Oettinger made 27 saves in a 4-1 win over Toronto on Tuesday.

Auston Matthews ripped a shot high blocker from the left face-off dot early in the first to open the scoring, but Oettinger shut the door from that point. He was especially strong on special teams, leaving the Leafs power play frustrated twice. Oettinger has won six straight games, and he allowed just 11 goals in that span. Overall, he's 22-9-1 with a 2.31 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

Thompson turned aside all 19 shots faced during Tuesday's 3-0 home win over the Ducks.

Thompson recorded his first shutout of the season and now stands at 19-2-3 through just 24 starts in his inaugural campaign with the Capitals. Only an evenly split workload with Charlie Lindgren (upper body) has hindered Thompson's breakout, but Thompson is expected to get the bulk of the starts with the latter now on the injured list.