NHL Player News

Annunen will protect the road goal versus the Flames on Saturday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Annunen is set to start the second half of a back-to-back after Juuse Saros pitched a shutout Friday in Vancouver. The 24-year-old Annunen allowed five goals on 38 shots against the Wild on Tuesday, taking the loss while playing in a back-to-back situation again. The Predators' schedule stretches out a bit after Saturday, so Annunen may not see as much playing time in the near future.

Markstrom made 21 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on Saturday.

Markstrom has lost two in a row, but he remains third in the NHL with a sparkling 2.18 GAA and second in wins (19). His team wasn't great in front of him, and there were some unlucky bounces off the officials that contributed to San Jose's goals. Plus the winning goal went in with just 25 seconds left in the third period. Markstrom will leave this behind him and be dialed in next time out.

Pickard will start on the road versus the Kraken on Saturday, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reports.

Pickard will get the nod in the second half of a back-to-back after Stuart Skinner won on home ice over the Ducks on Friday. Pickard has routinely started once every three to four games since the start of November, going 5-3-0 with a 2.53 GAA and an .899 save percentage in that span. Saturday's contest is the start of a four-game road trip for the Oilers.

Vasilevskiy will protect the road goal versus the Kings on Saturday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Vasilevskiy is 4-2-0 with a 2.36 GAA and a .922 save percentage over his last six games. The 30-year-old has been sharp lately, but the Kings' defense rarely gives much ground, so goal support could be hard to come by. On the other hand, the Kings can also do some damage on offense -- they've scored 22 goals over their last six contests.

Kuemper is expected to start at home against Tampa Bay on Saturday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.

Kuemper has a 10-2-5 record, 2.29 GAA and .914 save percentage in 18 outings in 2024-25. He's coming off a 33-save shutout over New Jersey on Wednesday. The Lightning lead the league in goals per game with 3.86.

Askarov made 29 saves in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Devils.

Nico Hischier beat Askarov with a tap-in on a second-period power play, and Paul Cotter went far side in the third. Askarov has won two straight starts this week, defeating the Lightning and the Devils. He will remain with the Sharks while Vitek Vanecek recovers from a fractured cheekbone. Alexandar Georgiev could still cut into Askarkov's playing time, but the latter will likely continue to play while he has the hot hand.

Thompson turned aside 29 of 33 shots in Saturday's 7-4 home win over the Rangers.

It wasn't the prettiest performance, but Thompson has won his last four starts and is up to a sterling 16-2-2 record in 20 appearances thus far in the 2024-25 season. Due to Washington's goalie rotation, Charlie Lindgren will probably get the call for Monday's road showdown against Buffalo.

Lyon will start on the road versus the Jets on Saturday.

Lyon has won his last two starts, allowing just two goals in each outing. The 32-year-old will have a tough task Saturday against the Jets. Winnipeg has scored 22 goals in six games en route to a 4-1-1 record going into Saturday's matchup.

Blackwood will protect the home goal versus the Canadiens on Saturday.

Blackwood has won his last five outings, with the most recent one being a relief appearance against the Sabres on Thursday. The 28-year-old will be back between the pipes as a starter Saturday, and he could see a heavy workload as long as Scott Wedgewood (lower body) is out.

Dobes will guard the road goal against Colorado on Saturday.

Dobes earned a 34-save shutout in his NHL debut last Saturday en route to a 4-0 victory against Florida. The Panthers are one of the league's best teams, and the Avalanche are a similarly difficult assignment. Colorado is 24-15-0 and ranks fifth in goals per game with 3.46.