NHL Player News

Bobrovsky stopped 37 of 39 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes, with Carolina's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

Neither goal could be blamed on the veteran netminder -- the first deflected in off Aleksander Barkov, while the second was scored when Bobrovsky was impeded in his crease by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was pinned to the ice by Matthew Tkachuk. Bobrovsky has been sharp overall since rejoining the Panthers in early December following the birth of his child. Over his last nine starts, he's gone 6-3-0 with a 2.31 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Soderblom will defend the home crease against Montreal on Friday, Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio reports.

Soderblom went on a three-game winning streak in mid-December, but he's cooled off since then, going 0-2-0 with a 3.79 GAA and .882 save percentage over his last three appearances. Despite his recent struggles, he's seen more playing time than usual over the past few weeks since Petr Mrazek has been held out of the win column over the past month. Friday's start will be Soderblom's third over Chicago's last five games.

Kochetkov turned aside 25 shots in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Panthers.

An Anton Lundell tally early in the second period spoiled his shutout bid, but otherwise Kochetkov was sharp as he collected his 15th win of the season. The 25-year-old goalie has allowed three goals or less in seven of his last eight starts, going 4-3-1 over that stretch with a 2.02 GAA and .919 save percentage, and a prolonged absence for Frederik Andersen (knee) has given Kochetkov the opportunity to cement his hold on the top job in the Carolina crease.

Quick stopped 32 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Bruins.

The veteran netminder went the entire month of December without picking up a win, but Quick's first start in January was a lot more successful and only an Elias Lindholm tally in the second period prevented him from collecting his third shutout of the season. With Igor Shesterkin (upper body) on the shelf, Quick will handle the starting duties for the Rangers in the short term, and regular work might help him find some consistency -- over his last eight appearances, he's stumbled to a 3.57 GAA and .874 save percentage.

Swayman made 25 saves in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers.

The Blueshirts struck twice in the first period, and while Swayman shut the door the rest of the way, the Bruins' offense couldn't climb out of the hole. The 26-year-old netminder has allowed three goals or less in seven straight outings, posting a 4-2-1 record with a 1.71 GAA and .921 save percentage over that stretch as he tightens his hold on the No. 1 job in the Boston crease.

Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of 25 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Sharks.

It wasn't a bad performance, but it was a bad result as the Lightning's offense came up flat against one of the worst teams in the league. Vasilevskiy has given up no more than three goals in nine straight outings, going 6-3-0 in those contests. For the season, he's at a 16-11-1 record with a 2.38 GAA and a .913 save percentage through 28 appearances. The Lightning have a back-to-back up next with stops in Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday. Look for Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson to split those games, and likely in that order if head coach Jon Cooper wants to match his top goalie against the tougher opponent.

Askarov stopped 24 of 25 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Lightning.

Askarov wasn't tested too much, but he still pulled off quite the feat in quieting one of the league's best offenses. This was Askarov's first win since he was called up to cover the absence of Vitek Vanecek (face). For the season, Askarov is 2-2-2 with a 2.35 GAA and a .921 save percentage over six outings. The 22-year-old should continue to push Alexandar Georgiev for playing time, though another tough matchup awaits in Saturday's matinee home game versus the Devils.

Grubauer allowed three goals on 22 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks.

Grubauer had won his last two starts, but he came up just short Thursday. The Kraken pulled off another multi-goal comeback to earn a standings point, but Grubauer allowed the only shootout tally to J.T. Miller to take the loss. Grubauer slipped to 5-10-1 with a 3.50 GAA and an .877 save percentage over 16 starts this season. He's actually struggled under lighter workloads -- he's 2-6-1 when facing fewer than 30 shots compared to 3-4-0 when facing 30 or more shots, though his ratios are similar in those splits.

Lankinen stopped 13 of 15 shots he faced in relief of Thatcher Demko (back) in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Kraken.

Lankinen squandered a two-goal lead in the third period, but he stepped up in overtime and turned aside all three Seattle attempts in the shootout. The 29-year-old entered the game just before the midway mark in the second period after Demko's back started to give him trouble. It's probable Lankinen will start Friday versus his former team, the Predators. If the Canucks have to call up a goalie from AHL Abbotsford, likely Arturs Silovs, it would require a trip from Laval, Quebec, where the minor-league team is scheduled for road games Friday and Saturday. Lankinen is now 15-6-4 with a 2.60 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 25 appearances this season, his most games played in three years.

Kolosov stopped 22 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Golden Knights. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Kolosov has gone 0-3-0 with 16 goals allowed on 86 shots (.814 save percentage) over his last five appearances, which includes three starts. The 22-year-old netminder is filling in as the Flyers' top goalie while Samuel Ersson (lower body) is out. Kolosov has a 4-8-1 record with a 3.45 GAA and an .870 save percentage through 15 outings this season. Even if he's seeing an increased workload, he's not a reliable fantasy option, especially with the Flyers facing the Maple Leafs twice and the Stars once over their next three games.