NHL Player News

Lindgren allowed three goals on 33 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Minnesota.

Lindgren allowed two goals at even strength and one shorthanded. The shorthanded tally by Minnesota was a result of Lindgren misplaying the puck behind the net -- Yakov Trenin was able to capitalize on Lindgren's mistake to give the Wild a 2-1 lead late in the first period. The 31-year-old Lindgren is mired in his toughest stretch of the season, as he's 0-2-1 across his last three starts while allowing 10 goals in that span. Through 19 appearances in 2024-25, Lindgren has a 10-8-1 record, 2.70 GAA and .900 save percentage.

Merilainen made 21 saves in a 4-2 loss to Dallas on Thursday.

It was a tough night for Merilainen, who had won both of his starts so far this season. However, his teammates mustered just 13 shots on Jake Oettinger at the other end of the ice, and few goalies can win with that little effort from his teammates. Anton Forsberg, who hadn't dressed for six games due to a lower-body injury, returned as his backup and will likely get the team's next start.

Fleury made 28 saves on 31 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout win over the Capitals.

Minnesota was trailing 3-2 in the final frame before Marco Rossi tied the game at 11:19. Fleury stood tall in the extra frame and stopped all three shots that he faced in the shootout. This was just Fleury's second win in his last six starts, and he'll try to turn the page in the new calendar year after posting a 1-3-0 record, 3.05 GAA and .886 save percentage over five appearances in December. Overall, the 40-year-old netminder is sporting a 7-3-1 record, 2.81 GAA and .898 save percentage through 12 appearances this season.

Samsonov allowed two goals on 25 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Flyers.

Samsonov has now won his last five starts, allowing a total of seven goals on 121 shots (.942 save percentage) in that span. The 27-year-old's current streak accounts for half of his victories this season -- he's 10-3-1 with a 2.69 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 14 outings this season. Samsonov has started half of Vegas' last eight games and may be working his way into a 50-50 timeshare with Adin Hill. The Golden Knights' next game is Saturday versus the Sabres.

Demko left Thursday's game versus the Kraken due to back spasms, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports.

While it's not an encouraging update, it's far from a worst-case scenario, which would be a recurrence of his knee injury. Demko can be considered day-to-day for now and likely won't start versus the Predators on Friday, though it's unclear if he'll be healthy enough to back up in that contest.

Oettinger made 11 saves in a 4-2 win over Ottawa on Thursday.

Oettinger wobbled briefly in the first period and allowed both Senators' goals in a span of just 24 seconds. However, the 26-year-old netminder was barely challenged after that. He did stop Ridly Greig on a point-blank redirect on the power play in the second to keep the score 2-1. Oettinger also needed to be sharp to stop Shane Pinto on a shorthanded breakaway in the third to prevent a comeback. Oettinger is seventh in the NHL with a 2.37 GAA, and his 18 wins are third behind Connor Hellebuyck (24) and Jacob Markstrom (19).

Vladar stopped 21 of 25 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to Utah.

Vladar lost his fourth straight outing (0-3-1), and he's given up 17 goals in that span. Allowing two goals in a span of 1:58 early in the third period did him in this time around. Vladar is 6-8-5 with a 3.08 GAA and an .888 save percentage over 19 starts this season. It'll likely be Dustin Wolf's turn between the pipes Saturday versus the Predators -- the Flames have alternated starts for their goalies since the holiday break.

Vejmelka stopped 23 of 26 shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Flames.

With this victory, Vejmelka ended a three-game skid in which he gave up nine goals on 96 shots. It wasn't a particularly sharp performance, but Utah's three-goal third period was enough to secure the win. Vejmelka is now 9-10-2 with a 2.43 GAA and a .915 save percentage through 23 appearances this season. Utah's next game is Saturday in Dallas to wrap up a four-game road trip.

Demko left Thursday's game versus the Kraken in the second period due to an undisclosed injury, per Canucks Insider.

Demko was involved in a collision in the first period but was able to stay in the game for a bit. However, he left shortly after the Canucks took a 2-1 lead, which suggests he is dealing with an injury -- he stopped 11 of 12 shots, so his exit is not performance-related. Given Demko's lengthy injury history, including a knee injury that cost him nearly two months to begin 2024-25, there is plenty of reason for concern. The Canucks play again Friday at home versus the Predators before embarking on a five-game road trip. If Demko is ruled out for any length of time, Arturs Silovs will likely join the NHL roster to help Kevin Lankinen with the goaltending duties.

Sorokin made 29 saves in a 2-1 regulation loss to the Maple Leafs on Thursday.

The bottom line for Sorokin is grim. The Isles lack the kind of depth or offensive talent to compete most nights, and that means that Sorokin needs to be near-perfect to get his team a win. The Isles are tied for last in the Metropolitan Division, and their 14 wins tie them with Buffalo for the fourth-worst total in the NHL right now. They have scored just 103 goals in 39 games. Sorokin is an elite talent on a very bad team, and for the first time in his career, he isn't able to be a difference-maker for them. Now may be the time for keeper and dynasty managers to inquire about his availability, especially if they're rebuilding. Sorokin is just 29, and he has many, many great years ahead of him.