NHL Player News

Kochetkov turned aside 25 shots in regulation and overtime and two of four shootout attempts in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.

The 25-year-old netminder has hit a rough patch to close out 2024. Kochetkov has just one win in his last four starts, going 1-2-1 with a 2.76 GAA and .885 save percentage, although Tuesday's result was mostly just bad luck -- one Columbus goal deflected in off Seth Jarvis, and another came after Brent Burns inadvertently bumped into Kochetkov and put him on his keester inside his own net, leaving him woefully out of position for Kirill Marchenko's shot. With Frederik Andersen (knee) still at least a couple months away from returning however, and the Hurricanes seemingly reluctant to use Dustin Tokarski outside of back-to-back scenarios, Kochetkov will continue to be leaned on heavily in the new year.

Georgiev stopped 30 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Flyers.

The Sharks are on an eight-game losing streak, and Georgiev has been between the pipes in four of those contests, posting a 4.36 GAA and a .872 save percentage in that stretch. His numbers have decreased considerably since being traded from the Avalanche to San Jose on Dec. 9. He posted a 3.38 GAA across 18 outings with the Avs, but that number has risen to 4.08 in five appearances with San Jose.

Lyon made 23 saves in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Penguins.

Twice the Red Wings grabbed one-goal leads only to see the Pens tie it up, but after a power-play tally for Pittsburgh early in the third period, Lyon slammed the door shut. The veteran netminder has looked good since Christmas, giving up four goals on 54 shots over three outings (two starts) while going 2-0-0. With Cam Talbot struggling to find his form, Lyon appears to be the top option right now in the crease for Detroit.

Kolosov stopped the seven shots he faced during the third period in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Sharks.

Samuel Ersson left Tuesday's game against the Sharks after the second period. While it's uncertain if he's dealing with an injury, that would seem to be the case since he departed the contest after stopping all 15 shots he faced in the first two periods versus San Jose. Kolosov will likely operate as the No. 1 netminder for the Flyers if Ersson is forced to miss time.

Nedeljkovic stopped 21 of 24 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Red Wings, with Detroit's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

The 28-year-old netminder got little defensive help on the night -- the Wings' first goal came on a clean breakaway by Jonatan Berggren, while the other two pucks to get past Nedeljkovic came on power plays. He wraps up December having made only four starts to Tristan Jarry's nine on the month, but Nedeljkovic's 2.77 GAA and .907 save percentage could be tipping the playing-time split back in his direction, as he's been between the pipes for back-to-back contests.

Lankinen allowed two goals on 28 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Flames. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Lankinen has taken three straight losses (0-2-1), allowing nine goals on 70 shots in that span. This was the second time in that stretch the Canucks have given him just one goal of support. The Finnish netminder is down to 14-6-4 with a 2.59 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 24 outings this season. Thatcher Demko is likely to get the nod Thursday in Seattle, though he was in net for Saturday's third-period meltdown against the Kraken.

Wolf allowed one goal on 24 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Canucks.

Wolf has won three straight starts, allowing six goals on 74 shots in that span. He went 4-1-1 in December, though he allowed four or more goals in three of those games. Consistency hasn't been a strong suit for Wolf recently, but he has generally looked NHL-ready in his first full campaign with the Flames. He's 12-5-2 with a 2.61 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 19 appearances. The Flames' next game is Thursday at home versus Utah.

Stauber allowed three goals on 37 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Oilers. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Stauber took his first regulation loss of the season, but he put in a decent performance against a tough opponent. He's allowed nine goals on 120 shots over four appearances, good for a .925 save percentage. Stauber continues to see limited time behind Karel Vejmelka, and his NHL time could be coming to a close soon since Connor Ingram (upper body) began a conditioning loan with AHL Tucson on Tuesday. Utah doesn't have another back-to-back until Jan. 23 and 24, and it's likely Ingram will be healthy by then. Stauber is waivers-exempt, so Utah won't have any trouble getting him back to the AHL.

Annunen made 33 saves in a 5-3 loss to the Wild on Tuesday.

Annunen and the Preds gave up three power-play goals, and the team spent too much time in the penalty box on a night where the PK wasn't as good as it could have been. Annunen is now 2-2-0 with his new club, and he sports a 2.58 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Everyone has a bad night every once in a while, so throw this game out. Annunen is typically a solid fantasy play for daily leagues.

Skinner stopped 26 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over Utah.

Skinner won six of his nine outings in December, allowing just 21 goals for the month. The 26-year-old has rounded into form after a slow start to the campaign, and the Oilers' offense often provides strong support. Skinner is now 14-8-3 with a 2.81 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 25 starts in 2024-25. The Oilers have a favorable back-to-back coming up next -- they host the Ducks on Friday before visiting the Kraken on Saturday, so both Skinner and Calvin Pickard will be solid fantasy plays during that set.