NHL Player News

Rittich allowed two goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Capitals. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Rittich put forth a decent effort but didn't get enough goal support. He has lost two of his three outings in December, giving up seven goals on 74 shots in those games. Rittich is down to a 10-8-0 record with a 2.46 GAA and an .891 save percentage through 19 appearances as the Kings' defensive structure continues to limit the shots he faces. The Kings return to action with a back-to-back after the holiday break, hosting the Oilers on Saturday and the Flyers on Sunday, so Darcy Kuemper and Rittich can be expected to split those starts.

Thompson stopped 25 of 26 shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Kings.

Thompson gave up a power-play goal to Kevin Fiala in the second period, but that was it. This was Thompson's fifth win over his last seven starts, and he's allowed two goals or fewer in five of those games. For the year, he's at a 13-2-2 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 17 starts. Charlie Lindgren is likely to get the start in Boston on Monday. Thompson will either go Saturday in Toronto or Sunday in Detroit, and it's likely the Capitals will continue to alternate goalies following the holiday break.

Shesterkin allowed two goals on 30 shots in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Since giving up five goals on 21 shots Dec. 14 against the Kings, Shesterkin has allowed only five goals on 101 shots (.950 save percentage) in three subsequent starts, but he's had to settle for a 1-2-0 record since the Rangers have totaled just four goals during that time. The 28-year-old netminder has posted an 11-13-1 record, 2.95 GAA and .913 save percentage this year and will likely have some time off until after the NHL's holiday break since Jonathan Quick will presumably defend the road crease in the second half of a back-to-back set Monday against New Jersey.

Kochetkov turned aside 22 of 23 shots in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

Kochetkov has alternated wins and losses over his eight starts since returning from a four-game absence due to a concussion. After earning his first shutout win of the season Tuesday against the Islanders, he turned aside 19 of 22 shots in a loss to the Capitals on Friday, but he bounced back in the first half of a back-to-back set Sunday. It seems likely that Dustin Tokarski will tend the twine in the second half of the back-to-back set Monday against the Predators, so Kochetkov will likely have several days off before returning to action following the league's holiday break.

Ullmark exited Sunday's road game against Edmonton after the first period due to an upper-body injury.

Ullmark turned aside six of seven shots in the first period, and it was surprising to see Leevi Merilainen take the net to begin the second period, especially considering Ullmark entered Sunday's game on a seven-game winning streak. Ullmark's dealing with an upper-body injury that will force him to miss the remainder of the game. It's unclear whether he'll recover in time to face Winnipeg on Saturday.

Daccord will serve as the starting netminder during Sunday's road game against Colorado, Emerald City Hockey reports.

Daccord has made five starts this month, posting a 2-2-1 record, 2.23 GAA and .917 save percentage during that time. However, he's gone 0-2-1 over his last three outings, so he'll attempt to turn things around the Avalanche, who rank eighth in the NHL with 3.29 goals per game.

Skinner will defend the home crease against Ottawa on Sunday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Skinner has been relatively productive recently, posting a 4-1-0 record, 2.80 GAA and .906 save percentage over his last five starts. The Senators are averaging 3.15 goals per game this season, which ranks 11th in the NHL.

Ullmark will serve as the starting goaltender for Sunday's road game against the Oilers, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ullmark has been on a roll recently, picking up wins in each of his last seven starts. During that time, he's logged a stellar 0.99 GAA and .967 save percentage. He'll attempt to keep his win streak going against the Oilers, who have won seven of their last eight games.

Greaves was recalled by the Blue Jackets on an emergency basis Sunday.

Greaves has made three appearances for the Blue Jackets this year, posting a 0-1-2 record, 3.30 GAA and .896 save percentage. The team hasn't indicated that Elvis Merzlikins or Daniil Tarasov are dealing with injuries, so it's unclear whether Greaves will see any time in the net during his time with the NHL club.

Dostal will defend the road net against Utah on Sunday, according to Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

Dostal is coming off a 21-save performance in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Winnipeg. He has a 7-8-3 record with one shutout, a 2.65 GAA and a .920 save percentage over 18 appearances this season. Utah has posted 3.00 goals per game in 2024-25.