NHL Player News

Ullmark won't be between the pipes for Saturday's road game against Vancouver, according to TSN 1200 Ottawa.

Despite being the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Ullmark will be the backup, and Leevi Merilainen will face the Canucks. The 31-year-old Ullmark will get a breather after stopping 203 of 210 shots during his seven-game winning streak.

Merilainen will guard the road net Saturday against the Canucks, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

It'll be the first start of the year for Merilainen. The 22-year-old netminder last appeared in the NHL in 2022, when he went 0-1-1 while stopping 43 of 49 shots across two games. Merilainen will be tasked with facing a Vancouver team that's averaging 3.09 goals per game this season.

Ullmark will patrol the visiting crease in Vancouver on Saturday, TSN 1200 Ottawa reports.

Ullmark is the hottest goaltender in the NHL of late, as he is 7-0-0 with a 0.99 GAA and a sparkling .967 save percentage. The long winning streak gives Ullmark a 12-7-2 record this season, with a career-high three shutouts, a 2.37 GAA and a .916 save percentage. The Canucks have scored 99 goals in 32 games this season.

Grubauer will defend the road goal against the Golden Knights on Saturday, Jesse Granger of The Athletic reports.

Grubauer surrendered four goals on 30 shots in last Saturday's loss to Tampa Bay. He has a 3-9-0 record with a 3.50 GAA and an .879 save percentage across 12 appearances this season. Vegas ranks sixth in the league with 3.44 goals per game in 2024-25.

Samsonov was the first goaltender off the ice at morning practice and is slated to get the home start versus Seattle on Saturday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Samsonov has won his last two starts, allowing three goals on 42 shots in road wins over Anaheim and Minnesota. Overall, the netminder is 7-3-1 with a 3.06 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 11 appearances this season. The Kraken have scored 96 goals in 34 games this season.

Mrazek will guard the road net Saturday against Calgary, Aaron Vickers of NHL.com reports.

It'll be Mrazek's first start since suffering a groin injury Dec. 7 against Winnipeg. The 32-year-old netminder is 7-11-1 with a 2.83 GAA and a .906 save percentage on the campaign. Mrazek will face a Calgary team that's averaging 2.61 goals per game.

Lankinen was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet 650 reports, indicating he will patrol the home crease Saturday versus Ottawa.

Lankinen stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced in Thursday's loss to Vegas. He has a 14-5-3 record with three shutouts, a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage across 22 appearances this season. Ottawa has won five straight games and is tied with Vancouver for 14th in the league with 3.09 goals per game.

Askarov will patrol the road crease in Edmonton on Saturday, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.

Askarov is considered the Sharks' goaltender of the future. He has started a pair of NHL games this season, going 1-0-1 while allowing four goals on 55 shots. Askarov has excelled at the AHL level this season, as he is 9-4-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .938 save percentage. The Oilers will be a tough matchup for Askarov as they are averaging 3.28 goals per game in 2024-25.

Annunen will protect the home net against the Kings on Saturday, per Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.

Annunen has stopped 62 of 65 shots en route to a 1-1-0 record with Nashville since being acquired from Colorado. He has posted a mark of 7-5-0 with a 2.91 GAA and an .890 save percentage through 13 appearances this season. Los Angeles is tied for 11th in the league with 3.16 goals per game in 2024-25.

Kuemper will defend the visiting crease against Nashville on Saturday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.

Kuemper has gone 4-0-1 since returning from an injury that cost him eight contests from Nov. 16-Dec 4. He is 8-2-4 with a 2.36 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 15 appearances this season. Nashville is the lowest-scoring team in the NHL this season, averaging only 2.30 goals per game.