NHL Player News

Bobrovsky will defend the home crease against St. Louis on Friday.

Bobrovsky is 6-1-0 in his last seven starts with a 2.26 GAA and a .910 save percentage. The 36-year-old netminder is 15-6-1 with a 2.89 GAA and an .892 save percentage this season. He will face the Blues, who have scored only 86 times in 34 contests this season.

Merzlikins made 40 saves in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Devils.

The 40 stops were a season high for the 30-year-old netminder, and he nearly notched his second shutout of the season, as Luke Hughes didn't get New Jersey on the board until there were less than three minutes left in the third period. Merzlikins remains tough to rely on -- he'd allowed four or more goals in three of his prior four outings -- but he still shows occasional flashes of his early-career form. On the season, Merzlikins is 10-9-2 with a 3.05 GAA and .891 save percentage as Columbus' No. 1 goalie.

Hildeby was reassigned to AHL Toronto on Friday.

Hildeby has made three appearances for the Leafs this season and is sporting a 2-1-0 record, 3.69 GAA and .875 save percentage. With Toronto entering a back-to-back, it seems the team was more comfortable utilizing Matt Murray, who was called up in a corresponding move, versus the Sabres or Islanders on Friday or Saturday, respectively, than the 23-year-old Hildeby.

Allen stopped 16 of 19 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets, with Columbus' last goal coming into an empty net.

New Jersey outshot the home squad 42-20 on the night, but the Devils' offense couldn't solve Elvis Merzlikins until late in the third period, at which point they were already down 3-0. Allen has lost three straight starts, giving up 12 goals on only 74 shots (.838 save percentage) during that span, and his last win came back on Nov. 23. The 34-year-old is on the last year of his current contract, and if he continues to struggle the Devils may look to the trade market for a new backup to Jacob Markstrom.

Hofer stopped all seven shots he faced in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Lightning after replacing Jordan Binnington.

Hofer has looked the better of the Blues' two netminders of late, going 4-0-0 with a 1.80 GAA and .929 save percentage in his last five outings. With a back-to-back on the schedule, Hofer will likely be right back at it versus the Panthers on the road Friday and could even steal away some additional starts with another strong outing.

Skinner turned aside 24 of 26 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime win over the Bruins.

Skinner allowed a pair of even-strength goals in the first period, but he shut the door the rest of the way as the Oilers completed the comeback in overtime. It was an encouraging bounce-back performance for the 26-year-old, as he allowed six goals on 28 shots in his last start against the Panthers on Monday. The Alberta native is up to a 12-8-2 record, .893 save percentage and 2.93 GAA through 22 appearances. Skinner and the Oilers have a back-to-back set against the Sharks and Senators on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Calvin Pickard will likely draw one of those starts.

Swayman made 23 saves on 26 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers.

The Bruins had a 2-1 lead late in the third period, but Connor McDavid tied the score with 2:21 remaining. Mattias Ekholm scored in overtime to complete the comeback for Edmonton. Swayman has been relatively solid in December, posting a 5-1-1 record while turning aside 157 of 180 shots on net. The 26-year-old allowed eight goals in a loss to Winnipeg on Dec. 10, which deflated his numbers during that stretch. Overall, the Alaska native is 11-10-3 with an .887 save percentage and a 3.13 GAA through 24 appearances.

Georgiev stopped 27 of 31 shots in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Avalanche.

It looked like Georgiev might pull off a revenge win for a bit, as the Sharks led 2-1 after two periods. The Avalanche put three past him in the third, including a pair of goals from Joel Kiviranta that showed why Colorado was willing to flip him for Mackenzie Blackwood. Georgiev is now 9-9-0 through 21 appearances including 1-2-0 with 11 goals allowed on 84 shots over his first three starts as a Shark. He's registered a 3.44 GAA and a .873 save percentage this season, and those marks are unlikely to improve much playing behind a young and porous defense. The Sharks have another tough matchup in Edmonton on Saturday.

Blackwood stopped 32 of 34 shots in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Sharks.

Blackwood's third start with the Avalanche came against the team that traded him away earlier in the month. The Sharks led 2-1 after two periods, but the Avalanche rallied to support their goalie, who had another strong showing between the pipes. Blackwood has allowed exactly two goals in each of his three starts with his new team, going 2-1-0. For the year, he's 8-10-3 with a 2.87 GAA and a .915 save percentage over 22 contests. It'll likely be Scott Wedgewood in goal for Friday's game versus the Ducks.

Lankinen allowed two goals on 20 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Lankinen returned from an illness and put in a good effort to keep the game even through two periods. William Karlsson had the game-winning goal early in the third period, sending Lankinen to his third loss in his last five outings. The 29-year-old netminder dropped to 14-5-3 with a 2.50 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 22 games. Thatcher Demko will likely start Saturday versus the Senators, and it's possible the Canucks opt for some sort of timeshare in the crease now that both goalies are healthy.