NHL Player News

Forsberg (undisclosed) won't travel with the Senators on their upcoming road trip and remains without a timeline for return, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports.

The Senators will be without their backup netminder as they start a nine-game road trip Tuesday in Seattle. Leevi Merilainen was recalled from AHL Belleville to serve as Linus Ullmark's backup in Forsberg's absence.

Saros stopped 29 of 32 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche, with Colorado's final two goals getting scored into an empty net.

The 29-year-old netminder kept the Avs off the board in the first period and through the first half of the second, but the Predators' defense began to break down after that. Saros hasn't given up fewer than three goals in eight straight starts, going 0-5-3 over that stretch with a 3.40 GAA and .885 save percentage, but the issues have more to do with the team in front of him than his own play -- especially with Roman Josi (lower body), Alexandre Carrier (upper body) and Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) all currently sidelined.

Oettinger made 15 saves in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.

Jordan Kyrou got a puck past Oettinger midway through the first period just after a St. Louis power play had expired, but the netminder was mostly untroubled the rest of the way -- the Blues generated only nine shots on net over the final two frames of regulation, and none in OT. Oettinger has allowed three goals or fewer in seven straight starts, going 4-3-0 over that stretch with a 2.30 GAA and .909 save percentage.

Binnington turned aside 35 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Stars.

Jordan Kyrou gave St. Louis an early lead by beating Jake Oettinger just after a power play had expired midway through the first period, but Dallas dominated the rest of the game and eventually banked the win on a great individual effort by Matt Duchene in OT. Binnington has just one win in his last five starts, going 1-2-2 with a 3.19 GAA and .899 save percentage, while Joel Hofer has won his last three outings, but as yet there's been no suggestion a switch at the top of the Blues depth chart is on the horizon.

Greaves stopped 23 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks.

Making his second straight start since being recalled from AHL Cleveland, Greaves didn't get a lot of help from his defense, and Anaheim's OT winner came on an Alex Killorn breakaway. Elvis Merzlikins (3.06 GAA and .888 save percentage) and Daniil Tarasov (4.25 GAA and .857 save percentage) have had shaky starts to the season, so the door could be open for Greaves to work his way to the top of the Columbus depth chart if he can string together some good outings. So far so good for the 23-year-old netminder, who has allowed six goals on 64 shots since his promotion.

Gibson made 39 saves in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blue Jackets.

Columbus grabbed a 3-2 lead midway through the third period as the home squad out-shot Anaheim 17-5 in the final frame of regulation, but Gibson held on and gave the Ducks a chance to tie it up and eventually win it on an Alex Killorn breakaway in OT. Gibson had lost his last four starts, and since an appendectomy cost him roughly the first month of the season, the veteran netminder has gone 5-4-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .906 save percentage while splitting the crease with Lukas Dostal.

Merilainen was recalled from AHL Belleville on Sunday.

Merilainen will accompany Ottawa on the team's four-game road trip before the holiday break. Anton Forsberg (undisclosed) didn't make his scheduled start against Pittsburgh on Saturday after suffering an injury while warming up for the game. With Forsberg staying behind for the trip, Linus Ullmark will likely see an increased workload.

Skinner stopped 38 of 41 shots in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Golden Knights.

The offense gave Skinner enough support, but the 26-year-old was impressive between the pipes en route to extending his winning streak to three contests. Winning stretch aside, Skinner has posted a save percentage above .925 in six games in a row, going 5-1-0 with a 1.68 GAA and a .942 save percentage in that span.

Hill stopped 28 of 34 shots in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

This was Hill's worst performance of the season, and this defeat also snapped his four-game winning streak. The Oilers are a tough matchup for any team in the league due to their star-studded offense, so fantasy managers shouldn't be overly concerned about Hill's upside going forward. He's gone 3-1-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .918 save percentage in four December starts.

Ullmark stopped 25 of 27 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Penguins.

Ullmark has been outstanding in recent weeks, and the 31-year-old extended his winning streak to five games with another excellent display in the Senators' crease. Winning run aside, Ullmark has posted a save percentage above the .900 mark in his last seven outings, going 6-0-1 with an elite 1.55 GAA and a .950 save percentage in that stretch. The Swede has been one of the best goaltenders in fantasy since the beginning of December.