NHL Player News

Sorokin turned aside 28 shots in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Hurricanes.

The Islanders took a 4-2 lead into the third period, and Sorokin had to stand on his head to make it hold up -- Carolina out-shot New York 19-2 in the final frame, but the 29-year-old netminder didn't let a puck get by him until there were just 49 seconds left in the game and the 'Canes had their goalie pulled for an extra attacker. Sorokin has started four straight games with Semyon Varlamov (lower body) unavailable, going 2-1-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .910 save percentage, and he could play again Sunday in Ottawa.

Kochetkov stopped 21 shots in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Islanders.

Three goals in the back half of the second period gave New York a 4-2 lead, and while the Hurricanes absolutely dominated the third by out-shooting the Isles 19-2, Carolina couldn't find an equalizer. Kochetkov has lost two of three starts since returning from a concussion, giving up 11 goals on just 72 shots over that stretch, but with Frederik Andersen (knee) sidelined until late January at the earliest, the younger netminder has little competition for the top spot in the Carolina crease.

Soderblom allowed three goals on 24 shots to take the loss Saturday against the Jets after replacing Petr Mrazek (undisclosed) midway through the first period.

Soderblom inherited a 1-0 lead and headed into the first intermission with Chicago ahead 2-1, but the home squad managed to get just six total shots on net over the final two frames, eventually falling 4-2 to Winnipeg. Initial reports on Mrazek suggest he'll miss some additional time, so Soderblom will likely be between the pipes Monday on the road against the Rangers, with Mitchell Weeks or Drew Commesso likely getting the call from AHL Rockford to back him up. Through eight appearances this season, Soderblom is just 1-6-1 despite a more than respectable 2.60 GAA and .915 save percentage, and he hasn't allowed more than three goals in any of his outings.

Hellebuyck made 12 saves in Saturday's 4-2 win over Chicago.

The home squad got two pucks by Hellebuyck in the first period, then totaled only six shots on net over the final 40 minutes as the Jets completely dominated. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner seems intent on a repeat -- he leads the NHL with 17 wins, four clear of second place, and only Filip Gustavsson has a better GAA or save percentage on the season than Hellebuyck's 2.13 and .925 marks.

Binnington surrendered four goals on 22 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Oilers.

A bad line change and a turnover led to the Oilers' first two goals, and they scored their third on the power play. That was too much for Binnington and the Blues to come back from, though their third-period effort was a good attempt. Inconsistency remains the theme with Binnington -- he's 4-3-1 over his last eight outings, allowing three or more goals four times in that span. He's now 8-10-2 with a 2.93 GAA and an .897 save percentage through 21 starts, numbers far too similar to his 2022-23 performance rather than his much better 2023-24. The Blues will wrap up their four-game road trip Tuesday in Vancouver.

Skinner stopped 29 of 31 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blues.

Skinner has won four of his last six starts, allowing two or fewer goals on five occasions. The 26-year-old allowed two goals in the third period but held the lead to the finish. Skinner is now 9-7-2 with a 2.92 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 18 contests. He's taken a similar path to last season when he started slow and improved over time for the rest of the campaign. The Oilers' next game is at home Tuesday versus the Lightning.

Fleury gave up two goals on 32 shots in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Kings. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Fleury did his part to give the Wild a fighting chance, but the Kings gave them no quarter. As a result, the veteran netminder earned his first regulation loss of the season, dropping him to 5-1-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .910 save percentage over seven starts. He's had a light workload because Filip Gustavsson has been one of the best goalies in the league, leaving no room for Fleury to take on a larger role. The Wild play four times between Tuesday and Sunday, Dec. 15, including a weekend back-to-back, so Fleury probably won't have to wait long for his next start.

Kuemper stopped 22 of 23 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Wild.

The Kings had a couple of empty-net goals to make it look easier than it was. Kuemper worked with a thin lead for much of the game, but he was up to the task of quieting one of the hottest teams in the league -- the Wild had won five in a row prior to this contest. This was Kuemper's first action since Nov. 13 due to an undisclosed injury, which cost him seven contests before he served as the backup netminder Wednesday against the Stars. Kuemper is 5-2-3 with a 2.50 GAA and a .907 save percentage through 11 starts. The Kings may opt to alternate their goalies given Kuemper's injury woes and David Rittich's strong performance so far. They begin a seven-game road trip against the Islanders on Tuesday.

Ullmark stopped 37 of 38 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Predators.

Ullmark came within 1:57 of his second shutout with the Senators, but Fedor Svechkov spoiled it. This was Ullmark's third win in his last four outings, and he's allowed just eight goals in that span. The 31-year-old improved to 7-7-2 with a 2.81 GAA and an .898 save percentage through 17 appearances (16 starts) this season. Anton Forsberg will likely get the nod Sunday versus the Islanders, but Ullmark could be in line for a soft matchup against the Ducks on Wednesday.

Luukkonen made 23 saves in a 5-2 loss to Utah on Saturday.

The Sabres are on a skid -- they've lost six straight games and been outscored 21-11 in that span. Luukkonen himself hasn't won since Nov. 22; he's 0-3-2 in that span with 18 goals allowed. UPL is a talented guy, but that talent can't save a team that's in a spiral. Park him on your bench until the Sabres start to get their game back.