NHL Player News

Blackwood stopped 26 of 29 shots in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Stars. The final two goals were empty-netters in the closing minutes of the third period.

Blackwood had a decent outing all things considered, as the game was close until the final two minutes where the Stars scored a pair of empty-netters. Blackwood has made four starts in a row for the Sharks, posting a 1-2-1 record with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 save percentage in that span. It wouldn't be surprising if Blackwood gets some rest in the coming games given his recent workload.

Luukkonen recorded a 23-save shutout in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Kings.

Luukkonen missed about a week with an undisclosed injury, but a light schedule in that span meant he only sat out two games. The 25-year-old was excellent in his return, earning his first shutout of the season and his fourth win in his last six appearances, a span in which he's allowed more than two goals just one time. Luukkonen is up to a 7-4-1 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 13 outings, numbers roughly in line with his breakout performance from 2023-24. He should operate as the Sabres' No. 1 goalie moving forward. The team wraps up its California trip with a back-to-back featuring games in Anaheim on Friday and San Jose on Saturday, so expect Luukkonen and James Reimer to split those starts.

Rittich stopped 18 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Sabres.

Rittich was good while facing a light workload, but Jason Zucker's power-play tally early in the third period was the difference. Rittich has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last five appearances (four starts), but he's taken two losses in that span. The 32-year-old slipped to 6-5-0 through 11 appearances while adding a 2.37 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season. Rittich will continue to see a heavy workload until Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) can return from injured reserve.

Daccord posted a 24-save shutout in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.

Daccord wasn't as busy as Juuse Saros, who stopped 33 of 35 shots. It took the Kraken until late in the second period to get on the board with a Daniel Sprong goal, and that was ultimately all the support Daccord needed. The 28-year-old netminder played in five of the Kraken's six games during this homestand, winning all of his appearances and allowed just eight goals on 131 shots (.939 save percentage) in that span. For the season, he's at a 9-3-1 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .923 save percentage over 13 starts. The Kraken have a two-game road trip up next, beginning with a visit to Los Angeles on Saturday.

Saros allowed two goals on 35 shots in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Kraken. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Saros turned in a strong effort, but the same can't be said for his teammates, who couldn't convert on any of their 24 shots. The 29-year-old has been in net all four times the Predators have been shut out this season, and this was also his second loss of the campaign against the Kraken. Saros is down to 5-9-2 with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 16 outings. The 29-year-old Finn could be in line for a tough matchup when the Predators host the Jets on Saturday.

Saros will protect the road goal versus the Kraken on Wednesday, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros allowed three goals on 27 shots to defeat the Canucks on Sunday for his first win in his last three starts. The 29-year-old has had some rough moments this season, but he's allowed just 10 goals over his last five games despite a 2-2-1 record in that span. The Kraken have won four of their last six games with 18 goals scored in that span.

Ingram (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per the NHL media site.

Ingram will now be out for at least three games due to the injury, including a back-to-back this weekend. Karel Vejmelka will take over as Utah's No. 1 goalie, and Jaxson Stauber could be in line for his first NHL action since the 2022-23 campaign during the team's four-game road trip.

Commesso was reassigned to AHL Rockford on Wednesday.

Commesso served as backup to Arvid Soderblom for Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Ducks while Petr Mrazek was away from the team for personal reasons. The 22-year-old Commesso has yet to make his NHL debut, but he appears to be the top option for a recall whenever the Blackhawks need additional help in the crease.

Kochetkov is expected to start on the road against Philadelphia on Wednesday, according to Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site.

Kochetkov stopped 29 of 30 shots en route to a 4-1 win over St. Louis in his last start Sunday. He's 9-2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 11 outings this season. The Flyers rank 20th offensively with 2.79 goals per game.

Luukkonen will defend the blue paint on the road versus the Kings on Wednesday, per NHL.com.

Prior to getting hurt, Lukkonenen had started nine of the Sabres' last 10 games, and he posted a 6-2-0 record to go with a 2.54 GAA during that time. While the Finnish netminder should get back to seeing a heavy workload moving forward, the addition of James Reimer to the goalie room should provide the coaching staff more confidence to give Luukkonen the occasional night off outside of just back-to-backs.