NHL Player News

Merzlikins will defend the home crease versus Pittsburgh on Friday, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.

Merzlikins is 2-5-1 with one shutout, a 3.03 GAA and an .896 save percentage this season for the lowly Blue Jackets. He has started six of the previous eight games ahead of Friday's tilt. The Penguins are averaging 2.72 goals, 21st in the NHL.

Shesterkin made 25 saves in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.

The 28-year-old had little chance on either goal, as the first came on a deflected shot that wobbled through heavy traffic over Shesterkin's shoulder, and the second was scored during a 6-on-4 power play in the final minute of the game after San Jose had pulled its netminder. Shesterkin appeared to be back on track after conceding 10 goals over his prior two starts, and on the season he's 7-4-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Blackwood turned aside 32 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

The 27-year-old netminder kept his team in the game with some big saves, but the Sharks' offense came up short. Blackwood has given up three goals or less in six of his last seven starts, posting an impressive 2.48 GAA and .925 save percentage over that stretch, but he has just a 3-4-0 record to show for it.

Ullmark stopped 14 shots in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers.

The Senators out-shot the visitors 37-19, but the lack of action may have cost Ullmark in the end, as Matvei Michkov's OT winner came from a sharp angle when the veteran netminder failed to squeeze the post. It's the third time in 10 outings this season that Ullmark has given up five goals, and he's 4-4-1 to begin his Ottawa tenure with a 2.77 GAA and a disappointing .890 save percentage.

Fedotov made 33 saves in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Senators.

Two of Ottawa's goals came on power plays, and Fedotov didn't have much chance on the even-strength tallies, either. The 27-year-old still came up with enough stops to earn his second straight win after an 0-3-0 start to the season. With Samuel Ersson (lower body) banged up again, Fedotov could be in line for more work in the short term, but his 3.99 GAA and .862 save percentage through five appearances remain discouraging from a fantasy perspective.

Oettinger stopped 23 of 25 shots in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Bruins.

Oettinger gave up goals in the first and third periods, but he didn't need to be at his best in this matchup since the Stars scored seven goals for the second consecutive game. Oettinger has made four straight starts and could be due for some rest ahead of Saturday's matchup at Minnesota. Over his last four starts, the star netminder has gone 3-1-0 with a 2.30 GAA and a .908 save percentage.

Swayman stopped 31 of 38 shots in Thursday's 7-2 loss to the Stars.

Swayman gave up a season-high mark in goals and had a disastrous performance overall, giving up at least two goals each period. He entered this game posting the worst numbers of his career in several categories, and this outing made his season-long marks even worse. He's now 1-2-1 with a 3.75 GAA and an .875 save percentage over his last four starts.

Binnington allowed four goals on 33 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Sabres.

Buffalo put three past Binnington at even strength in regulation before scoring on the power play in overtime. After winning back-to-back games to start November, Binnington has allowed at least three goals in three consecutive losses. The 31-year-old appears to be entrenched as the Blues' No. 1 netminder, though, as he's made 12 starts to Joel Hofer's five. Binnington is 4-7-1 with an .886 save percentage and a 3.31 GAA through 13 appearances.

Levi stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Blues.

Levi made his sixth appearance of the season Thursday and picked up his second win in the process. The 22-year-old had lost three consecutive contests before Rasmus Dahlin buried the winning goal in overtime. Levi will be hard to trust due to his lack of consistent playing time -- his last start before Thursday was Nov. 1. The Quebec native is sporting a 2-4-0 record, .870 save percentage and 3.87 GAA.

Lankinen stopped 27 of 31 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

The Canucks were listless through two periods before finding a bit more juice in the third. The damage had already been done, and Lankinen ended up on the hook for his second regulation loss in three games. The 29-year-old is 8-2-2 on the year while posting a 2.60 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 12 contests, but he's started to turn inconsistent amid his heavy workload early in the season. Arturs Silovs hasn't put in a competitive effort in the backup role, so Lankinen is likely to continue starting regularly. Both goalies should feature during this weekend's back-to-back as the Canucks host the Blackhawks on Saturday and the Predators on Sunday.