NHL Player News

Blomqvist gave up three goals on eight shots before being replaced by Alex Nedeljkovic midway through the first period of Monday's 7-1 loss to the Stars.

Dallas scored six times in the first period alone, and the goalie switch did nothing to provide a lift to the Penguins. Blomqvist is 1-4-0 over his last five starts, and through eight appearances on the season he sports a rough 3.61 GAA. but with a more respectable .904 save percentage.

Oettinger stopped 20 shots in Monday's 7-1 win over the Penguins.

The only suspense on the night was whether Oettinger would get his second shutout of the season, as the Stars scored six times in the first period to salt the game away. The 25-year-old netminder has been alternating strong starts with shakier ones of late, but on the season he's still 7-3-0 with a 2.43 GAA and .914 save percentage in 10 outings.

Ersson turned aside 28 shots in regulation and overtime and both shootout attempts he faced in Monday's 4-3 win over the Sharks.

The 25-year-old netminder appeared to have things well in hand when Matvei Michkov gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead early in the second period, but a furious comeback by the Sharks forced extra time. Ersson didn't get rattled, denying Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith in the shootout to secure the victory. Ersson hasn't lost in regulation since Oct. 22, going 4-0-1 over his last six appearances with a 2.27 GAA and .915 save percentage to give him a firm hold on the top job in the crease for Philly.

Vanecek made 40 saves in regulation and overtime and stopped one of three shootout attempts in Monday's 4-3 loss to the Flyers.

The Sharks were staring at a 3-0 deficit early in the second period after Vanecek gave up a breakaway goal to Matvei Michkov, but the veteran netminder kept his focus and gave his team a chance to mount a comeback with some big stops down the stretch -- Philadelphia out-shot San Jose 16-7 in the third period alone. The Sharks' defense remains a problem, and Vanecek has faced 40 or more shots in three of his last five starts, going 2-2-1 during that time with a .912 save percentage but only a 3.33 GAA.

Stezka was brought up from AHL Coachella Valley on an emergency basis Monday.

Stezka will likely serve as Joey Daccord's backup for Tuesday's home matchup against Columbus if Philipp Grubauer (undisclosed) isn't ready to go. Stezka has posted a 2-5-0 record, .894 save percentage and 3.37 GAA with the Firebirds this season. The 2015 fourth-round pick by Minnesota has never made an appearance in the NHL.

Montembeault stopped all four of the shots he faced in a 7-5 win over the Sabres on Monday.

Montembeault entered Monday's game in the third period after Cayden Primeau allowed five goals on 14 shots. The 28-year-old Montembeault halted his five-game (0-4-1) losing skid in only 16:09 of playing time. Montreal visits the Wild on Thursday, and it wouldn't be surprising if Montembeault got the start.

Primeau surrendered five goals on 14 shots in Monday's 7-5 win over Buffalo.

Primeau was replaced in the third period by Sam Montembeault, who made four saves to claim the win. The 25-year-old Primeau has been burned for 11 goals over his last two outings. He has a 1-2-1 record with a 4.67 GAA and an .845 save percentage through seven appearances this season.

Levi allowed two goals on four shots in Monday's 7-5 loss to Montreal. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (undisclosed) stopped 14 of 18 shots before leaving the game, and Montreal's seventh marker was an empty-netter.

Levi was saddled with the loss despite logging just 18:50 of ice time in the game. Following an injury sustained during Sunday's practice, Luukkonen left Monday's game after the second period. Levi could get the nod for Thursday's home matchup versus St. Louis if Luukkonen isn't available.

Luukkonen allowed four goals on 18 shots in Monday's 7-5 loss to Montreal.

Luukkonen was replaced by Devon Levi to begin the third period. Levi surrendered two goals on four shots to receive the loss, and Montreal's seventh tally was an empty-netter. The 25-year-old Luukkonen left the game early after getting nicked up during Sunday's practice, according to Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. An update on Luukkonen's status should come before Thursday's home matchup against the Blues, but the issue may not be anything to worry about.

Kochetkov was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports, indicating he will guard the road goal versus Vegas on Monday.

Kochetkov has won his last six starts, stopping 133 of 147 shots. He has a 7-1-0 record with a 2.51 GAA and an .896 save percentage over eight appearances this season. Vegas ranks second in the league with 4.36 goals per game in 2024-25.