NHL Player News

Blackwood stopped 37 of 39 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Ducks. The third goal was an empty-netter.

Blackwood remains winless (0-2-2) through four appearances, but this was much better than when he allowed five goals on 18 shots versus the Jets last Friday. The 27-year-old netminder will continue to struggle to earn wins behind a poor Sharks team, and he can't be counted on to provide steady ratios. Head coach Ryan Warsofsky has rotated his goalies evenly so far, so it's likely Blackwood will watch Thursday's game versus the Kings from the bench before returning to the crease Saturday in Vegas.

Hildeby made 32 saves in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

The Leafs were a step behind the Jackets from the opening face-off. The Jackets are fast and aggressive, and the entire Leafs team failed the Hildebeast on Tuesday. Joseph Woll (groin) is set to return this week from injured reserve, so Hildeby will be sent down to the AHL shortly.

Dostal stopped 27 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Sharks.

Dostal continues to win the games he should, with two of his three victories this year coming against the Sharks. His shutout bid was broken up by Mikael Granlund in the third period, but Leo Carlsson quickly restored the Ducks' lead. Dostal is 3-1-1 with 11 goals allowed on 172 shots over five appearances. John Gibson (abdomen) is expected to travel on the Ducks' upcoming four-game road trip, so Dostal may not be the unquestioned No. 1 goalie for much longer, but he's played well enough to warrant his fair share of starts going forward.

Tarasov made 26 saves in a 6-2 win over Toronto on Tuesday.

Tarasov was solid, but it really was a team game. The Jackets had the Leafs on their heels because of their speed through the neutral zone. The Leafs didn't get their first goal until 18:59 of the second period. Tarasov has delivered a 3-1-0 record with a 3.29 GAA and an .888 save percentage.

Nedeljkovic stopped 22 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flames.

Nedeljkovic twice allowed the Flames to erase one-goal deficits in the third period, then he allowed three out of six shootout attempts to go in. Through two starts, Nedeljkovic has given up eight goals on 61 shots while going 0-1-1, doing nothing to stabilize the Penguins' disastrous goaltending to begin the year. Nedeljkovic, Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist have all had struggles, though Blomqvist has put forth the best results. The Penguins have a back-to-back with stops in Edmonton on Friday and Vancouver on Saturday, but at this point, it's tough to trust any of the team's goalies in fantasy.

Allen allowed eight goals on 37 shots Tuesday in an 8-5 loss to the Lightning.

What's there to say? The game was tight in the first, but the wheels fell off the team in the second. They picked it up a bit in the third, but it wasn't enough. This was a sleep on it and let it go night for Allen. He can't win them all.

Johansson made 30 saves in an 8-5 win over New Jersey on Tuesday.

Johansson had made his season debut Monday after relieving starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Tuesday was a scheduled start in a back-to-back situation. He didn't really impress, but it's hard to lose when your mates gift you eight goals. Johansson is not likely to see much action this season, other than in back-to-backs. He'll win as long as the Bolts continue to paint goals on the board, but his ratios may leave a bad taste. Last year, Johansson played a lot early in the season and had a 12-7-5 record overall. But his ratios had an odor all season long.

Wolf stopped 35 of 38 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins.

The Penguins put up a good effort, but the Flames twice answered to tie the game in the third period. Wolf then turned aside four of six shootout attempts to improve his record to 3-0-0 on the year. He's allowed just seven goals despite facing 110 shots, though he's yet to face a team that made the playoffs last season. The Flames have alternated goalies early on, and if that holds, Wolf is lined up to start at home against the currently undefeated Jets on Saturday.

Vejmelka stopped all 14 shots he faced in relief of Connor Ingram in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Senators.

Ingram was pulled after one period, and Vejmelka took over to finish the contest without the deficit getting any worse. The 28-year-old Vejmelka has made just two appearances this season, stopping 43 of 46 shots, but Utah has yet to score when he's been between the pipes. Vejmelka remains in the backup role, but with Ingram struggling at times, head coach Andre Tourigny could opt to even out the workload between his goalies.

Ingram stopped five of nine shots in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Senators.

Ingram was pulled after a nightmarish first period, and Karel Vejmelka stopped all 14 shots he faced over the final two frames. This was the fourth time in six appearances Ingram has allowed at least four goals, though Utah's offense has helped him start the season 4-1-1. The 27-year-old still appears to be the No. 1 goalie, but if his struggles continue, Ingram could lose work to Vejmelka. Utah's next game is Thursday at home versus Colorado.