NHL Player News

Annunen stopped eight of 11 shots after replacing Alexandar Georgiev late in the first period of Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Jets.

The 24-year-old backup netminder didn't have much more success than Georgiev did as the Avs sleepwalked their way through the afternoon contest. Annunen has been playing better that Colorado's starter of late, though, going 4-2-0 in seven outings over the last month with a 2.36 GAA and .921 save percentage. Coach Jared Bednar could have a tough decision to make in the crease when the playoffs begin.

Georgiev allowed four goals on 15 shots before being replaced by Justus Annunen late in the first period of Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Jets.

The awful result was a team-wide effort by the Avalanche, and two of the goals against Georgiev came on Jets power plays while three of the four came from in close. Even so, the 28-year-old netminder has only one win in his last six outings, going 1-3-1 with a brutal 5.18 GAA and .848 save percentage. Colorado already has a playoff spot locked up, but the club's No. 1 goalie won't be taking much momentum into the postseason.

Hellebuyck turned aside all 30 shots he faced in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Avalanche.

The Jets scored four times in the first period alone, and Hellebuyck took care of the rest to get the team one step closer to locking up the No. 2 seed in the Central Division. The shutout was the fifth of the season for the 30-year-old goalie, while the victory was his fourth straight. Hellebuyck's 36 wins put him one back of the career high he set in 2022-23, and he remains the odds-on favorite to take home his second Vezina Trophy, sitting third in GAA (2.38) and first in save percentage (.922).

Oettinger stopped 26 shots in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Kraken.

He nearly came away with his fourth shutout of the season, but Kailer Yamamoto got a puck past the 25-year-old netminder late in the third period. Oettinger might be the hottest goalie in the NHL to close out the regular season, going 9-1-0 over his last 10 starts with a 1.61 GAA and .939 save percentage. His surge has helped Dallas clinch a Central Division title and remain just one point back of the Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.

Grubauer made 27 saves in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Stars.

He held a potent Dallas offense to just one goal in each frame, but Seattle didn't even get on the board until the final six minutes of the third period. Grubauer has allowed three goals or fewer in five of his last six starts, going 4-2-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .920 save percentage as the Kraken play out the string on the season.

Shesterkin turned aside 34 shots in regulation and overtime, as well as both shootout attempts he faced in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.

The win set a new franchise record for the Rangers, giving them 54 on the season and putting them one point ahead of the Stars and three points clear of the Bruins and Hurricanes in the race for the Presidents' Trophy. Shesterkin's second-half resurgence has been a big part of New York's success. Over 22 outings since the All-Star break, he's gone 16-5-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .926 save percentage.

Sorokin stopped 41 shots in regulation and overtime and one of three shootout attempts in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers.

The Islanders haven't quite clinched a playoff spot yet, and while Sorokin did his best to try and get his team an extra point in the standings, he wasn't able to deny Artemi Panarin in the clutch. The 28-year-old netminder is 2-0-1 over his last three starts, allowing five goals on 89 shots (.944 save percentage) as he tries to regain his peak form ahead of the postseason. Semyon Varlamov has been hot down the stretch, so it remains to be seen which goalie gets the nod for the postseason opener if the Islanders hold onto a playoff spot.

Reimer made 32 saves in a 5-4 overtime win over Toronto on Saturday.

It was his 500th NHL game and first start since March 28. Reimer surrendered Auston Matthews' 69th goal, which tied Mario Lemieux's mark from 1995-96, but the veteran netminder put on a show in the third with several huge saves to ensure overtime. The Wings stayed in contention for a wild-card spot with the win, but Detroit has lost seven of its last 10 games. The Wings play the Habs back-to-back starting Monday night, so Optimus Reims will likely be in the blue paint for one of those crucial games.

Samsonov made 27 saves Saturday in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Red Wings.

Toronto fans are holding their collective breath right now because Samsonov has allowed 11 goals on 52 shots over his last two games. He made some 10-bell saves in the third, but this is a bad time for Samsonov to get cold with the playoffs right around the corner.

Blackwood gave up six goals on 38 shots in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Wild.

The Sharks stayed competitive until the last minute of the second period, when Kirill Kaprizov scored twice on Blackwood. This was Blackwood's fifth straight loss (0-4-1), and he's allowed 18 goals in that span. He's now at 10-25-4 with a 3.45 GAA and an .899 save percentage through 44 appearances this season. The Sharks' last two games of the season are on the road, with stops in Edmonton on Monday and Calgary on Thursday.