NHL Player News

Andersen stopped 24 of 27 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Bruins, with Boston's final goal getting scored into an empty net.

All three goals against Andersen came in the first 10:46 of the first period, and while the veteran netminder gave his squad a chance to mount a comeback, the Carolina offense didn't have much luck against Jeremy Swayman. It's Andersen's first loss since returning to the lineup a month ago, and in eight starts since the beginning of March he's posted a dazzling 1.38 GAA and .949 save percentage.

Swayman made 28 saves in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Hurricanes.

The 25-year-old netminder set a new career high with his 25th win of the season. Swayman has gone 6-2-0 in eight starts since the beginning of March with a 2.49 GAA, but that's largely been thanks to the Bruins' stingy defense as he has a .905 save percentage over that stretch. With Boston still in the mix to claim the top seed in the Eastern Conference, expect Swayman and Linus Ullmark to remain in their timeshare over the team's final handful of games.

Blackwood allowed two goals on 27 shots in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Kings.

Blackwood lost for the fifth time in his last six outings, but this was at least a solid performance for the 27-year-old. Both goals came in a span of 18 seconds in the first period, and he was able to keep it close from there, but the Sharks' offense showed up too late. Blackwood is at 10-23-3 with a 3.38 GAA and a .901 save percentage over 41 contests this season. The Sharks host the Blues on Saturday and the Coyotes on Sunday, so it's likely Blackwood and Devin Cooley will split those games.

Rittich stopped 15 of 16 shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Sharks.

Rittich kept the Sharks off the board for over 58 minutes, but Klim Kostin spoiled the shutout bid with 1:52 left in the game. It was still a strong showing for Rittich, who has won three of his last five starts while allowing just nine goals in that span. The 31-year-old is up to 12-6-3 with a 2.21 GAA and a .919 save percentage over 23 appearances this season. Cam Talbot is still seeing most of the playing time for the Kings, and it's likely Rittich will be back on the bench for Saturday's home game versus the Canucks.

Wolf stopped 40 of 44 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Jets. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

Wolf did a fair amount to keep this from being a total laugher, but he was in over his head against a tough opponent. The loss ends the Flames' chances of making the playoffs, though that could be good news for Wolf's playing time over the final two weeks of the season. The 22-year-old goalie is at 3-7-1 with a 3.30 GAA and an .895 save percentage through 13 NHL appearances this year. The California native could get a couple of opportunities to play in his home state during the Flames' road trip next week, though it's unclear how the goaltending workload will be divided for the Flames over the last seven games of the campaign.

Hellebuyck stopped 31 of 33 shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Flames.

Hellebuyck ended his personal five-game losing streak with a strong showing that clinched a playoff spot for the Jets. The 30-year-old has had few slumps this season, which made his recent cold spell all the more surprising. Overall, he's at 33-19-4 with a 2.42 GAA and a .920 save percentage over 56 starts. The Jets still have playoff positioning to play for over the last two weeks of the regular season, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Hellebuyck get a little rest, which would allow Laurent Brossoit to get some additional playing time. The Jets begin a four-game road trip Saturday in Minnesota.

Primeau made 29 saves in a 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday. He allowed six goals.

It was a game of men versus boys, and Primeau didn't really stand a chance against Tampa's top players. His last five games have been a tale of two netminders. He's 3-2-0 over that stretch, and in the three wins, Primeau has surrendered just two goals. In the two losses? Eleven goals against. Primeau is a tough fantasy activation in any matchup right now. The jury remains out on his future.

Tomkins made 27 saves in a 7-4 win in Montreal on Thursday.

It was his first start since Nov. 7 when he got his first career NHL victory also over Montreal on the road. Due to his extremely limited role, Tomkins is not a viable fantasy option right now, and he'll likely be heading back to the minors once Jonas Johansson (lower body) is good to go.

Binnington stopped 25 of 29 shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Predators. The last two goals were empty-netters.

A win for the Blues would have put them just four points behind the Predators for a playoff spot, but the loss means the gap is now eight points. It was a tough loss to take for Binnington and the Blues, and one that makes their pursuit of a playoff spot look grim with just six games left on the schedule. He's allowed three or more goals four times over his last six outings despite going 3-2-1 in that span. Binnington is at 27-20-4 with a 2.84 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 54 appearances on the year. As long as St. Louis still has a chance to make the postseason, Binnington is likely to see most of the starts, but Joel Hofer could get more looks if and when the Blues are mathematically eliminated.

Gustavsson allowed four goals on 35 shots in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.

It's the first regulation loss for Gustavsson in his last five starts. The 25-year-old netminder had been playing well, going 2-0-1 while allowing just three goals on 95 shots in his previous four outings. Overall, Gustavsson's now 19-17-4 with a .900 save percentage and 3.07 GAA while sharing the crease with Marc-Andre Fleury this season. The Wild are back in action Saturday at home versus Winnipeg.