NHL Player News

Lyon stopped 36 shots in regulation and overtime and two of three shootout attempts in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.

The 31-year-old netminder was beaten twice by Aleksander Barkov in the third period and once by Sam Reinhart in the shootout, but that was enough to hand Detroit a tough loss. Lyon went the entire month of March without picking up a win, going 0-8-2 over his last 10 outings with a 4.04 GAA and .881 save percentage. His late-season swoon may end up costing the Red Wings a playoff berth -- they sit two points back of the Flyers for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Varlamov made 36 saves in a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Varlamov has gone 3-1-1 in five starts over the last three weeks, which is a nice boost after going 0-4-2 in seven outings between Dec. 16- Feb. 22. The Islanders went up 1-0 early in the first period on a fluke deflection before the Lightning got goals from Darren Raddysh and Anthony Cirelli 35 seconds apart to take the lead. Varlamov and the Isles play back-to-back games Monday in Philadelphia and Tuesday at home against Chicago. Both are theoretically winnable games, even for a struggling New York squad. And Varlamov will get one of them.

Vasilevskiy made 27 saves in a 4-1 win over the Islanders on Saturday.

Kyle Palmieri was the only Islander who solved Vasilevskiy, and it came just 2:25 into the game when the forward's shot deflected off Matt Dumba's skate and into the net. Vasy is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts, with just one or fewer goals allowed in four of those starts. Vasilevskiy is a big reason why the Lightning currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and are within four points of the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic. He's peaking at the right time.

Luukkonen made 19 saves in a 3-0 loss to Toronto on Saturday.

Luukkonen gave up a goal in each period, including Auston Matthews' league-leading 60th tally of the season. The 25-year-old Luukkonen is in the midst of his best NHL season ever, compiling a 24-20-3 record with a 2.58 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 48 appearances. He has plenty of bounce-back appeal next week, with the Sabres set to play against Washington, Philadelphia and Detroit.

Samsonov made 34 saves Saturday in a 3-0 win over Buffalo.

Samsonov made 15 stops in the third period alone to preserve his third shutout of the season. "Sammy was fantastic," Toronto captain John Tavares said after the game. "No doubt he was our best player." Samsonov was impressive in his return to action after missing two games because of a calf injury. He has won his past two outings to improve to 20-6-7 this campaign.

Rittich stopped 31 of 35 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Flames.

Rittich took his fourth loss in his last seven games, though it was a full-team failure of a performance for the Kings on Saturday. The 31-year-old is down to 11-6-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .918 save percentage through 22 appearances. Rittich is still playing second fiddle to Cam Talbot, who should be back between the pipes Monday versus the Jets.

Lankinen made 35 saves Saturday in a 7-4 loss to Colorado. He allowed six goals.

The Preds came out hard and fast, and the Avs did not. The squad forced Avs starter Alexandar Georgiev out of the game just 57 seconds into the second, and Lankinen looked incredibly confident. However, the Avs then scored the final five goals of the game. Lankinen is usually solid but doesn't get a lot of playing time behind Juuse Saros, who dominates the crease. That said, Lankinen may get another game or two before the end of the season to allow Nashville to rest Saros for Cup action.

Markstrom stopped 16 of 18 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Markstrom snapped a three-game skid, though the Kings' offense was lackluster in generating chances at even strength. The 34-year-old netminder improved to 23-19-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 44 contests this campaign. He's matched his win total from last season and will continue to push toward the 25-win mark for what would be the third time in seven years. The Flames' next game is a favorable matchup Tuesday versus the Ducks, but they have been alternating starts between Markstrom and Dustin Wolf lately, so Markstrom may not play if that pattern continues.

Georgiev allowed four goals on 13 shots Saturday before being pulled early in the seond period.

Georgiev was off his game Saturday. He took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty before being pulled just 57 seconds into the second period. Juuse Saros and Georgiev have been the busiest netminders in the NHL this season, and the Avs need their goaltender to rest a bit in advance of the postseason. Beware his schedule.

Oettinger recorded a 17-save shutout in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Kraken.

It was a low-event game early on, but the Stars had the better of play and eventually cashed in. Oettinger has won five starts in a row, allowing just seven goals overall in that span. Fantasy managers frustrated by his inconsistency this season can be happy he's found his game at the right time. Oettinger improved to 30-13-4 with a 2.87 GAA and a .900 save percentage through 48 appearances. The Stars are set for a tough challenge when they host the Oilers on Wednesday.