NHL Player News

Varlamov will tend the twine on the road against Tampa Bay on Saturday, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports.

Varlamov will make consecutive appearances in goal for just the second time this season. It comes as the veteran netminder is undefeated in regulation over his last four outings, posting a 3-0-1 record, 2.47 GAA and .914 save percentage. Even with the strong run of form, Varlamov probably shouldn't be expected to steal the No. 1 gig away from Ilya Sorokin down the stretch.

Samsonov will patrol the road crease in Buffalo on Saturday, Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports.

It will be Samsonov's first start in four games, as he was out for a couple of contests with a calf contusion and then backed up Joseph Woll on Wednesday. Samsonov is 19-6-7 with a 3.12 GAA and a .889 save percentage. He is 1-1-0 versus the Sabres this season, stopping 24 shots on March 6 in a 2-1 overtime win, while giving up five goals on 19 shots in December in a 9-3 blowout loss.

Allen will defend the visiting crease in Buffalo on Friday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.

Allen is coming off a spectacular showing in Toronto on Tuesday, as he turned aside 42 shots in a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs. Allen has excelled since his trade from Montreal at the trade deadline, going 4-2-0 with a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage. The Sabres are averaging 2.96 goals this season, 22nd in the NHL.

Sandstrom was sent to AHL Lehigh Valley on Friday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov joined the Flyers from the KHL on Friday, so the team sent Sandstrom to the minors in a corresponding move. Sandstrom was 1-2-0 with a 3.88 GAA and a very weak .823 save percentage in five appearances with the Flyers this season.

Forsberg turned aside all 19 shots he faced in Thursday's 2-0 win over Chicago.

Claude Giroux scored a shortie just 36 seconds into the game and Forsberg took care of things from there. The shutout was the netminder's second of the season, with the other coming Dec. 2 against the Kraken. Still, it was a rare bright spot for the 31-year-old of late, as he has gone 2-3-0 with a 3.37 GAA and .886 save percentage in five March starts.

Mrazek stopped 32 shots in Thursday's 2-0 loss to the Senators.

Both goals came early in the first period, including a shorthanded tally by Claude Giroux just 36 seconds into the game. While Mrazek locked things down the rest of the way, Chicago's offense never woke up. The backstop has appeared in seven of the last eight games and gone 4-2-0 with a 2.68 GAA and .913 save percentage -- a solid performance for a team that has the second-worst record in the NHL.

Primeau made 29 saves in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Flyers.

The 24-year-old netminder nearly recorded his third shutout of the season, but Owen Tippett snuck a puck past Primeau through traffic with 1:01 left on the clock in the third period. He's emerged as a reliable backup to Sam Montembeault since Jake Allen got traded. Over five starts in March, Primeau has gone 3-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .939 save percentage.

Ersson turned aside 13 of 15 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Canadiens, with Montreal's final two goals getting scored into an empty net.

The 24-year-old netminder wasn't busy, but the Habs took advantage of their chances -- both pucks that beat Ersson came from in close, as the Flyers' defense gave Nick Suzuki and Jesse Ylonen a little too much space in front of the net. Ersson has seen a heavy workload in March, going 4-4-3 over 11 starts with a 3.34 GAA and .875 save percentage as Philly clings to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Stolarz stopped 21 shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.

Florida twice grabbed one-goal leads, but Stolarz couldn't protect either one before being beaten by Jean-Gabriel Pageau midway through the second period for what proved to be the winner. The 30-year-old netminder saw his six-game win streak come to an end as he took his first loss since Feb. 6, and Stolarz hasn't given up more than three goals in an outing since Jan. 15, going 8-3-0 over 11 games since then with a 1.80 GAA and .937 save percentage.

Varlamov made 26 saves in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Panthers.

Florida took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, but Varlamov shut the door the rest of the way as the Isles rallied for a vital win as they try to stay in the playoff picture. The veteran netminder hasn't taken a regulation loss in March, going 3-0-1 on the month with a 2.47 GAA and .914 save percentage. With Ilya Sorokin looking worn down while dropping six straight starts, Varlamov could find himself in a timeshare over the final weeks of the regular season.