NHL Player News

Talbot made 28 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers on Tuesday.

Talbot was staked to a 3-0 lead in a 2:46 span midway through the first period when the Blue Jackets looked absolutely dominant. Then they buckled under the pressure of a Flyers team that turned up the heat. Talbot has won two consecutive starts; he made 26 saves in a 2-1 overtime win over the Golden Knights on Saturday. Watch for coach Rick Bowness to ride Talbot short term with Jet Greaves still finding his game.

Binnington made 18 saves in a 2-0 loss to Montreal on Tuesday.

Binner hasn't had a great start to the season, but he was strong Tuesday. His team didn't show up. The Blues are struggling -- they have been shut out in back-to-back games. Binnington is a tough play in this situation. Seek alternate options if you can.

Fowler made 46 saves in a 2-0 win over the Blues on Tuesday.

It was an NHL-career high save total for the rising netminder. Fowler now has two shutouts this season and three in his short career. He has allowed one goal or fewer in each of his last three starts. Fowler is in a real groove.

Ellis recorded a 23-save shutout in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Sharks.

Ellis hadn't played in the last five games, and given Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's inconsistency in that stretch, it's fair to question why Ellis didn't get a chance earlier. The 26-year-old netminder is now 2-1-0 with eight goals allowed on 82 shots over four games this season. The Sabres have two more stops on their road trip -- Thursday in Anaheim and Saturday in Los Angeles. It seems likely Ellis will get another look before the team heads back to Buffalo.

Askarov stopped 38 of 39 shots in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Sabres. The second goal was an empty-netter.

Askarov did his part, but the Sharks' defense left him pretty busy and the offense failed to support him. He's faced at least 31 shots in three straight outings, which suggests the team's defense needs to step up to cut down on the traffic directed at Askarov's net. The 24-year-old now has a 3-5-0 record with a 3.13 GAA and an .898 save percentage across eight games. He'll have an easier matchup ahead when the Sharks host the Canucks on Thursday.

Johansson stopped 25 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Johansson did his part to keep the game close until Vegas cashed in twice when he had left the crease for an extra attacker. The 31-year-old netminder is getting a chance to start while Linus Ullmark (lower body) is out. Johansson has allowed six goals on 55 shots over his two outings this season. The Senators visit the Kings on Thursday and then have a back-to-back with stops in San Jose on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday, so expect Johansson and Samuel Ersson to share the workload for the remainder of the road trip.

Hill stopped 25 of 26 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Senators.

Carter Hart (undisclosed) was injured in Tuesday's morning skate, but this was already lined up to be a Hill start anyway. Hill delivered a big game and even made a surprising play that led to a Vegas goal when he won a race for a puck near the blue line, which led to a collision. Hill is now 5-1-0 on the year with a 2.63 GAA and an .895 save percentage over six games. He'll start most of the time while Hart is out, and Cameron Whitehead is up from AHL Henderson to serve as backup. The Golden Knights' next game is Friday at home versus the Devils.

Dostal stopped 27 of 33 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks.

The Ducks twice held a three-goal advantage, but Dostal imploded in the third period. He allowed three goals over the last seven-plus minutes, and then Filip Hronek's power-play tally in overtime completed Vancouver's comeback. Dostal is not living up to expectations at this point in the season, having allowed three or more goals in seven of his nine outings. He's at a 4-4-1 record with a 3.56 GAA and an .872 save percentage on the year. The Ducks' next game is at home versus the Sabres on Thursday.

Merilainen stopped 18 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win over the Ducks.

Merilainen's performance didn't inspire much confidence, but he was able to lock in late as the Canucks pulled off an improbable comeback. This was his first win since Oct. 3 versus the Flames. The 24-year-old netminder is 2-3-1 with a 3.35 GAA and a .900 save percentage across nine games (seven starts) this season. Merilainen is still a massively risky option in fantasy even if he's able to run with the starting job in Vancouver. The Canucks' next game is Thursday in San Jose.

Vejmelka allowed three goals on 30 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Wild.

Vejmelka turned in a decent effort, but the Mammoth's offense didn't get on the board until late in the third period. This was the first time in Vejmelka's last four starts where he's allowed fewer than four goals. The 30-year-old netminder is at a 6-4-0 record with a 3.13 GAA and an .877 save percentage across 11 outings this season. Vejmelka continues to see plenty of playing time, though with no back-to-backs on the immediate horizon, it's possible Sebastian Cossa will get a spot start at some point during the Mammoth's six-game road trip, which begins in Pittsburgh on Thursday.