NHL Player News

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.

Wallstedt stopped 26 of 27 shots in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Mammoth.

Wallstedt has allowed exactly one goal in six of his 12 outings this season. This was his second win in a row, and he improved to 8-2-2 on the year. He's added a 1.99 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Wallstedt is in the early Vezina conversation with how well he's played while also seeing the most work in the league so far. The Wild return home for one game Thursday versus the Islanders before another pair of road contests.

Knight turned away 25 of 26 shots on net in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Kings.

Knight came up with a much-needed win Tuesday, when he stopped 25 shots in an effort that snapped his three-game losing streak. Following the narrow win, he now holds a 4-6-0 record, a 3.23 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 10 appearances this season. His volume of opportunities has been second to none over the last two weeks, as the 25-year-old backstop has started each of the Blackhawk's last seven games, If he can use Tuesday's win as a turning point for the team's defensive efforts, then Knight will have a chance to trend back towards his career-best form from the 2025-26 season. For now, however, he's considered a streaming option outside of deep fantasy leagues.

Forsberg stopped 25 of 27 shots on net in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Blackhawks.

Forsberg had another solid effort come up short in Tuesday's clash, as the Blackhawks scored one goal in each of the final two periods to complete the comeback. With Tuesday's loss, the 33-year-old netminder now has an 0-3-1 record, a 2.39 GAA and a .902 save percentage across five outings this season. While the veteran's stats are comparable to many high-level netminders across the league, he hasn't been able to close out a game yet this season, which delivers a massive blow to his fantasy stock. However, his offense has left him out to dry in each of his last three outings. If the offense can perform well in front of Forsberg in the near future, he should return to the fantasy radar in standard formats.