NHL Player News

Blackwood will defend the road net against Washington on Sunday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Blackwood will make his second straight start after he stopped 19 shots in Friday's 4-1 win over Chicago. He has a 19-8-1 record this campaign with three shutouts, a 2.43 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 30 appearances. Washington is tied for 16th in the league this season with 3.10 goals per game.

Thompson will get the start in goal Sunday against the Avalanche, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports.

Thompson's in line to start for the ninth time in Washington's last 10 games. Over his last three appearances, he has been razor-sharp, stopping 96 of 100 shots faced. Overall, the 29-year-old is 24-19-5 with a 2.36 GAA and a .915 save percentage. He'll face a tough test Sunday against Colorado's league-best offense.

Gustavsson stopped 28 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over Dallas.

The only puck that got past him came on a Stars power play late in the first period, and it had to deflect off two Wild players along the way. Gustavsson has allowed more than three goals only once in eight starts since the Olympic break, going 6-2-0 with a dazzling 1.76 GAA and .936 save percentage.

Oettinger made 26 saves in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to Minnesota.

The Stars struck first with a Jason Robertson power-play tally late in the first period, but Oettinger got no more offensive support in a tough loss. The 27-year-old netminder still hasn't taken a regulation loss since Jan. 18, going 12-0-2 over his last 14 starts with a 2.30 GAA and .905 save percentage.

Ingram allowed four goals on 26 shots in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Lightning. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.

The Lightning's top players continued their march through the Pacific Division, and Ingram was no match to stop them. He has the distinction of giving up the first shorthanded goal of Nikita Kucherov's career. Ingram has allowed four goals in each of his last two games, both losses, and he's down to 11-8-2 with a 2.83 GAA and an .890 save percentage over 24 appearances. The Oilers' next game is in Utah on Tuesday.

Vasilevskiy stopped 25 of 27 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Oilers.

Vasilevskiy gave up a goal to Connor McDavid late in the first period, but the Lightning bounced back with a three-goal middle frame. Vasilevskiy had no trouble making that lead stand, winning his third straight game and fourth in his last five outings. He's up to 33-12-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .913 save percentage over 48 appearances this season. Jonas Johansson will likely get the nod for Sunday's game in Calgary, but expect Vasilevskiy to be between the pipes Tuesday at home versus the Wild.

Gibson allowed three goals on 26 shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Bruins. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.

Gibson had won his last two starts. He's now 1-4-0 with 13 goals allowed over his last five games versus Atlantic Division rivals. The 32-year-old dropped to 26-16-3 on the year with a 2.54 GAA and a .907 save percentage across 47 appearances. The Red Wings' next game is Tuesday versus the Senators, and Gibson can be expected to get the nod again for that one, as head coach Todd McLellan has been relying on the netminder significantly since the Olympic break.

Swayman allowed two goals on 43 shots in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Red Wings.

Swayman faced some heavy traffic, but he got the job done with a big performance for his sixth win over eight outings in March. He's limited opponents to two goals or less in each of those victories. Swayman is up to 28-14-4 with a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage over 47 appearances this season, putting him well on the way to his first 30-win campaign. The Bruins' next game is at home Tuesday versus the Maple Leafs, followed by a road game in Buffalo on Wednesday. It's the first of two back-to-back sets over the next week for Boston.

Rittich allowed a goal on four shots in relief of Ilya Sorokin in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Rittich played 8:11 during the third period, taking over after Sorokin gave up six goals. Rittich was responsible for the third goal of Cole Caufield's hat trick, but the 33-year-old netminder will avoid any damage on his record. For the season, Rittich is 14-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA and an .898 save percentage over 27 appearances. The Islanders host the Blue Jackets on Sunday, and it's not yet clear if head coach Patrick Roy will go back to Sorokin or give Rittich a chance in that contest.

Sorokin allowed six goals on 32 shots in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

Sorokin was pulled midway through the third period after giving up three of the goals in that frame. This was his fourth loss in his last seven outings, and he's given up at least three goals in five of those games. For the season, Sorokin is down to 25-17-2 with a 2.59 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 45 appearances. The Islanders are back home against the Blue Jackets on Sunday, so Sorokin may have been pulled to let him get a few minutes of rest in preparation for another start.