NHL Player News

Merilainen stopped 23 of 24 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Flames.

Getting away from the Oilers made things look a lot better for the Canucks. Merilainen presumably got the start as a reward for his decent relief performance versus Edmonton on Thursday. The 24-year-old netminder has allowed just two goals on 35 shots over his two appearances for the Canucks. He probably won't be that good in the long run, given the rebuilding team in front of him, but he could unseat Kevin Lankinen for the No. 1 job. It'll likely be Lankinen who gets the harder matchup of the weekend Sunday at home versus the Golden Knights.

Forsberg allowed five goals on 25 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Sharks.

Forsberg got the nod for the second game of the season after Darcy Kuemper was in net for Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Avalanche. While this wasn't as tough of a matchup, Forsberg didn't help his cause for more playing time with a shaky performance. The 33-year-old netminder could ultimately settle into a platoon if neither of the Kings' goalies can get on a roll. Los Angeles hosts the Panthers on Tuesday, which isn't exactly a favorable matchup even when Aleksander Barkov (knee) is out.

Askarov stopped 31 of 35 shots in Saturday's 5-4 overtime win over the Kings.

While it was another win, a troubling pattern has emerged in the third period. Askarov has allowed seven goals on 61 shots this year, and four of the tallies against him have come in the third, leading to overtime both times. Both Askarov and the team in front of him will need to improve when playing with a lead, but it shows resolve that they have managed to shake off the slip-ups. The Sharks will take the show on the road for the first time for the next two games, visiting Dallas on Monday and St. Louis on Thursday.

Knight made 24 saves in a 4-3 loss to Buffalo on Saturday.

Knight got more support than he did against Vegas in the season opener, but it still wasn't enough. Knight is going to see a lot of rubber this season and wins are going to be tough as the young team in front of him starts to grow up. His talent is obvious -- he delivered above-average GAA (2.82) and save percentage (.902) last season. Your format will dictate if Knight is a strong third goalie, average second or a complete anchor on your fantasy squad.

DeSmith stopped 24 of 26 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Predators.

DeSmith allowed a pair of first-period power-play goals after Dallas grabbed an early 1-0 lead, with Steven Stamkos beating him at 4:46 before Nils Hoglander's deflection put Nashville ahead at 15:49 for good. DeSmith didn't allow another goal over the final 44-plus minutes, but the Stars couldn't solve Saros again at the other end. He finished with a .923 save percentage in his first start of the season and looked competent, but DeSmith should remain the Stars' No. 2 goaltender behind Jake Oettinger, ultimately limiting his fantasy appeal to matchup-based decisions.

Saros stopped 29 of 30 shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Stars.

Saros surrendered a goal to Miro Heiskanen just 47 seconds into the contest but was perfect the rest of the way, protecting a one-goal advantage for more than 44 minutes after Nils Hoglander put Nashville ahead late in the first period. The 30-year-old finished with a .967 save percentage and shut down Dallas over the final two periods as the Predators bounced back from their season-opening loss to Detroit -- a game in which Saros stopped 27 of 30 shots. In two contests in 2026-27, the veteran goaltender has stopped 56 of 60 shots faced, good for a 93.3 percent save percentage.

Binnington stopped 30 of 36 shots in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Playing the second game of the Blues' season-opening back-to-back was always going to be a tall task. Factor in that it was a road game against one of the league's top offenses, and it was a recipe for disaster for Binnington. The optics aren't great for the veteran netminder after Joel Hofer shut out Dallas on Friday. Binnington has been trending toward a platoon or a backup role for a while, and he'll need to take advantage of his chances to avoid a total collapse in playing time. The Blues wrap up their road trip in Chicago on Tuesday, though that would seem likely to be a start for Hofer.

Daws stopped 26 of 32 shots in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Islanders.

Daws kept the game scoreless through the first period but couldn't hold on the rest of the way, allowing three goals in each of the subsequent two frames -- including a power-play goal in the second period and a shorthanded goal in the third. Saturday was Daws' first start of the season after Jake Allen handled New Jersey's opener against Philadelphia, and while one game isn't enough to draw meaningful conclusions, it wouldn't be surprising if he stays as the Devils' No. 2 goaltender behind Allen for the foreseeable future.

Sorokin stopped all 37 shots he faced in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Devils.

Sorokin was perfect in the Islanders' home opener, turning aside seven shots in the first period before his offense broke through three times in the second. He remained sharp as New Jersey generated 30 shots over the final 40 minutes and finished 0-for-5 on the power play. The shutout was Sorokin's 30th career blanking, establishing a new Islanders franchise record. It was also the first win for Sorokin this season, who has allowed just two goals on 63 shots to open the 2026-27 campaign.

Luukkonen made 12 saves in a 4-3 win over Chicago on Saturday.

Luukkonen is kryptonite to Chicago -- he's now 7-0-0 in his career against the team. But he's still finding his feet this season. UPL has allowed eight goals in two games (1-1-0), and his 4.03 GAA and .784 save percentage are a touch queasy. Backup Colten Ellis will get a shot at the blue paint soon and Alex Lyon (upper body) isn't supposed to miss much time. Luukkonen needs to lay down some strong performances to keep the net.