NHL Player News

Pickard stopped 41 of 42 shots on net in Monday's 3-1 win over the Jets.

Pickard earned his way back to the win column in Monday's contest with his first performance of 40-plus saves since Apr. 27. With the win, he is up to a 4-5-2 record with an .874 save percentage and a 3.69 GAA across 14 appearances this season. Monday's win was the 33-year-old netminder's first since Dec. 4, snapping a three-game losing streak. While he has played subpar throughout the first half of this season, Monday's performance was by far his best of the year and is a strong building block for him moving forward. With Tristan Jarry (lower body) projected to be sidelined for at least another week, Pickard should see a few more opportunities in the interim while rotating starts with Connor Ingram. Pickard is a solid short-term streaming option, and his next chance to take the ice is Wednesday against the Bruins.

Daccord will be between the home pipes Monday against the Canucks, Joe Pohoryles of Emerald City Spectrum reports.

Daccord will get the net Monday after Philipp Grubauer was between the pipes for Sunday's 4-1 win over the Flyers. Daccord has won back-to-back outings following a two-game skid, stopping 69 out of 73 shots combined in victories over the Sharks and Kings. The 29-year-old has struggled against Vancouver during his career, registering a 2-2-1 record, 3.12 GAA and .886 save percentage over six appearances.

Saros will tend the twine Monday in Utah, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.

Saros hasn't allowed more than three goals in each of his last seven outings, stopping a combined 182 of 200 shots (.910 save percentage). The veteran goaltender has played well in December, going 7-3-0 with a 2.63 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 10 appearances. The Mammoth rank 19th in the NHL with 2.97 goals per game and have lost three of their last five matchups.

Greaves is expected to start on the road against Ottawa on Monday, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.

Greaves has won his past two starts while stopping 47 of 50 shots (.940 save percentage). He's 10-9-5 with a 2.66 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 24 outings in 2025-26. Ottawa ranks eighth in goals per game with 3.27.

Bussi will patrol the home crease against the Rangers on Monday, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Bussi is coming off an 18-save effort in Saturday's 5-2 win over Detroit. He has a 12-1-1 record with one shutout, a 2.10 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 14 appearances this season. With Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body) likely to miss the remainder of the year and Frederik Andersen struggling, Bussi could seize control of the team's No. 1 netminder role. The Rangers rank 31st in the league with 2.55 goals per game this campaign.

Kochetkov (hip) will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the campaign, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports Monday.

Kochetkov missed time earlier this season due to the same injury, and this surgery is expected to fix the problem. Kochetkov is slated to finish the season with a 6-2-0 record, 2.33 GAA and .899 save percentage in six appearances. Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen will compete for starts the rest of the campaign. Bussi has been the No. 1 option recently, but it's possible that the 36-year-old Andersen will rebound and challenge Bussi for the starting gig.

Forsberg is slated to start on the road against Colorado, per Zach Dooley on LA Kings Insider.

Forsberg stopped 25 of 26 shots en route to a 6-1 win over Anaheim on Saturday. After that victory, he's 6-5-3 with a 2.60 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 14 outings this season. The Avalanche are an extremely tough adversary, ranking first in goals per game with 3.97 in 2025-26. Colorado is even stronger at home with its 15-0-2 record and average of 4.41 goals per game.

Kochetkov (undisclosed) was put on injured reserve Monday.

Kochetkov was a full participant in Sunday's practice, per Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site, and it's not clear when the goaltender suffered the injury. The 26-year-old Kochetkov has a 6-2-0 record, 2.33 GAA and .899 save percentage in nine appearances this season. Carolina has been carrying three goaltenders, so Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen should both see an increase in their workload for the duration of Kochetkov's absence.

Askarov was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports, indicating he will defend the road net against Anaheim on Monday.

Askarov is coming off a 24-save performance in Saturday's 6-3 win over Vancouver. He has earned a 13-10-1 record this season with a 3.35 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 24 appearances. Anaheim ranks fourth in the league with 3.32 goals per game this year.

Gustavsson is slated to start on the road against Vegas on Monday, according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

Gustavsson stopped 26 of 29 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to Nashville in his last start Tuesday. He's 12-8-4 with a 2.49 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 24 outings in 2025-26. Vegas ranks 11th in goals per game with 3.17.