NHL Player News

Shesterkin will defend the road net against the Hurricanes on Monday, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Shesterkin has gone 3-1-0 in his last four outings while allowing only nine goals on 116 shots. He has a 16-12-3 record with one shutout, a 2.51 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 31 appearances this season. Carolina sits fifth in the league with 3.30 goals per game this year.

Vejmelka (upper body) was put on injured reserve Monday.

Vejmelka's placement on IR is retroactive to Dec. 23, so he'll miss Monday's home game against Nashville, but he's eligible to be activated ahead of Thursday's road matchup versus the Islanders. The 29-year-old has a 16-10-2 record, 2.70 GAA and .894 save percentage in 29 appearances in 2025-26. Matt Villalta was called up from the minors in a corresponding move.

Johansson stopped 32 of 36 shots in Sunday's 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.

Johansson was unable to lead the Lightning to a win in regulation or overtime, but he stepped up during the shootout and stopped both shots he faced. The 30-year-old netminder has made 16 appearances for Tampa Bay this season, going 8-6-1 with a 2.82 GAA and an .896 save percentage. The 2.82 GAA would be the second-best mark of his nine-year career at the NHL level and his best in a Lightning sweater. His playing time should remain scarce as long as Andrei Vasilevskiy remains healthy and the No. 1 option to defend Tampa Bay's crease.

Fowler stopped 18 of 22 shots in Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Lightning.

Fowler has been very inconsistent from game to game, though that's to be expected for a rookie goaltender. Through his six starts, he's gone 3-1-2 with a 2.64 GAA and a .905 save percentage. However, even that number has been up and down. He's posted a save percentage of either at least .920 (three games) or at .850 or below (three games). Fowler should remain as the Canadiens' No. 2 goaltender until Sam Montembeault is able to challenge for more playing time.

Bobrovsky will start Monday's home matchup against Washington, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Bobrovsky's six-game winning streak ended in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay. In his last seven outings, he has stopped 157 of the 176 shots he has faced. Bobrovsky has a 16-9-1 record with three shutouts, a 2.79 GAA and an .888 save percentage through 26 appearances this season. Washington ranks 10th in the league with 3.18 goals per game this year.

Greaves stopped 24 of 26 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Islanders.

Greaves was beaten late in the first and second periods, but the Blue Jackets scored three unanswered goals in the final frame to allow the 24-year-old to secure the win. Greaves has won three of his last four starts, allowing nine goals on 103 shots for a .913 save percentage over that stretch. He's also in an impressive run of eight appearances allowing three goals or fewer.

Hellebuyck will protect the home net against Edmonton on Monday, per Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press.

Hellebuyck has gone 0-2-3 in his last five outings while permitting 15 goals on 124 shots. He has a 9-8-3 record this season with a 2.55 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 20 appearances. Edmonton sits third in the league with 3.38 goals per game this campaign.

Rittich stopped 31 of 34 shots in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Columbus. The fourth goal was an empty-netter with 1:06 left in the game.

Rittich saw his two-game winning streak come to a halt Sunday, but his individual performance wasn't bad by any means. It was his fifth consecutive outing with a save percentage of at least .910, a stretch in which he's gone 3-1-1 with a 1.59 GAA and a .949 save percentage. Even if the Islanders struggle offensively, Rittich is a goaltender who can be a solid streaming option across all formats while Ilya Sorokin (lower body) is out.

Merilainen will patrol the home crease against Columbus on Monday, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Merilainen has gone 1-5-0 in his last six appearances while allowing 18 goals on 147 shots. He has a 4-6-0 record with a 3.43 GAA and an .874 save percentage through 10 outings this season. After being recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday, Hunter Shepard will be the backup goalie due to the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). Columbus is tied for 20th in the league this year with 2.92 goals per game.

Shepard was recalled from AHL Belleville on Monday.

Shepard has a 5-5-1 record with a 3.16 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 11 minor-league appearances this season. He will probably serve as Leevi Merilainen's backup in Monday's home matchup against Columbus due to the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal).